Social Justice | Youth Missions Insider

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Above and beyond…

We received this email in our office a couple weeks after one of our one-day service events, The Big Day of Serving, in St. Louis, MO. This is what you, you crazy youth workers, do all the time. You share your heart and passion and serve those in need in ways that are above and beyond what anyone could realistically expect or imagine.

Just to let you know. The lady we did work for had not had a refrigerator for 6 months. When we got back to our church the next day 150 miles away…….we announced it in church and I had my youth all give a talk about what we did and what they thought. Someone donated a almost new frig and we will be taking it to her….God is Good….thanks, for the opportunity to serve…

Deana – Lake Wappapello, MO

God is so good. He calls us to serve. And youth workers and youth ministries and churches do. Over and over again.

Thanks for all you do serving people with needs near and far. God bless!

Add Comment May 4, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts GUEST POST: Do as I have done for you

Christ is the perfect example of serving others, as he humbly takes on the role of a servant to wash his disciples’ feet during the Last Supper. Christ says, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). For the last 9 years, the Senior High youth of my church have participated in one of Group Mission Trip’s week-long mission trips. Many of our Senior High youth are active in sports and have full time summer jobs. When it comes to the summer mission trip though, the youth and adults agree that this reminder of Christ’s humble nature as a servant, trumps the summer pay check or the air conditioned house. As a youth leader, I am very proud of the Senior High youth in that they see the greater significance of leaving their busy lives behind, in order to spend a week serving in Christ’s name. Sure, the weekly pay-check is nice if you are going into college or just looking for some extra fun summer money. Nevertheless, the youth truly embrace John 13:15- that as Christ as called us to serve others, putting our needs aside- the youth never hesitate to tell the boss that “Yeah, I am not available to work for this week- I am going with my church to serve others and spread the love of Christ.”

In the many years of our youth going on mission trips, they have done a variety of activities to both prepare spiritually and financially for the week-long experience at work camp. One new activity the youth are doing to prepare spiritually for our mission trip to Wilmington, North Carolina this year, is joining with a congregation member to be “SOUL sponsors.” Given the new unique experiences and faith journeys of our Senior High youth, each Senior High youth has been paired with a congregation member who has similar interests both inside and outside the walls of our congregation. As a “SOUL sponsor”, the congregation member will get to journey with a youth in their faith walk, get to know them and do fun activities with them, outside of worship. In addition, other ways that our Senior High youth prepare for the work camp experience include: serving Easter breakfast and doing a summer rummage sale. Through their fundraising efforts, the youth realize that although it does take a lot of money to attend a mission trip, the sticker tag on the trip is nothing, when you compare it to the actual experience of working on a home, alongside other Christian teens.

Nothing excites me more after coming home from our mission trip experience, than the change the other adults and I see in our Senior High youth. Through our mission trip experience each year, our youth grow closer to each other, new friendships form, and each youth is strengthened in their faith. As previously mentioned, Christ has already set the example for us, serving others with tremendous love; we, as his disciples are called to live this out in our everyday lives. Each year, the Senior High youth come back home from the mission trip, with a renewed spirit and passion to serve others. Many times, the other Messiah youth leaders and I are surprised by the innumerable requests by the youth to participate in service projects. I cannot help but smile and work to organize the next service activity for the youth.

Samantha (Sam) Crowell has been involved in youth ministry for the last five years. I currently serve as the volunteer adult leader of the Junior High Ministry and the youth ministry communications coordinator. This year’s mission trip to Wilmington, North Carolina will be her ninth mission trip with the Senior High youth group.

