Local missions week: Seeing our communities as the mission field

For three days over Spring Break, a group of students set out to serve communities within a few minutes of Eastern Christian High School. Partnering with Grace Redeemer Church in Glen Rock, students spent three days serving local communities, praying for neighbors, and learning what it means to live missionally every day.

When we think of missionaries, we often think of people leaving their home country and travelling to distant parts of the globe to engage with completely foreign cultures. Overseas missions can feel exciting and intentional, but the mission field really begins at home, and over the course of Spring Break, students were challenged to reshape their thinking and their views of what it means to be a missionary.

Mr. Sam Yang, High School Bible Teacher and organizer of the Spring Break local missions said that one thing he really wanted students to understand was that before Jesus sent His disciples to the ends of the earth, He first called them to minister in Jerusalem and Judea. In the same way, we are called to be missionaries wherever God has placed us. Sharing the Gospel with someone in Glen Rock is just as important as sharing it with someone in Venezuela.

Day 1 – Downtown Glen Rock

The week began with students meeting with the youth pastor at Grace Redeemer to discuss what it means to be a missionary in today’s world. Students were encouraged to see themselves not just as participants on a missions trip, but as everyday missionaries in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities.

Afterward, students went into downtown Glen Rock in four teams for a prayer walk. Wearing signs that read “Free Prayer,” they approached people throughout the neighborhood and asked if they could pray for them. This gave students an opportunity to step out in faith and engage their local community in a meaningful and personal way.

In the afternoon, the group served at EC’s Wyckoff campus by completing outdoor service projects, including cleaning windows and helping care for the campus. It was a reminder that serving others begins close to home, even among younger students in their own community.

The evening concluded back at the high school with dinner and a group debrief.

Day 2 – Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center

On their second day together, Students spent the day serving at Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center. Throughout the day, they helped organize and clean the building, cleaned the daycare area, and assembled “father bags” filled with snacks and resources to encourage and support new fathers.

Later, students served at the high school after hours. Rather than always being the ones receiving support as students, they were challenged to serve their peers and school community. Students worked in the courtyard and helped care for shared spaces around campus.

Day 3 – Oasis

The final day was spent serving at Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson. Students helped prepare and serve lunch for women and children in the community, assembled care kits, and created Easter gifts for families. Others worked in the kitchen cooking meals and interacting directly with guests who came through the ministry.

For many students, seeing these women and children, who lived only a few minutes from Eastern Christian High School, was an eye opening experience that real needs exist just right around the corner.

The week concluded with a final debrief at the high school, reflecting on their experiences serving local communities and everything God had taught them throughout the trip.

A Week of Reorientation

The hope of these days and these local trips is that students leave understanding that being a missionary is not limited to overseas trips or special events, but that Christ’s example is to share His love and truth wherever you have been placed.