What:

A Summer Missions Trip is typically a four-five week adventure to a foreign country. Foreign meaning anywhere from Eastern Europe to Central Asia to South America to Africa to the South Pacific; our teams have traveled to the far corners of the world for a summer trip. After a week of “bootcamp”, which includes team building and outreach preparation, our teams do daily ministry with our in-country hosts, working to spread the Gospel and strengthen the Church in whichever country we follow the Lord to that summer.

Why:

We do a Summer Missions Trip for a long list of reasons. The primary one is because Jesus commands us to “Go into all the nations and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). We believe God’s heart is not just for our city, but for our world. We want to show our students the love God has for the nations. We believe one of the best ways to do that is to go into the nations and experience life in a new and strange place. To go and see the lush jungles of Central and South America; to go and smell the incense coming out of a Buddhist shrine in Asia; to go and hear the Muslim Mosques broadcast their call to prayer in Central Asia- all of these are experiences that stick with a person. Our hope is for our students to go and have their lives changed by what they experience, and for them to have a heart to reach the nations with the truth of the Gospel.

Another reason a Summer Missions Trip is a part of our yearly calendar is leadership training. Through our local events, we are training our local students to be leaders and teachers. When we go overseas, there are more opportunities for our students to put into practice the tools we give them throughout the school year. Our students take primary ministry roles, such as teaching their peers practical tools they learned during the school year, planning and leading outreach events, leading worship, and so much more. We also give our students opportunities to see the practical side of outreach, like what it looks like to do laundry in a place with no washing machines, or what daily grocery shopping for a team of forty looks like in a tiny village market. Through this hands-on approach, we push our students to step up, lead out, and take ownership of the God given giftings and strengths they each have.

Finally, we do a Summer Missions Trip as a way to strengthen the global Body of Christ. Every summer, we do our best to work with the local Church. We try to give practical support for physical needs, manpower and training for outreaches or events, and encouragement for the local pastors and missionaries. We believe there is much the Church can learn from each other if we partner with each other, and every summer, it is a joy to be able to serve with what the Church is doing all over the globe.

Who:

Typically, we take students ages 15 to 18, though we have been known to make exceptions. Who we are looking for are students who are sincere in their commitment to God, and who have a desire to grow and mature in relationship with Him. We are looking for brave students, who don’t mind a lot of hard work, long days and short nights, and harsh physical living for a summer. If you have a heart to share the truth of Jesus with the nations, have a heart to get to know God in a deeper way, and don’t mind being uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, this could be for you!

Out of high school but still want to experience a Summer Missions Trip? We take adults, young and mature alike! Our Summer Missions Trips would never be possible without adults willing to come and serve both the locals and the team. You’ll return home exhausted, but we promise you’ll be counting down the days until the next summer!

When: