If you are interested in arranging your own short mission trip for the students (or adults) in your church, here are a couple simple, but awesome things we took part in over the summer.
Love Packages, Butler, IL http://www.lovepackages.org/
This ministry focus is sending old and unused Sunday School curriculum and other resources to places in the world that can use this material for good. Their facility in Butler, IL is set up for housing of a small to midsize group and a kitchen. A local church youth group did a three day trip here and I was invited to come and lead music for an evening worship time. The group seemed to be having a great time working and hanging out together. It would be an awesome overnight retreat for a Jr. or Sr. High student ministry.
The Bridge Ministry, Nashville, TN http://www.bridgeministry.org/
We enjoyed being a part of this homeless ministry in Nashville, TN. The Bridge has been going 10 years meeting each Tuesday under the Jefferson Street Bridge to provide a meal and a worship time for about 500-600 homeless in the city of Nashville. Following worship, a huge amount of food and clothing is offered for people to take as they need it. We participated from about 2:00 pm on the day we were there. We began at the warehouse with a tour and a history of the ministry. From there, we went into the storage area and helped sort, organize and package food for the evening. About 5:00, we left the warehouse and headed to the bridge. During the evening, we took part in set up, hospitality, prayer ministry, children’s ministry, food delivery, and serving food. It would be a great experience for any group. This happens every Tuesday through the year.
Mission and Justice Ministry – UMM – Omaha, Nebraska http://bigmuddyumc.org/
This summer we had the awesome privilege of serving in Omaha with the United Methodist Ministries there. Through several urban ministries, they are making a difference in the lives of people. We worked in the Blue Flamingo, The Big Garden, The Clare Memorial Student Leaders Event. Though the ministry events may change slightly, the ministry leadership there is really solid and did an incredible job of not only connecting ministry to life, but debriefing and asking questions. We enjoyed our time there, staying in a local church, participating in missions and justice ministries and learning a ton. It’s relatively inexpensive for a mission trip and would be good for Jr. or Sr. High or might even be good for a long weekend. They have compiled a network of host churches for sleeping and meals and they have lots of opportunities for groups of any size. It seems to be well organized and very effective for giving people an experience and a taste of ministry. Contact Lisa Maupin, who is a delight to work with and has a huge passion for the city of Omaha.
Obviously, every where is a mission field. But these are three of the experiences this summer where we had a great time and saw powerful work begin done right before our eyes. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
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5 Steps toward more mission minded kids