Description: The Team will travel to the Lived Theology School and St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
St John's Mission is entering its 25th year of sharing their life with the poor. The Mission is simply a way of life. It is about risking to be vulnerable and learning from the poor what it means to be human and how to live tenderness. Rooted in the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, it is about living theology with those who are suffering, often right on the doorsteps of our churches.
It is not a soup kitchen, or a social program; it is the visible presence of the Church on the street. It not for a feel good, quick success story day trip. The Mission engages and challenges one to the very core of our faith and what it means to be an Orthodox Christian in the context of North America.
The Team will be engaged in re-building lives and creating community at St John the Compassionate Mission by involvement in the programs for the homeless at St John's. It will will participate in the morning and night Winter Program by helping prepare, cook and serve meals. By sharing meals and talking with the poor who come to here they will be fully immersed in the life of the Mission community. The Team will also take part in the regular liturgical services that are the heart and foundation of the life of this Orthodox mission.
The Team will also have the opportunity to experience the wilds of Ontario through a two-day trip to the St Mary of Egypt Refuge where it will be involved in some construction work to prepare the Refuge for the many groups who use it during the year.
There will also be an opportunity for sightseeing and shopping in Toronto.
Dates: March 19-26, 2011
Registration Deadlines: There are limited spaces for each destination. To secure your spot, register online with a $150 deposit by December 3. Final payment is not due until January 21, 2011.
Cost : $1,100.00
This cost includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, materials and sightseeing; however, it does not include the flight to and from Toronto (Pearson International Airport). If you fundraise over the trip cost, OCF will reimburse your flight up to the overage amount fundraised.
Transportation: Each participant will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements and e-mailing this information to realbreak@ocf.net. Participants should arrive on March 19, 2011, into Pearson International Airport (Toronto) by 4:00 pm, and depart on March 26, 2011, no earlier than 1:00 PM. As we draw closer, the leader will direct you where the Real Break team will meet.
Website: www.stjohnsmission.org and www.livedtheologyschool.org
Download 2011 Real Break Participant Information Package PDF Format)
Download 2011 Fundraising Information Package (PDF Format)
Download Toronto (Lived Theology School) 2011 Trip Package (PDF Format)