Each spring break, Spring Service Partnerships (SSPs) offer an opportunity for Northwestern students to step out of their comfort zones and into deeper relationships with the Lord and others.
SSPs have been part of NW’s culture since 1981.
The acronym SSP first stood for ‘Spring Service Project’ but eventually became ‘Spring Service Partnership,’ reflecting how teams come alongside ministries in their larger missions. The program has also expanded to include international trips.
Several new trips will be available for students to take this school year. New locations include Oxford, England; Albuquerque, New Mexico and Rock Valley, Iowa. The women’s soccer team will also travel to Caceres, Spain to do life alongside a professional futball team.
Locations that the program will return to this spring are Grand Marais, Minnesota; Lindale, Texas; Opelousas, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; Kansas City, Kansas; Mescalero, New Mexico; Compton, California; Croc, Mexico and Baja, Mexico.
NW Director of Missions Patrick Hummel sees SSPs as part of NW’s educational process.
“All of our sites with a few exceptions—this year, Spencer and Rock Valley will be a little different—are culturally different than where we are located here in the upper-Midwest,” said Hummel. “You become a more worldly Christian, in the sense of understanding the world around us, and you have a better idea then of how to engage that world and impact that world, but also be taught and learn from that world.”
Misava Mongwe, a sophomore business administration major, and Ty Hulshof, a junior biology major, currently serve as NW campus ministry’s SSP coordinators. Their role acts as the bridge between NW students and the SSP program. Mongwe and Hulshof emphasize the importance of putting one’s faith into action through service.
“SSPs are an important part of NW’s culture because they reflect the grace of God and the life of service that Jesus modeled,” said Mongwe. “Having a heart of humility and service is a step toward following His example.”
“These trips are an experience to take all that has been poured into you and pour into others who have often been less fortunate,” said Hulshof. “We are not to simply hear the good Word of God; we are created to spread the Word all across the nations.”
Through the process of serving others, students on SSP teams are impacted themselves.
Last year, Braeden Brough, a junior mathematics major, served with The Coldwater Foundation on an SSP to Grand Marais, MN. Through sometimes tedious work projects, Brough notes how connections between the Grand Marais team quickly grew.
“What was most memorable about my trip was how fast my team developed and grew close,” said Brough. “Our preparation meetings before the trip were full of awkward quiet moments, but within the first couple days of the trip, we felt like a family through our shared experience.”
A change of pace and of scenery was also impactful for Brough.
“God taught me the power of His presence,” Brough said. “The less time I spent looking at my phone but rather at the beauty of northern Minnesota, the more I felt loved and at peace.”
Megan Brandt, a sophomore elementary education major, was part of an SSP team that travelled to Lindale, Texas last year to partner with Calvary Commission. There they took part in prison ministry.
“I saw first-hand how the Lord’s faithfulness surpasses all fears and differences,” said Brandt. “God taught me not to be afraid of new situations and to lean into them to spread the good news of the Gospel.”
International SSP applications open October 10 and domestic SSP applications open Nov. 8. NW campus ministry offers scholarships to ensure that going on a trip is a possibility for everyone.
“It is a great way to see the Church of God in action in other places that are different than here,” said Hummel. “We need the whole Church to see a whole picture of God.”
