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Top 15 Concerns
 What does a typical week trip with CROSS include?
The mission group arrives Sunday afternoon for orientation and tour of facilities. Monday through Thursday, the group starts their day with a 30 minute devotion led by the CROSS Director. CROSS staff accompany the group to ministry sites throughout their day, which normally consists of two different locations. The morning site is from 9-12 and then the afternoon from 1-4 with a packed lunch (food bought in advance by staff with group's fees) in between sites. In a week, a group will serve at 8 different ministry sites. Evening activities are planned for summer and most spring/fall break trips. On Thursday groups participate in a closing worship service to wrap up their mission week. Most groups visit area attractions on Friday and leave for home on Saturday (or depart for home on Friday). During the summer, three mission groups are on campus each week with an assigned CROSS staff person. During fall and spring break trips, only one mission group is on campus serving in the Charlotte area with the CROSS Director.
What does a typical weekend trip with CROSS include?
The mission group arrives on Friday evening for an orientation and tour of facilities. Saturday begins with a 30 minute devotion related to their mission day. CROSS staff accompany the mission to the morning site from 9-12 and the afternoon site from 1-4 with a time for eating the packed lunch in between sites. Most groups enjoy Saturday evening eating pizza at the Cornerstone House and hanging out in the game room. Some groups enjoy evening activities such as movies, bowling, shopping or a walk to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream in the Myers Park neighborhood. A wrap up is given on Sunday morning before the group attends MPPC's contemporary worship service. The group departs after worshiping on campus.
What ages of participates can be involved in the program?
All youth that are 5 to 105 are welcomed to participate in the CROSS program. If a group brings youth who are ages 5th grade and younger, one of the parents for each youth must attend the trip as a chaperone.
When are trips available through the CROSS Missions program?
Weekend mission trips are available in most weekends other than the summer months. Check the summer calendar for available weekends.. Week mission trips are available in June, July, August and some spring and fall break times. (click on the link to calendars at the right for more specific dates listed for each ministry year.)
Can I bring a group on weekends in the summer?
Since the CROSS staff only receives Saturdays as their day off in the summer, weekend trips are not available.
Are we able to build a house or do construction work?
CROSS Missions is a people ministry, and tries to focus more on relationships with people than building homes. Some sites groups serve at do require maintenance to the facilities, such as mowing lawns, painting, installing equipment, sorting food/clothes etc.
What do the fees cover?
The fees covers housing, food, ministry site fees, CROSS staff to accompany group to mission sites and other expenses for the program.
Will we be serving at mission sites with other groups?
Only one mission group per weekend, due to lack of staffing and availability of ministry sites. The summer program includes more than one group participating in the CROSS program. During this time, your group will be serving at mission sites separately from other groups.
Facilities?
 Weekend Groups- Your group will be housed in the Cornerstone which is a two story home on Myers Park PC’s campus. This home has sleeping rooms upstairs (mattresses are located in rooms), a living room downstairs along with a kitchen. Bathrooms are both upstairs and downstairs. Your group also will be free to use the gym, game room and showers in our
Christian
Life
Center
across the parking lot from the Cornerstone.
 Summer Groups-Your Group will be housed on the first and second floor of the education building at Myers Park PC. There are separate Sunday School rooms for guys and girls that have a TV/VCR/DVD in each room, as well as restrooms. Each group will also use their separate devotional room where a TV/VCR/DVD is located along with seating.
The Christian Life Center is used by all groups which is a separate building from the Cornerstone House and the Education Building. The CLC houses the gym, game room, showers, vending machines, couches, telephone, pool table, fooz ball, table ice hockey, ping pong, first aid kit and a small kitchen with ice maker. There are three showers for girls and three showers for the boys.
Keys and Map?
Group leaders will be issued keys to all buildings used during their stay at Myers Park PC along with Charlotte maps.
Are mattresses provided?
 The plastic covered mattresses will lift you about 6 inches off of the floor. Groups are welcomed to bring their own air mattresses or cots, but if you would like to save room in your travels, groups typically use the mattresses at CROSS. Bring a pillow, twin sheet set and blanket OR sleeping bag to use on your mattress.
Will we have directions to get to our sites?
Even better, a CROSS staff person accompanies each group throughout their week in mission work. If your group is larger than 15-20 some ministry sites prefer to take only part of your group. Half of your group will have a CROSS staff while the other half of your group will be at a site on their own. ALL GROUPS receive detailed direction with address, phone number, contact name and picture of ministry sites.
Devotions?
Each mission day will begin with a reflection time to place the focus of service on God and others. Also a brief review of the sites being served that day will be included before leaving for ministry sites. GROUPS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to meet at night to reflect on the ministry sites visited each day with their adult leaders.
FOOD?
Menus of the trip are given a few months before your trip and discussed with the CROSS director prior to arrival. Groceries are bought a few days before groups arrive by CROSS staff. Dinners are either made by the MPPC Chef or ordered. Breakfast is simple with cereal, bagels, pop tarts, and fruit. Lunches are to be made before devotions by each group and packed for travel. Groups typically eat at their first site. Weekend groups will eat in the Cornerstone for all meals and Summer Groups will eat in Providence Hall for all meals (fellowship hall is located on the bottom floor from sleeping rooms.)
Transportation?
Groups need to provide transportation to and from mission sites. If your group gets larger than 15 members, adequate transportation is needed during the week for 2 groups to attend different sites during the week. CROSS staff ride with groups to sites. Charter buses are not allowed on MPPC’s campus.
Packing List?
- Clothes for Ministry sites: long shorts or pants, shirts with sleeves (no tank tops), shoes (no sandals/flip flops), swimsuit (one piece only- needed if group is serving at Treetops only)
- Toiletries and carrier (shower facilities are in a seperate building for summer week groups)
- Towel
- Sleeping bag or twin-size sheets with blanket (mattresses provided by CROSS)
- Pillow
- Alarm Clock
- Medications taken regularly (CROSS staff will not give out any medications, not even Advil)
- Sunscreen
- Bible and pen
- Clothes for free time
- Swimsuit (if your group plans on going to Carowinds theme park)
Myers Park PC's Neighborhood?
Myers Park Presbyterian Church is nestled in the heart of Charlotte's Myers Park, a planned neighborhood of historical importance (see http://www.cmhpf.org/neighborhoods/MyersPark.html) that is just steps from businesses like Starbucks, Ben and Jerrys, Panera Bread, Boston Market, furniture and antique stores, art galleries, Queen's University and just minutes from Charlotte's Uptown. For more information about Charlotte, try visiting www.visitcharlotte.com.
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