Ask Me Why I Serve . . .
What does the typical person on the street think of Christians? Here is a sampling of comments recently taken from pedestrians in a major US city:
“It seems like they don’t care about me or my views. They’re all about what they want to pull me into . . . They try to open me up to their ‘new views,’ but it’s kind of like it doesn’t matter what I tell them.”
“It’s a turn off! It make you not want to believe in what they believe in.”
“They’re too aggressive. They push their beliefs on you because they want you to believe what they believe.”
“I just want to get away from them.”
“I’d say 75 percent of these people don’t really care who I am. They just want to build up their church or something. They don’t even ask me what my name is . . .”
Why do we serve?
We serve in order to communicate God’s love to people in genuinely caring and respectful ways.
We want to sacrifice for people, listen to them, enjoy them, learn from them, and open our hearts to them.
We want to demonstrate God’s love by offering to do humble acts of service, in Christ’s name, with no strings attached.”
True evangelism is not merely proclaiming a message of good news; it is becoming a living representative of God’s heart toward people.
That’s why we serve!
MISSION TO BLOOMINGTON
August 1-10, 2008
You don’t need to go to the inner-city or overseas to find those who are in poverty, hungry and homeless. There is a growing population of low-income, immigrant and single-parent families inside the Bloomington city limits. This is our field to tend.
Be a part of bring hope to Bloomington by joining our short-term mission.COST: The minimum gift amount to be raised by the first participant in a family is $250. The second and third participants from a family must raise a minimum gift amount of $100. There is no cost for additional family members. So, the maximum amount that a family needs to raise is $450.
For individuals who wish to participate only during the evenings and weekends the gift amount to be raised is half of what it is for a full participant. That means that the first participant in a family must raise a minimum of $125 and the second and third participants from a family must raise a minimum of $50. There is no cost for additional family members.
ACTIVITIES: We will meet practical needs of people in Bloomington. We will demonstrate God’s love for people, break down negative stereotypes about church and Christians, and engage people in conversations about God.
Participants will be trained to share their faith before the mission trip begins.
Each day during the mission trip participants will spend personal time with God, engage in prayer with the team, and hear an inspiring message from one of our pastors. And, of course, each day will be filled with projects intended to meet needs in our community.
APPLICATION PROCESS
If you are ready to join us, begin by downloading and completing the application, Individual Participant.
Upon acceptance of your application, you may need to download one of these additional packets.
• Support Forms (raising funds for your trip)
• Child/Youth Worker (only for those working with kids)Mission Application Funds Deadline
The application deadline is July 1st.
The funds deadline is July 15th.