Summer 2010

“…Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2)

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Transformation of our beliefs, attitudes and actions is a challenging journey. While the H= oly Spirit is the author of such change, there are certain experiences and disc= ussions that bring insight, openness and involvement and can become the platform fo= r God’s fresh work. For over seventeen years, Mission Waco has offered poverty simulations and summer “plunge” programs that engage “orthodoxy” (right beliefs) and “orthopraxis” (right actions) together around the issues of poverty. We have watched God’s transforming process “turn the light on” for many students to destroy old myths and understand the realities of poverty and the biblical = call to action on behalf of the poor.

As we have expanded our summer program, our reason is to not make room for more participants, but primarily to offer deeper transformative experiences and discussions around other critical social issues which youth and adults alike need to face:

Traini= ng and Mobilization Topics 2010

· Racism- With the recent election of President Obama, many Christians believe that we have be= come a “color-blind” society. Yet most studies show that “racialization” is still an ongoing phenomenon in American culture and that churches are part of the problem instead of the answer. This topic will explore some of those findings, the personal belief= s of the visiting group, and some intentional efforts Christians can be a part o= f to help overcome prejudice. There will be interactive discussions with youth/adults who come from minority and lower-cl= ass backgrounds, some games and initiatives, which deal with prejudice, and oth= er activities.

· Homelessness & Empowerment- Many middle-class Christians simply do = not understand how there can be so much homelessness in the richest nation on t= he earth. This topic will explore the reasons for homelessness, their challeng= es and what is being done to empower them, and how “relief” can of= ten do more harm than good. Students will attend Mission Waco’s homeless shelter, “My Brother’s Keeper,” do a “Prayer Walk for the Homeless,” and have a special dialogue with the homeless themselves.

· Global Missions and Worldviews- While more information about today’s world is available to Christians than ever before, most remain uninformed and unengaged. This topic will discuss various religious and non-religious “worldviews,” such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, agnosticism and post modernity, create some geographic global awareness, and explore the biblical and practical call to missions. An “Unreached Pe= ople Group” simulation will be included in the experience.

· Church Renewal, Call, and Spiritual Gifts- The church in America is in trouble, with thousands leaving each week who never return. Yet the Body of Christ should be the most basic and vital expression of God’s power a= nd transforming work in the culture. This experiential study will examine the early church, critical theological principles, structural challenges of the average church, the history of God’s renewal of the church, and curre= nt alternative expressions of the Christian faith that are attracting outsider= s. Practical applications of how students can impact their own church will be = explored, as well as helping them clarify their unique gifts and call.

· Economic and Social Justice- “The whole gospel to the whole pe= rson in the whole world,” is a rallying theme for those Christians who understand that God has always been concerned with the call for his people = to “seek the shalom of the city.” Bibli= cal passages, church history, and other contemporary issues, such as living wag= es, racism, classism, gender, the legal system, etc, will be discussed. The students will be challenged to examine their own communities and local needs using various tools and research, as well as create strategies of change. <= o:p>

Once you have booked your time in Waco with a contract and deposit, you will sel= ect based on the needs and maturity of your group, which issue you want. There = will be one or two sessions on each issue while you are here. They will include a combination of biblical support, present realities of that issue, discussio= ns, and experiences which help bring new insight and impact. Obviously, two sessions on any topic will not bring radical change, so our hope is that you will plan ahead to continue those discussions when you return home. We will offer some guidance and materials on how you can do that.=

In Christ,

Jimmy Dorrell, Executive Director

2010 GROUP INFORMATION

Curren= t as of 7/7/10. We will upda= te availability on this page as group reservations are confirmed with contract= and deposit. Our dorm holds = 48 people, so if you see a group confirmed for less than that number, it is possible that we can take an additional group or two depending on group size – please contact us if you have questions about availability. Also, occasionally groups do cance= l for various reasons, so contact us if you would like to be on a waiting list for certain dates.

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Spring= and Fall 2010: Contact us regarding available dates and pricing.

· Pricing will be similar to summer schedule below and can be adapted to agreed-upon length of spring or fall trips.

· For other general use of training center dorm, lodging only is $9/night/person,= or $30/night for lodging and breakfast/lunch/dinner.

