April 2008
Spring is here! The weather is warming up (or downright hot in New Orleans) and our team members have just started their third and final trimester of Mission Year. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been at this for seven months already and people are starting to think of what comes next. How about you? Are you thinking about what comes next in your life too? I’m sure the pressure is on you to line things up and have a plan. Job, more schooling, travel, marriage – there are so many options! I hope you prayerfully consider Mission Year and as you continue to read this newsletter you’ll see how all of those options can be fulfilled by joining us! Apply this month and plan for a year of serving the Lord and your neighbors in great places throughout the country.
In search of Beloved Community,
Sarah Bell, Dir. Of Recruitment/Admissions
Options Overflowing
Get a job, do another semester of college, start graduate school, travel to new places, get married – there are so many things you can do this fall. And the great thing about Mission Year is that all of those options fit right into what we are all about!
Get a job – You may not get a paycheck, but volunteering nearly 1000 hours at a local service site not only helps the community and your neighbors but gives you real, hands-on job experience! Imagine how much more prepared you’ll be when you enter the workforce after serving under great people and seeing how your passions and skills can be used to benefit those that need it the most.
Do another semester of college – Did you know that if you have finished at least one year of college you are eligible to earn up to 12 undergraduate credits just by doing Mission Year? As a ‘guest student’ of Eastern University you can have these credits transferred to your school once you return to complete your degree.
Start graduate school – We have a fantastic partnership with Eastern University’s graduate studies programs. Listen to how great this is. You can get your masters degree in two years at a fraction of the cost!! The first year, you do Mission Year and the second year you take your remaining courses at Eastern University while living in community in Philadelphia with other Mission Year alumni who are getting their degree. You will be given credit at Eastern University for your Mission Year experience as well as a course, Theology of Poverty, which is completed while you’re in Mission Year. During the second year you would enroll in one of Eastern University’s graduate programs: 1. MA in Urban Studies: Community Development concentration, 2) MA in Urban Studies: Youth Leadership concentration, 3) MBA in Economic Development (Urban Concentration) or 4) MA in International Development (Urban Concentration). And like I said, you would also be automatically entitled to a 30% tuition discount simply because you did Mission Year! It’s hard to find a deal like that anywhere else!
Explore a new place – Maybe you’re the adventurous type. Sure, going overseas can be a great experience and there are many amazing places around the world to visit and a lot of different cultures to learn from. However, how many people do you know that have just packed up and moved to a city that they’ve never been to? And not to the glitzy and glamorous parts of the city that we see on TV but to the parts of the city that Jesus would probably hang out in the most. The parts of the city that the nightly news seems to focus on day after day. The parts of the city that have given us amazing people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Sweet Auburn community in Atlanta; Mahalia Jackson from Central City in New Orleans, Bill Cosby in West Philadelphia, and so many more. The parts of the city that get a bad name from people who have never been there but are home to strong churches, loving families, promising children, and brilliant thinkers. Explore, discover, learn from, be shaped by, and fall in love with a culture that is so often vilified but whose attributes of hope, promise, faith, joy, and love are so easily dismissed.
Get married – Our wonderful Mission Year Married program offers the opportunity for married couples to move to the city to serve together with other couples. The program is essentially the same as the regular program but with added marriage enrichment components to help each couple lay a firm foundation of Christ and service in their relationship. We’ve had couples serve with us that have been married for one week, one year, or several years. So, as long as you’re under 30 and don’t have any children you should join us!
Highlight of the Month
Mission Year Urban Festival
When: June 13-15, 2008
Where: Atlanta, GA (Venue TBA)
Who: All team members, alumni, staff, family, and friends of Mission Year. Also, open to anyone interested in participating in Mission Year!
Topics will Include
- Healthcare
- Abuse
- Education
- Environmental Justice
Info.
This festival will feature great speakers, great food, great fellowships, and great fun. We would love to see all of you head to Atlanta for this great event. Keep checking the event website for more details. For any questions, please call the Atlanta office at 888.340.YEAR.
www.missionyear.org/urbanfestival
Faith Nugget
God makes leaders by taking people with the right raw material, putting them through the right experiences, and teaching them the right lessons…
Just as God transformed Peter from a brash and impulsive fisherman into a powerful instrument for His glory, so He can transform everyone who is yielded to Him.
You will never be an apostle, but you can have the same depth of character and can know the same joy of serving Christ that Peter knew. There’s no higher calling in the world than to be an instrument of God’s grace. Peter was faithful to that calling. May you be faithful too!
John MacArthur
Where to Go Next...
Download the latest talks and news about Mission Year.
Watch videos explaining the Mission Year program.
Resources for parents of Mission Year Team Members.
