We are excited to announce our Summer of 2012 YouthWorks Mission Trip destination: we are going back to the greater Boston, MA region, specifically Lynn, MA.  We will depart on Saturday, June 23rd 2012 and return on Saturday, June 30th 2012.

The Boston area is home to historic neighborhoods, prestigious colleges and universities and several sports and recreation opportunities. In nearby Lynn, Massachusetts, visitors enjoy hiking and biking in area parks and exploring the beautiful coastline. While Lynn offers big-city conveniences, there also are big-city struggles, including poverty and homelessness. Our missions team will partner with several local ministries to serve at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and reach out to the children and elderly in the city of Lynn with the love of Jesus Christ.

As one of America’s oldest cities (founded in 1630), Boston is on the forefront of American history. The city is bordered by Boston Harbor, just west of the Atlantic Ocean. Seven miles north of Boston is the city of Lynn. An early-American industrial center, many of the industrial buildings have now been converted into housing for some of the 89,050 residents of the city. The racial makeup of Lynn is primarily white (75 percent), African-American (12 percent) and Asian (6 percent). Today, many Lynn residents face economic challenges. Fifty-three percent of the population is considered low-income. Lynn also has the fourth highest number of homeless individuals in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The number of homeless persons in shelters or on the street increased by 52 percent during the 1990s. Come alongside the residents of the exciting city of Lynn to learn more about the needs here and serve with hard work and enthusiasm.

Our Missions Team will serve in a variety of ways during a YouthWorks mission trip. Students may spend all week at one ministry or switch between ministries during the week. Students may participate in a Kids Club and partner with local organizations. Kids Club is a hands-on program led by our youth offering high-energy games, crafts, skits, songs and interactive lessons all designed to help kids learn about Jesus. Our goal is to partner with local organizations and programs that seek to address the very basic needs of residents. Students may serve at places like: Children’s Programs, Elderly Centers, Soup Kitchens/Homeless Shelters and Thrift Stores. The key for a successful week is that we go with a willing and flexible spirit!

Evening activities during a YouthWorks week are designed to give participants an insight into the lives of local residents and the culture of the area. A list of evening/cultural activities we have done in the past include: ride the “T” (subway) into Greater Boston and visit the Boston Commons; visit Nahant Beach; eat dinner at the Salem Mission or My Brother’s Table; visit Gloucester Beach, and spend a free day in Harvard Square. These are examples of what our group might partake in during the mission week.

We have secured 30 positions for the trip, with no more than 6 reserved for adults, and 24 for students - open, on a first come-first served basis, for those who submit their online registration and submit their $50 desposit.  Spaces are not "locked in" until the $50 deposit is submitted.  Spaces always fill quickly.

If you are interested in participating on this mission, you can pre-register by filling out the online form.  In addition, you must submit a deposit of $50 no later than September 1st.  We are looking for Sr. High Students who have a heart for the Lord and a willingness to share their faith with others, in particular the residents of the greater Boston, MA area.  

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be officially registered for the trip until your $50 despoit is submitted to the Church Office.  All deposits are due no later than September 1st.  

A good soldier must successfully complete basic training before given his assignment in the service.  A good missionary must also complete his or her course and basic training before they are sent into the field.  We must prepare and sacrifice in the same manner.

YouthWorks, the organization that is custom-making our mission has expectations and requirements, just as we at FUMC do as well.  Please note the following: 

Basic Requirements - Participants must...

• have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and have a living, healthy, personal relationship with Him.
• be willing to share their testimony and the basic Gospel message
• be willing to submit to the authority and leadership of FUMC and YouthWorks Staff.
• demonstate a servant's heart
• have prior, or be willing to gain experience with children in a ministry setting.  
• be flexible
• be willing to accept more difficult ministry and living conditions

• be willing to seek out adventure, try new things, and leave negative attitudes at home

Additional Expectations & Requirements:

• Faithfully attend and participate in worship and church activities on a regular basis - we will hold you accountable in this area.
• Be a team player by participating in scheduled activities and fundraisers.  Mission Team commitments must be honored as priority.
• Complete the reading of "My Life His Mission" and submit a summary of your thoughts and learning (if you have not done so already).  
• Participate in occasional Service Projects & all scheduled team meetings / retreats.

• Live a life pleasing to the Lord. 

YouthWorks began in 1994 when 35 churches sent 400 students on mission trips to South Dakota and Mexico. This past summer, over 30,000 youth joined YouthWorks! Each summer, churches bring participants to sites across the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Canada. YouthWorks is designed to create opportunities for students to learn more about Jesus’ love through missions. 