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Summer= 2010:

	Schedule A	Schedule B	Schedule C
Week 1		June 4-10 FULL Group confirmed: 40	June 10-13 SPACE AVAILABLE<= /span> Group confirmed: 20
Week 2	June 13-17 FULL Group confirmed: 40+=		June 17-20 SPACE AVAILABLE<= /span> Group confirmed: 16
Week 3	June 20-24 SPACE AVAILABLE<= /span> Group confirmed: 25
Week 4		June 25-July 1 FULL Group confirmed: 24 Group confirmed: 24	No Groups July 1-3
Week 5	July 4-8 SPACE AVAILABLE=
Week 6		July 9-15 FULL<= /p> Group confirmed: 48	July 15-18 FULL= Group confirmed: 20 Group confirmed: 20
Week 7	July 18-22 SPACE AVAILABLE Group confirmed: 14		July 22-25 Group confirmed: 12
Week 8		July 23-29 FULL= Group confirmed: 30+	July 29-Aug 1 FULL Group confirmed: 25
Week 9	Aug 1-5 SPACE AVAILABLE Group confirmed: 15 Group confirmed: 15		Aug 5-8 SPACE AVAILABLE
THIS SCHEDULE DESIGNED FOR:	High School; college; adults. (I= f you have junior high students and are interested in these dates, please conta= ct us to discuss options and we’ll see what will work!)	High School completing 8th grade and older; college; adults<= /p>	Junior High; High School; college; adults
INCLUDES:
Content/Experiential Learning as described above (1-2 sessions depending on group preference)<= o:p>	Yes - pick one topic	Yes - pick one topic	Yes - pick one topic
Plan and Lead chapel/devotional at My Brother's Keeper homeless shelter (if there is an opening when your reservation is confirmed)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Plan and lead Street Camp (backyard bible club) in low-income neighborhood or apartments (curriculum and planning guide provided; your group provides snacks and craft materials)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Participate in Volunteer Service Projects	Yes	Yes	Yes
Participate in cross cultural worship (Church Under the Bridge, and one other if available)	Yes	Yes	Yes - CUB only
Mission Waco T-shirt for each participant (required for Street Camp)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Lodging	4 nights (Sun/Mon/Tues/Wed)	Pov Sim = plus 4 nights (Sun/Mon/Tues/Wed)	3 nights (Thurs/Fri/Sat)
Meals	Sunday lunch through Thursday breakfast	Pov Sim through Thurs breakfast	Thursday lunch through Sunday breakfast
Information and Planning Packet with all the details - - usually mailed early April	Yes	Yes	Yes
POVERTY SIMULATION!	No	Yes	No
Minimum Group Size:	Group can be made up of more than one church or organization as long as one church/org takes lead for contact with Mission Waco and is responsible for deposits/payments. Mission = Waco may assign more than one Group to dorm/dates based on space available, but each Group must pay for a minimum of 12.
Cost:	$160/person	$180/person	$115/person
Arrive: (See notes on Early Arrival options below)	Sunday by 10 am	Friday by 8pm	Thursday by 11am
Depart:	Thursday by 10 am	Thursday by 10am	Sunday after CUB (worship service is usually over by 12:30pm). Lunch not include= d, but can be provided for extra fee.

Early Arrival

We understand that due to long distances travelled by some out of state groups, it is more convenient and restful for your gro= up to arrive the night prior. It is likely that our dorm will be full, but in other buildings we have floor spa= ce for sleeping, showers and breakfast to offer your group. Cost for this is $14/person. Your group will move to the dorm p= er the schedules above. If the dorm = is available on the early arrival night, your group will go ahead and move into the dorm at that time.

Lodging

Our training center is located in a racially diverse and lower income neighborh= ood. The dorm has simple accommodations= for 48 people. There are two slee= ping areas, each with bunk beds for 24, and bathroom with showers. The first floor also has a meeting= room and kitchen. The fenced back = yard includes space for parking. We usually host one group at a time, but occasionally will allow more than 1 g= roup to share the dorm. If that is= the case, the meals and sleeping areas are shared, but we can provide separate meeting space for the evenings as needed.&= nbsp; With our current format, the first group of a given week with confir= med reservations will select the content topics for that week.

Meals

Meals are provided by Mission Waco during the spring break and summer months. You are welcome to prepare your own meals at other times in the fall and spring, or let us know if you would li= ke us to cater. Our restaurant, = World Cup Café, opened January 2006 at the corner of 15^th and Colcord and has added more capacity to take care of work group meal needs – and the café quickly became a favorite of our work groups. T= hey will provide some of the catering for work group food in most cases, or we = will otherwise take care of providing the meal. Depending on group size, eating at= the café and ordering off the full menu can be scheduled there for an ex= tra fee. (Groups who are staying = in other housing or are with us just for one day projects are encouraged to ea= t at World Cup or other neighborhood restaurants – we need your business a= nd our neighborhood has several options of great food within blocks of Mission Wac= o.)

