Global

It is our belief that God’s mission in the world is to reconcile all things to the Crucified Lord. Our responsibility is to join in this work.

Gordon College has a long history of service both domestically and abroad. Today that tradition continues through foreign and domestic missions and service learning trips. These trips are sponsored by the Chapel Office and are all student-led/staff-advised and motivated by an evangelical and humanitarian spirit. Each trip has its own mission and each team its own character. These trips have been, and will continue to be, an extremely meaningful and memorable time for those who participate, and represent unique opportunities for individuals to grow in their knowledge of God, the world, self, and others.

Here are the mission trips offered this year:

Swaziland

SWAZILAND
(Summer Break)

In May and June our team will be working with the community of Bulembu, Swaziland, a small country located within South Africa. Swaziland has one of the highest AIDs prevalence rates in the world, a negative population growth, and a life expectancy of only 32. In 2006, a team of entrepreneurs and social developers purchased the abandoned town with a clear vision – restore Bulembu to a vibrant, self sustaining community by the year 2020. We will be helping them fulfill this vision, serving in a variety of ways, such as: orphan care, teaching in schools, landscape and building projects, and economic development.

To contact a team leader please email: and


Ireland

NORTHERN IRELAND
(Winter Break)

On the Northern Ireland trip, we wrestle with our understanding of peace, conflict, and what reconciliation can and does look like. We do so by meeting with political and community leaders, and by partnering with an organization called 174 Trust, which works towards social peace in the historically divided community of Belfast.

Interested in serving, participating in dialogue, learning about conflict within a culture, and experiencing the beauty that Northern Ireland holds? Click through for more info, or contact us!

To contact a team leader email:  or


India

INDIA
(Summer Break)

Our team will spend time with three different organizations in India: Bapatla Children's Home and Bharti Integrated Rural Development Society (BIRDS) in Andhra Predesh, and Visthar in Bangalore.

These organizations work with orphans, girls at risk for temple prostitution, peace and reconciliation studies, and the rights and needs of the rural Dalit people. We will learn about some of the problems and challenges facing India, have the opportunity to learn from some incredible people, and work with children through VBS, teaching English and helping with other needs.

To contact a team leader please email: and


Jamaica

JAMAICA
(Summer Break)

This summer, we will be travelling to Kingston, Jamaica, for two weeks to work with CCCD, the Christian Caribbean Centre for the Deaf. CCCD's goal is to give the deaf community of Jamaica access to the gospel of Jesus Christ, sign language, education, and vocational training. As a result, students are better equipped to live independent lives. Join us as we grow and learn together from our partnership with CCCD in Kingston. Our team will be participating in work projects and after school activities.

To contact a team leader email:  and


Mexico

MEXICO OUTREACH
(Winter Break)

Mexico Outreach is a short-term missions opportunity to serve in Tijuana, Mexico. For almost two decades, Gordon has been building a partnership with La Casa de Esperanza, an orphanage located outside the city. As we return each year, our hope is to be ambassadors of God's love to all those we encounter. Our prayer is to grow in humility and cultural sensibility as we seek to better understand the global body of Christ.

To contact a team leader email:  or


San Diego

SAN DIEGO
(Winter Break)

What do you know about immigration reform?! This January our team will dive into the issues surrounding US immigration in San Diego by partnering and spending time with a local Mexican-American church, living with one another in community, and asking what it truly means to "love your neighbor" -- while living only 12 miles from the US-Mexico border.

Are you interested? Contact one of the team leaders:  and


Detroit

DETROIT
(Spring Break)  

This team will continue Gordon's partnership with Mack Avenue Community Church in inner-city Detroit, exploring how to live the gospel in this troubled urban context. The team will work with Pastor Leon Stevenson, former Resident Director at Gordon College and now one of the pastors at MACC with various ministry projects. (See Pastor Stevenson's chapel address from the spring of 2010: click here).  Along with being involved in outreach work and service projects, our team will also learn about Detroit, it's culture and God's great work in it through the testimonies of the people of MACC. Ultimately we will seek to glorify God by learning from His work, serving alongside and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters in Detroit, and by bringing a renewed sense of His vision back to Gordon.

To contact a team leader email:  and


DR

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
(Spring Break)

Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the historic (and often racist) tension between Haiti and the Dominican Republic grew as Haitians seeking refuge flooded to their neighboring country. This region's story has particular importance for us in the Boston area as many of our immigrant neighbors are Haitian or Dominican. Join us this March in the Dominican Republic to learn more about the problems and promise inherent in this island nation and to serve alongside our friends at a Haitian church and school in San Pedro de Macoris.

