Mission Trip Planning Ideas

MISSION TRIP PLANNING IDEAS

1.    Attend or Coordinate a Mission Trip Leaders Training event in your UCC Conference or Association.  Invite experienced mission trip leaders to share experiences and ideas.  “Like” the Facebook page “United Church of Christ Volunteer Ministries.”

2.   Select the site.  Involve the members of your group in the decision.  Consider where the passion of your group lies. Consider how this mission trip can encourage your congregation in current directions of mission or open the possibility of new directions and the development of a ‘culture of mission.’ 

Host sites have different emphases in their ministry and opportunities for groups.  Service-Learning, Disaster Recovery, and Refugee/Immigration Immersion Trips all offer different experiences and types of engagement.

3.    Prepare the participants. Encourage leaders to attend a training event for leading mission trips – or host a training event in your Association or Conference. Use the bibliography listed at the beginning of this booklet.  Recognize different roles and training needed for adults in a youth or inter-generational trip. (Video “Catch the Service Bug”)

Gather the group for trainings on cross-cultural skills and familiarity with social-economic-faith issues in the area where you will serve.  If your host site engages in construction ministries, practice basic skills with all members of your group.

4.    Determine a budget. The major categories to consider when determining a budget are transportation, lodging, food, special events (i.e. amusement park, tours, museums), insurance, donation toward materials, and cost for leadership expertise (i.e. crew bosses, adult sponsors). You may find it easier to figure the cost per person, multiply by the number of participants, and then add other discreet costs to it. Transportation costs will depend on whether you rent a van, charter a bus, or fly. Food costs per person per day are less when you prepare your own meals. Plan for at least one dinner out.

5.    Raise funds. Many groups use this task to help build a team spirit among the group members so that they get to know one another and learn how to work together.  Do not let finances be a deciding factor in who is able to participate in the trip. Strive to make the trip as affordable as possible. Find scholarship support, if necessary, so that everyone who wants to go is able to do so. 

Many great fund-raising ideas exist. Here are a few: service and talent auction, talent show dinner, pledges, gift wrapping service, parents’ day out, homemade candy sale, and selling “stock” in the trip.  A local restaurant may set aside a portion of its proceeds during a few hours to gift to your group.

6.    Determine a schedule. Determine the schedule before you depart so that the participants (and their families) know what to expect. Include realistic work hours and free time.  Organize devotion, a Bible study, or worship time every day. Attend worship in the host community if possible.  Plan, plan, plan and then be flexible. Mission trips tend to take on their own time flow and mission happens in the unexpected spaces of our days.

When you are on the trip, schedule teams to lead worship, shop for food, and prepare meals. Other tasks to assign are: treasurer, first-aid person, lead blogger and secretary/correspondent (to send thank-you notes, etc. Paper notes are a special treat to receive). Download an electronic app. that allows you to collect photos from all participants and create slide shows that include everyone.

7.    Sign up for a texting program that allows a group leader to keep families and participants up-to-date with activities and group news.  Encourage families to refrain from texting their group participants, allowing a full experience of the new things encountered during the trip.

8.    Connect with the congregation. Before you leave, plan a covenant and commissioning service.  You can find sample covenant and commissioning liturgies in this booklet.  This worship act helps the congregation participate in the mission trip through prayer, support and openness to new ideas when the group returns. 

When you return, find creative ways for the participants to tell the story of the trip. Use pictures, words, songs, skits, displays, and sermons.

Look for local mission projects that the congregation can become involved in to continue to foster the spirit of service and actions of advocacy that the trip generated.  Connect with partner churches and organizations around the globe.  (www.globalministries.org)

9.    Become advocates for economic and social justice.  When you return to your own community, become advocates who speak out against the systems that oppress persons and who work to encourage change. For more ideas, contact the Volunteer Ministries office www.ucc.org/volunteer  Global Ministries www.globalministries.org or Justice and Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ. www.ucc.org/justice

10.    Plan Safe. The UCC Insurance Boards suggest questions to consider and safety precautions to implement. See https://www.insuranceboard.org/safety-resources/

Transportation:

  • Will you borrow or rent vehicles? Are the vehicles insured? Does the church have a “hired and non-owned vehicles” endorsement for its general liability policy?
  • Have you vetted the drivers? Are they licensed and do they have acceptable driving records?
  • Are you using 15-passenger vans? Are the particular hazards understood and managed? Do drivers have a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License)?

Permission:

  • Have you obtained written permission with reasonable releases and disclaimers from the correct parents or guardians?  (Consult attorney.)

Medical Emergencies:

  • Are medical accommodations, allergies, special diets and medication requirements recorded
  • Have emergency contact instructions been provided by guardians?

Facilities:

  • Have overnight facilities been inspected for cleanliness, safety and security?
  • Are communications channels open with the facilities?

Activities & Supervision:

When trips are prolonged and involve relative isolation of children, careful attention must be given to those who are supervising–for their protection and the protection of the children.

  • Are adult-to-child ratios adequate to the activities?
  • Have background checks been conducted on non-clergy employees and volunteers?
  • Have employees and volunteers received training in abuse prevention and detection?
  • Are they First Aid/CPR/AED trained?
  • Are there clear rules regarding contact with children
  • Are intended activities understood and age appropriate?
  • Are children able and qualified for the activities? (e.g., swimming)
  • Is safety equipment sufficient and properly sized? (e.g., flotation devices)

Custody Transfer:

  • Is it clear for each child who is authorized to pick up the child upon return home?