PREPARATION:

PLANNING A MISSION TRIP

I. INTRODUCING THE IDEA TO YOUR CONGREGATION

It is important to present the idea of a mission trip to the appropriate boards and committees in your church. Then help the congregation and especially the parents/guardians understand why mission trips are important for the spiritual growth and deepening of the participants. The congregation’s support, both financially through the budget and fund raisers and spiritually through prayer while you are on the trip, are vitally important.

II. CHOOSING A PLACE

A. Ready-made trips from national denominational agencies or other agencies:

Many denominations have national offices that help groups find a work camp or ready made mission trip which take care of housing, food, and program. Other agencies offering projects are Habitat for Humanity, Heifer Project both in the U.S. and other countries, Amor Ministries in Mexico, and Back Bay Mission in Mississippi. Check for age restrictions at the various sites.

B. Creating your own trip

Another exciting way to go is to create your own trip. This entails figuring out where in the country or out of the country you want to go, and contacting a church in the area about housing. Most denominations have national directories with all the churches listed. You may or may not choose to stay within your own denomination.

The church where you end up staying can often be a rich source for your work projects. Many churches have agencies they work with, or projects they could use help on for their church or its members. One of the most amazing projects my youth were involved in was cleaning houses for elderly people in a congregation.

Most towns and cities have a United Way office or Volunteer Center who can give you the names and contacts for agencies or projects in their community.

Questions to ask about housing:

· Minister(s) name(s)?

· Secretary’s name?

· Where will we be sleeping? Does your church have rules about separating genders for sleeping?

· Are the floors of our sleeping rooms carpeted or concrete or wood?

· Can we leave our stuff when we leave each day to work, or does it need to be packed up and stored?

· Are we sharing the space with other groups or programs?

· What kind of kitchen privileges do we have?

· What kind of space is there for eating our meals?

· Can we leave food in the refrigerator, on the counters, and in designated cupboards?

· Is there someone in the church to whom we can send money, who would be willing to buy groceries for us before we arrive for our first day?

· Who is our main contact person at the church with whom to work out details?

· Does your church have showers? How many?

· If they do not have showers, or not enough, is there a school or YMCA near by that we could contact for showers? Many churches have members who work at middle or high schools or colleges nearby with showers and could make arrangements. Not taking showers could also be part of the experience, especially if you are working with people who don’t have access to showers.

· What is appropriate dress for church if the group will be there on a Sunday?

· What is the regional etiquette regarding how to address adults, and what are the church rules for their own youth?

· Where is the closest hospital, or is there a physician in your congregation who would be willing to be on call?

· How do we get to your church – directions if driving or if taking public transportation?

Questions to ask about work sites:

· Name, address, phone and e-mail of main contact?

· Hours to work?

· Appropriate dress, including shoes?

· Lunch provided, or do we need to bring our own?

· Tools or gear to bring?

· What kinds of work?

· What sort of preparation should the participants do in terms of education?

· Explicit directions from the host church to the work site?

· How many people can the agency or site use each day?

Travel arrangements to work out:

· How is the group getting to the Mission Trip location?

· How is the group getting to work sites and to other places during the trip, such as grocery shopping, hospital trips, and fun activities?

· Make sure you get good maps of the area, city, or town where you will be staying and working. A good rule is a map for each adult leader.

· Walkie-talkies or cell phones are helpful when traveling.

Schedule balance:

As you plan the trip, make sure you build in time for:

· free time or just hanging out.

· opportunities to process the work experiences.

· time to pray for and with each other.

· time for leaders to meet and check in as well as to go over the details of each day.

· opportunities to connect with the youth and other people from your host church.

III. PREPARING A BUDGET AND GETTING THE MONEY

Figure in:

· All transportation to and from trip, as well as during the trip.

· All food costs.

· Basic first aide kits (one for each adult leader to carry).

· Recreation or sight-seeing costs.

Income:

· how much from church budget?

· how much from fund raisers?

· how much from each participant and their families?