YouthWorks focuses on ministry. Although they use work projects as a way to see the love of Christ, it is not an end all. They do not call their trips “work camps” or spotlight a repaired house, instead the “works” in their name are about what God will do in our lives if we allow it. They desire to be Christ centered in everything that they do.

While it is important to be challenged in our ministry work, YouthWorks believes the most important thing we can do is to live out the love of Christ with all whom we meet. Building true relationships is essential in showing Christ's love; the friendships we create with people in the Boston communities are of the utmost importance. These relationships are more important to YouthWorks than any work we could accomplish.

They have all kinds of work ministry experiences set up for our trip that are designed to challenge teens and adults alike. The opportunities vary from week to week and site to site, depending on the particular needs of the communities in which we serve. Everyone who participates in these work ministry projects will be divided into small teams. Teams may do various painting and rehabilitation projects, facilitate a Kids Club program or partner with other organizations working to meet community needs. More specific information regarding the unique opportunities at our mission site are available in the spring.

YouthWorks firmly believes there is a need for people to have their homes painted and rehabilitated; a need for children to learn about the Bible through music, stories and games; and a need to serve existing community ministries. We know that paint on houses will eventually chip off, and that stories and games may be forgotten in time, but the relationships you develop with community members will create a vehicle for ministry to occur for a long time in the future. Come ready to experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Christ!

The most common question people ask YouthWorks is: Who or what is YouthWorks? We are incredibly excited about what God has been doing through YouthWorks and want you to know all about us.

Our Purpose
Quite simply, our purpose is to provide life-changing, Christ-centered youth mission opportunities. This is our reason for being. We create extraordinarily fun and significant mission adventures, targeted to the needs and capabilities of youth, ages 12-19. By crossing borders of race and culture, and by placing students outside their comfort zones, we find something wonderful happens: God gets their attention! Without the distractions of everyday life, God uses YouthWorks to work in the lives of thousands of teenagers. By attempting to be faithful to our purpose, we find God is also at work in each of the communities we serve. Yea God!

Our Values
It is important for people to know what we value and why. We have six things we consider to be our core values. These are our essentials:

Youth Minded
We love teenagers! You’ve probably guessed it – it’s in our name. All that we do is focused on providing life-changing mission experiences for 12-19 year olds. We design our trips to meet the needs of this age group – and we create ministry experiences that will challenge them. We do not believe youth are the church of tomorrow – they are part of the church today. They too, can do God’s work if we invite them to join us.

Servant Leadership
The world is thirsting for leadership – the kind the church can provide. We need selfless, humble, obedient, servant leaders who follow Christ. We desire to emulate the model of Christ, our servant leader (John 13). By serving the church, youth ministers and adult leaders, we believe servant leadership will be contagious. Adults will serve teens, teens will serve communities and communities will serve the world. By serving these, as Christ commands, we also serve Christ.

Relationship Oriented
Our ministry philosophy is a relational one – one that has at its core a ministry of presence. It is our deep desire to create and be in relationship with the people we serve. We believe that by following Jesus’ example, loving as Jesus loved and embodying a “Christ-in-the-flesh” model, we will make friends. We believe it is in real friendship that we give and receive without demeaning each other or stripping one another of dignity. The work we do on our trips is focused on the work of building relationships.

Life Change
We believe the message of Christ is about life change. It was impossible for Jesus’ disciples not to have had the direction of their lives changed forever! We desire to present the message of Christ and challenge of Christ in all aspects of our mission trips. We trust God will work powerfully to create life change in our lives, and in the lives of every student that participates in a YouthWorks mission trip.

Multi-Denominational
Our ministry organization is ecumenical. What does that mean? Let's just say we love the church! We believe it is God's plan to reach the world. There is so much that divides and separates us in the church today. The strange thing is that the focus on denominational similarities and differences tends to be an adult thing. Most teens don't seem to care. So we bring denominations together, adults and teens, to share the experience of serving Jesus together. We believe Jesus is smiling when we do it!

Ministry Focused
Our primary work is ministry. Although we use the building and repairing of homes as a way to see the love of Christ (1 John 3:18), this is not an end all. We also love community children and elderly, and serve with local ministries. We do not call our trips “work camps.” We do not spotlight new or repaired houses, or highlight what we have accomplished during our stay. The “works” in our name are the “works” God will do in our hearts and lives if we allow it. Needless to say, all we are and all we hope to be, is Christ centered.

For more information, visit www.youthworks.com