Add Comment May 2, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts GUEST POST: My church is a changed church

I’ve been a Youth Pastor for nearly 20 years now and for almost every one of those years I’ve taken my students on a mission trip. I’ve taken large groups and small groups, affluent teens and homeless teens, football star types and head banger types, and just about everything in between. I’ve seen the football player types pray with the headbanger types then break into a game of Ninja with some math Olympian types. I’ve seen affluent teens with everything in the world stand in shocked silence at the realization that not everyone lives like them. I’ve had shy, I-can’t-do-anything-right sort of kids turn into I-did-it sort of kids when they stand back and watch with pride as their resident wheels down the ramp they built. I’ve had many, many teens give their lives to Christ on a mission trip. I’ve come to expect that the lives of my students will be changed by their experiences on a mission trip. This year though, I got to experience a different side of things. I learned first hand how a Group Mission Trip can change not only the lives of the students who attend, but the church as a whole.

Last year, my church became a lodging facility for Week of Hope – which means that we hosted teens from all over the country during the months of June, July and August. There were teenagers everywhere. Shower tents were setup in the parking lot, the dumpster overflowed with trash, on any given Sunday morning you were sure to find towels, t-shirts or boxers left to dry on the bushes. One day someone sat on a table and it split right down the middle. Another person stuck their foot through the glass door. On the very first Monday of the summer every single toilet and drain in the whole church over flowed….at once. As we were running around trying to stop the great flood of 2011 a burning smell came from behind the sanctuary and the power went out in one side of the building. A few weeks later the air conditioning went out. It was July. In Florida. This was not good. Our roof is now permanently littered with Frisbee’s and our once pristine parlor..well…isn’t.

It was fantastic!

If the fact that our almost 60 year old building survived isn’t proof enough of God’s divine intervention in the world, the reaction of our older members surely is. When arriving at our very traditional, stained glassed building on Sunday morning to find someone’s forgotten boxers lying across the courtyard wall, our senior members would smile, pick them up, bring them to me and say, “Looks like they worked their pants off this week.” When asked to move every single meeting and gathering of every single group in the church to another location for the entire summer, our oldest members said, “Well, let’s meet at Sue’s house and call it a party.” As I stood on the sideline I watched as my congregation opened their arms to strangers, happily changed their regular schedules and graciously over looked the crumbs in the classrooms, stains on the carpet and grease in the kitchen. Instead, they focused on the hearts opened, lives changed and love given.

Was it a challenge for my church? Yes. Was it difficult at times? Yes. Would it have been easier not to have so many teenagers living in our church? Yes. Would we do it again? Yes, in fact we are this summer. My church is a changed church. No longer a sub-group of the church, teenagers are now embraced and welcomed as a vital part of the larger church. As a result of this welcome, the number of teens in our church has doubled. The mission work of our church has moved from collections and check writing to personal, relational service. Our folks have been praying for this years’ teens, adults and staff all year long. Our focus isn’t on what might break or go wrong, but on all the ways God will show up in the chaos.

Jennyfer Norvell has been in youth ministry for about 20 years. She currently serves alongside her husband at a church in downtown Orlando, FL. She takes her students on a mission trip nearly every year and this past year led her church to become the host location for an entire summer mission trip experience.

Add Comment April 27, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Missions = Compassion

Here’s a great article from my follow blogger Toby Rowe.

Missions = Compassion

As you prepare your group for your summer mission trip experience this year, these are great words. Remember that a mission trip experience is all encompassing. It’s not just about your group. It’s not just about those you’re serving. It’s not just about the work or service you are doing. It’s not just about fun times you’ll have together. It’s not about any one of those things. It’s about all of them!

But don’t forget that you are serving real people. With real needs. They are not just a project. They are people who God loves and you have the opportunity to serve them.

God bless you and your group on your mission trip this summer.

Add Comment April 18, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Mission Trip Basics

Kurt and Josh have some good, solid, basic thoughts about mission trips. This article is part of Simply Youth Ministry Today.

Mission Trip Basics

Add Comment April 13, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts One Person Helped Change Her Community!

The following interview with JoAnn Pleasants and Geoff Frahm focuses on the feasibility of an individual to bring transformational change on a local community. Can one person really make a difference?

Geoff Frahm is National Team Leader for The Big Day of Serving. He works with individuals in communities all across the country to help them organize a single-day service event for 500 – 1,000 people. Geoff has been organizing mission opportunities for over 10 years dating back to when he traveled the country for several summers during college leading mission trips.

