For this year’s Middle School Summer Advocacy/Mission Experience, we will be partnered with Pathlight Home, Hope Partnership, & People's Free Kitchen (a grassroots local organization) in downtown Orlando. 
St. Luke’s Youth will immerse themselves in problems with homelessness and poverty our community faces through advocacy training activities and service assignments.
Register and pay in full by Sunday, May 5. A $100 deposit is required for this trip in order to register for activities and to secure transportation.
The remaining payment is due by Sunday, May 5th. Please know that space on this trip is limited and may fill up quickly.
from the Hope Partnership:
"Advocacy is a critical component of our work to empower our neighbors, strengthen our communities and build hope to ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home."

from the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church:
"Even as you educate, organize and advocate, justice is unlikely to arrive overnight. The systems and structures that create and perpetuate injustice are often protected by people with power who have ample resources to keep those systems intact. 
The 1908 Social Creed of The Methodist Episcopal Church, a predecessor of The United Methodist Church, called “for a living wage in every industry.” More than a century later, United Methodists are still pursuing this and other rights. Justice takes time, organization, and persistence. That is why it is important to take steps that create sustainability and ensure your efforts are movement building rather than moment building."
Learn more about the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church

Learn more about our mission partners: 
Pathlight Home
Hope Partnership
Peoples Free Kitchen 

A NOTE FROM BRANDON

I say on every mission trip, “The mission starts after the trip is over.” And this year I’ll add on that “The mission is doing and the advocacy is being.” Every day we should be the motion of the change we want to see. Letting this summer’s experience not just be a moment, but a movement, being the hands and feet of Christ as we lead our lives in the community and world around us.

When this school year started, we asked our youth 4 questions:
  • What are you passionate about?
  • What breaks your heart?
  • What are you afraid of when you think about your future?
  • What change do you want to see?
The results of that were enough to bring anyone to tears as time and time again, the concern for homelessness, poverty, mental health, and financial stability came up.

Because of this, our mission and advocacy focus this year (since September 2023) has been the Homelessness and Housing Crisis that we see not just in our country, but even more so here in our own city due to poverty and mental health. Monthly we have taken time out during our scheduled ministry programming to focus on learning about the issues we see and ways even teenagers can advocate for what they see as important. These Summer Mission/Advocacy Experiences will help them take this work a step further as our ministry partners with local organizations and the United Methodist Church to put movement to the moments we’ve had all school year.

Let me say one more important thing… Our advocacy is in no way political! We will not engage in anything or with anyone left or right, liberal or conservative, democratic or republican. We will be working with and learning from our Chruch Staff and Adult Leaders, resources from the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, and staff of our local mission partners.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or Matt Estep (our Associate Director of Youth Ministries)... and please plan to attend our Summer Info Meeting on Sunday April, 28th at noon.
What is the Location & Dates?
  • Orlando, FL
  • June 23-27

Lodging... Where are you staying?
  • First UMC Downtown Orlando

Travel... How are you getting there and moving as a group?
  • Ground Transportation
    • Rental Vans (driven by Brandon and Matt who both have driven large commercial/passenger vehicles)
Fun Day:
  • Universal Islands of Adventure

Who is the Mission Partner?

What is included in the $300 cost?
  • The cost includes all meals (except for any food or drinks purchased on fun day at Universal Islands of Adventure)
  • Lodging (Via Donation from St. Luke's to First UMC Downtown Orlando)
  • Travel (Ground Transportation/Vans)
  • Workshops, Activity Supplies, etc. with mission partners
  • Fun Day at Universal Islands of Adventure
Special thank you to parents and St. Lukers who financially support the Youth Minisrtries here at St. Luke's, making it possible for us to have these experiences at lowered costs to our youth, families, and leaders.
 
Packing List
  • Clothes & Toiletries for the week
  • Shower Towel and Supplies (soap, shower shoes, etc.)
  • Bedding (sleeping bag/blanket, pillow, air mattress/cot, etc.)
  • Phones and other similar devices are allowed
    • Will be put in safe place while working with mission partner
    • Youth will be responsible for their own phones and other devices
  • Extra Money (See next question) 

*** Detailed packing list will be posted closer to the time of the trip.

How much money do they need to bring?
  • Money for day of fun (food in theme park, souvenirs, etc.)
  • Snacks & Drinks (outside of the included meals)
  • Meals and activities are included on all other days

What adult leaders will be with our youth, and how do I contact them?
  • Brandon Sangster (Director of Youth Ministries)
o   Ph: (407) 932-8223
o   Email: bsangster@st.lukes.org
  • Matt Estep (Associate Director of Youth Ministries)
o   Ph: (717) 919-5920
o   Email: mestep@st.lukes.org
  • Saniye Kazan (Director of Mission Engagement)
o  Ph: (407) 468-8882
o   Email: skazan@st.lukes.org

  • Jeni Roop (Youth Ministries Adult Volunteer Team Lead)
  • Maegan Hershner (Youth Ministries Adult Leader)
  • Cody Lach (Youth Ministries Adult Leader)
o   All adults are trained, and background checked
o   We have this number of adults according to the amount of youth spots we have available to ensure safety first and foremost, and that we are also following our Child & Youth Protection Policies.

Rough Itinerary
  • Sunday – “Travel” Day & Intro to the week ahead
  • Monday – Work with Pathlight Home 
  • Tuesday – Work with Pathlight Home & Hope Partnership
  • Wednesday – Work with Pathlight Home & Peoples Free Kitchen
  • Thursday – Fun Day (Universal Islands of Adventure) – Back to St. Luke’s

*** Detailed itinerary will be posted closer to the time of the trip.

 How can I as a parent support my youth?
  • Talk to them about their answers to those 4 questions we asked them in the fall... and share your own answers with them.
  • Pray with them and for them.
  • Affirm and support them on this journey of becoming advocates for love and justice. Let us encourage their curiosity, provide them with resources and mentorship, and celebrate them. Let their passion and determination remind us that advocacy is not limited by age, but rather fueled by a genuine desire to make the world a better place. Together, we can nurture a generation of young people who are well-equipped to champion not only themselves, but also social justice and embody the transformative power of our baptismal vow to “resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves”.