Whats up with mission teams?

Leadership Development: Training for presbytery and congregational mission team leaders will be offered 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM on Saturday, March 6, at FPC, Morganton. Also the Laredos Unidos trip (April 12-18) will be geared to those who want on-the-ground training.

Congregational Support Teams: Sessions sending individuals on Presbytery-sponsored mission trips are now being asked to form congregational support teams in order to both better support their members before, during and after their mission experiences AND help integrate these experiences into the total life of their congregations so all can be nurtured.

Mission Site Data Base: Although it is not on-line yet, information about mission sites is being gathered from churches that have visited them so others looking for places to go have the benefit of others’ experiences.

“Helping Hands” the generic name for congregation-based teams prepared to help with small repairs for members of their churches and communities are starting to be formed with encouragement from Mission Teams Working Group. These people will help do minor repairs/tasks for those who are unable to do these for themselves. Something as “simple” as changing a light bulb, fixing a window shade or cleaning up limbs in a yard has become hard for some in our churches. Knowing that people are available to help them in their own church family could mean a lot to such persons.

There will be 2-4 Saturday Presbytery-level events when these teams (and others) will be invited to work together on some larger projects (e.g., repair of churches; Camp Grier).

Disaster Response Teams: Since as a Presbytery we no longer able to use 15 person vans, we have been encouraging and resourcing individual or groups of churches make these trips. The spring trip to either Eastern North Carolina or Wartburg, TN, is March 15-20; the fall trip is tentatively scheduled for October 4-9.

Weekend Mission Experiences for High and Middle School Students:
The basic framework for this much-requested experience has been developed. More work on recruiting and preparing churches to serve as hosts is being done.

Intergenerational Mexico Border Mission Trips:
Puentes de Cristo (June 5-15) and Laredos Unidos (April 12-18).

Older Adult Service/Study Teams: Trips that will provide opportunities for service and spiritual growth appropriate for older adults. The first is planned for New Windsor, MD/Washington, DC area October 10-16.

For more information contact Ginnie Stevens, Associate for Mission at 828-438-4217; vestevens2@aol.com.