For the last three years we’ve been taking the entire youth ministry to San Antonio to serve with Blueprint Ministries. It has been amazing to see how the Lord has used our students for his glory on those trips and how those experiences have played a role in the spiritual formation of our students.
After three years of serving with Blueprint, we sensed that it was time to offer a new opportunity for our older high school students. We want to challenge our students in new ways, provide a different mission experience for kids who have been to Blueprint multiple times, and give our middle and high school groups some separate space and time with their peers.
We’ve spent the last 6 months looking for mission opportunities that are:
- An appropriate step-up in “difficulty” in terms of challenging the students in their missional experiences.
- Highly evangelistic and mission oriented.
- Financially accessible for as many students as possible.
- Capable of accommodating a group of 40-50 people.
- Partnering with a local church
- Safe
We’re going to Austin to partner with Refuge Community Church!
I’m excited to announce that we will be spending a week in Austin, TX where we will partner with a new church plant, Refuge Community Church. This is a church plant that C3 has supported and a few of our former members who moved to Austin are now serving as part of the core team. They will officially launch this Spring and we will be able to join them this Summer to partner with them.
This will be our first mission trip to Austin and we are praying for God to open up doors for gospel ministry. We will be doing a scouting trip in March to learn how we can best partner with Refuge for God’s glory on this trip.
Important: We will be having a mandatory training day on May 17th from 1-5pm at C3. Please check this date before registering and mark it on your calendar.
Click to Register for the 2020 High School Mission Trip
Desired outcomes for those we are serving:
- Salvation. We are eager to see God save people from their sin and draw them into relationship with him during this trip. We believe that God is still in the work of saving souls and that he has called us to obediently participate in this work!
- Connect people in the community who are unbelievers or not attending a church to Refuge Community Church.
- Serve as an encouragement to the pastors and core team of Refuge Community Church. We want to serve them well and serve those in their community. We pray that we would be a steroid shot of the gospel into the arms of this young church plant.
Desired outcomes for our students:
- Students would be challenged and equipped to step out of their comfort zone in sharing the gospel and reaching unbelievers for Jesus.
- Students would recognize God’s purpose for their lives–that they are called to be missionaries in their everyday life, wherever God has them and leads them. We pray that this week of being on mission in Austin would spark them to live on mission back home in Houston.
- While serving, students would deepen their bonds with one another and their leaders.
- Students would experience the pleasure and joy that comes from taking part in God’s mission to redeem the world for his glory. While this is not the primary or even secondary purpose of a mission trip, we do hope and pray that students feel great satisfaction and joy in honoring the Lord.
Details & FAQ
Who is this for?
Current 9th-12th graders (students who have completed 9th grade during the 2019-20 school year).
Date:
6/14-19. We plan to worship together at C3 on Sunday morning and head to Austin. We will return back Friday evening at around dinner time.
Cost:
$490 for the first child and $440 for every additional. Limited scholarships available upon request.
Where are we staying?
We will be staying at the church that I (Richmond) grew up attending, Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church. They have a large facility that can accommodate our group to sleep in separate areas for guys/girls, prepare meals, play games, and have space us to do our own worship & teaching.
Can my son/daughter invite friends?
Yes! We would love for students to invite friends.
Can my student come for just a portion of the week?
Unfortunately, we have to say no to this. We put a lot of thought into creating our work teams and want to ensure that they spend the entire week together.
Who will be the leaders during the mission trip?
Many of the leaders for the retreat are our regular youth group volunteers. We do have a few additional leaders who will be serving with us! We have a handful of parents who have served with us on previous mission trips. If you are interested in coming as a parent, please reach out to Richmond at Richmond@c3houston.org
All volunteers have been background checked and have done a training on child safety.
Are scholarships available?
Scholarships are available, but limited. You can request a scholarship on payment dropdown on the registration form. We will be in contact to let you know what we are able to provide.
