Youth & Young Adult
Mission Trips

Here, you will find information about all of our upcoming Youth Mission Trip Offerings. More trips will be offered! Take a look at what we have in store, and contact the Church Office if you are interested in coming on one of these trips.

Jackson-Field Home

All Middle Schoolers participated in a weekend mission trip (Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2, 2011) to the Jackson-Field home in Jarratt, VA. Jackson-Feild is a residential community for at-risk teenage girls, started in 1855 by Episcopal churches in Virginia. We planted pansies at the school on Saturday, and a local church hosted us for dinner and games on Saturday evening. We worshipped with the girls on Sunday morning before heading home. Pat Douglas led this mission.

Click here to read Kaitlyn Ahrweiler's reflections on this youth mission trip.

Middle School Outreach Camp

Middle School Outreach Camp for rising 6th graders-rising 8th graders is a day camp in which youth participate in various activities, serving the needs of the local community. We picked veggies for the Volunteer Farm, led a project at the Aurora School, worshiped with and served meals to persons who are homeless in DC, and did a project for Loudoun Hospital, among other activities. Registration included a donation of one bag of non-perishable items to be given to Interfaith Relief. Middle School Camp is an annual event, and it always takes place the week before Loudoun County Public Schools begin.

Towel Ministry, Valle Crucis

St. James' is one of several participants in the Towel Mission, located in the mountains of North Carolina. The towel is a symbol of service (from John 13:3), and the service offered by youth is home repair. They work with elderly and/or handicapped persons, sprucing up their homes, and spending time with them. The emphasis of Towel is on both physical labor and the relationships built between the homeowners and the youth. The Valle Crucis Conference Center hosts the youth and their adult leaders, and free time is spent swimming, hiking, and playing games.

The 2012 Towel trip will take place Saturday, June 23, through Friday, June 29, 2012. Valle Crucis Towel is open to rising 10th graders.

Beach Towel Mission

St. James' participated in Beach Towel for the first time in 2011. Beach Towel is another offering within the Towel ministry mission efforts. 11 St. James' students and adults traveled to Swansboro, NC, to enagage in home repair and relationship building with the people who live in the homes. The mission was a huge success and we intend to return in 2012! Dates will be set by the Towel leaders in January.

Heifer Project Mission

Middle School youth travel to Rutland, MA, to take care of the ranch animals, learn about environmental sustainability, and spend a night in the Global Village, where they take on the identity of a person living in a developing nation. St. James' sent a team of 17 people to take part in this service learning opportunity, and everyone raved about the program! This mission is an every-other-year effort and will be back in 2013!