First Christian Church CYF is heading up an international mission trip this summer. The trip dates are July 17-24, 2010. We will be volunteering in an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. We will be working through a non-profit organization called Orphanage Outreach. Orphanage Outreach has been working with orphanages in the Dominican Republic for fifteen years, ever since the program’s founder discovered the poor conditions under which children in these orphanages lived. Many of these children had already suffered through unfortunate circumstances in their lives, such as being the victims of abusive or irresponsible parents, or living in poverty.

The mission of Orphanage Outreach is to provide opportunities to orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children. Its goals are to help orphanages provide the children who live there with basic necessities and a quality education. They are also committed to helping the orphanages become self sufficient.

FCC’s objective for this mission trip is to serve as needed. We may be asked to lead or help with a sports, arts, English, or Vacation Bible school camp. We may also serve by helping with different projects that are already underway there, such as construction, painting, or planting.

For more information you may visit the Orphanage Outreach website: www.orphanage-outreach.org.

To make a monetary donation toward our mission trip, please make your check payable to First Christian Church and note “Orphanage Outreach” in the memo line.

Our prayers are with the people of Chile and Haiti as they recover from devastating earthquakes. The Week of Compassion, which is the humanitarian aid and disaster relief ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is responding with support, supplies, and aid. You can help by making a donation to Week of Compassion at www.weekofcompassion.org.

If you missed last week’s Summer of Service celebration dinner, here’s a look back at the summer by the numbers:

3 Saturdays

4 Special Dinners

12 Projects

47 Participants (35 more than once)

41 Health Kits for Church World Service to distribute after disasters

13 Chicken Pot Pies to be given to families in crisis

8 Bags of stuffed animals collected for EMS and Firefighters

40 Backpacks given to refugee children

75 Popsicles shared by kids and volunteers

163 Life Rings filled out

823 (and counting!) service hours completed

Thanks to everyone who participated in and prayed for the Summer of Service!

Our first Summer of Service work day on June 13 was a big success. We began the morning with some singing and Bible Study:

Then, we split up into teams and got to work. One group went to Beacon Place Hospice Center to do some yard work and maintenance.

Another group went to work in our church garden:

(Click here to read more about our garden ministry and see more pictures.)

A third group did some work for a church member who needed some help at her house, and a group of toddlers stayed back at the church and prepared snacks for the workers to enjoy when they were done.

All in all, it was a great day. Our next work day will be July 18. Join us!