2016 Fellowship Church SHORT-TERM MINISTRY TRIPS (Revised 10-22-2015)

The purpose of short-term ministry trips at Fellowship Church: 1. Are a significant part of how our church responds to God’s call to His church: “Therefore go and preach the gospel to every creature”. 2. Are the primary means our church uses to equip, empower, and encourage our international ministry partners in reaching the lost, serving the orphan, and raising up the next generation of Christian leaders in their home land. 3. Greatly help us to build and maintain strong, mutually-beneficial relationships with our ministry partners, where such relationships of mutual trust are critical to long-term relationships and longterm ministry success. 4. Provide opportunities for people to discover, affirm, and further develop their gifts and ministry callings. 5. Take us out of our culture and “comfort zones” and bring us into a deeper place of dependence on God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. 6. Allows us ro come back to Knoxville and hold onto the changes and transformations that God did in us, to be more intentional at sharing the love, light, and gospel of Jesus Christ with others, and become more effective disciple-makers.

A few important details concerning trip applications and preparations: 1. The teams will generally form 3-6 months before the trip. Because trip dates vary, the dates vary when teams form, and when applications are due. Please check the trip details to find out application deadlines and requirements. 2. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis, so please turn in your applications as soon as possible. 3. If a trip fills up, we may give first preference to people who have never been on that particular trip before, or we may need people who have been on that particular trip before to pay for a larger portion of the trip so others who have never been can go. We will keep you informed in these cases. 4. Since the team leaders are responsible for the teams while on the trip, they have been given the final authority to approve team members. Team leaders review applications and conduct interviews with the applicants. Your team leader will be contacting you once they receive your application. 5. If you have not heard from your team leader within 1 week AFTER the application deadline for your trip, please contact our Missions Department at 470-9800 x107, or email us at jwhiteside@ fellowshipknox.org. 6. Each team will have anywhere from 3-6 mandatory team-building and trip preparation meetings. These meetings are where you find out more trip details, and how to prepare for your trip. These meetings also serve to build good relationships among team members, one of the most important parts of a successful trip.

Some very important details concerning “trip finances”: 1. The total cost for each trip is listed on the top of the next page. Some trips listed here are eligible for some of the cost being paid for by our church. The church dollars available for any given trip will vary based on a number of factors, including: trip size, total trip cost, and impact of the trip on our church’s current missions goals. Qualifications for these funds are on the front page of the Application Packet. 2. Individuals going on the trips are responsible for raising the remainder of their funds through personal giving, gifts from friends/family, or team fundraising. Your trip leader will give you deadlines that certain amounts are due by. 3. If you are in a financial position to raise/contribute more than the required amount, please let your leader know. Extra funds can give us more money towards projects. 4. If you are in a tight financial situation, there may be some additional funds to help. Please talk to your trip leader, our Missions pastor, or another pastor on staff you feel comfortable discussing this situation with. 5. Team members are expected to participate in team fundraising events in order to benefit from money raised during those events. 6. If a person backs out of a trip after tickets are purchased (we will let you know before we buy tickets), you will be responsible to pay the amount Fellowship Church paid for the tickets (or the cancellation fee) and any other trip expenses incurred by the church.

A brief word about “passports”, “vaccinations”, and “airline tickets”: 1. Actual trip dates may differ plus/minus 1 day from what is listed, based on airline ticket availability. So please keep this in mind when applying for a trip. 2. Passports are required for ALL international mission trips. A copy of your passport or passport application must be attached to your application. The expiration date of your passport must be at least 30 days after your return date from Mexico or Europe, and 6 months after your return date from S.E. Asia, Israel, or Africa. 3. Except for tetanus shots (which are required unless you are allergic to them), it is up to you and your doctor to decide which vaccinations you take, based on your health, and the area of the world you are going to. 4. If you desire to fly out or return on a different date/time than the team, you are responsible for purchasing your ticket (we will credit or reimburse you the amount that is equal to the price we pay for everyone else’s ticket, but not more than you paid). If you are flying in early and then joining the team, you must meet the team at the destination airport when they arrive. If you are flying back home later than the team, we can only get you to the departure airport when the team gets there. 5. DO NOT purchase a plane ticket before you talk with us to insure your arrival and departure days/ times work with the team’s arrival and departure day/times. For more information call the ministry/person listed next to each trip, or contact our Global Partnerships Department at: 470-9800 x107, or [email protected]

