CEDARVILLE — Cedarville University is sending 16 Global Outreach teams with more than 209 students, faculty and staff members to domestic and international locations to serve others during spring break, March 2-8.
This year, six domestic trips will care for people in Atlanta, New York City, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C. and Memphis, Tenn. Each trip will provide a variety of service opportunities, including in healthcare, church ministry, community outreach, evangelism and construction.
This year, Cedarville’s president, Dr. Thomas White, has offered to pay the passport fee of 50 students signing up to attend a GO international trip during spring break. This is one additional step that Cedarville is taking to equip students to attend GO trips.
Eddie Hertel, a senior biblical studies major from Scarborough, Maine, is leading a trip to Salt Lake City where students will work with Gospel Grace Church. While there, the team work at a homeless shelter, perform community and evangelism outreach and complete service projects.
“I’m going on the Salt Lake City spring break trip in order to aid the mission of Gospel Grace Church and be immersed in local church ministry,” Hertel said. “I am excited to learn about, interact with and serve the lost culture of Salt Lake City, Utah, with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Along with the domestic trips, 11 international teams will serve in the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Guatemala, Honduras, London, Malawi, Uganda and Peru. These trips will include dental/medical work, youth/children work, education, ministry, evangelism and nursing services.
Intercultural studies major Christina Macris from Chicago will lead the trip to Uganda. She and five other nursing students will work with the clinic and ministry of Eagles Wings Children’s Village in Uganda. The team will teach health and first aid seminars, lead special crafts and activities for the kids and assist in offering medical care to patients in villages and at the clinic alongside Eagles Wings’ staff.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to partner with a great local ministry, to use our team’s skills to help support and advance their ongoing work and learn from the missionaries and staff,” Macris said. “I’m also excited for those on our team who feel God calling them to future long-term missions, as this will be a first, exploratory step for them!”
Global Outreach exists to prepare and organize the Cedarville University community to know, live and share the Gospel. This is accomplished by providing ways for students to attend mission trips every semester.
”Going on a short-term trip may not fulfill all of what God expects of us, but it is part of the big picture,” Brian Nester, director of Global Outreach said. “We also know that going on a short-term trip will make us more effective prayer warriors, church members, mission committee members, and some will commit to go long term as missionaries from the result of going on a GO trip.”