Lutheran Campus Ministry students from two St. Louis universities gather for a group photo in San Juan del Obispo, Guatemala, during a mission trip.
meyer, she advocates intentional “As a group of leaders
for this trip, we really wanted to build long-term relationships and not just whisk in and whisk out and pat ourselves on the back,” Kohl- meyer said.
Jackson from Trinity College underscored the importance of ask- ing questions and listening as critical preparation for a mission experience. “The biggest mistake that we make is that we don’t pay attention to the needs of the people we’re serving with or among,” he said. “So we have an idea of how we want to solve this problem. ... [But] is that what that community needs or even wants?” In Green River, the relationship with the Colorado Lutherans was rooted in these types of questions, said Sykes of Epicenter. The resulting con- versation led to work being done that actually reflects community needs. “They’re the only group I have a relationship with,” she said. “The other groups come in and they’re all business. But whenever I think of the Lutheran group … I know it’s going to be emotionally lifting and it’s not just about getting work done.” Acknowledging that Lutherans are one of few faith-based groups who visit Green River, Sykes wondered if their unique relationship is based on “a faith element or if it’s just that Pas- tor Chad is awesome.” The intergenerational aspect of a congregation’s mission trip experi- ence also can provide a faith forma- tion opportunity, said Staats of the Rocky Mountain Synod. Like Kohl-
24 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
intergenerational experiences as a way of modeling accompaniment: “When we work with generations, we have different perspectives, we have disproportionate power. … Every- thing that’s involved in what it means to accompany people we can start practicing right where we are.” In fact, Staats argues that if parishioners are unable to embark on intergenerational conversations within their congregation, “then maybe we’re not ready to practice accompaniment across the street or across the world.”
What? No cell phones? The presence of youth brings a certain element to mission trip preparation.
In planning a youth group trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota last summer, Anne L. Andert, a pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Janesville, Wis., gave specifics on what to pack and what not to pack. The youth were instructed not to bring any technology—most impor- tantly, no cell phones. That strategy worked well. “Because there wasn’t a constant connection to technology, the kids had more space in their lives to understand themselves and connect with one another more deeply and to connect with God,” she said. The group participated in various building projects and, despite the summer heat, Andert said most of the young people were “surprised at how much fun it was to do service.” For Rachel Perkins, 16, the trip was an opportunity to “see the condi-
tions that people in the U.S. are living in, and it was something we didn’t get to see every day.” She valued the time she spent playing with children and meeting elders of the reservation. But while the experience was meaningful and memorable, the big- gest impact on the youth may be what happened when they came home. In post-trip reflections, they asked to engage in more service projects in their community, including working in a soup kitchen and participating in a homeless teen project.
“It was nice to see that transfor- mation … from student to leader,” Andert said. “For these students it went beyond a week of mission trips to how their faith will be lived out in the future as well.”
Sunitha Mortha, ELCA director for global formation, echoed Andert’s observation. An ideal mission proj- ect, she said, helps people shift their thinking about the experience “from a trip to a pilgrimage,” bridging the connection between the trip to how participants understand and interact with their community afterward. “God reveals new and different things to you on this travel,” Mortha said, “and you bring that back to revive and refresh your community.”
Enter: 33,000 on a mission This summer, youth from Andert’s congregation will join more than 33,000 other ninth- through 12th- graders in New Orleans for the ELCA Youth Gathering. These youth and their leaders are developing group covenants, distributing packing lists and perhaps conducting a last fun- draising blitz, all in preparation for what could be seen as a very big mis- sion trip. With service as a core element, the
REBECCA BOARDMAN
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52