mission trip

For the past two summers, more than 40 youth and adults from West Lawn UMC have traveled to northeastern North Carolina to serve alongside Carolina Rebuilding Ministry (CRM), helping make homes safer and healthier for families in need.

Founded following Hurricane Irene, CRM serves communities where many homeowners face aging or storm-damaged homes and limited resources to make critical repairs. Our teams have worked on a wide variety of projects, including flooring, siding, windows and doors, bathrooms, kitchens, accessibility projects, painting, and other home repairs. We’ve also completed projects at CRM’s Volunteer Center and supported the entire team through a dedicated kitchen crew preparing meals and snacks throughout the week.

But a mission trip is about much more than construction. Youth and adults work side-by-side, learn new skills, build relationships with homeowners and one another, worship together each evening, and discover how serving others can transform the way we see our neighbors, our faith, and the world around us.

Our partnership with Carolina Rebuilding Ministry has provided an incredible setting for people of all ages and experience levels to serve. You don’t need to be an experienced contractor to participate. There are opportunities for skilled workers, willing learners, team leaders, cooks, drivers, and anyone ready to serve.

We’re heading back to North Carolina next summer, and we’d love for you to join us! Whether it’s your first mission trip or one of many, save the date now and consider being part of a week of service, community, worship, and transformation.

Carolina Rebuilding Ministry (CRM) serves North Carolina’s northeastern counties—Washington, Chowan, and Bertie—where one in five homes is substandard. Many families face health risks, academic struggles, and financial barriers, while storm damage often goes unrepaired, creating dangerous living conditions.

CRM responds by providing critical home repairs and accessibility upgrades for low-income homeowners. With mission volunteers, they repair plumbing, heating systems, roofs, windows, doors, and flooring, and build ramps and pathways for individuals with disabilities. Typical projects include drywall restoration, subfloor replacement, re-roofing, wheelchair ramps, plumbing and electrical repairs, and weatherization.

Founded in 2011 after Hurricane Irene, CRM began as a United Methodist outreach for storm victims and has since expanded to help families live in safe, healthy homes for generations to come.