Volunteer
AMSA offers differing ways to get involved; PRAY, SERVE, & DONATE. These three areas of service give many opportunities to add your serving along side the serving of many others, all pulling together to support those who ultimately travel into the mission field. As they do their part under God's purpose we do ours and with your help it all brings Glory to Our Lord.
Meals
Meals are a part of what AMSA does to support the missionaries that come to Sun ‘n Fun. During the week AMSA partners with local business, churches, and individuals to help provide three meals a day. Providing meals helps alleviate the cost for the missionaries and makes it possible to fit Sun ‘n Fun into their budget. Meals can be home made in the kitchen, catered, ordered and delivered or donated. AMSA needs your help in providing meals for the AMSA volunteer crew and missionaries attending Sun n’ Fun. You can team up with your neighbors, small group, church crew, anyone to help give a meal. Or we can partner you up with a team for you to join to help serve a meal.
Your AMSA Meal Coordinator is: Tracy Lafler
Speaking Engagements
To engage the mission aviation public at Sun ‘n Fun we have people speak about their experiences in the mission field and help tell the story about God's work.
The purpose for the missionaries and Missionary Aviation Organization attending Sun n’ Fun is to be visible, build relationships with individuals and to connect with people, groups and churches. Quoting Mike Mower, a JAARS Pilot, “I love to fly, but it is not about flying, it is about doing God’s work”. However, in order to do this they need to be face to face with individuals – not just at the event but also in small groups, churches and classes, schools and local organizations.
The missionaries believe this is so important that they are willing to work all day during the event and then share themselves with you before, during and after each day.
Say, “ Yes. I want a missionary to visit my small groups, Sunday School Class or church on Sunday.”
Golf Carts
The dining tent, where meals are served and air shows are watched, is a long trek from the feature expo tent. Often a missionary makes this one-mile trip many times each day for their meals and needs. Since this would make it very difficult for the missionaries, AMSA rents 6-seat golf carts for shuttling missionaries to and from the AMSA host tents. AMSA covers this cost for the rental, $1,000.
Setup and Takedown
Every year AMSA sets up four tent sites, two for missionaries displays of their organizations (Feature Expo Tent), the dining tent; where we eat, have our devotions communicate with each other, and the hospitality tent; where missionaries can take a break and rest. AMSA volunteers construct the sites on the Saturday before the event is opened to the public.
Set up and take down days are full of work, but also full of fun, meeting new AMSA volunteers and connecting with our supporters. Set up and take down days are full days, however you can volunteer for just part of the day or the full day. Each tent takes a crew and each crew has a leader helping setup each tent.
Set up teams begin at 8 am on setup days. You can come when can and leave when you need.
Housing
Getting to Sun ‘n Fun is expensive, but the biggest expense is hotel cost. Helping meet that need is where you come in. Housing for the week of Sun ‘n Fun is provided to the missionary aviators by local families, this saved the missionaries over $60,000 in 2019.
Would you like to help meet this need? Our host families are one of our biggest support teams, we couldn’t do this week without them. Our host families get a chance to know the missionaries on a one to one basis and are able to develop lasting relationships. We ask that you prayerfully consider becoming one of our host families, you will be blessed as you bless a missionary. Your in-kind donation is tax deductible and AMSA will provide you with a receipt.
Parking Passes
While at the week long event the missionaries will use a car that has been loaned by one of our AMSA supporters. Our supporters allow a missionary to use their car during the week to drive from their host home to Sun ‘n Fun and their community speaking engagements. The cars need parking passes to be parked at the Sun ‘n Fun lots.
Dining Tent
The Dining Tent is where all the missionaries eat and relax for a few minutes after a meal. The tent has tables, chairs, snacks, drinks and background music for the missionaries to enjoy the meal that has been provided by local churches, individuals, or businesses. AMSA provides all the needed meal preparation items. dining items and clean up items. AMSA welcomes donations of these items to helps meet the meal needs.
Weekly Passes
AMSA helps alleviate the cost of weekly entry passes by providing them to the missionaries. These are the passes that allow general admission entrance into Sun n' Fun and are good for the entire week. Each Missionary or Missionary Pilot will require a pass to enter Sun n' Fun and have access to general exhibits as well as the AMSA ministry sites.
Feature Expo Tent
Come meet a missionary! Everyday all the missionaries are hanging out in the Feature Expo tent to talk with the attendees of Sun ‘n Fun. The tent is open all days during the Sun ‘n Fun event. Stop by see displays, demonstrations, ask questions, and receive information about all the organizations in attendance.
As the visitors pass through the feature expo tent the missionaries engage them and tell about their organization, give them some take homes and share the good news.
Kathy Hoover Hospitality Tent
During the week of Sun ‘n Fun the feature expo tent will have some regular visitors or ones returning to visit from previous years; they enjoy catching up with our missionaries. Other times the missionaries will begin to share the gospel with an attendee and they need a place to have a more personal conversation in a quiet place. Or the AMSA crew and missionaries need a break.
The hospitality tent is a place just for that. The hospitality tent has cold drinks, coffee, and snacks for the missionaries and crew.