Youth Appalachia Mission 2013
An Outreach Ministry to the Cumberland Gap Area
The Appalachia Mission was designed as a "Level Two" mission trip. The primary goal was not simply to do a mission, but to help people learn the reason behind missions. No-one walked away from the week without having the opportunity to understand the greater concept of missions and why it is so important to Our Lord. The youth were involved in mission work, while also offering them a Biblical perspective on missions. The aim was also for people to catch the connections between ministry, team relationships, prayer, preaching, and worship.
Watch a video of the Trip.
History of the Appalachia Mission
2013 will mark the 34th year of The Appalachia Mission. Of course it wasn’t always known as “The Appalachia Mission.” For a number of years it was simply “The Kentucky Mission Trip.” In 1981, a Presbyterian youth director named Johnny Price from Columbia, SC joined forces with Bill Hazelwood, a Southern Baptist Pastor in Cumberland Gap. The vision was to form a team of high school students who would come from Columbia to do a Bible School for some of the children in the Kentucky area. That summer, Price took eleven students and five adults to Cumberland Gap, right where Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia come together in order to conduct a week of Vacation Bible Schools in two churches in Bell County Kentucky; smack in the middle of the poverty belt, in a county with one of the highest illiteracy rates in the country.
During the years that followed, the ministry grew. The gospel was shared with children living in a region where it is often neglected or perverted; young people gave of themselves creatively and enthusiastically, often sacrificing sleep and comfort for the privilege of having Jesus love children through them; a love for and commitment to missions began to grow in the hearts of many of these young people; children came to know Christ as their Savior, and, most importantly, the Lord was honored.
Once again this year Christian Education Ministries will be sponsoring an opportunity for
evangelistic outreach in the tri-state area known as Appalachia. This mission trip is one of the highlights of our summer offerings. It gives young people and adults an excellent opportunity to do something more than hear about their faith, they can share it with others. It is a great experience for a youth group to grow spiritually.
ARP groups served 21 local sites last year with over 400 youth and adults from 40
