ASP 2008 - FAQs
please note: in addition to the info below, much more information is available
on the web site of the Appalachia Service Project at
What is the ASP trip?
Since 1977, the Senior Pilgrim Fellowship (SPF) has participated each summer with the Appalachia Service Project, a home-repair mission organization designed especially for high school youth. This summer will be SPF’s 31 st ASP mission trip. Since our tradition is to travel over the week of July 4 th, this year’s trip will take place from Saturday, June 28 to Saturday, July 5.
ASP was originally a program of the United Methodist Church. Now an independent non-profit, it is a Christian ministry open to all participants, encouraging teens to understand their home repair work as “faith in action.” In their own words: “ASP provides vital housing services to low-income families living in Central Appalachia as well as transformational life experiences to those we serve, volunteers offering their service, congregations involved with ASP, and entire communities.”
ASP runs its summer program for eight weeks each summer, at work centers throughout Tennessee and Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia. Teens come from all over the country to do their week of work. The work the teens do is basic, simple home repair, appropriate for the age and skill level of high-schoolers.
Who Can Participate in ASP?
Any 9 th through 12 th grader who is an active member of SPF and fulfills the following requirements:
1 – attends SPF as regularly as possible on Thursday evenings
2 – attends the Appalachia orientation meetings:
Sunday, March 30, 7 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 27, 7 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 1, 7 to 8 p.m.
3 - Participates in the ASP fundraisers:
Raffle tickets for the Superbowl (on sale now!)
Auction for ASP (March 9)
Dogwood Festival (May 10-11)
What Does the Trip Cost?
For a group size of 135+ teenagers and adults (the number of participants we anticipate), our trip will cost approximately $75,000 – about $750 per youth participant. Of this, roughly $25,000 represents the costs of transportation; the remainder is ASP’s costs for housing and feeding us, and providing the needed work supplies at each work site..
Where does the money come from?
Each youth participant is asked to pay $350: a $75 deposit with the registration, and the remaining $275 in April 2008. Please note that the $75 deposit is non-refundable.
As the individual payments cover less than half of the actual cost, each participant is also asked to participate in the fundraisers (listed on previous page), which raise much of the remaining cost.
In addition, Greenfield Hill Church provides a grant of approximately $10,000 each year to support the trip.
What happens during the trip?
Saturday June 28: Travel by bus and vans to Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia for our first night.
Sunday, June 29: After morning worship together, divide into work crews, each with its own van, and travel to two separate counties (exact locations will be announced by ASP in the spring). The rest of the day looks like this:
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Arrive at your center, register & unpack
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Staff meet with group leaders to discuss the week’s projects
5:00 p.m. Evening Gathering, songs and introductions
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Group leaders & staff travel to meet the families
11:00 p.m. Lights-out; get rested for a wonderful experience!
Monday through Friday – A typical day:
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Rise & shine, devotions and breakfast
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Make lunches, load supplies & go to worksites
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Work day with lunch at noon at the worksite
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Clean up, plan supplies for the next day & relax
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. - 10:00pm. Evening Gathering, chores, free time, & other activities
10:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Quiet time; settle in for a well-deserved sleep
11:00 p.m. Lights out!
Saturday, July 5:
Around 8 a.m., Leave our work centers in the morning, return to Roanoke to catch the bus home … arriving in Fairfield around 11:00 p.m. .
Sunday evening, July 6: Gather at the church for a welcome-home dinner and our final ‘Circle’ together!
So, what kind of work do we do?
A little bit of everything!
painting … ditch-digging… roof repair … roof construction… plumbing … adding a new room… fixing rotting floors… building a porch
Sounds tough! … Will I be able to do the work?
You will be expected to work hard, for sure! But you will be able to do it. ASP chooses its projects with teens in mind; unlike other home-building ministries, ASP has always been geared toward teen participants. The tasks selected are those which young teens can do, and do well. Over the course of the week, you will discover that you are capable of far more than you could ever have imagined – learning to shingle, to build a new wall, to insulate, and more!
I’m worried about being with friends… How are we divided up?
Because our group is so large, we are divided into two work centers, in two different counties. The two center groups are divided to ensure a mix of ages, gender and ASP experience at each county. If friends wish to be at the same center together, they will be given the chance to make that request (in April).
Each participant is assigned to a particular work crew, a mix of age, gender and experience. A crew is made up of 5 youth and 2 adult advisors … and you are guaranteed to make new friends! We do not take requests for friends to be on the same crew!
How many adult chaperones are there, and who are they?
The adult/youth ratio on the trip is quite low: 2 adults for every 5 youth. With an anticipated youth participation rate of 90-95 kids this year, we will need at least 38 adult advisors to accompany them. These adults come from the church community and the community as a whole: we especially welcome interested parents to participate, as well as older siblings, teachers, and others who have an interest in serving others side-by-side with our teenagers. If you’re interested in coming along, please be in touch!
Okay - How do I sign up?
The Registration form in this packet is due by December 1, 2007, but registrations will continue to be accepted for as long as there is space available.