The missions team has been working hard for the past month to identify places where we can serve next summer. We are very excited about how the opportunities are taking shape! There is still more work to do before we are ready to present the details, but we wanted to ask you to mark September 12th on your calendar. That's the day we're aiming for to share all this with you as a church family.

For now, this is what we know...

We have been able to narrow down a list of 18 possibilities to 10 final choices. We have tried to keep the options diverse so as to allow the greatest involvement across the board. The trips range from Lancaster to Burkina Faso with a variety of places in between.

At this point we'd like to ask you to consider budgeting for next summer like you might budget for a major purchase. Even $50 set aside per month now will result in $500-$600 saved for a trip next summer. That kind of long-range planning will help minimize the financial burden at one point in time. We know not everyone can do this and some of course could do more. We're simply asking you to consider participating in this way and continue praying about your potential involvement.

With more people to track down, ideas to confirm, dates to plan and total costs to finalize, there is still much to do between now and September 12. If you would consider praying for the process the missions team would be honored to have your prayers.

If you have questions about the process or anything else regarding the Great Sendoff, please contact one of the missions team members: Vernon Smoker (Chair), Mary Engel, Donna Hartley, Darren Neff, Amos Ebersol, Jesse Miller, Kathy Gehman & Pastor Tim.

On behalf of the missions team,

Pastor Tim