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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
(Click any question below, or scroll through all questions)
• What is SMP?
• Why would I go on an SMP? • Who goes on SMPs? • Where and when? How much? • What does the cost include? • What if I can't afford the cost? • What kind of work do we do? • How do we get there? • What are the accommodations? • Who do we serve? • What do I bring? • What's the food like? • How can I support someone else who is going? • How can I support my child who is going? • What does a prayer partner do? • What happens in case of an emergency? • Can I bring a friend(s)? • What if my friend is not a Christian? • What is a typical day like? • Do I need to get a Tetanus shot? • Do I get a tee shirt? • Will it look good on my college resume? • Why is there only one Middle School trip? • Who are the trip coordinators? • Can I bring my guitar? • Do you have needs for any special skills? • What are the rules? What is SMP? SMP is a service project. Accommodations are often very basic which means sleeping on the floors and having limited access to shower facilities. Everyone is expected to help prepare food and perform other chores. The work is often physically challenging and the work conditions can be difficult. Everyone participates in daily Bible study, worship, and prayer. ▲ Top Why would I go on an SMP? 1. to build your relationship with God 2. to serve others 3. to build a relationship with a group of committed Christians ▲ Top Who goes on SMPs? SMP is designed for middle school students, high school students, and college students, as well as young adults and adults and families. Students are assisted and lead by adults of all ages from college age up. The famility trips include families with young children. ▲ Top Where and When? How much?
1 - $250 for first family member; $200 for each additional family member 2 - $225 for a family of 3; $75 for each additional family member age 6 and over 3 - $215 for first family member; $150 for each additional family member 4 - $375 each person ages 10+; $175 each child ages 4-10; children 3 and under are free. Also a donation of $50 per adult and $25 per child is requested to cover the costs of building materials. Additional Information:
▲ Top What does the cost include? Transportation (except family trips), lodging, food, building materials, training, t-shirt, and administrative costs. ▲ Top What if I can't afford the cost? Scholarships and fund raising opportunities may be available. Forms for applying for a scholarship can be found on the SMP website (under Applications). For fund raising opportunities, speak to Barry Hill, VPCs Director of Student Ministries. ▲ Top What kind of work do we do? The work is often physically challenging and the work conditions are often difficult. Work varies somewhat from trip to trip so see details on individual trips. ▲ Top How do we get there? For domestic trips we travel by car or van. For international trips we fly and then take local transportation. ▲ Top What are the accommodations? (sleeping, food, showers, etc.) Accommodations are often very basic which means sleeping on the floor and having limited access to shower facilities. For the Marion, VA trip we stay at a host church. At Krislund Camp we stay in covered wagons and Adirondack shelters. For the Pittsburgh Project trips sleeping is in a large dormitory space. Showers for Marion are often in a local school, park, or municipal pool. For the Pittsburgh Project trips showers are available in the host facility. In Mexico we stay with local residents and shower facilities are usually not available. ▲ Top Who do we serve? The host agency identifies those in need in their area. This usually includes the elderly, handicapped and low income families. ▲ Top What do I bring? It depends on the trip, but you will be provided with a detailed list at a trip-specific meeting. ▲ Top What is the food like? Again it varies from trip to trip. For Marion (Crossroads), food coordinators plan the meals, but everyone helps with preparation. For Pittsburgh Project, meals are prepared by the host organization. Meals are not fancy but are usually very good. ▲ Top How can I support someone else who is going? Pray for them or become a prayer partner. ▲ Top How can I support my child who is going? Pray for them. Send them encouragement and care packages. Be a prayer partner for another participant. Come to the training sessions and the reunions. Make certain their paperwork gets filled out. ▲ Top What does a prayer partner do? You’re assigned an individual on the trip that you’re asked to pray for everyday while they are on the trip. You may also want to send them a note encouraging them while they are on the trip (you will be provided with an address). ▲ Top What happens in case of an emergency? We have emergency contact forms and health forms for every participant that we keep with us at all times on the trip. The trips sponsored by other organizations (such as the Pittsburgh Project) have their own emergency forms and procedures. ▲ Top Can I bring a friend(s)? Absolutely, we encourage people to invite others. ▲ Top What if my friend is not a Christian? They are welcome if they have a heart for missions and service and are willing to participate in all the activities of the group including worship. ▲ Top What is a typical day like? For the domestic trips run by VPC (such as the Marion trip), on a typical work day we rise between 6:30 and 7:00 (those preparing breakfast or making lunches usually rise earlier) and have breakfast at 7:15, followed by a short devotional. We pack up and head for the work site. We usually have frequent work breaks to make certain everyone stays hydrated. We break for lunch about noon and eat on the worksite. Lunch is followed by a quite time Bible study. Work resumes in the afternoon and usually we work until about 4:30 or 5:00, depending on the time required to travel back to the host Church. The crew responsible for dinner usually leaves a little earlier. We stop for showers before returning for dinner. Dinner is usually at 6:00 or 6:30, followed by a short amount of free time. Usually worship and crew meetings start about 7:30 and go until about 9:00. Lights out is at 11:00pm. The trips sponsored by other organizations (such as the Pittsburgh Project) have their own schedules; refer to their websites for more detail. ▲ Top Do I need to get a Tetanus shot? Probably not a bad idea if you haven’t had one recently. (Note: Mexico trips require several shots; details will be provided by the trip coordinators). ▲ Top Do I get a tee shirt? Yes! ▲ Top Will it look good on my college resume? That’s the wrong reason to go on an SMP, but yes it probably would. More importantly it makes you a more complete person, more certain in your faith, and more knowledgeable about your priorities. ▲ Top Why is there only one Middle School trip? We’ve only had a Middle School trip for a couple of years. If it continues to grow in popularity then we will think about adding other trips. ▲ Top Who are the trip coordinators? The trip coordinators are listed in the where/when/cost table from a previous question. Click here to view to that table. ▲ Top Can I bring my guitar? This is a question we wish somebody would really ask. We’re always looking for students or adults to help with music leadership so the answer is an emphatic yes. For the foreign trips you should check with the coordinators to see if there are any transportation issues. ▲ Top Do you have needs for any special skills? No but these are especially welcome: home repairs, food coordination, worship coordination, music leadership, or guitar playing. ▲ Top What are the rules? Summer Missions Projects are great opportunities for intergenerational relationship building, a chance to learn some practical life skills and to experience life in a Christian community, all to the glory of God. In the summer of 2008, the VPC staff seeks to reaffirm its commitment to providing a physically and psychologically safe environment for students and adults who are participating in our missions projects. SMP, like much of life, is not without risk. We will look to gather your input at the end of each trip to give us insight as to what the “rules” should be as we work with the different challenges we will face in the Gulf Coast environment and "how we have always done it." It is important to note that we will be looking at how we organize each site at each work project for an appropriate set of group dynamics so there is a healthy ratio of adults to students as well as healthy male/female interaction. One important rule for all is that at no time should there be adults and students in one-on-one situations out of the view of the group for more than 15 minutes. This is for the protection of both students and adults. It is preferred that when possible we travel in groups. COMMUNICATION
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