HOLLAND, MICHIGAN SERVE
Middle School Only Site

Dates: August 2-7, 2009 (Sunday - Friday)
Cost: $250 USD / $265 CAD
This is a NON-SMOKING site.

Please note: This Holland SERVE is for middle school aged students. Please specify which Holland SERVE on your registration form since there is also one for high school aged students occurring this same week at another location.

General Description: Holland SERVE will be a great way to start off middle school students in a lifetime of service. Our goal is to give students opportunities to try different projects each day so they can discover how God has wired them to serve and what they would like to try again in the future. This maybe the first ever service experience for middle scholars and so we want to make it fun, meaningful, relaxed but yet have them work on projects that matter to the people of Holland and to the Lord.

A "great" SERVE site is great because of the students and leaders who come. Please help us by making sure that you are following the SERVE guidelines for student to adult ratios (5:1) and that you have leaders of both genders if you have students of both genders. Please be ready to have a great time but understand that there will be plenty of physical work involved. Adult leaders will be expected to be adult leaders. That means having a small group on a work site each day, leading the morning and evening devotions and sleeping in the same rooms as students. You'll have a great time and we will do everything we can to make you successful and have a stress free week, but adults, come knowing you're a vital part of our leadership team and vital to the success of the week!

Facilities: Groups will be staying at both of our buildings at Harderwyk CRC. Worship, meals and some of our sleeping will be in the main church building. This building is air conditioned and participants will be sleeping on the carpeted floor in our education rooms. Recreation, free time, some of our sleeping and showers will be in our youth building, the Anchor. This is also an air conditioned building with individual shower stalls [3 male and 3 female], a full gym, ping pong, air hockey, foosball, billiards, and other games. We also have 10 acres of woods, outdoor sand volleyball, fire pit, Frisbee golf course and more.

Work Sites: We are talking with several groups and organizations about work projects. Some we are in conversation with are Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity, Lakeshore Elementary, Harderwyk Ministries, Macatawa Resource Center, Holland Rescue Mission and more. Our hope is to have a varied number of sites from general clean up, working with special needs [homeless, elderly, mentally challenged, etc.] light construction, painting and whatever else we can be used to do! Our group size for work groups will be 5 students and 1 adult [hopefully!].

Day Away: Float Trip on the Muskegon River

Transportation: Registration fees do NOT include transportation to and from Harderwyk or your daily work sites. Each group of five or more must provide vehicle(s) and adult driver(s) (typically small group leaders) to transport an equal number of participants during the duration of the mission experience regardless of whether you fly or drive to the site. The vehicles you bring will be used to transport small groups to the work site each day, so 12-passenger vans or mini-vans are preferred. Cars do not facilitate the transportation of an entire small group in one vehicle, so please do not bring them. If you wish to bring a bus, please check with the Host Team to see if this is acceptable before you make arrangements. If your group is unable to provide van transportation, please have a youth leader call Youth Unlimited to discuss options and additional charges.

For your decision making purposes, the closest airport is Grand Rapids, MI. Please DO NOT book airfare until you have received written confirmation from Youth Unlimited that you have been placed at this site.

Speaker: Jolene DeHeer
Music: TBD
Web Site: http://hollandserve.wordpress.com

Facebook Group: 2009 Holland Middle School SERVE

What are people saying about this site?