Saint Andrew Young Adult Mission Trip
Bethlehem Farm, West Virginia
July 27 - August 3, 2019
What can I expect during a Service Retreat Week at Bethlehem Farm?
When you join us for a week you can expect to:
- experience a countercultural community
- work hard
- wake up early
- go to bed exhausted every night
- be challenged and supported physically, emotionally, and spiritually
- have a voice which others will listen to and respect
- give up technology for the week
- pray in both traditional and creative ways
- meet nature face to face
- become friends with donkeys, dogs, and chickens
- prepare meals from scratch
- spend time in the garden
- feel uncomfortable at times
- challenge any Appalachian stereotypes you may have
- feel at home with complete strangers
- see God, your friends, and the world in which you live from an entirely new
From http://bethlehemfarm.net/service-week-volunteers
Here’s what a typical week looks like at the farm:
- Sunday
- Arrival (between 6:30 pm & 7:00 pm), Tour around the house and possibly the farm (depending on light), Intro to Bethlehem Farm, Cornerstone Prayer Service, Group Leader Meeting, Free time, & Lights out.
- Monday
- Day at the Farm Wake Up, Morning Prayer, Chores, Breakfast, Dishes, Farm Chores, Mass, Lunch, History & Mission of Bethlehem Farm, Farm Hike, Free Time, Dinner, Dishes, Free Time, & Lights out.
- Tuesday – Friday
- Days at the Worksites Wake Up, Prayer, Chores, Breakfast, Dishes, Head off to worksites (except home crew), Lunch on site, Return to the Farm, Dinner, Dishes, Evening Prayer, Free Time, & Lights out.
- Saturday
- Saturday: Departure Wake Up, Prayer, Breakfast, Dishes, House Clean-Up, Head home (around 10 am)
Special programs:
- Tuesday: Community Night – we invite local community members up to the farm for a potluck dinner & occasionally they’ll bring a musical instrument or two o Wednesday: River of Life Service – we head to a local weekday worship service and join the members for dessert & sometimes a kickball game in the parking lot with the pastor and his son
- Thursday: Shared Prayer – it’s an opportunity for the community to reflect and share where they have seen God in the last week
- Friday: (Summer Months Only) We end the work week with a dip in the Greenbrier River