Serve Boldly Trip Details

Trip dates

trip Cost

$360 per participant includes housing (typically on the floor in a church building or school), showers in a public or private facility, 14 meals, a Serve Boldly t-shirt, well-trained staff, a schedule with service sites and evening programs, service project materials, pre and post trip resources, as well as devotions & Worship supplies. The congregation will provide twin sized air mattresses or camp mattresses, vehicles and costs necessary to travel to and from the site as well as transportation to and from the housing site and service organizations, shower location (if different from housing), and evening program activities. This includes but is not limited to gasoline, parking fees, parking tickets, tolls, etc.

health & safety

Safety is a priority! We want participants to feel safe and be safe throughout the entire week. We take every precaution in order to ensure the safety of participants and staff. With that said, we do rely on adult and youth participants to help the Serve Boldly staff in adhering to the following policies for their week.

Upon arrival, Serve Boldly staff will lead an orientation of the following policies and procedures:

Emergency Procedures - drills applicable to the service location or housing site
Boundaries of the Housing Site
Boundaries/Procedures at Shower Site
Rule of Three (all participants are required to travel in groups of at least three including at least one adult)
Review of Policies
Current CDC and local COVID-19 guidance if applicable

We have secure housing for our participants, portable safes in order to store and manage access to medications and phones, great service organization sites, and our schedule does not bring us out late at night. The Serve Boldly Staff will supply your Trip Leader with phone numbers and addresses of local emergency medical facilities and a great health form to use for management of medications and health information.

Every staff member at Serve Boldly is CPR and First Aid certified. Furthermore, each staff member has gone through an intensive application process and has had a thorough background check completed.

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insurance

For your protection, Serve Boldly requires proof of liability insurance and vehicle insurance from every church that registers for a trip. During the trip you will not only be transporting your youth and leaders but also transporting Serve Boldly staff, as well as youth and leaders from other church groups to service locations and evening activities.

If you have concerns that your insurance does not cover your group while on the trip, contact your insurance agency ASAP. The following organizations provide trip insurance and/or medical insurance to groups or individuals.

travelguard.com
(800) 826-4919
travelprotectors.com
(877) 515-9055
churchfirst.com
(888) 650-2685

general policies

Download Serve Boldly Trip General Policies here.

Trip FAQ's

who can come on a trip? Is there an age limit to attend a Serve Boldly trip?

God’s diverse creation includes you. No matter what. You are welcome at Serve Boldly, a ministry of Green Lake Lutheran Ministries, and we will work with you to create a safe and welcoming space for you and your loved ones. Our 2023 trips are planned for High School (completed grades 8-12). In the future, we hope to offer a few weeks to accommodate congregations that wish to have Middle School (completed grades 6-8) or Mixed Age (completed grades 6-12) groups. In order for programming to remain age appropriate for all our participants, we do not allow younger children to attend trips.

Do you have to be Lutheran to go on a Serve Boldly trip?

No. The identity of Serve Boldly is tied to a Lutheran understanding of faith. The themes that are developed by our staff for worship and devotions are based on Lutheran teachings. While we view our Lutheran identity as a strength, we eagerly welcome other denominations to attend our trips, especially the full communion partners of the ELCA.

What are the adult to youth ratio requirements on Serve Boldly trips?

We require a minimum of one adult (age 21+) for every 5 youth. When choosing adult leaders for the trip, remember that you must provide adults to supervise the sleeping room(s) of your group. Space at each housing location may vary; congregation groups are not guaranteed their own rooms. Sleeping rooms may be assigned by gender identity or by congregation (shared sleeping space is possible). Please contact serveboldly@gllm.org if you have concerns or questions regarding sleeping space at a specific location.

Do you require background checks?

Yes. Serve Boldly will need to conduct a national (multi-site) criminal background check and sex offender registry check on any participant (adults or youth) and staff that will be 18 years and older at the time of the trip. In addition, some service locations and shower sites may require additional waivers and forms to be completed prior to participation.

Where will we sleep and shower?

We do our best to find housing at ELCA congregations in the communities in which we work. This is with the understanding that these congregations are already local leaders in service. 10% of your registration fees are tithed to our host congregations for their ongoing mission in the community. At most of our sites this means that you will be sleeping on the floor, so be sure to bring a twin-sized air or camping mattress!

We seek housing spaces where participants will have access to restrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Every effort will be made to choose a location that has an all-gender single-occupancy restroom and an ADA accessible restroom.

Serve Boldly strives to partner with facilities that provide semi-private and private facilities where participants have access to change clothes and shower. A semi-private area is an area that is not separate from where other individuals are changing but offers the participant some privacy. For example, a bathroom stall with a door or an area created by a partition or drapery. A private area is an area separated completely from anyone else changing/showering. This area would be fully enclosed with a door and no other individual would be able to enter without the participants permission. This could be a single restroom or family restroom where the participant can lock the door and change alone. Showers may be available either at the housing site or at a nearby location. Off-site showers may be at local community centers, YMCA, or school.

Can you accommodate participants with special needs or disabilities?

Serve Boldly welcomes youth and adult participants with disabilities and works collaboratively to provide accommodations to need and circumstance. While we are working toward accessibility in each of the communities we serve, there are some mission locations that are more easily equipped to handle special requests than others and some communities that cannot fully accommodate all needs. Serve Boldly actively seeks housing sites and shower facilities with accessibility features, including an ADA restroom and shower. Due to the diverse nature of our sites and on-going changes at service locations, creating a coordinated plan with Serve Boldly will be important to help us discern if and how the special need can be accommodated.

What does a typical day look like?

A typical day begins with breakfast and devotions by 9 am, followed by serving with a community organization until around 3pm. The late afternoon and early evening include scheduled time for showers, free time, dinner, and a variety of evening program/community engagement events. The day concludes with worship, a time for church groups to check-in, and free time before lights out. Sleep comes fast after a full, fun, and meaningful day!

will our group be serving together or will we be split up?

We believe that one of the greatest joys is the plethora of opportunities Serve Boldly provides for participants to create new relationships and strengthen existing relationships. If your group is larger than seven and has more than two adult leaders, your group will likely be split into different small groups for the week. Each small group will have anywhere from 10-14 people with 2-4 adult leaders, including at least one leader from your group. The size of the small groups are dependent on the needs of our service partners and the number/size of vehicles available.

Do we get to do anything fun?

Yes! Besides the awesomely fun days of service, we have free time in the afternoon, and program/community engagement events planned for each evening. These events take advantage of some of the cultural attractions in the community we are serving, as well as simply providing the opportunity to be social and be in community together.

what do adult chaperones do while on the trip?

Our staff will handle the behind-the-scenes work, allowing adults to enjoy the week while serving alongside their youth. Adults will serve in small groups with youth while helping to ensure that youth are safe. In addition, we ask each adult to lead a small group during morning devotions, help lead a portion of an evening worship service, and assist in the kitchen.

can we bring our group on a bus?

Many of our service and program locations are within urban areas that are not suitable for parking buses. Vehicles need to navigate easily, fit into small parking lots, and structures. We recommend traveling by minivan if at all possible. During the trip you will not only be transporting your youth and leaders but also transporting Serve Boldly staff, as well as youth and leaders from other church groups to service locations and evening activities. Please contact serveboldly@gllm.org if you have concerns or questions regarding your vehicles or transportation at a specific location.

do we have to pay in advance?

$100/per participant is due at registration. Full payment is due March 15.

Download Serve Boldly Trip FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions.)