Catalytic Learning/Serving Opportunities

Articles, Excerpts, Tips & More
The Urban Plunge: A First Person Taste of Inner City Renewal:  This brief autobiographical article describes the author’s participation in an urban exposure/learning trip in inner-city Memphis and how it affected her.
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Boston Urban Outreach: This experiential learning opportunity in Boston affords church groups unfamiliar with inner-city realities a chance for hands-on exposure, education, and reflection.
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S.A.V.E.: This is a one-week “plunge” missions experience in San Antonio, TX, designed to help church groups learn about urban issues.
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AGRMs Short-Term Urban Missions Directory: This on-line directory lists opportunities in 50 different cities for short-term, hands-on ministry opportunities, mainly among the homeless.
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Compassion in Action Project Leaders Packet: Information in the packet, though specific to the Atlanta-based program, may be helpful to other groups wishing to launch a similar service initiative in their city.
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World Vision 30 Hour Famine: This experiential learning opportunity teaches youth about worldwide hunger and poverty; youth fast for 30 hours and conduct fundraisers to collect money for fighting hunger.
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Harvest "Spiritual Discipline of Loving Others": This intensive exercise, for personal or small group use, could help ministry leaders grow deeper in the discipline of other-centeredness.
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Harvest Seed Projects: Seed Projects are small, short ministry activities and service projects carried out by the local church, using local resources.
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ShareFest:  ShareFest is a multi-congregation, multi-denomination event designed to bring the churches of a city together in order to share Christ’s love with the community.
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Unite Compassion in Action: This weekend takes place annually in Atlanta. Churches there volunteer for various service projects—with existing organizations or one self-designed.
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Compassion in Action Getting Started Manual: Although produced for church leaders interested in participating in Atlanta’s Compassion in Action weekend, the project ideas in the manual may be helpful for church leaders brainstorming in other locales.
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CareFest: CareFest is a Christ centered community service day that brings together churches, businesses, community agencies, and cities with the common purpose of demonstrating God’s love in practical ways throughout the community.
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Six Catalytic Service Approaches: This article explains how to use one-day service events as a catalyst to spark a shift in church culture from an internal to an external focus.
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Mission Waco Poverty Simulation: The Poverty Simulation is a weekend long experience designed to expose participants to issues surrounding poverty and homelessness.
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