Below is an excerpt from an email I sent out recently about possible overseas trips in 2011, following on from the recent conversations about Mexico. Have a look at the links below and let me know on the poll which ones you've visited.
Andy
However, the enthusiasm for a trip like this was clear last night to all of us, and a very draft outline for the future is emerging:
- Wednesday November 18th, Rachel Brough from Chilwell Road Methodist will be in Toton to speak about her trip to India this summer with Youth For Christ
- Between now and January 2010 research organisations that run trips such as these
- Early 2010 launch "Mission 2011"
- August 2010 there will be a trip to Soul Survivor
- Sometime in 2011 (Easter or Summer most likely) Toton Churches send out a team to a developing part of the world to build a school/bore water holes etc etc that will make a real difference.
The next step then, is to do some searching out on the internet. Last night I found these sites for these organisations:
http://www.samsgb.org/getinvolved/youth.html - South American Mission Society
http://www.tearfund.org/Transform/Churches+and+Groups/Yourselves+trips.htm - Tearfund
http://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/inv_gv_gro.htm - Habitat for Humanity
http://www.yfc.co.uk/international - Youth For Christ
as well of course as www.urbansaints.org and http://www.amor.org/Page.aspx?pid=304 - Urban Saints and Amor Ministries, the partners in the event that have sparked things off for us. (It does appear that Urban Saints do a trip like this every year.)
At this stage, there has been no progress on an exchange project, the three churches that contacted us in the early part of this year have all declined the opportunity. To take this version forward, we'll need to look at what the various organisations offer and what suits us best, please start looking at the links above and if you know of others or find them online, please let me know. In January I'll bring the Joint Churches Council up to speed.
Already in the pipeline for next summer though is a trip to Soul Survivor, a huge Christian gathering of bands, youth groups, artists and much more over several nights in August. I am planning to take a group, please have a look at their site here - http://www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/index.html - for more information.
Some of you I know have already got excited about this possibility, please don't put that excitment to bed, but pour your energy, excitement and passion into making sure the 2011 version takes off and flies! My apologies that it may feel like hopes raised and dashed; I was excited by the possibility, and although it's not happening as soon as it might, the enthusiams for something like this was real last night and I am encouraged that something will happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment