NOT YOUR AVERAGE MISSION TRIP!
WAYS
Worcester Area Mission Society, UCC
Learning & Serving at the Yakama Christian Mission
White Swan, Washington
WAYS (Workdays for Adults and Youth in Service) intergenerational mission trips are committed to creating an environment in which to practice living in the moment and following God’s guidance, fostering relationships and using a diversity of skills and talents while offering much needed services requested by local residents and area agencies.
Yakama Christian Mission is a Mission Center of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Work groups at Yakama Mission will find a more holistic experience than a typical work trip. In addition to the traditional physical aspect of working in the community and on the Mission property, we also engage each group in learning about the principles of culture, race, and ethnicity, so that they return to their home congregations with a better understanding of justice. Because of the duality of the program, and to re-emphasize the importance of the learning aspect of the entire ‘work trip’ experience, we refer to the work groups as ‘learning and serving groups.'
More Information?
Contact the Rev. Shantia Wright-Gray,
Mission Educator & WAYS Coordinator
(Workdays for Adults and Youth in Service)
for the Worcester Area Mission Society, UCC
shantiawg@gmail.com or 508-450-2001
Learning: You will be engaging in important daily workshops, exploring topics ranging from human justice issues of race, culture, ethnicity, dominant culture, and privilege to sustainable agriculture and ecological responsibility.
These workshops are critical to gaining as much knowledge as possible from your week here, and also for helping you understand the things you see around you in the community. Tours of the area, trips to the cultural center, as well as other excursions are likely to be included in the curriculum.
These meetings will push edges. They will be mentally and emotionally challenging, and will require hard work from every person, but will ultimately give you tools to take back to your own communities and share with your congregations, to further the justice work of the Mission.
Serving:
In addition, you will have the opportunity to do some physical work on site at the Mission and out in the community. This work will run the gamut of manual labor, from weeding, to digging irrigation ditches, to painting. It always depends on the need at the moment.
A trip to the Yakama Nation will allow youth and adults the opportunity to serve within one of the poorest communities in Washington State.
Dates: July 11 – 18, 2009
Ages: Adults, Sr. High Youth, and Families with older children are all invited to join us!
Costs - $1300 includes:
Room, Board, Vehicle Rentals & Fuel, Missionary Accident Insurance, Leadership/Organization, Donation for Materials (at least $100), and airfare (if the cost of airfare exceeds $500/person, the cost of the trip would have to be increased).
Spending money – would only be needed for meals en route, an optional lunch stop or a special tourist site or performance.
Housing and Meals:
There are 20 bunk-beds with twin sized mattresses, extra mattresses for the floor and camping space. There is one women's bathroom and one men's bathroom. Each has 2 showers. There are no laundry facilities available on site. There is a Laundromat 2 miles away. We will do our own cooking in the mission kitchen and hope to enjoy one night out to try some local food.
Ground Transportation: We rent vans and cars and recruit drivers from our group.
Click here for the flyer
Click here for application
For More Information about WAYS |
For Information about WAYS workdays or for information about work projects for your group in the Central MA area on other dates please contact:
The Rev. Shantia Wright-Gray
Mission Educator and WAYS Coordinator for
Tthe Worcester Area Mission Society, UCC
shantiawg@gmail.com
978-422-6256 home/office
508-450-2001 Cell
48 Main St.
Sterling, MA 01564
