Global Outreach Opportunities - Willow Creek Community Church

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Chicago 1347 S State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 Crystal Lake 100 South Main Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 Español 67 Algonquin Rd Auditorio Lakeside (Entrada D), South Barrington, IL 60010 Huntley 38W133 Huntley Road, Dundee, IL 60118 North Shore 2200 Shermer Rd, Glenview, IL 60026 South Barrington 67 Algonquin Rd, South Barrington, IL 60010 South Lake 625 Barclay Blvd., Lincolnshire, IL 60069 Wheaton 900 N. Prince Crossing Rd., West Chicago, IL 60185 Willow Online

For the world

We help fight poverty and injustice in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. We do this in partnership with locally-run organizations and networks of churches united by a common goal to serve their communities together in Christ. Through relationships with our partners, we support and encourage local churches, coming alongside them to amplify what they already successfully do to serve their communities.

Global Serving Teams

Global Serving Teams are an opportunity to witness God’s work, serve alongside our global partners fighting poverty and injustice in their communities, and build reach and meaningful relationships.

Typical serving teams spend the week with a local church to build relationships, attend the church’s Sunday service, serve together with the community on a hands-on project or ministry, and focus on learning from the local church in the context they serve in.

Interested in joining a global team? At this time, all of our 2023 Global Serving Teams are full. If you are interested in joining a 2024 team, please click here and you will be the first to know once we open the trips.

Questions? Email willowglobal@willowcreek.org.

2023 Trips

General Teams

Latin America

El Salvador, March 4–10
Cost: $2100
Applications closed

Costa Rica, March 4–11
Cost: $2100
Applications closed

Dominican Republic, May 22–29
Cost: $2000
Applications closed

El Salvador, July 22–28
Cost: $2100
Applications closed

El Salvador, September 16-22
Cost: $2100
Applications closed

General Teams

Africa, Asia, Middle East

Jordan, June 22-30
Cost: $2500
Applications closed

Malawi, June
Cost: $4000
Applications closed

Zambia, July 8–18
Cost: $3800
Applications closed

South Africa, July 10–20
Cost: $4000
Applications closed

Family Teams

Parents and kids ages 11+

Dominican Republic, March 25–April 1
Cost: $2000 per person
Applications closed

El Salvador, July 8–14
Cost: $2100 per person
Applications closed

Student Teams

HSM Students, Freshmen–Senior

Costa Rica, June 5-12
Applications closed

Dominican Republic, June 5–12
Applications closed

Zambia, June 22–July 1
Applications closed

El Salvador, June 24–30
Applications closed

Dominican Republic, June 24–1
Applications closed

Additional Information:

FAQs about HSM Global teams here
Fundraising links will be provided for team members to raise support for their trip cost.

Global Teams FAQs

Many common questions are answered below. Have additional questions? Email willowglobal@willowcreek.org.

What kind of projects do teams work on?

Our teams participate in projects alongside our partners, including painting a children’s center, construction of eco-stoves or latrines, digging for fencing, building a playground, moving construction materials, vacation bible school, chicken coop construction. All serving team projects are chosen by our global partners and are part of their long term strategy to holistically meet the needs of their community.

What are the requirements to go on a trip?

What is the process for going on a trip?

Pray and discern if a trip is right for you.
Apply for a global serving trip.
Interview with a team leader.
If accepted to the team, choose to join the team and agree to the trip expectations and guidelines.
Register for the trip and pay a $250 deposit.
Submit a copy of your passport and complete protection application and mandated reporter training.
Fundraise for the trip & invite others to pray for you and join you in your experience and learning.
Attend four pre-trip meetings to prepare spiritually, mentality, emotionally and culturally for the trip.
Serve with our global partners!
Return and apply what you have learned to a regular and on-going serving opportunity here locally.
Meet with the Compassion & Justice pastor at your campus to share about your trip and get plugged in.

What is included in the trip cost?

The trip cost includes all airfare, lodging, food in-country, transportation in-country, emergency international medical insurance, and any other incidentals purchased by the ministry partner for the team (i.e., water, bug spray, etc.). The trip cost does not include any required or recommended immunizations or medications for travel, passport application/renewal fees, souvenirs, food in the airport, or transportation to the departure airport.

When is the application deadline?

What happens at the pre-trip meetings?

What is the interview process like?

Can I go on a trip if I don't attend Willow?

When can I start fundraising?

Are there any COVID precautions or requirements?

The Impact of Teams

Global serving teams have the power to change us. Through ongoing relationships with churches across the world, we can learn, serve, and build the Kingdom of God together.

Our Partners

Get to know our global partners:

Latin America

AVI/Love Serves (Dominican Republic)

Love Serves is a Christ-centered church network organization that works throughout the Dominican Republic. Through their holistic mindset, the organization seeks to meet the spiritual and physical needs of the people. The main initiatives that Willow partners with them on are in areas of education, pastoral and leadership development, and clean water.

Enlace (El Salvador)

Enlace is a non-profit organization that serves communities in El Salvador through empowering local churches. With leadership, coaching, and resources, churches are agents of change in their communities and they work to develop sustainable solutions to poverty and other social problems.

Red Viva (Costa Rica)

Red Viva is an organization committed to building cities where children are free from violence and domestic abuse, through prevention, early intervention, and restoration

Saq B’e (Guatemala)

Saq B’e is a faith-based, non-governmental organization originally founded to provide disaster relief in partnership with local churches. Over time it has expanded to include community development, health, education, and compassion programs in order to provide sustainable growth.

Middle East & Asia

I Hope (Cambodia)

I Hope Cambodia has existed to see children become the “Generation of Hope For the Nation” by empowering and partnering with community churches to provide holistic development to children at risk in their communities. We partner with I Hope in Banteay Meanchey Province.

Nazarene Church Network (Jordan and Iraq)

The Nazarene Church Network, is a network of churches primarily in Amman, Jordan and Dohuk, Iraq that are responding to the needs of refugees in their communities.

RIMI/Mission India (India)

RIMI’s primary mission is to reach unreached people in India with a gospel message, developing Christlike leaders that change lives and transform communities. We partner with RIMI in the states of Rajasthan and Haryana.

Africa

Care and Hope for All (Zambia)

Care and Hope for All is a church-based organization focused on improving the quality of life through a wide variety of community development initiatives and programs such as Rural Economic Empowerment, Community Health, Social Community Engagement, Education, and Leadership Development.

Jubilee Centre (Zambia)

Jubilee Centre recognized that the evangelical church had a gap in addressing the needs of those in Zambia and through programs that focus on food security, water and sanitation, as well as leadership development, have sought to be a light of Christ in their nation.

Limpopo Church Network (South Africa)

The Limpopo Church Network is a network of churches in South Africa that helps bring the gospel to their local communities by addressing their physical needs, such as drilling water wells, planting community gardens, and providing after-school programs. This church network also provides children with school uniforms, school supplies, and meals that allow kids to stay in classes.

Serve Zambia (Zambia)

Serve Zambia is a faith-based organization committed to bringing community transformation through partnership with and mobilization of churches to improve people’s well-being.

Tubepoka Development Initiative (Malawi)

Tubepoka Development Initiative (TDI) is an indigenous Malawian non-profit Christian organization formed by a network of churches in Chitipa. They work in 10 networks made up of 600+ churches.