To contact a team leader email:  or


ECHO

ECHO Farm
(Spring Break)

Since the early 1980's, Gordon has sent work teams during Spring Break to volunteer on the ECHO farm in North Fort Myers, Florida. ECHO's Mission is to equip people with resources and skills to reduce hunger and improve the lives of the poor. ECHO's Vision is to honor God through sustainable hunger solutions. Be a part of that vision and join our work team this year.

For more information contact


Haiti

HAITI
(Winter Break)

This team will spend time over winter break building homes for families in need in Haiti. We will work alongside Partners in Development (PID), an organization that has been working in Haiti for over 20 years. Come join us for some hard work that can make a difference in the lives of homeless families in this beautiful but earthquake and poverty ravaged country.

To contact a team leader email: and


Mississippi

MISSISSIPPI
(Spring Break)

Canton, Mississippi is a city with a unique and rich cultural history. While our team is there, we will be serving alongside In His Steps Ministry: a non-profit organization that reaches out to at-risk children, juvenile offenders, and their families. We will be serving them in a variety of ways, including small construction projects, painting, general labor, and activities with children in the community.

To contact a team leader email: and


Nicaragua

NICARAGUA
(Spring Break)

The Nicaragua missions trip takes a dozen Gordon students to the island of Ometepe to aid a local orphanage while being immersed in the culture of Nicaragua. With a focus on serving and creating relationships, students wil spend most of their time with the children in the orphanage and the orphanage staff. While there, students will also connect with the local church community, work on various construction projects, serve people of the church, and expore the country.

To contact a team leader email:  and


Brett

PORTLAND, MAINE
(Spring Break)

We are excited to continue the partnership between Gordon’s Missions program and the city of Portland, Maine. Our team will partner with the Root Cellar, an organization that is committed to community development, and will explore different racial and socio-economic tensions that exist in our own backyard. As we assist the Root Cellar with their programs, such as after school tutoring and food drives, we will attempt to discover how to serve as a local extension of the Kingdom while learning more about, and from, Portland’s vast immigrant population, whose culture is so different from our own. On this trip we hope to foster a generative relationship with the Root Cellar that will continue for years to come.

To contact the team leader email:  and


Reading

READING, PA
(Spring Break)

We're excited to extend Gordon's mission program to Reading, a small city in southeastern PA with a large immigrant population. In Reading we hope to show Christ's love by supporting organizations and projects that are already accomplishing great things in the city, as well as by learning about the city and the people who live there. This trip will focus on serving these organizations and fostering a relationship between them and Gordon.

For more information contact one of the trip leaders:  and


Belize

BELIZE
(Winter Break)

In early January our team will travel to the southern most state of Belize called Punta Gorda, the poorest part of the country. We will partner with the international organization, LOL Ministries, where we will have the opportunity to love and nurture orphans, as well as neglected and disadvantaged children and young adults. We will focus our time on bringing restoration through God's love, allowing children and youth to discover their potential, while equipping and releasing them into their future. We will be serving in a variety of ways, such as: orphan care, children's ministry, VBS, on-site construction, ministry in local villages, and exploring public healthcare facilities for Belize citizens.

For more information please contact a team leader: or


Poland

POLAND
(Summer Break)

This summer a Gordon team will serve for the first time in Poland. We will be working with an organization called Josiah Venture. Through their ministry we will be partnering with a local church and youth group to help facilitate a week long English Camp. The camp will entail teaching English, leading games, building relationships with students and youth leaders and sharing the Gospel with the teens who come to the camp.

To contact a team leader please email: and


Sri Lanka 1

SRI LANKA
(Summer Break)

From May to June Gordon College will be sending a missions team to this beautiful island off the coast of India. Sri Lanka is a nation that is coming out of three decades of Ethnic Civil War which ended in 2009. Despite the tumultuous history of Sri Lanka it has enjoyed peace and great levels of economic development over the past five years. The team will be working with around 70 children from the ages of 4 to 18 at "Ape Kedalla" (Our Nest) under the "Kithu Sevana Ministries" in Madampe, which is located in Western Sri Lanka.

To contact a team leader please email: or


Boston

BOSTON
(Spring Break)

The new Boston mission trip is centered around the exploration and re-evaluation of faithful community living. Through service with a number of homeless ministries and urban development programs such as Starlight Ministries and Eagle’s Nest Learning Center, we invite you to consider commitment to another person’s holistic well being as an interpersonal mission. We recognize that perspective is paramount in this effort, so we will spend time seeing the city through the eyes of a man who has been homeless for 10 years. This will be a continuous point of discussion as we practice and reflect upon ways to implement love for those right in our midst.

To contact a team leader please email: and

 


For more information about these trips or to find out how you can get involved, please contact Laura Carmer in the chapel office.

P 978 867 4029
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