JoAnn Pleasants is a long time children’s and youth pastor with nearly 15 years experience. Her passion to push her church’s ministry outside of the walls of the building called her to action. Over the past two years she has led a community team in Frederick, MD to organize The Big Day of Serving event that brought over 900 youth into the city of Frederick to impact the community. Additionally, she directs a new program called 4YOUth that steps out of the church to engage youth in an after-school environment.

Geoff: What did you find to be the needs in your community?
JoAnn: In order to make the most profound impact on a specific neighborhood (or neighborhoods), we focused in our downtown area for our Big Day of Serving. We found two city organizations truly needing our help. Our Parks & Recreation Department was in need of landscaping help all throughout the downtown Frederick area mainly due to budget cuts. The necessary supplies were available through the city but the staff had been reduced and the work could not be completed. Another department in need of our help was the Housing Authority, especially with government funded housing communities. There was a great opportunity to share God’s grace with many families and adults of all ages. That was truly a need and we all were blessed to be present in their lives on that day.

Geoff: It has been said that this generation of young people are “wired” to serve. Why do you think that is? Why is there a need for a national movement organizing youth service events?
JoAnn: I’ve been working in youth ministry for the last several years and I believe youth genuinely want to serve. They want to make an impact and help others… and “days of service” give them an opportunity to do so. They see needs, hear about needs, and read about the needs of others and they want to make a difference, but they don’t know how. This current group of teenagers cares an awful lot…and they certainly have the energy to make a difference. Additionally, I think the more youth you have gathered at an event, that energy is amplified and it becomes more fun for them to make a difference…perhaps it’s the power of numbers.

There is definitely a need for a national movement to organize youth service events…especially through the church and youth ministry. In organizing this event I learned that our city and other non-profit organizations are looking to churches to help those in need because they cannot accomplish all that should be or needs to be done. Whatever the reasons that people and our communities are in need, the reality is we can help. A personal reason for me to be involved in a national service day like The Big Day of service is to help empower youth – in my experience they can accomplish anything and everything! They just need to be given the opportunity, encouragement, and guidance when needed. A national movement makes them feel a part of a bigger whole and amplifies their energy towards service, and their productivity towards change!

Geoff: What advice would you give to someone who sees the need in their community and wants to help? How did you find the partnership with The Big Day of Serving helped you to impact your community?
JoAnn: I would say “Go for it!” Take some time to really think about the needs in your community. Talk to people in your church, your neighborhood or some close friends and colleagues to see if they feel the same as you about needs in your community and wanting to make a difference…and then talk to the youth in your church. If you engage them in the planning and have them all alongside of you, that will make a difference. Plus, you won’t be alone in the effort. You need a good team working with you – helping to plan the event. With a great team it’s not the mountain it starts out to be!

I was excited to partner with The Big Day of Serving for several reasons. First, they are well known and have such a wonderful reputation for organizing excellent mission and service opportunities. I also support the goal and vision they have for The Big Day of Serving. I am honored that they trusted and had faith in me to lead an event in our community. Without them we would not have brought together over 900 participants in Frederick! Plus, not only do they know how to put together a successful event, they have a team of individuals always willing to help & support you with your community event. They are truly committed to their mission to unite youth, transform communities in need, and to just share God’s grace!

LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR COMMUNITY TRANSFORM NEIGHBORHOODS
To find out more about how you can mobilize youth to transform communities across the nation – go to www.thebigdayofserving.com. You may also contact Geoff at gfrahm@thebigdayofserving.com or by calling (800) 385-4545 ext. 4256.

Add Comment March 21, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Skateboarding and the first mission trip…

My middle son loves skateboarding. He’s only 10 years old but he skates every single day that he can. After school. All weekend. He’d skateboard after dark if we’d let him. When he first started, he was scared of falling… of getting hurt. It kept him from doing things he know he could do but he was afraid. Now, he really wants to learn new tricks. He’s overcoming his fear and is willing to try new stuff even thought he might fall. It’s inspiring. It’s fun to watch. And I’m really proud of him.

