We are excited to be taking a group of middle and high school students to Duluth, MN for a week of service, exploration, and fun. See below for helpful information, important dates, and to learn about this amazing opportunity.
Basic Information
Description of Our Week: Middle and high school students are invited to join us July 13-19 as we head to the North Shore of Minnesota to serve the people of Duluth, learn about God, and have a lot of fun. Our days will be spent serving throughout Duluth with organizations that care for children and the elderly. Our evenings will be spent at different fun locations around Duluth such as Gooseberry Falls, Enger Park and Tower, Park Point Beach, and Canal Park where we will have our program, devotions, and time to explore. 

Dates: July 13-19
Leaving Sat, July 13 at 10 AM
Returning Friday, July 19 at 9 PM

Location: Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior

Total Cost: $400. A non-refundable deposit of $100 due when you register

Deadline to Register: November 28

Summer Trip Meeting: December 2 at 10:00 AM in the Friendship Room for Parents/Caring Adults and Students. Please contact John when you register if you will be unable to make it to this meeting.

Fundraising Opportunities: Hy-Vee Card Sales, Silent Auction, the Envelope Fundraiser, attending Youth Group, and other opportunities. See additional information below.

Questions: See below or contact John Schomberg at jschomberg@oslchurch.com or 605-336-2942 ext. 35

Chaperones: We are looking for adults to accompany us in Duluth. If you are an adult who enjoys spending time with teenagers and is interested in joining us, please contact John or Pastor Sami .

How to Register: Click on the button below to register electronically. Paper registrations can be picked up at the Youth Information Center in the Gathering Place or the Youth Room. Paper copies can be turned in with the deposit to John or Nicole.
Other Information
What is Service Learning? (from Service Learning Camp Website) Hi! Welcome to Service Learning Camps LLC, a new organization that provides groups of all ages with Service Learning Opportunities. Service Learning functions using four key principles. CATERED TO YOU: You know your group best, we value your insight and will work with you to establish a unique and intentional week. COST-EFFECTIVE: We want to work with you and your budget. We value maintaining a low cost yet high impact experience. AREA EXPERTS: Our staff members are passionate about the communities you'll be joining and a well of knowledge. STELLAR PARTNERS: We are thankful for the many organizations providing necessary goods and services to the community. We think you'll like them too. 

How will we get to Duluth? We are renting 12 passenger vehicles.

Cost Breakdown
  • $165 for Registration (includes lodging and service project arrangements)
  • $235 for transportation, food, and community costs
  • Youth will be responsible for four meals while traveling
  • Other monies for extra snacks, souvenirs, etc. are also on your own
  • Any additional group costs beyond the $400 will be paid by the youth ministry budget and will not be passed on to the youth

Will there be other churches? No, this is an Our Savior’s Lutheran mission trip. It will be a great opportunity for our group to work together and form long-lasting relationships with others in our youth group. This also means that because we are responsible for everything except providing lodging and service projects that we will be able to visit many more locations and plan a week specifically geared to our group.

Where will we sleep and eat? We will be staying at a local church. Final details about the exact location will be finalized in time for our Information Meeting on December 2. We will be sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags, or you may bring twin size air mattresses. We will be making our meals at the church and youth will take turns helping to prepare the meals. A sample menu will be available as we get closer to summer. 

Are there showers?   There are limited showers on site, but we will have access to showers Monday through Thursday at a local facility.

Payment Deadlines
  • A non-refundable deposit of $100 due when you register
  • The first payment of $150 due March 31 (equaling a total of $250 including deposit)
  • Final payment of $150 due May 15 (equaling the final total of $400)
  • If you withdraw from the trip after March 31, you will still be responsible for 50% of the trip cost
  • If you withdraw from the trip after May 15, you will still be responsible for the full amount
Fundraising
We will have many opportunities for youth to participate in fundraising for our summer trips. We believe that, with full participation, each youth can cover a large portion or even the entire cost of the trip.
  • HyVee Card Sales – Each youth will be assigned a Sunday to sell Hy-Vee cards at the Youth Information Center. We will sell from 9:45 AM to 11:15 AM, and we require that each youth have a caring adult with them. The youth and adult will help a youth board member to sell cards as well as answer questions about upcoming youth ministry events. Each youth will receive $40 in their account for an hour and a half of service. If you are not able to serve during the Sunday assigned, you may switch with another youth or let John know so that other youth can have the opportunity to serve an additional shift.
  • Silent Auction – Dates of the auction are currently set for February 24 – March 3. The last day will end with a meal and a show on Sunday, March 3 from 5-8PM. We ask that each household contribute at least five items or baskets. They can be donations from a business or homemade items (woodworking, quilts, and small business items). We do ask that items be new! If you donate 5 items, you will receive a percentage of the money raised. If you work shifts or serve in other roles supporting the auction the percentage will be increased.
  • Youth Group – Every time a student attends youth group (MSYG or HSYG), youth will earn $5 toward their account.  
  • Envelope Fundraiser – At the end of March through much of April, our Envelopes will go up in the windows by the Celebrate Center. They will be numbered 1-150. The number on the outside of the envelope is the amount of money a person puts inside the envelope. If we were to collect all 150 envelopes, we would raise over $11,000! This money is evenly distributed among trip participants.
  • Other fundraisers – Group opportunities such as Pizza Ranch and personal opportunities such as Pampered Chef, Scrip, and Faith Shares. We will discuss these opportunites at the Summer Trip Meeting on Dec 2.