Elementary Bible Buddies with Upper School

Weekly Chapels

Small Groups

Alabama

Students participating in the Alabama trip will travel to Eutaw, a small rural town where a third of the population lives below the poverty line. Through service projects our team will work alongside Executive Director of Baseball Country, Sam Marsonek former MLB player, breaking down racial barriers and sharing the love
of Christ. Service projects may include painting, pressure washing town squares, enhancing parks and landscape, etc. Sam is involved in many projects, and our team will jump in to serve however needed.

Kentucky

Students will travel to beautiful Eastern Kentucky and serve one of the poorest communities in the US. Our group will participate in various projects that all seek to help an area struck with immense poverty including home repairs, evangelism, painting, cleaning, and more. This Missions in Appalachia trip will help our students develop a deeper understanding of what it means to serve our neighbors with the love of Christ.

Los Angeles

The Bible commands us as followers of Christ to meet the needs of the “least among us”. Students will rise to this challenge by serving all around and across L.A. About 10,000 homeless people live on “Skid Row”. This is a ten square block area at the center of downtown Los Angeles, two blocks away from the Biltmore, one of L.A.’s most expensive hotels. Students will be coming alongside ministries that focus on serving people in various settings from serving food at homeless shelters to playing with children at an after-school program to street evangelism in the heart of Skid Row. Students will come home with an increased awareness of the needs and issues facing the lost and less fortunate in Los Angeles.

Molokai

Molokai is the fifth largest Hawaiian island and has a population of just over 7,000 people, 80 percent of whom are on welfare. As the most impoverished island, no fast-food restaurants exist, no traffic lights, no chain stores, and no major industries. Students will come alongside and support our ministry partner, Young Life, on the island that started just a few years ago. Our team will stay at a local church that can house up to 35 guests with ease and also has wonderful cold showers! The church has one of 3 gyms on the island and is used constantly for activities that our team can take part in. Activities during the day will likely include manual farm work, cleaning, and opportunities to connect with local high school students, and learning about their rich culture. Students will need to be flexible and embrace hard work and getting their hands dirty but will be earthly rewarded with a few beach trips.

Nashville

Nashville is booming with economic and industrial growth, and was voted the No. 1 city in America for Business Relocations and Expansions. The success of this city can overshadow the contrasting side where people are living off minimum wage in a city requiring twice that income to survive, as well as suffering from a 40% drop out rate in the public school system and chronic homelessness at a rate 20-30% higher than the national average. Opportunities for students on the Nashville trip include volunteering in an after-school program, connecting with persons experiencing homelessness, fighting food insecurity by working in an urban garden, serving hot meals at a food distribution center, or even working at a local food bank. Students will meet the people of Nashville where they are at, and experience the Lord’s heart for all people.

New Orleans

Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast on August 29, 16 years to the day after Katrina devastated New Orleans. Some families have lost loved ones, many homes are flooded, millions are without power, and they still could be for many weeks. So many in Louisiana need the hope of Jesus Christ. On this trip, you will literally be the hands and feet of Jesus. Our team will be helping to clean, repair and restore homes, buildings, yards or serving wherever there is need to bring renewed hope and energy. This is a great opportunity to work alongside the people of New Orleans and to let them know they are not forgotten or forsaken after continuing to face so much devastation in their lives.

Phoenix Day Trips

The Phoenix Day trips will be participating in numerous service projects within the heart of the city. We are excited for our students to encourage and serve alongside ministry partners right here at home in their local community. Perhaps this trip will open doors for individual students to continue ministry long after Missions Week comes to a close.

Fort Myers

As we seek to come alongside and support our our ministry partners, our activities will vary widely and may include numerous work projects. Flexibility will be valued as plans will change based on our ministry partner’s needs.

Salt Lake City

The Salt Lake City mission trip is an evangelistic trip where students will get the opportunity to spend time with Mormons while sharing their own personal faith and the love that Jesus has for them. Salt Lake City, the headquarters of Mormonism is considered a forgotten mission field. Utah has the lowest percentage of people who claim to be Protestant in the United States – only 2-4%. This trip is a good one for students who want to share their faith, learn about Mormonism, and are willing to have difficult conversations pertaining to the truth of
Christ.

Washington D.C.

Washington, D.C is a city of great contrast. It is both our nation’s capital and a city with great poverty and crime. It’s 67 square-miles contain both rich and poor, black and white, young and old, native and alien. Washington, DC also has struggled with the issue of homelessness since the 1880’s. At that point the population soared
from 40,000 to 120,000 with the immigration of mostly freed slaves from the former Confederacy. As our students learn about our country’s rich history, they will be involved in diverse activities which may include preparing breakfast for those in need, working alongside ministry partners to help run a VBS, serving at a food pantry, sorting shelter donations, helping a senior citizen clean up their yard, and handling out sack lunches to homeless community members.

Director of Spiritual Life

nbarker@scamail.org