GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH YOUTH MINISTRY MISSION TRIP KNOXVILLE, TN + BIRMINGHAM, AL JUNE 25-JULY 3, 2016

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1 GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH YOUTH MINISTRY MISSION TRIP KNOXVILLE, TN + BIRMINGHAM, AL JUNE 25-JULY 3, 2016 Fast Facts: 2,138 miles round trip Spots Reserved: 32 spots (26 youth, 8 adults) Grades: Completed 6 th -Completed 12 th 2015 Cost: [Estimate Only $700-$800] (Fundraising & Scholarships Available) Type of On-Site Serving: Painting homes, kids programming nursing home visits, yard work, cleaning, soup kitchens, homeless shelters Possible Civil Rights Tour Stops: Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, Memphis Minimum of 8 students registered with $100 deposit needed by noon 10/2/15.

2 DESTINATION KNOXVILLE, TN Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, against the banks of the Tennessee River, Knoxville serves as the perfect blend of southern hospitality and modern development. Rich in culture and natural beauty, the unique destinations in Knoxville reflect the diversity of this historic city and its charming people. Our group will travel south and spend the week serving from our home base at St. John s Lutheran in Knoxville. Each day we ll have worship together, including Holy Communion. We ll have the opportunity to serve in various serving centers and have plenty of time for recreation each night. From there, when our week of serving is done, we will head even further south to Birmingham, AL and spend a day doing some Civil Rights Tour Stops before returning home later on Sunday night. Expect an itinerary of stops after January. Community Experience There is a leadership development activity (Adventure Recreation) on Monday evening and a faith formation activity on Wednesday evening. On Tuesday, there is usually a pool or lake party, so we will get some local flavor that night, and many youth groups have chosen to get some ice cream on the way back to church. On Wednesday afternoon and evening, youth groups enjoy free time; some go to the Smoky Mountains, and others stay a bit closer, enjoying downtown Knoxville. After we are done with our serving projects each day, our group will get time together relaxing and thinking about ways we might serve Christ and the Church upon our return home. Lodging Most of our guests stay in apartments in the Beaman Building which is contiguous to St. John s Lutheran Church. There are five bunk beds in each apartment which makes it snug, but the beds are comfy. Each apartment has a small bathroom with one shower. Occasionally, folks will sleep on cots in St. John s and shower at a local YMCA. Serving Together WOW strives to place participants in various ministry settings (behind the scenes and direct neighbor contact, work with children and work with the elderly, construction and more relational experiences like a birthday party for seniors at a subsidized housing facility). The

3 hope is for participants to walk away with a sense of what they love to do with a sense of which ministry setting plays to their interests, passions, and gifts. What is WOW Urban? WOW [Win Our World] is a summer youth ministry built on faith formation (daily worship, Holy communion, daily Bible study, and intentional contemplative experiences so everyone has a chance to stop and breathe and consider their experiences), leadership development (invitation to help lead worship and Bible study, adventure recreation around leadership, and affirmation of spiritual gifts), and urban mission (daily opportunities for relational ministry with our downtown neighbors through a network of 35 mission partners). One of the most distinctive characteristics of WOW is it is FOR teenagers, and it is LED BY teenagers. There are some adults who play supportive roles, though by the time camp cranks up in early June, the youth are leading the way. While they are intentionally ecumenical in their partnerships, they are faithfully Lutheran. You will experience grace-based theology and Lutheran doctrine, all presented in a respectful manner. As a bit of background, Win Our World (WOW) Urban Mission Camp was founded by the teenagers of St. John's, Knoxville, in the summer of Initially, we gathered for WOW Wednesdays, a day of worship and service with approximately 35 teenagers participating. In 2006, we prayerfully transitioned to a week-long camp format, with twelve participants from two churches over two weeks. WE WERE THRILLED! And blessed to see what God was doing. We never really anticipated growing to a summer ministry with a paid staff of ten to twelve college students and recent high school graduates and a Leadership Team of teenagers--6th through 11th grade--who come from five states. We really didn't envision a Board of Directors and a budget and insurance liability policies and logistic coordination. Apparently, God has different plans! We just finished our twelfth summer with 250+ participants over six weeks of camp. [We took off two weeks to participate in the Youth Gathering!] And while we are super tired, we are even more blessed and grateful to be a part of something so beautiful! Pr. Amy Carole Figg

