With summer officially coming to a close just two weeks ago, it seems a little too early to be thinking about summer 2019. However, with opportunities like Summer of Service (SOS), students will want to start thinking about summer soon.
“Summer of Service is a missions program that allows students to spend 6-10 weeks of their summer around the world,” Madison Godfredson said. “SOSers are placed based on interests and passions with a variety of ministries that we partner with worldwide.”
The program gives students from any major an opportunity to serve on a long-term service project in many locations all over the world in a way that utilizes their passions and skills.
While SOS organizers love to meet individually with students who are interested in an SOS, Northwestern is offering two opportunities for the whole campus to learn more about participating in an SOS.
First, an informational meeting will be held to answer any questions interested students may have and feature more stories from previous SOS participants. It is open to all students. The SOS informational meeting will be held at 7pm on Oct. 8 in the Ramaker Fireside Room. The SOS chapel service will be held at 11:05am on Oct. 9 in Christ Chapel.
Second, the chapel service on Tuesday, Oct. 9, will feature in-depth stories and testimonies from three students who have gone on an SOS in the past. They’ll share stories about their sites and ways they were able to serve as well as ways they saw God move during their time abroad.
Kristy Sevcik encourages students to attend these events. “Students that have any interest in SOS should come to these because it will allow them to learn more about how transformative an SOS can be as well as help them work through the logistics of what an SOS would look like for them.”
Many students have heard of NW’s spring break service project program, Spring Service Partnerships (SSPs) and may be wondering what differentiates the experiences had on an SSP and an SOS.
First, SSPs take place during spring break and last 10 days. Students are placed in teams for this short-term opportunity. On an SOS, students either go solo or with a small group of 2-3 NW students to their site. They spend 6-10 weeks there, immersing themselves in the culture and having a unique role in the ministry they’re partnering with.
Students on an SOS have the opportunity to see how mission work operates on a day-to-day basis as well as be involved in the daily operations of their site.
Patrick Hummel, Director of Missions, expressed the objective of the SOS program, saying, “Our goal for students is to help each one grow as a follower of Jesus Christ. As they come alongside ministry partners to sacrificially serve, respectfully participate and humbly learn in communities culturally different than their own, students more fully understand God’s heart for the nations. They see how God is at work in the world and understand more clearly how they can join that work. NW’s missions program is one significant way we fulfill the college’s mission of enabling students to pursue God’s redeeming work in the world.”
Summer of Service applications are open from Oct. 8 to Nov. 2.
