| URBAN
MISSION ADVENTURES: what a beautiful day in the neighborhood... Commercial Drive YWAM Vancouver is situated in a neighborhood called Grandview/Woodlands, which is centered around Commercial Drive, lovingly called "The Drive" by those that live, work and hang out here. It is an eclectic neighborhood in the heart of what started as "Little Italy." Now this area is known for a great mix of cultures because of the many immigrants from all over the world that make this area their home. It is known for coffee shops, funky little stores, fruit & vegetable stands, and a variety of ethnic food choices. It is a place full of life and diversity. It is also a place in GREAT need of JESUS. Over time, many churches have come and gone around "The Drive"...replaced by places of worship for other world religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Some of those other places of worship even used to be those church buildings. "The Drive" also has the city’s main abortion clinic, the sidewalks are home to many homeless young people, and the area is known for a large gay & lesbian community. The people who have made "The Drive" their home think they have heard the Gospel, and they don’t like it. We desperately need people here who will live out what it really means to follow Jesus. YWAM Vancouver feels particularly called to love this community, and we want you to be a part of that! Please come … help us BLESS our entire city with the LOVE and TRUTH of Christ! Vancouver Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada and is nestled below the Coastal Mountains on British Columbia’s west coast. It is a city rich with diversity, both culturally and economically. There are a variety languages and cultures represented in Vancouver, largely due to the incredible amount of growth that our city has been experiencing over the last few decades. To many Vancouver is a gateway to Canada, but it is also strategically located to be a launch pad to the Pacific Rim. The city is home to Canada’s richest and poorest postal codes. West Vancouver is one of wealthiest areas, with multi-million dollar waterfront homes and a population density that rivals parts of Hong Kong. Not too far away in the Downtown Eastside, you will find one of the poorest neighborhoods in Canada which is full of drug dealers, prostitutes, drunks and many other symptoms of street culture. On the surface Vancouver looks like a city that has everything; exceptional beauty and wealth. However, just under the surface are people who need to see God, both a drug addict on Hastings Street or a lawyer sitting in a shiny office block. This city needs to see the living God in a practical way. (brief) timeline 1792- Captain George Vancouver "discovers" Vancouver 1864- Vancouver's first export shipment of wooden pickets to Australia 1885- The Canadian Pacific Railway is finished linking East with the West 1886- A fire destroys much of Vancouver ruining over 1,000 buildings in 20 minutes 1889- Massive population explosion due to the arrival of the Railway in Vancouver. 1908- University of British Columbia is founded. 1911- A census confirmed that the majority of residents had been born outside of Canada. 1917- The Stanley Park seawall was started. 1971- Greenpeace, the international environmental organization was started at 3504 West 19th 1980 - The Stanley Park seawall is completed. 1989 - 3 of 4 immigrants settling in Vancouver were from Asia. 2003 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes Vancouver to host the 2010 Olympics. Youth With A Mission, Mission Adventures Network OUR MISSION: to serve and partner with the local church by providing groups easy access to mission opportunities. Urban Mission Adventures Vancouver OUR GOALS: 1. To Educate your group in urban mission needs by giving them a positive hands-on experience. 2. To Expose your group at an introductory level to the challenges of an urban setting. 3. To Encourage your group to get involved in urban ministry long term. Mission Adventures is not a Vacation! It is a mission trip where you may be called to sacrifice and give up some of your rights. Rights to sleep in your own bed and shower every day are hard to give up...but you will get more out of this experience if you put your all into every aspect of it. Because we all learn through experience, this adventure is designed to challenge how you see God, others, and even yourself. The more you put in to it, the more you’ll get out of it! Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zones... Look at it all through God’s eyes, with a positive attitude — God can change your life! The Urban Mission Adventures program includes partnering with existing urban ministries other than YWAM as well as hands-on experiences facilitated by our staff. You will be lead through a number of outreaches by YWAM which always will include the following main elements: • BRIEFING. We will fully prepare your group with details of what you will be doing and what you can generally expect to happen. Each briefing will vary in length depending on the information you need to know, but generally we try to keep these between 30 minutes to 1 hour. • ADVENTURE. This is where your group will get their hands dirty in an urban ministry experience. In the following pages you will get a sneak peek into what kind of ministries you may be involved in. • RESPONSE. After each outing we will host a response time for you and your group to take some time learning from each other’s perspective