Members of Immanuel were able to join with the Northeast V.I.M. team on a mission trip the week of September 16-20.  Sue Gannon wrote the following article about the trip for her home church:

It is hard to describe the moment when the homeowner says “Thank you”. It is far more than gratitude for work that was absolutely necessary, but absolutely unaffordable without the volunteer labor. It is a deep gratitude that their lives were touched by a team of strangers who bonded together with a commitment to serve others with the grace and love God shows us all. It is a moment when “Because Jesus loves me, I love you” becomes real.

A moment that will be remembered by our eight member V.I.M team that traveled to Glover, Vermont the week of Sept. 15. Five from our Quad: Mike and Donna Motyl from Simsbury and Jeff Cedarfield, Larry Gannon and Sue Gannon from North Canton. And three from Immanuel UMC, the church Larry and Sue attended in Camillus, NY. In true United Methodist spirit, it was through our connection that we were able to accomplish so much.

We worked on two houses. Both husbands had Parkinson’s. One from Agent Orange in Vietnam and one from the chemicals in the factory where he worked. Both wives were wonderful examples of facing adversity with a positive, caring attitude. 

For the first house, we were the final team so our work was limited to repairing sheet rock and painting the basement. The basement had been flooded with four feet of water from a very small creek that was so far downhill and so far away that it was difficult to imagine that water had reached the basement.

The second home was one of the most challenging Disaster Recovery projects we have ever encountered. The heavy rains washed out the front wall of the stone foundation of this 200 year old farmhouse. A new foundation wall had been installed, but the large rocks of the old wall had to be jack hammered and removed. A new drainage ditch had to be dug with crushed stone, piping and sump pump installed. New cedar siding on one side of the house had been so severely damaged that it had to be replaced.

Disaster Recovery work can be physically exhausting, but is spiritually up lifting. There are still 700 homes to be repaired, and we  will be there on our next trip May, 2025.

On a sunny Saturday, September 14, 2024, Immanuel UMC hosted a bed build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. We started out to build 40 beds but were able to complete 62 beds! That means that 62 children in Onondaga County will no longer have to sleep on the floor! Our younger volunteers made 7 no sew blankets to go with the beds.
Many thanks to all of the persons who supported this endeavor!

Our team from ​Immanuel joined with a team from Connecticut to do repair work in Vermont after severe flooding. The team will be there the week of September 16-20.

Read more about the trip.

On Sunday, September 15, we celebrated Pastor Jack's birthday with a cake during our fellowship time. 

​Pastor Jack's birthday is Wednesday, September 18.