Well… you may be asking, “What in the world does your kid skateboarding have to do with a mission trip?”

It has everything to do with it!

Taking your kids on a mission trip for the first time is scary.

You don’t know what to expect.
Your students could get hurt (literally).
Your kids could end up frustrated because so many mission experiences are unknown.
Things could go different than you expected and your group might be frustrated with you.

So many what if’s…

And then, you take them on that first trip… Things may have gone differently than you planned. A lot of unknown things happen. Your youth group didn’t know exactly what to expect. And – God did amazing things! You witnessed each other part of God’s plan to change the lives of the people you served. God didn’t just work in the lives of those you served. The students in your ministry were completely transformed by the experience. Some have learned that life isn’t about things – they’re now less materialistic. Some actually started their relationship with Jesus on the trip – serving someone else helped them understand Jesus loved them. Your group came back stronger and bonded together.

The best part is now you know that it will be even easier to try your next mission trip. You’ve witnessed the change it makes in both those who are served and in your group.

Just like my son skateboarding, once he knows he can do something he wants to try something even harder and new…

Add Comment March 15, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts The first step in my new relationship with Jesus

This is Caitlin’s story of how a mission trip changed her life:

When I heard about the mission trip, I was so excited. All year long, I look forward to our mission trip opportunity. It is always a chance for me to grow closer to God. It’s the perfect chance to connect to Him. Over the week, I not only made a relationship with Christ, but also with the people I served with. I felt such a deep connection to God over the week. He impacted me to finally want to create a lasting relationship with Jesus. This week has been my favorite mission trip so far. I made friends from other states and built stronger friendships with people in my church. I honestly feel like this week was the first step in my new relationship with Jesus.

Another great story of how a mission trip can help a teenager encounter Jesus. This is what God does in literally hundreds of thousands of people lives every year through a mission trip.

If you haven’t made your plans for a mission trip yet this year, we’d be honored to help you find a place to serve and give your students an opportunity to encounter Jesus like Caitlin. Visit groupmissiontrips.com

Add Comment February 24, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Making your mission trip easier for you… and a great experience for your students

So… you’re going on a mission trip this summer. You’re the one in charge and you’re planning everything. You’ve selected the location, the local partner, the service you’re doing, how long you’re going to be there, the place you’re going to stay, the meals you’re going to eat, who’s speaking during your worship services, and who’s driving the vans. Whew! Did I leave anything out?

That’s a ton of work. And then, you’ll be the one in charge the whole time that you’re there (not to mention the trip to and back). Wow… that’s a lot. But, wait…

Doug Fields’ post about Serve first… lead second made me think about all the incredible leadership opportunities that exist in a week-long summer mission trip. Within the context of that week away from home, in uncomfortable situations, real significant growth can be be produced in a teenagers life. It’s a great situation to give them a chance to lead. Here’s a few ways you can facilitate that and make your life easier during the mission trip.

1) The Service Project: Why not let one of your youth be the leader at the project site? Once you know that details of the project and have made sure the basic safety issues are covered – let one of your kids lead. How cool would it be to see a 15 year-old girl organize and direct the work of her peers and adults? Imagine the pride a teenager would feel knowing they gave the guidance and encouragement everyone needed to serve well. You’ll be there to make sure nothing “goes wrong” but maybe you can give up control and see your students succeed.

2) The Worship and Devotions: You’ve planned for times of worship during your mission trip. Think about how you can give students a chance to lead in those moments. Can a student lead a devotion during lunch at your service project? Could a different student pray each night as part of your worship service? You could also encourage your teenagers to share a testimony or “God Sighting” of what God is doing in their life (recently or during the trip).

3) At Your Lodging Facility: This is great place for your kids to step up and take the lead. Let a student lead free-time activities. Give a student the opportunity lead the dish washing crew or the bathroom cleaning crew. If you’re cooking your own meals, give your students the chance to actually cook (please follow applicable safety guidelines).