in order to bring some measure of closure and motivation to “take home” the experience. The length of the time will vary upon the size of your group and their reactions to the outreach. outreach in vancouver The following is a list of possible outreach experiences that your team may participate in if you choose to do outreach in Vancouver. All specific outreaches are subject to availability, but please inform us if you are interested in a particular opportunity and we will try to make it a part of your schedule. Introduction to Urban Mission Adventures This is an opportunity for our team to introduce yours to urban missions at the very beginning of your outreach. We will discuss fears and misconceptions about cities, realistic expectations for your outreach, some general guidelines for your stay and our passion for the city you will minister in. Local Body of Christ If your outreach includes a Sunday, we will plan for your group to attend a service at a local church, including a possible opportunity to share in the service! Urban Plunge The Urban Plunge will take you head first into the downtown core of Vancouver. Wielding a pencil, a fillin- the blank sheet and a heart open to explore, you will experience the heart and flavour of the city. The goal of this exercise to learn about the city and by the end you will be able to identify the problems of poverty and homelessness and see these issues through the eyes of individuals who live it. Prayer Walks Missionaries all over the world use prayer walking as a tool to help them get to know the places they are serving. During your time in Vancouver, you will do a few different prayer walks that will open your eyes to how you can continue to love and serve Vancouver by praying now and when you go home. Depending on your length of stay and ages in your group, you will experience one or all of the following prayer walks during your Mission Adventure: • DOWNTOWN PRAYER WALK is an opportunity for you to experience how God can use you to make a difference in Vancouver and in your community. In this prayer walk, your group will tour the city praying for key areas. This valuable intercession exercise will help you get familiar with our urban setting and learn how to pray for it, as well as teach you tools of how to apply this kind of prayer walk back at home. • COMMERCIAL DRIVE PASSION WALK will help you get to know the area that YWAM Vancouver is passionate about – Commercial Drive. Meet and have a coffee with some of our YWAM staff and hear how you can pray more effectively for an area that is known as eclectic, ethnic, diverse, and liberal. • ROSES PRAYER WALK will open your eyes to a pressing problem in Vancouver. Unfortunately billions of dollars a year are poured into the sex-trade, and this industry is seen by leaders in our city as an economic advantage. Many men and women have been coerced or trapped into this lifestyle, and many children have been sexually exploited. We value giving groups an opportunity to learn, pray and participate in a simple act of kindness – giving away roses as a symbol of God’s love. This demonstration has proved to be a powerful tool to plant seeds of the gospel. Not recommended for participants under 14. Good Eats – an Ethnic Flavour A major part of the city and missions is cultural diversity, which we want you to experience it through a readily accessible resource: FOOD! It may be a step out of your comfort zone to try Jamaican curried goat, Korean pul-kogi, or Japanese sashimi but there is no better way to fellowship with each other and learn about culture that over food. The number of times you will eat at an ethnic restaurant varies depending on the length of your stay. Temple Tour You will begin to explore the world's diverse culture and religions as you tour through three temples in the Vancouver area. Guided by a temple representative and YWAM host staff, your group will go to a Buddhist temple, a Sikh gudwara, and a Moslem mosque. Ask questions, seek God, and use the time between temples to discuss what you have seen and heard. Urban Ministry Partnership We partner with several ministries in Vancouver including drop in centres, rescue-missions, food lines, clothing distribution, grocery distribution, drug rehabilitation, inner-city churches and more. While partnering with these ministries we have opportunities to serve practically (preparing food, building projects, painting, cleaning etc), lead chapel services (worship, testimonies, preaching, skits) or Bible studies and spend time building relationships. These outreaches range from 2 hours to a full day of ministry. Because many of Vancouver’s urban poor are homeless and struggle with addictions, all of these partner ministries strive to reach out to those in need in our city. We hope you will value coming alongside existing Vancouver ministries to help and be a blessing. Servant Evangelism Actions speak louder than words. Send a message through what you do in order to get seasoned and ready to be heard. Explore this principle with us as we clean windows or pick up garbage on the street, paving the way for the gospel. Go Mission Workshops We have interactive workshops available to help you and your group discover tools to embrace a lifestyle of missions. Examples include: Cross Cultural Teaching, Sharing your Testimony, Setting up a New Ministry in Your Community, A Heart of Worship, and Social Justice Issues. Please talk with us if you have any ideas about a workshop that can benefit your team. |