Service/Learning and Mission Trips

Resources

NEW!   Mission Trip Guide - guidelines from the Association of United Church Educators for mission trip planning

Understanding our Mission-  a service project curriculum developed by the United Church of Christ.

WOW Theology Method- a resource to nurture youth reflection from Center for Youth Ministry Training.

Mission trip book list- helpful reading for leaders curated by UCC Global Ministries' Marcy Gansler.

Forget Short Term Mission Trips. Encourage Young Christians to Join Protests
Sojourners, Sept. 28, 2016

Picture Taking Etiquette- Essential guidelines for documenting your congregation's service work.

A Just World for All Question Cards- UCC resource to spark missional conversation and reflection.

R.E.A.D.Y. Curriculum: Preparing for the Journey
Are you R.E.A.D.Y!? Ready for a new discovery of yourself, the church, your community and the world? You and your youth can begin the journey of experiencing mission in new ways with this curriculum created by Global Ministries.

 

Young Adult Service Community (YASC)

This paid year-long internship for ages 21-35 is sponsored in several communities around the country.  Live in intentional community, work at local non-profits, and connect with ministries of the host congregation as well as the wider United Church of Christ. 

More information about the YASC network

 

Summer Communities of Service

Summer Communities of Service (SCOS) is a leadership program for young adults aged 19 and above. Summer Communities focuses on intersecting faith communities, service and justice advocacy. This national network is part of the joint work of the United Church of Christ and the Alliance of Baptists. Participants live and serve from late May to early August in host congregations around the United States. Housing, Food, Health Insurance and a $1,000 summer stipend is provided.

More information about Summer Communities of Service

UCC Global Mission Internships

Service Projects for Teens (and children & families)

Ministry Partners and Sites for Service/Learning Work

Connecticut

Chapel on the Green- Is an outdoor congregation, of housed and unhoused, sharing God’s compassion through care, community, worship and breaking bread together in downtown New Haven.

Connecticut Foodshare-  Foodshare provides food and resources to a network of community-based food programs, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, residential programs and day programs serving adults and children through Connecticut.

Hands On Hartford-  Caring in Action for the greater Hartford area.

Heads Up! Hartford- This is a one-week program sponsored by local churches.  Youth gather  in late June for a week of service projects in the Hartford area.  They stay at a retreat center in Bloomfield.

Incredible Days- local private missional/faith formation agency that provides coordination for your church's service-based learning, mission trips, team-building events, and virtual mission trips. Serving CT and greater New England.

Incredible Faith Mission - Boston - new for the summer of 2023 in partnership with Edwards House Meeting and Retreat Center in Framingham, MA

South Park Inn- volunteer  in Hartford, CT to assist families and individuals experiencing homelessness. 

Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Boston-North Backyard Mission-  A ministry of Second Congregational Church of Boxford which  welcomes groups to a variety of urban and suburban service experiences in and around northern Massachusetts.

Cathedral in the Night (Ecclesia Ministries) - An outdoor Christian community in Northampton, MA, which seeks to create a safe place for all people. Worship and a shared meal is offered every Sunday.

City Mission in Boston-  City Mission has shifted its ministry as of February 2023. Click here to read updates.

Common Cathedral (Ecclesia Ministries) - Common Cathedral serves as an important community for people experiencing homelessness in downtown Boston. Common Cathedral offers the City Reach program for faith communities who want to be in supportive relationship with un-housed individuals and their friends.

Urban Challenge- Trinity United Methodist Church, Springfield, MA.

Winter Walk - Every year we host a 2 mile walk outside in Boston and other host cities. Participants, housed and unhoused, will walk shoulder to shoulder and then share a meal together and hear stories from those with lived experience of homelessness. The Winter Walk raises awareness and funds for 20 non-profit organizations working to alleviate suffering and address the root causes that give rise to homelessness.

Worcester Area Mission Society (WAMS)- WAMS focuses on connecting the faith community’s abiding values of service to others with cross-sector efforts to support, restore and strengthen economic, educational and housing outcomes for struggling Metro west residents. 

Youth Street Reach-  teens interact with local youth who have or are still dealing with being homeless. Hyannis, MA.

National Programs

Appalachian Service Project - a Christian ministry, open to all people, that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia.

Appalachian South Folklife Center  -Our focus is on education about our heritage and culture and our goal is to teach compassion for all cultures of the world starting locally in Pipestem, WV.

Back Bay Mission- Strengthening neighborhoods, seeking justice, and transforming lives in Biloxi, Mississippi.

BorderLinks - Deepen your understanding of borders, migration, and social justice at the US/Mexican border.

The Center - Baltimore - Inspiring and equipping churches and individuals to engage boldly with their neighborhoods through mission in Baltimore, MD.

Church World Service- Resources for youth groups to participate in Crop Hunger walks, collect for hygiene kits, put together school kits, or assemble disaster relief buckets for both national and international needs.

CROSS Missions - Urban ministry through Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC.

DOOR Network- See the face of God in the city. Active and ongoing programs in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, LA and Miami.

Habitat for Humanity- A cornerstone social service agency that helps families build and improve places to call home - because affordable housing plays a critical role in strong and stable communities. Works on local, state, regional, national, and international levels.

Heifer International- working with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

Midnight  Run - coordinates over 1,000 relief missions per year, in which volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City.

Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless- Advocacy, organizing, education, and street outreach.  Customized immersive learning programs available to church groups.

North Street Mission- A union of several community organizations that address mental health hunger and poverty, and offer service opportunities for motivated individuals. Wooster, OH.

Project Linus- Connect with a chapter near you to provide homemade blankets to children in need. Become a blanketeer today!

Reach Beyond Mission- Biblical, Progressive, Inclusive. Agency branches active in Washington DC, Austin, the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and San Antonio.

Service Learning Camps - Camp experiences oriented around service to local communities. Active in Albuquerque, Belize, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Duluth, Milwaukee, North Shore, Rochester, Rockford, San Francisco, St. Cloud, Toledo, and the Twin Cities.

Simply Smiles- Providing bright futures at the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and in Oaxaca, Mexico.

YSOP Connex - facilitates virtual meetings between young people and senior citizens from anywhere in the country, bringing students and seniors together in small groups to connect, converse, and learn through virtual conversations and in-person service projects.
 

Global Opportunities

Global Ministries - a common missional witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. Global Ministries works with approximately 250 faith-based international partners in close to 90 countries.

 

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