Why do a local mission trip?

July 15, 2010 Posted by DC in Blog, GSM Mission Trips

Why do a local mission trip?

(A group of guys on the MOVE 2010 local mission trip that's currently in progress)

This week we are having our local Mission Trip called "Move". It's all about mobilizing our students locally. Here's a couple of the reasons we specifically offer a local mission trip opportunity within our larger missional movement as a student ministry:

So often mission trip experiences are targeted at traveling long distances and helping people who desperately need it. We found that there are people in our local community who are just as desperate, just in different ways.
We believe, "it's not where you go, it's what you do". If the bulk of our missional efforts are focussed abroad and we never help at home/in our own backyard, then we might have actually missed the point of being a missional force in the world.
Our students serve in these same places throughout the school year at our second saturdays! As a church we believe in helping our community so our second saturday efforts are focussed on nearby areas.
It's an easy on-ramp for students who want to jump start their missional purpose on this planet without having to travel far distances and pay lots of money. (The farther the trip, generally the more it cost and the more challenging the entry point)
Helps the community know we're with them and for them. We don't see the community as our project but our territory to love like Christ would love!