Northwestern College students to serve during spring break

Northwestern College will send 12 teams of students on service trips to six states, Spain, England and Mexico during spring break. More than 160 participants will travel for this year’s Spring Service Partnerships (SSP), scheduled for March 1–10.

 “NWC Spring Service Partnerships are led by faculty and staff, involve extensive pre-trip training, and equip students to be more effective Christian servants in the world,” says Patrick Hummel, the college’s director of missions. “SSP trips also encourage students to step out of their comfort zones, experience different cultures and learn from God’s people—both within the U.S. and abroad.”

Two SSP teams will travel to Mexico. One will return to Croc, on the outskirts of Monterrey, where students will serve youth in an after-school program run by Youthfront. The other will join Mazatlán Ministries in Baja California Sur. There students will partner with a church to provide vacation Bible school activities, outreach to local families, and help rehabilitating a home for ministry leaders.

The Raider women’s soccer team will go to Cáceres, Spain, to practice with the city’s professional women’s soccer team and build relationships with the players. They’ll also help coach younger girls and spend time with a local missionary team.

Another group will partner with One Collective in Oxford, England, where students will engage in relational ministry, such as art with locals, youth reading programs and men’s ministry. They will also assemble hygiene boxes for distribution and help make practical improvements to The Jungle community center.

Two teams will join with World Renew to aid in natural disaster recovery in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Hawarden, Iowa. The Albuquerque group will focus on rebuilding structures that were damaged by wildfires and flooding while the Hawarden group will help with reconstruction in the wake of last summer’s flooding. NWC students will also work with Christmount Christian Assembly to provide flood relief in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Two SSP teams will serve in and learn about Native American communities. Those going to northern Minnesota will attend church on the Grand Portage Reservation and work at a wilderness camp operated by the Coldwater Foundation, a faith and leadership development organization. Another team will travel to the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico, where they will serve alongside Native leaders who seek to maintain the community’s culture and heritage while following Jesus.

In Texas, Northwestern students will serve with Calvary Commission, a residential and education center for ex-convicts. Another two SSP groups are heading to Louisiana. One will staff after-school programs and construction projects in New Orleans with Urban Impact; the other will do tutoring, basketball coaching, community cleanup and relational ministry in partnership with Hope for Opelousas.

SSP team members raise their own travel funds through their individual families, friends and churches, and through fundraisers on campus and in the community.

Northwestern College’s short-term mission programs bear the Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission seal, ensuring that participating organizations get teams that are of high quality. SOE standards include adequate pre-trip training and resources, as well as consistent post-trip follow-up and accountability.