Volunteer Service Projects

Occasionally groups have funds to help offset some of the project costs at Mission Waco = or with local homeowners in our neighborhood.= This is not required (we’ll have projects for you regardless of funding), but if your group would like to help in this way or learn more about available projects in need of funding, please let me know. In feedback from previo= us groups, several leaders said they would have liked this info. Examples of projects: providing materials to build picnic tables, providing funding for paint/supplies to paint home of low-income homeowner, provide funding to purchase/install shrubs for local homeowners, provide funds for commercial freezer at work group dorm, children's center kitchen remodel & exterior painting.

General Schedule

Upon arriv= al Mission Waco staff provides a brief orientation to the week, the neighborhood,= and the facilities.
Church Under the Bridge meets at 11am on Sundays (yes, it’s under I-35!), but groups must arrive by 10am to learn about= CUB and visit with some of the regular attendees. (Church U= nder the Bridge is so essential to the week’s experience as a whole t= hat groups unable to be here early Sunday morning are asked to reschedule = at a time when they are able to worship at CUB.) Groups who are with us = on Sunday evening will attend another cross cultural worship service (location varies depending on schedules; and availability of finding a church offering evening worship).&nbs= p;
Week days = include a mixture of content/experiential learning, volunteer service projects= and Street Camp. =
Groups als= o lead the chapel service at My Brother’s Keeper homeless shelter on one evening during their visit.
Groups gen= erally have the evenings free after 6pm each night (with the exception of the= MBK shelter night). If group leaders would like more evening free time, please let us know and we c= an discuss options.
Our staff members lead morning devotionals, organize the service projects, coordinate meals, lead content and experiential learning sessions, and= are also available for debriefing and problem solving during the week as needed.
Your adult= group members are asked to help supervise your youth and lead out in the ser= vice projects, and also one adult (not the group leader) will be asked to be our main kitchen contact to coordinate your group’s help with sm= all tasks needed for meals and clean up.&= nbsp; Leader Preparation Info is included in the packet mailed to you prior to your visit. This information is required reading for all adult chaperones.
Following cleanup and breakfast on your departure day, your group is dismissed.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
Groups in = the spring/fall will have schedules based on our current needs, but when possible we try to include volunteer service projects and also some activities with participants.

Fees

Our fees cover our expenses including facilities, staff, utilities (and food wh= ere relevant). Each group will be responsible for additional costs that might be incurred for Street Camp supplies such as craft materials, snacks, etc. – a list of suggested items will be provided with the Street Camp curriculum. Fees for each schedule are l= isted above in that section. <= /o:p>

We have a 28-foot climbing wall and 200-seat theater with big screen/projector= at our facility, which are available to groups for an extra fee and require advance reservations. Volleyball, basketball, playground and picnic facilit= ies are available at no charge.

If you would like visitor information about Waco area attractions, visit the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website at http://www.wacocvb.org, for Official = Waco, Texas Tourism Information - Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants and more.=

Please contact me (email preferred) with the following information:

preferred = dates
how many s= tudents/adults you plan to bring
age or gra= de range of students
any other questions you have

After we confirm a date, please send your contract (download from website www.mis= sionwaco.org) and deposit. Group deposits a= re:

$10 per person. Minimum group si= ze is 12 people.
Note: There is an extra deposit per person required for Poverty Simulations -- see contract.

Please read the contract carefully regarding refund eligibility due to cancellatio= n or reduced numbers. There is an additional payment due three months prior to arrival, and th= en final payment is due two weeks prior to arrival.

Our goal is for your students to gain exposure and experience with urban missio= ns so that they might be challenged and mobilized for a life of ministry within and for the Kingdom of God. I= hope you will prayerfully consider joining us as we seek to mobilize students and touch the lives of the people of Waco. Let me know if you have any question= s. My email address is the easiest and fastest way to reach me, kwise@missionwaco.org.

FOR SUMMER 2010 QUESTIONS AND SCHEDULING – as of May 17, 2010, contact Jamie McCallum, summer Groups Coordinator at groups@missionw= aco.org.

Kathy Wise

Assistant Director