Boston Urban Outreach
If the cities go down, the suburbs go down.
If the suburbs go down, the nation goes down.
Coleman Young, former mayor of Detroit
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, worship, and reflection. Contact Carl McDonald, Director of Boston Urban Outreach, to talk about how your group can get involved. Email cmcdonald@cmsboston.org or call 617-742-6830, ext 210.
Program Information Sheet [Adobe PDF]
Select a Link Below to Find Out More About BUO:
- Urban Immersion Experiences
- Nightwatch in New York City
- 2008 Youth Mission Trips
- Youth in Mission
- Junior High Programming
Urban Immersion Experiences
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:
- planting or harvesting a community garden
- preparing and providing meals for homeless men and women
- painting and performing maintenance at a shelter, church or other agency
- sorting food in a pantry or food bank
- working with preschool children on an art project
- assisting with games at an elder daycare facility
- sorting clothing for distribution
- packing books to mail to people in prison
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. Groups can depart on Saturday or stay for another evening and worship on Sunday with the host church.
Nightwatch Trips (New York City)
Nightwatch is offered by the CMS Boston Urban outreach program and the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. Nightwatch is an opportunity for young people and their adult leaders to visit New York City and spend a night in the holy space of St. John the Divine Cathedral. For registration information, open the following PDF's:
What is it Like to Attend a Nightwatch? [Adobe PDF]
CMS Boston Urban Outreach Nightwatch Registration Form [Adobe PDF]
2008 Youth Mission Trips
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 for 2008. 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 and socializing with one another. 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 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.
April 20-25, 2008 Boston Experience
Up to three different inner city churches will host youth groups for mission trips during school vacation. Groups will work independently during the day and 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. Cost is $300 per person.
June 22-27, 2008 Habitat for Humanity trip to Tarboro, North Carolina
Hurricane Floyd hit North Carolina in 1997 and there are still people who have inadequate housing. Groups will join together to build or finish building a home. All youth will have the opportunity to do carpentry work. Youth sixteen and older are allowed to operate power tools. Housing is dorm style at a retreat center. Cost is
$450 per person.
August 2-8, 2008 Rebuilding in New Orleans
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. (Airfare is estimated to be $325)
For more information, contact Carl McDonald or print out the following PDF:
CMS Boston Urban Outreach 2008 Mission Trips [Adobe PDF]
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. Join us for a day, a weekend or a week long experience in the Greater Boston area.
BOSTON URBAN OUTREACH SATURDAY MISSION PROGRAMS
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.
First or Second Saturday of the month: Homeless Awareness
Groups of no more than 15 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 Speak Up 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.
Third Saturday of each month: Criminal Justice Awareness
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. For youth groups we can also add a juvenile justice jeopardy game.
Fourth Saturday of each month: Homeless Awareness
People who are homeless are of all ages. We will work at Birthday Wishes packing birthday boxes for children in family shelters and then hear from a speaker who has spent time living without shelter. Then we will move on to Pilgrim Church in Dorchester to prepare and cook the dinner meal for the men’s shelter. The coordinator of the meal who works with the group is an individual who spent some time living in this shelter.
UCC HERITAGE TOUR
Discover the congregational history of the UCC with a tour of 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. $25 per person includes lunch.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE AWARENESS
Take a closer look at the critical need for reform of criminal justice policies and practices. We can offer a Public Voice Project speaker who shares a personal story about being incarcerated. Local prison tours can be added on weekdays. Youth groups can play Juvenile Justice Jeopardy. On some Saturdays and some evenings, we can add a service project at the Prison Book Program. Cost varies depending upon the options selected.
SPEAK UP! MEAL PROGRAM
Share a catered 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. Provided by Project Place, the meal is prepared by people who are previously homeless. Speakers are compensated for their time and participate in the Speak Up! program of Solutions at Work. $25 per person.
SPEAK UP! IMMERSION EXPERIENCE
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. $20 per person.
Junior High Programming
Two special opportunities are being planned for UCC youth in the Massachusetts Conference. Space is limited for each event, so plan ahead and contact Carl McDonald to register your group.
“Are You the Missing Piece of the Puzzle?”
Using a puzzle theme, we will help junior high age youth figure out how important their presence is to completing the “puzzle”. Through interactive games and programming we will engage the youth in opportunities to discover their faith as they interact with youth from other churches. Groups will volunteer at Cradles to Crayons, sorting clothing, books, toys and craft supplies for distribution to children living in shelters and transitional housing. We will collect used puzzles for Cradles to Crayons and will assemble craft activity bags for Birthday Wishes, an agency that offers birthday parties for children living in family shelters. Space is limited to 60 participants. Cost is $ 60 per person for lodging, meals and programming. January 25-26, 2008.
Boston and Beyond: A UCC Experience in NYC
A busload of youth from area churches will travel to NYC for a hands on mission experience and worship at Riverside Church, one of the largest UCC churches in our denomination. Programming will emphasize how UCC churches are in covenant with one another. This is a great opportunity to have your youth interact with others from Massachusetts Conference churches. Space is limited to 50 participants. Cost is $125 per person for transportation, lodging, meals in NYC and programming. May 2-4, 2008