IV. PREPARING THE GROUP AND THEIR FAMILIES

A. Meetings with participants’ families

It is important to meet at least two times with families, once at the beginning of planning and once near the trip itself. This gives you the opportunity to make sure they have important information, to collect medical forms and money, and let families ask questions or raise any issues of concern.

Information to give to families

· costs.

· travel itinerary.

· where you are staying and how to contact you during the trip.

· work site list of projects.

· what will happen if there is an injury or discipline problem on the trip.

Information to get from families

· medical information on each participant including medicines they are taking, allergies, parent/guardian permission for emergency treatment, family insurance information, medical history, any special dietary or physical needs.

· information on how to contact the parents/guardians while you are on the trip.

· if the parents/guardians will be out of town as well, who is the designated contact.

· a phone tree structure of families for help in getting info out before, during, and after the trip as needs arise.

B. Meetings with participants:

Meeting with the participants gives them the opportunity to ask questions or raise issues. It also gives you the opportunity to make sure they know the following info:

· Host church rules.

· Appropriate dress for work, fun, and sleeping.

· Travel etiquette that will make a difference in how strangers perceive you such as appropriate behavior in airports and airplanes, walking down the street so as not to run other people off the sidewalk, and boys taking hats off inside buildings.

· Trip rules and the consequences if they are not honored.

· The importance of everyone having an ID (a driver’s license or student ID), especially if you are flying.

· Information on the agencies where they will be working. Make sure you include any relevant issues or history. You could do workshops or bring in speakers to help prepare the participants for the different work sites and populations you will be encountering.

C. Covenant

Many groups have a covenant they create especially for the trip. A covenant is a biblical concept dating back to God and Noah (Genesis 9:1-17). A covenant is a promise made among the youth participants, the adult leaders, the congregation sending them out, their families, and God. Below is a sample covenant:

MISSION TRIP COVENANT

We covenant with each other, our congregation, and God to open ourselves to learning about other people and a different culture. To learn more about ourselves as we work and play together, see new places, and reach out to others. To use this as an opportunity to deepen our faith and experience the face of Christ in each other and strangers. To use this as an opportunity to reflect the love of God to others. We covenant with each other to be good representatives of our church community.

In order to better keep this Covenant we agree to the following rules:

· to respect others and their things

· to listen to others

· to refrain from offensive language

· to keep confidences

· that possession of or being under the influence of illegal or mood altering drugs or alcohol is not appropriate for the emotional and physical safety of people on the trip, and if I am found in possession or under the influence I will be sent home at my family’s expense

· that I will not participate in inappropriate sexual activity (activity which makes others uncomfortable)

· to honor the rules and etiquette of our hosts

· to deal with my anger or irritation in a constructive way

· to abide by the rules and decisions of the leaders of the trip, understanding that they may have information or experience I do not have

· to respectfully speak up when I don’t understand a decision or task

· to fulfill to the best of my ability my duties at work sites and in the daily tasks of working and living together (help with meals, clean up, etc.)

In signing this covenant, I state my intention to faithfully abide by it. I understand that changes or problems can be discussed with the leaders or in a meeting of the group. I also understand that if I break this covenant, I may be sent home at my own or my family’s expense.

______________________________________

Signature of the participant

In signing this covenant, I indicate my support of it and for the spirit in which it has been drawn up. I further indicate my support for the minister and/or adult leaders in upholding it. I understand that if my child breaks the covenant, he/she may be sent home at my expense.

_____________________________________________

Signature of the participant’s parent or guardian

V. MISCELLANEOUS PREPARATION

A. Adult-youth ratio

A good rule of thumb is 1 adult for every 5-7 youth. Make sure all the adults going understand the rules and their roles, particularly where their own children are involved. Leaders should be able to give kids consistent messages, and not mixed messages which causes anxiety in the youth and frustration or anger within the adult team.

B. Spiritual support

1. Commission the participants as missionaries for the congregation during a regular worship service right before they leave. Most denominations have some form of commissioning service. A basic one would be:

· Calling the participants up into the chancel by name

· Stating that these people have been called by God to go to __________(destination) to do _________________(kinds of work projects) in the name of _______________(your congregation).

· Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 about different gifts from the same Spirit

· Say to the participants: Do you promise, with the help of God, to represent this congregation faithfully in showing God’s love and care for the world through your work in ______________ (destination)? If so respond, “I will, with the help of God.”

· Say to the congregation: Do you promise to keep these, your missionaries, in your thoughts and prayers as they go out to represent you in the world? If so please respond, “We will with the help of God.”

· Pray: “God has heard your promises made here today. May God give you the strength to keep your vows, keep you safe, and share the good news of love and justice in the world. Amen.”

· Tell them: Go in peace and with the blessing of God and this congregation.

2. Get the congregation praying for you! Give out the names of each participant on a slip of paper for people in the congregation to take and pray for. If you have a small group, they could pray for everyone. If it is a large group, give out individual names to individual congregants.

3. Spiritual Life Journals. Decide whether you will create special trip journals or use the Spiritual Life Journals they’ve been using for the year.

4. Choose a scripture that will be used throughout the trip during your reflection/processing time. We have usually done a congregational worship service following the trip which incorporates that scripture.

5. Create a Secret Encourager Program. This is similar to secret buddies, but it comes from the Apostle Paul’s directions that we should encourage each other in the faith and work of the Gospel. Have each participant draw the name of another participant. The job of the encourager is to send notes to their encouragee throughout the trip personally encouraging them in their work, complimenting them on jobs well done. Etc. At the end of the trip it’s fun to have the revealing of the encourgers as one of the last things you do before you go home.

C. Host gifts

We ask each participant to bring a small host gift of under $5. It’s nice if the gifts are symbolic of your town: post cards, crafts or regional foods, etc. We find that during the trip there are always people along the way we want to thank with a small gift:: the host church staff (minister, secretary, custodian), people who helped set up work sites, people in the church who shopped for us or cooked for us, etc.

D. Clear organization

There are many details involved with doing a mission trip. I have found it very helpful to make a checklist of all the details down to who’s getting the first aide kits and what goes in them, who is responsible for doing what tasks, the deadlines by which they must be done, etc. Make sure everyone, both youth and adult, have their own lists and know what’s expected of them. Each organization has its own style. Some have a clear hierarchy where the minister or staff person organized and is “the boss”. Other organizations are more collaborative. Don’t assume that everyone knows what the leadership style is; talk about it among the leadership.

E. Extra organizational ideas for larger groups

1. Organize a larger group into several small family groups. These groups are responsible for:

· making sure everyone is there during travel (especially important when going through crowded airports or making bathroom stops on driving trips)

· taking turns with other family groups in doing housekeeping chores together like cooking or cleaning up after a meal, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning common space, grocery shopping etc.

· taking a turn during the week to meet with the minister or chaplain of the group and pray for all of the participants

2. If you are flying or taking public transportation, tag everything with a piece of bright colored yarn to make luggage identification easier.

3. Have all the cash or travelers checks you need for different purposes in different envelopes. Having thirty $5.00 bills to hand out to everyone for dinner at an airport during a layover, or the exact number of quarters and dimes for public transportation will be a blessing on the trip. Make sure the cash and travelers checks are divided up among the adults so the chance of it all getting lost or stolen is minimized.

4. Luggage. Make the rule that people can bring one bag with their sleeping bag and pillow in it, and one bag for everything else, plus a day back or backpack to use to bring things to work sites or showers. Youth who come from upper middle class families in particular have a tendency to greatly overpack. Make sure they know they don’t need five outfits for each day!! They can work in the same clothes more than once, and they can share things like hair dryers. The rule for us was always “You need to be able to carry all your stuff at one time, all by yourself.” Soft luggage like duffel bags are also easier to pack than hard-sided luggage.

5. If you are flying, make sure you’ve made arrangements to get you and your luggage to your host church.

6. Designate one adult who will handle all medical supplies and forms.

Deepening Faith: Youth Ministry Resources and Some Miscellaneous Advice

Rev. Lizann Bassham, Front Porch Spirit Press