Boston Urban Outreach
If the cities go down, the suburbs go down. The mission of the CMS Boston Urban Outreach Project is to foster relationships to develop a larger sense of community and an increased understanding of social action issues among youth and adults throughout Greater Boston by means of service, education, and reflection. Call 617-742-6830, ext. 210 or email Carl McDonald, Director of Boston Urban Outreach, to see how your group can get involved. FILL OUT A GROUP REGISTRATION FORM (PDF) TODAY! Select a Link Below to Learn More About BUO:
If the suburbs go down, the nation goes down.
Coleman Young, former mayor of Detroit
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Boston Urban Outreach Group Information Packet (PDF)
Boston Urban Outreach offers customized immersion experiences for groups of all ages. Day long, overnight and extended stay programming is available at reasonable costs. Overnight groups live in community at a local inner city church. They learn how they can become agents of change to impact social issues. Participants are assigned to a service project at a church or non-profit agency. The purpose of these projects is not simply to perform tasks, but to provide a unique opportunity to visit unfamiliar neighborhoods and experience what it means to serve others. Service opportunities can include:
At the conclusion of the service project participants gather for guided reflection. Participants will have the opportunity to talk about what they have experienced. Speakers can also be invited to share their knowledge or first hand experiences with the groups. For additional options: Youth in Mission.
Boston
Urban Outreach mission opportunities are designed to engage middle
school or high school age youth in meaningful ways to live out their
faith. These opportunities are perfect for confirmation classes. Join us for a day, a weekend or a week long experience in the
Greater Boston area. Costs vary depending upon the options selected. BOSTON URBAN OUTREACH MISSION PROGRAMS (Day Long) HOMELESS AWARENESS (Saturday)
Option 2: Prepare
and cook the dinner
meal for the men’s shelter at Pilgrim Church in Dorchester. The
coordinator of the meal who works with
the group is an individual who spent some time living in this shelter.
Additional opportunities to serve a meal on Boston Common and an
afternoon community meal at Pilgrim Church are also available.Urban Immersion Experiences
Youth in Mission
The
following programs can be available for junior high, senior high or
adult groups. Extend the experience with an overnight that will build
community within your group and offer an opportunity for worship and an
educational experience related to the topic of your weekend.
Option 1: Groups
of no more than 12 will serve at the Children’s Clothing Exchange in
Cambridge. CCE is one of the programs of Solutions at Work, an agency
that works to empower people who are homeless or have experienced
homelessness. We will work side by side with the staff, all of whom
have experienced homelessness. Groups will come prepared to offer a
craft activity for the children who come into the Exchange and groups
will have the opportunity to stock the shelves and interact with
clients. Arrangements can also be made to have a speaker from the Public Voice program share their experience of what it was like to be homeless.
All of this will help your group become more aware of why people are
homeless and hopefully lead them to thinking about ways to eliminate
this problem.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AWARENESS (Saturday)
Groups
will become more familiar with the criminal justice system and some of
the inhumane conditions that prisoners endure. We will spend time
serving at the Prison Book Program, processing requests for books. A
Public Voice Speaker will come in to speak about their experience of
being incarcerated.
SHARING WORSHIP WITH ELDERS (Sunday)
Groups will plan and lead a worship service at Mount Pleasant Home, a
residential care facility for the elderly. Additionally, groups will have time
to socialize with residents after the shared worship experience.
UCC HERITAGE TOUR PUBLIC VOICE MEAL PROGRAM PUBLIC VOICE IMMERSION EXPERIENCE
Groups on the UCC Heritage Tour will discover
the congregational history of the UCC while touring downtown Boston.
Stops include the Old South Meetinghouse, King’s Chapel, Old South
Church, Arlington Street Unitarian Church, Park Street Church and
others. Ideal for confirmation groups, adult groups, and others.
Endorsed by the Commission for Christian Education Ministries of the
Massachusetts Conference of the UCC.
Share
a meal with people who are homeless or have experienced
homelessness. These face to face encounters allow groups to learn more
about the issues of homelessness and dispel some of their stereotypes. Speakers are compensated for their time.
Learn
what it is like to live on the streets by participating in a simulation
experience. Small groups are sent out without money and are assigned
specific tasks. Following the experience, a reflection is led by a
person who has experienced homelessness. Two to four people in each
small group is best for this experience. For youth groups, there must
be one adult for each small group.
PROJECT RENEW
ReNew shares space at the MissionSafe location which is a former
Catholic elementary school. Groups will collect and distribute books and used
clothing at this site. Three rooms within the school serve as a conference/educational
space that will allow for space to greet groups, as a collection site for used
books (which will be shared with the Prison Book Program in Quincy) and used
clothing. This used clothing will be sorted and then distributed to local
agencies and ministries who have specific needs. MissionSafe will also be a
collection site for basic household goods and toiletries. From these donations,
we will package welcome baskets that will be shared with local agencies.
In partnership with the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, Boston Urban Outreach, a program of City Mission Society of Boston has agreed to offer the following youth mission trips. Mission trips for youth offer hands on experiences that help youth begin to live out their faith. The trips are designed to not only include work experiences but to offer opportunities for recreation, worship, socializing with one another, and interaction with local people. These are great opportunities for individual groups to mix with other groups from throughout the Mass Conference. All of the planning and logistics are taken care of for the groups, so there is very little time involved with local leadership trying to research and book a mission trip. Small groups as well as large groups are welcome to join these trips. Space is somewhat limited so contact Carl McDonald at 617-742-6830, ext 210 as soon as you know your group is interested. All trips are for high school age youth. For summer trips, we accept youth who are entering high school and those who have just graduated. Two adult leaders (minimum age 23) are required for all groups. If your group is larger than ten, additional leadership is required for each five participants. All leaders must be willing and able to drive passenger vans. The cost of each trip is listed below. This is an all inclusive cost, which covers transportation, lodging, meals and programming. Youth are encouraged to bring $50 or less for snacks and a church offering. These are not shopping trips, so there is very little time to spend money. In addition to the individual cost of the trip, there is a one time church registration fee of $100. Boston Experience
Rebuilding in New Orleans For more information, contact Carl McDonald or print out the following PDF:Youth Mission Trips - Boston and New Orleans
Up to three different inner city churches will host youth groups for mission trips during school vacations. Groups will work independently during the day and can share some evenings interacting with the other groups. Service opportunities will vary depending upon the size of the group. Attending a Jazz Worship service and dinner with people who have experienced homelessness are highlights of this trip. Dates for arrival and departure are flexible. For lodging and programming, add $15 per meal per person if you select the meal option.
Following Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the UCC has worked diligently with the people of New Orleans to rebuild. There is still much to be done. The work will include rebuilding lives as well as houses. Lodging will be provided by St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in New Orleans. Cost is $350 plus airfare.
A printable BUO program overview is available for download here:
Program Information Sheet [Adobe PDF]
