Youth Missions

Youth Missions Trips

Mission trips connect people with what God is up to all around them, and teenagers are an important part of what God is doing! Missions push students to connect with others, communities, and most importantly Christ! Missions give students the opportunity to see and love people in a the radical way the Jesus did. Here at FUMC we want to provide students with these opportunities, and it is our prayer that they will take the experience of missions and change the way that they live.

Summer 2022 Mission Trips

The THRIVE Youth Group is excited to offer two Youth Mission Trips in Summer 2022, one domestic and one international.

Mission Trip to Blue Ridge, NC

July 10–15 | Junior and Senior High Students

The week of July 10, students in 7th through 12th grade will travel down to Taylorsville, NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. There, the group will participate in work projects, help run a Kids Club ministry, work at a local nutrition program, and support other ministries. We will have the opportunity to make connections with the people of the area while addressing some significant needs. In the evenings, we will visit a cowboy church, experience the thrill of a homemade water park, hike to the top of Lowe’s Lookout and partake in a community cookout! While doing all of these wonderful and fun things, in the evenings we will worship and discuss how service and missions connects with our faith in Jesus Christ.

This trip is open to both junior and senior high school students. The church is sponsoring a majority of the cost for this trip, but a payment of $50 is required to reserve a spot. If you’re interested, contact Kyle Johnson at kjohnson@fairfaxumc.org. Spaces are limited, so make sure you sign up soon!

Senior High Mission Trip to Honduras

July 17–23 | Senior High Students

The Senior High trip for summer 2022 takes high school students to the community of Quimistan, Honduras and the Honduras Independence Bilingual School, which which Fairfax UMC has a long partnership! The goal of HIBS is to provide quality education to children so that they can grow into future leaders for Honduras. We will be taking part in programming with younger students, practicing English with teachers at the school, and building relationships with students and teachers. We will also serve at the Organic Learning Farm, a center that is dedicated to teaching sustainable farming techniques to local Hondurans.

The group will stay at the same hotel in Quimistan where previous groups have stayed. Students will share rooms with beds, and each room has a bathroom. Meals are provided by the hotel. The church will sponsor all in-country expenses for students and volunteers, but families are responsible for purchasing plane tickets for their students. We’ll send out specific flight information in early May. In addition, a payment of $50 is required to save a spot in the trip. This can be paid via check or online. If you’re interested or want to know more, contact Kyle Johnson at kjohnson@fairfaxumc.org. Spaces are limited, so make sure you sign up soon!

Past Mission Trips

2019: Costa Rica Senior High Mission trip

In Summer 2019 we took a group of 20 Senior High students to Poas, Costa Rica, a rural mountain community. We served with the Rice and Beans ministry, whose goal is to spread the gospel to the unreached primarily through a large feeding initiative. Each day our students would load into buses with multiple ten-pound bags of rice and beans on each arm, and we would go door to door sharing food and conversation with individuals and families. It was a powerful ministry! We also had the opportunity to lead children’s ministry and do some labor intensive projects throughout the week.

2019: Savannah, GA Junior High Mission Trip

In Summer 2019 we took a group of Jr. High students on a mission trip to Savannah GA with the Youthworks organization. In Savannah, our students participated in a large variety of ministries throughout the week, including working with the Salvation Army, animal shelters, and feeding center; doing relational ministry in nursing homes; and assisting with home improvement projects. Our students had the privilege to explore and learn about Savannah’s history and love on the community well during the week!

2020: Local NOVA mission week.

Although the Covid-19 pandemic hit us in 2020, it did not stop our tradition of doing missions in the summer! Instead of traveling for a mission this summer, we decided to hop into the mission field right here in our backyard! In a joint effort with other local youth groups we put together a group of 50 students who went out each day of the week and served with ministries here in northern VA. It was a different experience than mission trips in the past, but it was a nice reminder that missions can happen right here in our home town!

2021: Local NOVA Mission Week

FUMC students in 7^th-12^th grade had a great experience serving our local community this summer, the week of July 19. This youth mission week was similar to a “typical” mission trip that we go on during a summer, but we served right here in our back yards. Together with students from Annandale UMC, Sydenstricker UMC, St. Stephens UMC, and other churches, we served at a variety of local sites. These included The Lamb Center, Habitat for Humanity, Rising Hope, FACETS, the Kate Hanley Shelter, and many others.

Give to Support Mission Work

Your donation will go directly to the Youth Missions fund to support local and global missions trips and outreach projects.

*We never want financial barriers to be a reason a student cannot participate in youth events here at Fairfax UMC! If your family has a financial obstacle that is stopping a student from participating, please contact our director of Youth, Kyle Johnson. All concerns and inquires are kept confidential.