Previous Mission Trips

For the past four years, the GPC youth group has done two mission trips each summer: one with the junior highs and one with the senior highs. Prior to that, we did one combined trip each summer.

Here is a listing of the mission trips the GPC youth group has undertaken over the last 12 years:

Joe and Bonnie working hard on our 2005 Junior High Mission Trip

A shot of Andy on our 2005 Junior High Mission Trip

2007	Bayou Al Batre, Alabama	Our senior high youth worked with the YouthWorks organization in Bayou Al Batre, AL. While we were there, we concentrated on Hurricane Katrina relief work and on helping out at local camps and clubs for kids.
	Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania	Our junior high youth participated in Mission Possible at Crestfield Camp and Conference Center. We partnered with many non-profit organizations to do local mission work in the Pittsburgh area.
2006	Chicago, Illinois	Our senior high youth worked with the YouthWorks organization in Chicago, IL. While we were there, we participated in very diverse mission work, including packing food boxes for the elderly, working with a street minister, painting a mural, assisting at local kids camps, helping out at senior centers, and teaching mentally retarded children. We also saw a lot of Chicago, including Buckingham Fountain, the Navy Pier, and the great food festival called "A Taste of Chicago".
	Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania	Our junior high youth participated in Mission Possible at Crestfield Camp and Conference Center. We helped out at Meals on Wheels in East Liberty and worked at the soup kitchen at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. We also worked for Habitat for Humanity and cleaned up the grounds at Crestfield. We were working during the hottest week of the summer, but we still managed to have lots of fun! We played lot of games at Crestfield and enjoyed the Bible studies and worship there.
2005	Perryville, Arkansas	Our senior high youth spent a week at the Heifer International Ranch. They took classes designed to educate them on world hunger. They also helped maintain the ranch by taking care of the animals and gardens. On our way back, they visited Memphis, TN where they toured Beale Street and visited the National Civil Rights Museum.
	Rochester, Pennsylvania	Our junior high youth worked a week with Hosanna Industries, helping to rebuild houses that were damaged by Hurricane Ivan. Their projects included putting siding on an entire house, painting an entire house (inside and out!), and doing various projects on two old brownstones that were being renovated to house several families.
2004	Hampton, Georgia	Our senior high youth spent a week at the Calvin Center Work Mission Camp. They worked on a nearby single-family residence doing interior and exterior painting, rebuilding walls, plastering, replacing rotted wood flooring and door frame, yard work, etc.
	North Braddock, Pennsylvania	Our junior high youth worked a half-week with Hosanna Industries. They "parged" a four-story exposed exterior brick wall for an elderly couple.
2003	Portland, Maine	Worked for Portland West. Helped them repair and repaint the exterior of a business and small tenant building, porches of a local housing tenant, and a community policing center.
2002	High Point, North Carolina	Worked for Habitat for Humanity Helped them build a house and also worked in their thrift shop.
2001	Webster Springs, West Virginia	Worked for Webster County Work Camp. Did roof tarring and painting, deck building, skirting, flooring and other work on a mobile home and did drywalling of a home.
2000	Starks, Maine	Worked for Rural Community Action Ministry repairing homes. Did roofing, wood panel siding, paneling, painting, drywalling and other jobs.
1999	Rochester, Pennsylvania	Worked for Hosanna Industries. Put siding up on a home.
1998	Grand Forks, North Dakota	Worked for Lutheran Disaster Response. We helped clean up from the great flood of '97. They worked on homes, repairing and replacing drywall, flooring, cleaning, and painting.
1997	New Wilmington, Pennsylvania	Painted Anderson Amphitheater at Westminster College, in preparation for the annual New Wilmington Missionary Conference.
1996	Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania	Built a remote freezer and laid concrete sidewalks at Camp Crestfield.