2016 SHORT-TERM TRIP SCHEDULE TRIP COSTS A trip cost “Range” is given, as actual trips costs will not be finalized until plane tickets are purchased and other in-country costs are finalized • S.E. Asia Trip: $3,600-$3,800 • Mexico Trips: $900-$1,000 • Poland Trip: $2,400-$2,600 • Africa Trips - Zimbabwe: $3,600-$3,800, Uganda: $3,400-$3,600 • Israel Trips – Summer: $3,800-$4,000, Fall: $3,300-$3,500 • At- Large Trips: Bahamas: $1,400-$1,500 • You may be eligible for a portion of the trip cost above to be paid by the church (Please refer to the “Trip Finances” section on the previous page, and the front page of the “Trip Application Packet” for more details). • You may be able to raise some of your funds by volunteering at church fundraising events. Discuss these opportunities with your trip leader.

2016 TRIP DETAILS S.E. ASIA

July 20 – August 3 (2 weeks)

• Application Deadline: Sunday, December 20 • Because of the area of the world this trip goes to, we can only share certain details in this document. For more information, please contact Olinka Jefferson at [email protected] • The purpose of this trip is threefold: to host and run a 1-week camp for 100 orphans our church supports, to serve alongside a group of young adults who serve street kids, and to encourage and bless a number of impoverished, isolated, and persecuted villages. • This trip is open to any adult, or to HS students who are currently in their Jr/Sr year and have been on a previous mission trip. Younger HS students will be considered on an exception basis.

POLAND

June 29 - July 13

• Application deadline: Sunday, December 20 • We will be partnering with our missionary family and the Polish church they work with in “Szczecin” Poland. Our primary focus will be to help the Polish youth (mid-teens to mid-twenties) develop their skills, gifts, and confidence in serving Christ and in serving their city. Part of our time will be helping them lead a day-camp for inner city Polish kids/teens. • This trip is open to any adult, or Jr/Sr HS students if a parent is also going. • For more information, please contact Ben/JJ Green at [email protected]

ZIMBABWE (fellowship trip) June 9 - June 24

• Application Deadline: Sunday, December 20 • We will be doing a week-long camp for the Zimbabwe orphans our church supports. The camp location will be at “Lasting Impressions”, a ministry our church also supports. • We are also recruiting people for the trip who have worship/music gifts, as we have been asked to provide some worship/music training if able to. • After the camp the team will do their 1-day debrief at a Zimbabwe wildlife camp. • For more information, please contact Michael Cates at [email protected]

ZIMBABWE (ebenezer trips)

May 12 - May 27 and September 15-30

• Application deadlines: Sunday, December 20 (May Trip), Sunday February 14 (September Trip) • Both of these Zimbabwe trips will serve the 2 ministries we are in relationship with: Lasting Impressions Youth Camp in Kadoma, and Good Shepherd Orphanage in Chinhoyi. • Activities may include: working with orphans and students, doing school assemblies, meeting with local churches and believers, evangelism, teaching, community service, construction projects, prayer activities, encouraging people, and building relational trust. • Typically each trip will spend a day seeing the African bush and wildlife • For more information on Zimbabwe please contact John Dee at [email protected]

UGANDA

For information concerning potential 2016 trips, please contact Doug Harris at [email protected]

BAHAMAS

(graduating HS Seniors only): March 12/13 - March 19/20 • Application deadline: Sunday, December 6

• The team will be ministering to the kids/youth on the impoverished island of Eluthra. • The team will also be doing some kind of project that our contacts on Eluthra will be determining shortly before we arrive, based on the needs and the available resources. • For more information, please contact Blair Benefield at [email protected]

ISRAEL

June 15 – June 27 (geared for younger people and “first-timers”) • Application deadline: Sunday, December 20

• The trip consists of doing service projects for and with ministries we are in relationship with, and visiting a number of historical sights. • First preference for spots on this trip will be given to people who have not been before, or, because of their work/school schedule, cannot go on the fall trip. • For more information, please contact Gregor Smee at [email protected]

