The NOMADS, a faith-based community of RV volunteers, rebuild lives, homes, and facilities.
By Rodney & Tammy Ripley, F418208
If you’re interested in combining your love of RV travel with your Christian faith, the NOMADS RV ministry might be just what you’re looking for. NOMADS (Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service) is an organization that offers opportunities for like-minded people of all faiths to come together and serve those in need through volunteer work. With projects lasting three weeks and disaster relief efforts starting at just one week, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference.
Nomads members — Clockwise from top left: Russell Golly, Rodney Ripley, Duane Gebhard, Jennifer Gehard, Tammy Ripley, Karen Gates.
NOMADS membership provides RV owners an opportunity to explore different parts of the United States while giving back to those in need. It offers a sense of community and camaraderie, as everyone is united by a common goal of service. Projects range from construction and renovation work to disaster relief efforts. We do new construction, remodeling, and repairs for churches, children’s homes, assisted-living facilities, camps, and colleges, along with community outreach programs and disaster rebuilding.
We and several other RVers — Russell Golly, Karen Gates, and Duane and Jennifer Gebhard — completed a recent project at Lake Michigan Family Campground in Pentwater, Michigan, part of the Michigan Area United Methodist Camping family.
Our small but mighty volunteer team accomplished a lot. We moved the 9 Square and Gaga Pit games to another part of the camp. This required disassembling them, making repairs, and reassembling them in new locations. To make room, we also had to disassemble a large and heavy structure we affectionately called the Taj Mahal.
During our first week, we took apart the structures and moved the games close to their new location. The second week, we repaired the games and reassembled them. When it rained, we worked in the maintenance shop and built 16 new picnic tables. During the final week of the project, we repurposed parts of the Taj Mahal, built benches around the outdoor chess board, and installed screen doors on all the bunkhouse buildings.
Another major task was to make 32 new large chess pieces for the outdoor chess board, replacing the unusable old plastic pieces. The camp director was really excited about this. The new pieces were made from wood collected around the camp. Duane created them on his lathe. This was a major undertaking we all hoped he could complete in three weeks. Each chess piece needed to be made, sanded, stained, and put on a base. Duane definitely had construction challenges, but in the end, God provides, and all 32 pieces were completed. Jennifer was a key player in getting the bases made and staining the chess pieces. They turned out great, and the camp director was so happy.
In 2023 the NOMADS completed 119 three-week projects in 31 states. Disaster rebuilding included 5,704 hours for long-term efforts in Grand Isle, Louisiana, and Muskogee, Oklahoma. More than 25 agencies were helped through 3,046-plus hours of “drop in” work. In 2023 alone, members donated 74,898 hours of labor valued at an estimated $2.38 million — more than $25 million in the past 10 years!
The NOMADS offer RVers a welcoming community in which to share their love of travel and their faith and to contribute to making the world a better place. As we have found, belonging to this organization gives you “retirement with a purpose.”
For more information, visit methodistnomads.org.
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