What is Youth in Mission?

Youth in Mission is a dedicated service and outreach arm of Our Savior’s Youth Group.  The purpose of Youth in Mission is:

  1. to provide opportunities for bringing the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to a specific segment of a population within a society determined to be be in spiritual need, while at the same time working to build a self-supporting structure within local churches to continue meeting the need long-term.
  2. to provide the opportunity for Lutheran congregations in America to be involved “first hand” in helping those in need in our neighborhoods, country, and world.
  3. to offer high school students the opportunity to experience the field of Christian mission in an extraordinary and tangible way.
  4. to be a means by which the Holy Spirit has opportunity to convince participating high school youth to consider pursuing careers as church professionals (i.e. Lutheran day school teacher, deaconess, pastor, or missionary).
  5. to help foster the ability of Christian high school youth to clearly confess the hope that is within them in the mission field of everyday life, that is, their vocation in life no matter which field of study or career they pursue.

A Brief History of Youth in Mission

Our Savior, in association with Lutheran Heritage Foundation, first sent a group of high school students to Russia in 2002 in order to share the Word of Christ with orphaned children by providing a Bible camp.  The trip was a success, and although LHF did not continue in the effort, Our Savior continued the effort for five years until the regional political climate inhibited our ability to return.  Since 2002, as the Youth in Mission project unfolded,  the scope of the efforts began to include local and national events.

Following our time in Russia, Youth in Mission was able to serve high school aged youth in Lithuania for several years, with 2010 being the last international trip to date. There is, however, an effort underway to rejoin our partners overseas in 2017. Future projects are in the works!

While stateside, Youth in Mission has remained busy.  Below are only a few of the projects that have occurred:

  • Appalachian Servant Event  (2006-Present) – Repairing homes for people in the mountains of North Carolina who are not able to complete the project on their own.
  • Alaska Missions for Christ (2009-2012) – Leading VBS-style camps for Native Alaskans
  • SonRise Camp (2014) – Working one-on-one with adults with developmental disabilities in a camp setting in Anderson, Indiana.