ISRAEL

October 15 – October 30 (geared for older people and “repeat-timers”) • Application deadline: Sunday, February 14

• The trip consists primarily of ministering to and serving ministries we are in relationship with, and doing outreach/ministry with them as opportunities and circumstances in the country permit. There will be some, but limited visits to historical sights. • For more information, please contact Tom Tate at [email protected]

MEXICO

Family Trip: May 24 - May 29

• Application deadline: Sunday, December 20 • This trip is designed for 2 purposes: 1) to give grade-school age children their first missions experiences, and 2) to give entire families an opportunity to serve together. Therefore all of our projects are child/family-friendly. • One family member that is going must be in grade school (in grades 1-5) • We will serve at each of the 3 ministries in Tijuana, Mexico that our church is in relationship with: The orphanage, women’s shelter, and the church at the old city dump. • For more information, Please contact Shawn Brown at [email protected]

MEXICO

Middle School Trip: July 18 – July 25 • Application deadline: Sunday, January 17

• This trip is a 1-week trip led by our Middle School pastoral leadership, and is done in the context of their overall ministry objectives for middle school students. • One of the student’s parents or adult relatives must accompany them on the trip. • Students must be entering 6th, 7th, or 8th grade to go on this trip. • For more details, including qualifications to go on this trip, please contact The Middle School Ministry at 470-9800 x158 (Beth) or 157 (Alan).

MEXICO

High School Trip: – July 11 – July 18 • Application deadline: Sunday, January 17

• This trip is led by our High School pastoral leadership, and is designed to give these students an intensive experience in being fully engulfed in the culture and fully engaged in ministry in a setting of extreme poverty. • Students must be entering 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, or graduating 12th grade. • For more details, including qualifications to go on this trip, please contact the High School Ministry at 470-9800 x142 (Olinka) or 104 (Blair).

MEXICO

College-Age Trip: March 12/13 - March 19/20 • Application deadline: Sunday, December 20

• This trip is led by our College-age pastoral leadership, and is for young adults either in college or college-aged. • Ministry and service projects are determined based on the needs of our ministry partners in Tijuana, Mexico. There will be some kind of construction project, and also intentional time to minister to teenagers who need young people to pour into their lives. • For more details, please contact JC Neely at [email protected]

MEXICO

Summer Internships: Dates and Costs Vary

• If you are a college student or an upper classman in high school, and are interested in spending an extended time in Mexico, please contact John Winters at [email protected] no later than January 17, 2016.

MEXICO

Young Adult Trip: Dates still to be determined • Application deadline: Not set yet

• This trip is led by our young adult pastoral staff and is for any young adult (married or single) that are in their 20’s or early 30’s. • Ministry and service projects will be determined by our ministry partner’s needs and the gifts/skills of our team members. • For more information, please contact Brent Crenshaw at [email protected]

MEXICO

Women’s Trip (all ages): June 6 - June 12 • Application deadline: Sunday, January 17

• The primary purpose of this trip will be to conduct a retreat for the women at Agape church in Tijuana or the women at Martha’s church (the orphanage’s founder). • The topics we will teach will be determined by input from Agape church leadership and the gifts of the Fellowship ladies going on the trip. • Time and energy permitting, we may also do some other small practical projects to bless families we are in relationship with there. • For more information about this trip, please contact Juanita Winters at [email protected]

MEXICO

Men’s Trip (all ages): April 23/24 - April 30/May 1 and October 15/16 October 22/23

• Application Deadlines: Sunday, December 20 (April Trip) and Sunday, May 22 (October Trip) • We will ministering to men and families in small group and in home settings as the needs are determined and as the gift sets and manpower of our teams are formulated. • There may also be some construction opportunities available on both trips. • For more information about these trips, please contact Dave Russell at drussell@fellowshipknox. org

MEXICO

Couples Trip: April 16/17 - April 23/24 • Application Deadline: Sunday, December 20

• We will be ministering to couples and families in small group or in home settings as the needs are determined and as the gift sets and passions of our team are determined • For more information about this trip, please contact John Winters at [email protected]