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To: hscenews@yahoogroups.com
From: pix@...
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:57:10 -0400
Subject: [hscenews] Good reading before/during/after mission trips

MAKING MISSION TRIPS MATTER
Effective trips include preparation and relationship building

According to one survey, 1.6 million U.S. Christians (2.1 percent of
all church members) went on an international mission trip of 14 days
or less in 2005. Participants go on these trips with the intent of
strengthening communities and churches abroad and experiencing
spiritual transformation. While mission trips can have remarkable
results, there is potential for harming the communities they visit.
Mission trips "can be terribly destructive and can be the impetus of
very bad feelings," says Robert Priest of Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School, one of the first missiologists to study short-term
mission. "How to work in ways that do not do that is a major challenge."

The March cover story of Presbyterians Today tells how congregations
are meeting this challenge by emphasizing preparation, partnership
cultural sensitivity and relationship building.

******Read more at; http://www.pcusa.org/today/cover.htm