|
I want to change the world. Why go
to a North American city?
The world is urbanizing. 65% of the
world’s population lives in urban centers—and
the number is growing. In fact, the world’s largest
and fastest growing mission field is in urban centers. And
that includes the cities in North America. Yet many in the
church are not familiar with the problems of the urban poor
and the way Christians are meeting them. CSM exists to help
bridge that gap and allow you to be part of the solution.
I want to be part of a ministry that
will continue long after I’ve left. How do I do that
with CSM?
The CSM experience is a partnership
with well-established local ministries. You plug into churches
and organizations that have a long history of service in
their neighborhoods. They’re part of the most exciting
work God is doing anywhere. Your group becomes an important
link in the continuation of these important ministries.
Each year, CSM provides more than 300,000 hours of volunteer
work to these ministries across North America.
Do your people know the city well enough
to lead groups or are they "tourists?"
CSM staff live and work in their respective
cities—right where you’ll be. They know the shopkeepers
stocking shelves at the convenience store. They get a smile
and wave from the restaurant owners behind the counter and
the policemen on the beat. They didn’t arrive on the
scene just before you did. They know their way around like
the locals—because they are locals.
How much time will I actually spend
serving people instead of doing projects?
A CSM experience doesn’t typically
have you hauling dirt or swinging pick axes. CSM provides
a people-to-people experience. You’ll be looking into
the eyes of a child at a daycare center, talking to a homeless
person at a soup kitchen, or working side by side with a
recovering addict at a halfway house. Our "projects"
are working with people.
I want to experience new people and
different ways of life. Can I get a cross-cultural experience
so close to home?
Many mission trips give you an exposure
to one new culture. Yet the cities of North America are
rich with many cultures—you just need to know where
to look. CSM trips intentionally provide exposure to a variety
of people groups. Each day finds you relating to new people
and eating at new ethnic restaurants. Where else could you
go from experiencing Cuban to Thai to Jamaican to Middle
Eastern food—all in one week!
How much work will it be coordinating
this trip?
Each CSM experience is led by our resident
staff, so all the details of the trip are taken care of
for you. Leaders participate right alongside their groups,
confident in knowing that every detail—scheduling,
meals, transportation, housing—is already taken care
of. After 20 years of trips—and hundreds of thousands
of student days—we’ve got this down. All you have
to do is get to the city!
Will I learn anything I can apply when
I get home?
A CSM urban missions trip is not a sight-seeing
tour that ends when the photos are passed around. You have
seen the needs of the poor in the city and been part of
the solution. You now look at people in the city differently
than before, knowing you have more in common with them than
you’d imagined. You have helped others and seen the
impact that a "cup of cold water" can have. These
same lessons can be applied in your home communities. Many
CSM alumni continue to be involved in urban ministry; all
come away changed by the experience of serving others.
Learn more about the cities CSM serves in.
|
