LAS VEGAS, NEVADA ENCOUNTER

Dates: July 25 - August 8, 2009 (Saturday - Saturday)
Cost: $455 USD / $475 CAD- Includes transportation to work sites once you arrive
This is a RESTRICTED-SMOKING site.

>>>ATTENTION! eQuip RECIPIENTS (eQuip is a resource for leaders of partnering churches)
Be sure to check out page 10 of the November/December issue of eQuip for a coupon good for $25 off the registration fee to send one of your student leaders to go on a Youth Unlimited ENCOUNTER experience in 2009. See coupon for details.

This site is combined with a SERVE experience. Combined SERVE and ENCOUNTER sites allow you to bring your youth group on one mission experience at one location, but allows the teens and young adults to sign up for the type of experience that will best meet their individual spiritual needs. SERVE involves hands-on service designed for those who have a desire to help others and discover who God is. The concurrent ENCOUNTER experience involves people-oriented service, designed for those who want to experience further growth in faith, develop student leadership skills and learn how to share their God stories. At a combined site, all students and leaders are together for morning and evening meal-times and evening worship, but have separate work groups/projects and devotional material geared toward the type of experience they desire.

Please note: At the Las Vegas SERVE/ENCOUNTER, all participants will arrive on Saturday, August 1, but the ENCOUNTER students will stay for an extra week after the SERVE has been completed.

General Description: The Las Vegas area is unique. For a city its size, it is under resourced. It has a high population of working homeless. It leads the country in home foreclosures, addictions, school drop out rates yet it brings in great revenues through the casino, gaming, and entertainment business. Las Vegas has a high population of Mormons and the largest growing Jewish population in the western USA. The city’s reputation adds to the mystic of Las Vegas.

The participants will be working with area mission organizations through out the city. This ENCOUNTER experience will give participants a closer look at this unique city. Las Vegas is known for being “sin city.” It is a tourist destination for people from around the world. But “all that glitters is not gold.” The unique character of Las Vegas leads to many unfortunate aspects of many people. Las Vegas is known for its gambling and entertainment. For some this leads to great loss of jobs, property, low income, under educated and low expectations. Then one must add to the condition and realize that Las Vegas is one of the most under resourced cities by way of social and church services. Las Vegas needs Christians to come here and work alongside the caring services of this city. It needs people to come here who will love and encourage.

Facilities: You will be hosted at Grace Valley Church, located at the edge of Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Grace Valley Church is a small congregation with a big heart. Due to our size, space is cozy and limited. In order to accommodate all the activities of the mission experience, we'll need your help to pack your stuff and move it daily. Please bring minimal sleeping gear such as a pool floatee or a camp mat, sheet, blanket and small pillow. Due to space restrictions in our facility, full and queen-sized air mattresses will not be permitted.

Work Sites: You will help lead Grace Valley’s summer program which is one of the ways they reach out to their neighborhood around the church. Grace Valley’s youth pastor, Megan will be your mentor and leader to prepare and train you in the ministry experience.

Day Away: Mt. Charleston

During this mission experience, the Host Team will NOT provide an opportunity to go to the Las Vegas Strip for entertainment and the day away. The Las Vegas Strip is NOT for unsupervised teen entertainment. The brief time on the Las Vegas Strip will be for supervised learning, prayer, and awareness activities.

Transportation: Registration fees do NOT include transportation to and from this mission experience. As an all-inclusive site, transportation will be provided for you once you arrive at the site.

Adult leaders will likely be asked to drive vehicles borrowed or rented by the Host Team during the mission experience. Please drive and treat these vehicles as if they were your own. Drivers will be held responsible for damage to borrowed or rented vehicles.

For your decision making purposes, the closest airport is Las Vegas - Mc Carran Intl. (LAS).
Please DO NOT book airfare until you have received written confirmation from Youth Unlimited that you have been placed at this site.

Speaker: To be determined
Music: To be determined
Web Site: www.gracevalleychurch.org

Facebook Group: Not available

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