4 On the Road with GDLC A big part of trips like this is the camaraderie that builds as we travel together. You will definitely make new friends with guys and girls of all grades as we sing, compete in contests, play games, draw on the windows, party at the rest stops, make videos, take pictures, and create tons of memories. Our drivers for the week will also serve as site leaders and guides so they will be assisting in planning our route, including special stops and destinations on the way there. We plan on renting 15-passenger vans and each van will have 2 adult drivers. We will do our best to estimate what you will need to bring with you for spending money. You will receive a specific itinerary with our plan for stops on the way there and back which will help in your planning as well. Additional Details Plan on bringing spending money: some of the meals on the way there and back will be covered in your trip cost. Some are not. You will know this well before we leave. You will need closed-toe shoes for all worksites. Plan on bringing clothes that can get paint on them and get dirty. Although we do allow cell phones for the ride and picture-taking, we do caution students with the use of electronics and keeping track of valuables. Inevitably, with as much moving around as we do on a daily basis on these trips, people lose things and it can put an extra strain on the group. We will ask you to use maturity and good judgment when it comes to the use of technology and bringing valuables along. If at any time our technology becomes distracting, leaders have the permission to take gadgets away! We will be fundraising. Although not every trip-goer will need to raise funds, part of being a team member is supporting the whole mission not just your own. You will be asked and expected to participate in at least one fundraiser. Possible Civil Rights Tour Stops: 16 th Street Baptist Church Birmingham (1963 hub of protest marches, site of bombing), Civil Rights Institute Birmingham (Summary of the Movement in Birmingham), Bethel Baptist Church (Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth s church site of bombings Birmingham), Alabama State Capitol (Montgomery), Jefferson Davis site, Gov. Wallace site, MLK site Empire Bus Stop (Site of Rosa Parks arrest), Rosa Parks Museum (Learn history of Montgomery bus boycott), Lowndes Interpretive Center (Museum emphasizes Selma march), Voting Rights Museum (Selma Museum devoted to Selma efforts to promote voting), National Civil Rights Museum, Lorraine Motel (site of MLK assassination) Memphis, Mason Temple (Site of King s last speech, Memphis)

5 Pre*Registration Form Due by noon 10/02/15** Fill out this form or go to Student Name Grade in School (now) Parent Student A friend I d like to recommend this trip to my friend: (staff will contact) (can be non-member) contact info: I m attaching my non-refundable $100 deposit I m attaching $ toward my trip (can be more or less than the deposit, just to hold your spot) Reasons I (student) want to go (check all that apply) To learn more about other cultures To serve with other people from church To see a part of the United States that I ve not seen before To make new friends To grow closer to Jesus To learn about the history of the Civil Rights movement To get out of the Twin Cities for a while To go on my first mission trip To go on my 2 nd or 3 rd (etc.) mission trip To hang out with my friends Check all the rest of these that apply (student): I will need help raising funds I will help with trip publicity (videos, pictures, posters, writing articles) I understand all payments are non-refundable I will pray for our team, the teams we serve with, and those we will get to know I will be available for three pre-trip meetings (dates TBA but will include 4/13/16 & 6/15/15) Parents, check all that apply: I can serve as a driver & guide for the week (adult leaders from the churches who go are in charge of each service site it s all hands on deck) Name: I can help serve as a fundraising captain I can help with pre-trip logistics (budgeting, trip planning, ordering t-shirts, etc.) *More forms will be needed from you after we send in our deposits. ** We need at least 8 student registrations by noon on 10/02/15. Registration will then remain open through at least Feb. 7 th or until all spots are filled. Please do not delay in registering if you are interested. We cannot move our minimum number deadline to know if this trip is secured or not