 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
2009 Mission Event 2009 Calendar
September 27 Volunteer Sunday
October 4 Mission Trip Sunday
October 11 New Life School – Guatemala School for Children with disabilities Presentation
October 18 CROP Walk
October 22-24 Mission Celebration – Cincinnati
November 1 Presentation on Worker Justice
November 15-December 15 Christmas Wishes
November 17-20 Bill Shaw- Belfast
December 1 Cuba and Mexico Mission Trip Application Deadline
December 5-6 Fair Trade Bazaar
Planned 2008–2009 Mission Trips
Urban Plunge: Chicago
Cultivating body, soul, and relationships
Cuba
Celebrating our unique partnership
Lakota
Reconciling with Native Americans
Guatemala
Taking the path to higher aspirations
Application Form for Mission Trips
For More Information about Fourth Church Mission Trips
Mission trips can be life-changing experiences.
They are extraordinary opportunities that enable us
to connect with other members of God’s creation. Traveling as partners in discovery, we build deep relationships, listen to inspiring stories, and meet challenges together.
We leave the distractions of home and work and begin spiritual pilgrimages, somehow called by God and guided by Fourth Presbyterian Church. Indeed, a light in the city can extend far beyond the horizon.
The mission trips that are planned for 2008 and 2009 allow us, as representatives of Fourth Church, to learn
from our brothers and sisters in other cultures as
they work for peace and justice. We walk with them.
We live, cry, and laugh with them.
We build homes with hammers, and bridges with understanding. Plans can change at a moment’s notice. Expectations may not be met, but more often than not, they will be exceeded in ways unimagined. And the result will be the same: strengthened faith.
Just as importantly, mission trips provide a unique means to connect with others at Fourth Church. As any previous trip participant will tell you, there’s nothing like traveling and working with others to create new friendships.
The Fourth Presbyterian Church Mission Committee invites you to the journey!
General Mission Trip Information
• Unless stated otherwise in the trip description, all ages and abilities are welcome to apply.
• Trip costs include airfare, most meals, lodging, and ground transportation. Note: Actual costs may vary from estimates due to fuel price volatility.
• Deposit checks should be made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church.
• Scholarship application forms are available upon request.
• Individuals traveling on international mission trips must have passports valid for at least six months beyond the end of the trip.
• Reflective worship is an important part of every trip. Leaders include experienced lay leaders and members of the Fourth Church program and clergy staff.
• While our carefully selected hosts make every effort to follow announced plans and itineraries, we must accept the blessing that plans change—often in wonderful and unexpected ways.
For more information about Fourth Church mission trips, contact Vicki Reynolds, Director of Mission, at
312.981.3384.
Urban Plunge: Chicago
April 24–25, 2009
Cultivating body, soul, and relationships
Trip leader: Joyce Shin, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care
Applications due: April 1, 2009 (with deposit)
Cost: $15; partial scholarships are available
To apply or for more information, download this form.
Five years ago, the lot at Chicago and Hudson Avenues was a neglected patch of asphalt. In 2004, it was transformed by members and friends of Fourth Church into an urban oasis. The rich soil of the Chicago Avenue Community Garden continues to be carefully maintained with guidance from Growing Power, a nonprofit organization that specializes in urban community gardens, and the beds are tended by volunteers from the church and by local residents.
Yet it’s really much more than a garden. It’s a community center that comes to life every spring and flourishes every summer with cookouts, health fairs, cooking demonstrations, activities for neighborhood kids, and more.
You are invited to be a part of the garden’s annual springtime renewal by
• cleaning up the grounds
• preparing the garden beds for planting
• learning how Growing Power promotes the self-development of community food systems
• cultivating friendships
The weekend will begin with orientation on Friday afternoon and resume Saturday with a full day of work and fellowship (including lunch).
Cuba
May 1–9, 2009
Celebrating our unique partnership
Trip leaders: Donna Gray, Minister for Children and Families, and Joe Pixler
Applications due: January 15, 2009 (with $1,000 deposit)
Estimated cost: $2,200
Our license to visit Cuba as granted by the U.S. government requires that all participants be members of Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Fourth Church continues its unique sister-church relationship with First Presbyterian Church of Havana (“Una Luz en la Ciudad”-“A Light in the City”) in 2009.
We will stay at the air-conditioned dormitory of First Havana in the center of Cuba’s capital city. Most meals will be served in the church dining room. Participants will
• learn about Cuban culture and the roles Cuban Presbyterians have played in it
• experience great music and lively worship services, celebrating the gospel to a Latin beat
• witness exciting programs and projects of First Havana, including its Bible-studying baseball teams
• interact with children, parents, and leaders of First Havana and Havana Presbytery
Lakota
June 22–27, 2009
Reconciling with Native Americans
Trip leader: Vicki Reynolds, Director of Mission
Applications due: March 15, 2009 (with $500 deposit)
Estimated cost: $1,400
Lakota (Sioux) Indians of South Dakota’s Great Plains describe life as a spiritual journey to reconnect with those who have gone before us. We witness this journey when we travel to the Lakota Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations near Rapid City and celebrate our shared faith in one Creator.
Mission trip participants are challenged to fully appreciate this trip purely as a learning experience to see how Native Americans maintain a vital link to their rich heritage. Particularly inspiring is the work of Tillie Black Bear, who has dedicated her life to finding local solutions to the escalating social epidemics of domestic violence and teen suicide that threaten the Native American culture’s future. We can expect to
• strive toward reconciliation with Native Americans
• gain deeper understanding of Native American spirituality
• listen to Native American stories
• visit Wounded Knee and Crazy Horse Monument
• tour the magnificent Badlands and Black Hills
Guatemala
July 25–August 2, 2009
Taking the path to higher aspirations
Trip leaders: Tom and Sue Schemper
Applications due: March 16, 2009 (with $1,000 deposit)
Estimated cost: $2,300
Fourth Church will again send a team to the Common Hope complex in Guatemala’s central highlands. Common Hope began in 1985 with a focus on education. Realizing that children cannot learn when they are hungry, ill from parasites in the water, abused by alcoholic parents, or have no roof over their heads, Common Hope expanded its services to address the area’s systemic issues of poverty.
Our teams participate in nearly every facet of the project, which may include
• working on homes with local families
• accompanying social workers on their rounds
• sorting supplies in the warehouse
• shelving books in the library
• playing with the children
There is time to explore Antigua, a former capital city with ancient Spanish architecture dramatically framed by surrounding volcanoes. An optional hike up a volcano is led by Don Filiberto, a local coffee farmer whose family takes part in Common Hope’s programs. Along the way, he graciously shares personal stories of his country’s stormy history and colorful culture; his wife patiently shows us how to make the freshest tortillas and guacamole from scratch.
