Commissional Corner: Students Serve on Urban Church Planting Trip to New York City

Over Spring Break, DBU students journeyed to New York City for a travel study in Urban Church Planting, led by Dr. Mark Alexander. The students served the neighborhood of Bushwick in different capacities through the partnership of a local church called Swerve in Brooklyn, NY. They participated in packing PPE packages for an elderly resident facility called RiseBoro, helped clean out old material closets to make room for updated curriculums at a local elementary school, and handed out cups of hot coffee and cake at a park in Bushwick. One of the students who attended the trip, Hannah, shares, "We were able to have some really impactful conversations with the community members about the Lord, about their lives, and about opportunities to get involved at Swerve Church."

The capacities that DBU served in not only assisted the people of Bushwick, but it also impacted each student who attended the trip. Hannah recalls how the trip left her with such a burden for the populations that live in Brooklyn, mentioning how it is such a diverse area in need of salvation, redemption, and hope. The trip helped further her desire to pursue ministry, she says, "Ever since getting back to campus, I've been searching for opportunities to serve both locally and abroad. Short-term missions can open your eyes to kingdom needs and illuminate your spirit to desires and passions you weren't aware of previously."

One thing that Hannah has been reflecting on since she returned from the trip is how many vastly different ways the Gospel can be presented. She learned how to navigate sharing the Gospel depending on a neighborhood's specific culture and demographic, even just within the United States. Mission Trips, like the New York Church Planting trip, allow students to further the calling God has given them by receiving hands on experience within the mission field.