Your mission trip experience can be so much more than only serving someone in need. And it can be so much more than you being the only one leading. There are many, many opportunities for you to see real growth in students. Don’t miss out on the chance to see the teenagers in your group grow as leaders as well.

Add Comment February 17, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Preparing Volunteer Adults to Lead

The summer mission trip season is only 5 months away. By now, you probably know the students and adults who will be going on your mission trip. I know that feels like the important work (can’t have a trip without people, right?) but getting everyone ready is just as important – especially the adults.

Here’s a few important things to focus on as you prepare your adults for their experience:

Refresh

Mission trips can be stretching, challenging, rewarding, overwhelming and inspiring. But let’s be totally honest. They are tiring. Your adults will be serving long days. Working hard on projects. Dealing with youth and issues and other adults. They’ll be getting less sleep than they are used to. That’s a recipe for exhaustion. You will need to think ahead and take advantage of every opportunity to “Take care of yourselves.” You will need to look for opportunity to grab downtime while on the trip. Agree together to be honest with each other during the week of the mission trip. If anyone needs a break or a nap or just a quick run to get a cup of coffee, make a promise to tell each other. Your teenagers will know if you are worn out, tired and maybe grumpy. When there’s a chance to get a break, take it.

Something else that’s part of Refresh is “Be a bungee cord”. Mission trips are hard work. It will feel like you’re “on” 24/7 each and every day of the trip. And, truthfully, you are. There may come a time where an adult may just want to throw in the towel. They’ll feel things like – It’s too hot, the kids are too difficult, the food is not like home, I can’t sleep on my air mattress, I’m way out of my comfort zone. You will need to bounce back when things are harder than you thought. All the youth on the mission trip will pick up on the attitude and behavior of you and your adults. You are the example the teenagers will follow. Be ready to bounce back from whatever may happen on the trip!

Relate

Your adults will be relating to a bunch of teenagers on your mission trip. Here’s some ideas to help us Relate.

#1 — Don’t be a Control Freak!

Remember the trip is about the teenagers — not us. Your role as adults is to encourage and guide. Not be a director or dictator. One way any of us can fall into being a dictator is on the project site. Allow the kids to lead. You’ll be there to give guidance and encouragement. The one time you need to be sure to be the leader is when it comes to safety at your project. If you ever see something at camp that looks unsafe or inappropriate or just something you are uncomfortable with, please let the mission trip staff know right away.

#2 — Don’t be creepy.

Being a creepy adult is not something that any of us want to be. But you need to make sure that none of your adults are interpreted that way. A creepy adult is someone who acts inappropriately — telling off-color jokes, makes comments about teenagers of the opposite gender that could be construed as sexual in nature, or makes inappropriate physical contact. And yes, that could even include a misinterpreted hug. The key is “misinterpreted”. There have been adults that have done things or said things unintentionally that still made a teenager feel uncomfortable. Our advice to you is to always err on the side of being overly cautious. Nothing would ruin your trip faster than someone not understanding something any one did or said. Enough said.

RELAX
Your adults are going to do a great job serving on your mission trip. You are going to be with some of the best, most idealistic people — teenagers. They feel indestructible and invincible. They are willing to take anything on and believe they can accomplish it. Here’s a great way to Relax and still be the adult on your mission trip. “Play zone defense.” This means giving kids some space and seeing how things work out. Playing zone defense is another way to say that you and your adults are present. You are setting the big guidelines and boundaries but allowing your teenagers to grow and learn within the experience of your mission trip.

And the last idea is simply — “Look to Jesus.” There will be moments of joy, stress, anxiety, excitement, fun, and any other emotion you can think of. Jesus will be right there with you. Know that. Look for ways to help your youth understand that. God is right there with you the entire mission trip. That’s the magic of a mission trip. You’re immersing yourself in what God is doing — every minute of every day. So be ready for God to show up and do something!

These ideas and principles will help your adults be ready for the greatest week possible!