New York 2009 Mission Cast

I had a great time in New York City this past weekend serving alongside a fabulous team of mission catalysts - our goal was to facilitate a weekend comprised of service experiences, cultural exercises and team initiatives for two teams from churches that are within our network of friends.

I learned a few things this weekend, like always:
- This was the first time doing anything like this for a team of adults. It was unknown and a little bit intimidating. But the team that came was full of passion, wanting to grow and desiring to serve. One of their team goals was to be "be poured out completely by the end of the weekend." We had a very full weekend and didn't have very much downtime - I believe all of them took in whole experience, fully engaged and poured their whole selves into what we were doing.
- The serving experience is easier to facilitate than you think and there is great value when you serve someone less fortunate than you. What is much more valuable is when someone can help you process that experience in light of a team, a bigger view on the world today and the unique role that all of us play. Serving can easily be very transactional or it can be part of transformation [This concept of transaction vs transformation is not originally mine.]
- Facilitating requires that we fade out as time moves on, while the localized leaders become more visible.
- If you know me, you know that I'm not always the most punctual. This gets reflected in teams I lead - not a good thing. On Friday, we were about 90 minutes late to our destination. That doesn't make things any easier on our hosts.
- The rest of my leader team made this weekend. These guys and gals are so affirming, engaging and experienced and they bleed global cultures, intention and leadership development. They visualize what we are trying to spark. Amazing team - so fortunate to be able to work with them.
- We had to adjust slightly on Saturday night due to our hosts having double booked. Although I know our team was slightly disappointed in having to skip something we originally planned, they took it in stride and we were able to rotate small groups in anyway.
- Our 11 year old daughter came on this one - she did an amazing job serving, engaging and being a part of our team.
- Hostel=ear plugs.
Below are the specifics - as always, use what you want.

+ Schedule
Fri
09.30am - Depart Baltimore on the megabus.
12.45am - Arrive NYC and meet CT teams in Grand Central Station.
04.30pm - After checking into hostel, big game of kick ball at GenXcel.
06.30pm - Send teams on urban trek [get to multiple locations as a team, sort of play "Bigger or Better" on the way] while lead team connects and has real time decompress on weekend so far.
09.30pm - Decompression with all teams.
Sat
09.00am - Day starts with more team thinking. Love languages, personalities, and how you work together as a team. Team stages = Forming -> storming -> norming -> performing.
10.15am - Arrive at Abounding Grace, start working on sorting clothes pantry.
12.15pm - Continue cleaning out vault/storage area.
01.30pm - Quick lunch break. While teams are eating, they are engaging strangers with the idea of "What is Church?" Lead team eats together for decompress.
03.15pm - Teams clean out kitchen #1. Approx 20 bags of clothes are dropped off at the Bowery Mission.
05.00pm - Teams take a break to do a cultural activity with world maps and strangers - where are you from?
06.15pm - Change in plans from serving with Apple Core to cleaning out kitchen #2. Fed 21 people for $86 - New York pizza. Spend too little time hanging with Jeremy Del Rio.
08.15pm - Decompress on church structure and global urban migration.
Sun
08.30am - Communion together as a community
11.00am - Facilitators decompress the weekend.
01.30pm - Home on the megabus

+ Twitter summary

Home. Glad to not be on a moving vehicle. 7:04 PM Mar 15th
On the mega bus 1:19 PM Mar 15th
Breakfast communion close out other team has left we now travel home 9:57 AM Mar 15th
Plan b worked out fine. Long day after decompress on culture, global urban migrate and exp of Church. Tomm am is closing the weekend 10:39 PM Mar 14th
Executing plan b with @jeremydelrio 7:01 PM Mar 14th
Setting up for apple core coffee house. Cool example of simple church 5:38 PM Mar 14th
Team out doing cultural activity 4:47 PM Mar 14th
@jeremydelrio yeah man will be great to see you! 4:15 PM Mar 14th
My daughter is an ordinary superhero. Like all of us. 3:25 PM Mar 14th
Lunch with lead team at chipotle while other teams do 'what is church structure?' 12:31 PM Mar 14th
Sorting clothes for apple core 11:22 AM Mar 14th
Forming storming norming performing 9:25 AM Mar 14th
Keely and farr running session on high impact team roles - follow up with urban trek from last night 9:09 AM Mar 14th
Decompress in the hostel in the boys rm. Andy is point. So the room smells just a tad 9:47 PM Mar 13th
Spanish tapas with lead team while others are on urban trek 7:20 PM Mar 13th
@JoyceElizabeth thanks its going well so far 6:51 PM Mar 13th
Kickball at Gen xcel comm dev and lead dev in lower man nyc 4:29 PM Mar 13th
@timtjones thanks bro! 3:00 PM Mar 13th
Ah central park hostel home away from home 3:00 PM Mar 13th
New York how I've missed you you have so much influence over the world 12:26 PM Mar 13th
@trevinhoekzema ha yup thanks for praying the norms and the bowns are here with me too 12:25 PM Mar 13th
@trevinhoekzema yeah going to lots of fun doing some of the same stuff we did last year the bridge church in groten 12:05 PM Mar 13th
@trevinhoekzema I'm on the way to nyc to facilitate a weekend for a church mission team 11:58 AM Mar 13th
@JoyceElizabeth ha ha yes one advantage to riding on a bus 11:57 AM Mar 13th
New jersey is more fun when I'm driving 11:35 AM Mar 13th
On the megabus. Not front seat but near boys room so that will do 9:49 AM Mar 13th

Photos: The team from CT; kickball at GenXcel; craft time with Andy; Andy and the 25 bags of clothes for the homeless.