LA Dream Center Mission Trip Information Thank you for inquiring about the Los Angeles Dream Center Trip. All team meetings are mandatory for all participants. If you are not able to attend a meeting it is your responsibility to let the team leader know as well as find out what you missed. Meeting Location and Time: At Pathways Church on the 4 th Sunday of the month following the 10:45 service in room 206. Meeting and Payment Schedule Initial Meeting: Sunday December 28 February 25//$100 Deposit Due March 25// $250 Payment Due April 29// $250 Payment Due May 27// $250 Payment Due June 24// $250 Payment Due July 29// $100 Balance Due FINAL PAYMENT DUE BEFORE TRIP DEPARTURE What to expect: Each day will start out with the team meeting for morning devotions, prayer and ministry assignment by the team leader. During the day we will serve in various areas of the Dream Center. Meals are eaten together in the cafeteria. Each evening has different assignments, if there is no planned activity or church service, the team will decide on a place to visit; Santa Monica Pier, the Observatory. etc. Saturday afternoon following the Adopt a Block distribution, the team will relax at one of the nearby beaches and enjoy a nice dinner together. Sunday we pack it up and head home. Simple History of Los Angeles Dream Center The Los Angeles Dream Center was founded more than twenty-two years ago by Pastor Matthew Barnett. Compelled by a vision to impact all of Los Angeles by addressing people s physical, material, and spiritual needs in unique and practical ways, the Dream Center has grown into a phenomenon that now reaches more than thirty thousand people each week through its multiple church services and more than two hundred need-centered ministries.
If you make a mission trip to the LA Dream Center, a few evangelistic opportunities your team would take part in include playing with neglected and abused kids in gang infested neighborhoods, bussing people to church from crack houses and cardboard boxes, or handing out warm plates of food to homeless people living on Skid Row. Wish us, you would be working hard, praying loud, and returning home exhausted. With us, you would be an important part of the miracle for which we ourselves can take absolutely no credit. Description of different ministries you could be a part of Adopt-a-Block This is the heart of the Dream Center. Going out and serving the community in any way possible. On Adopt-a-Block you ll go along with us to a community to clean, sweep, paint, minister, pick up trash, visit, build relationships, pray and do whatever we can to show the love of Christ. Our goal is to let the people know that the church is here to help them in any way possible. Food Truck The main goal of provisions is to provide relief for low-income families in at-risk neighborhoods. This is done through taking food out to the people in their own neighborhoods where the need and hurt are. This relief from provisions opens doors to share the help available to them through our vocational training, free medical programs, clothing for children, and other necessary programs at the Dream Center; ultimately building them up to become independent citizens in love with Jesus!!! Skid Row/Under the Bridge Our mission is to reach, without prejudice, the homeless community. Our goal is to provide a hot meal to those living on the streets, under bridges, and in the shelters of our city. We use the hot meals as a tool to draw large crowds of people so that we can effectively and lovingly share God s love with those that we serve and meet on the streets. We also give clothes to those in need. We offer to pray with them and listen to their stories. Some of the people want to talk, others don t. Some of them want us to pray for them or their families, others politely say no. So we pray and minister with those who will allow us, and we pray for those who won t allow us. Our mission is to help lead these people one person at a time into a better life by leading them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit. Marketing This ministry is dedicated to all those great people who support the Dream Center. In this department, you will have the opportunity to call some of our donors just to thank them for all of their support. We want them to know we could not do it without them! You will also have a chance to pray for some of them. This is a great ministry for all you "professional" phone talkers out there.
Kitchen You will be helping our kitchen staff prepare for lunch. It starts at 6:00am in the morning in the cafeteria kitchen. Hope you are an early bird, and this is for ages 17 or older, no sandals. His Hands Extended is our thrift store where most of our clothing and décor is donated. You will be helping them get everything sorted for the afternoon. Also, if you would like to help in the afternoon, you are more than welcome to. Bus Ministry These soul-winning vehicles are our life nets to downtown Los Angeles. Every week hundreds of people fill our busses from Downtown, Skid Row, and gang infested neighborhoods. Our volunteers hand out fliers and invite people to our services on Sunday morning, Thursday night and all day Saturday. Service times can be found on the Tentative Schedule section of this brochure. Project Prevention/Foster Care Ministry We believe that no child should be taken away from loving parents because of poverty. We have built a great relationship with the Department of Family and Children s Social Services, so we get family referrals from social workers on a weekly basis. We go out three days a week and deliver food, clothes, furniture, beds, appliances, baby supplies, and anything else that these families need in order to keep their children. More importantly, we build relationships with these families with the hopes that one day they will come to church and accept Jesus into their hearts. It is such a blessing to be a part of such an incredible ministry! Kid s JAM They will be working alongside our Food Truck Ministry by hosting a sidewalk Sunday school for the children at the site. You will be doing mini bible lessons, painting faces, dancing and playing with the kids, and MUCH more! Jonah Project You will be going right into the heart of skid row doing street evangelism, prayer walks, street cleaning, games, BBQ and fellowshipping with the homeless in Skid Row. About Assignments As explained in the tentative schedule below, your team will meet with the Dream Center Outreach Leader before heading out to the outreach site. This is your time to receive information about the outreach, get to know the leader, ask questions and be challenged and inspired. Mornings, you will be working on campus with the departments and ministries here, which are all so crucial and necessary to run the Dream Center. Afternoons you will be sent out on outreaches. Your team will most likely be staying together, depending on the size of your group. Normal running schedules might be subject to change, depending on larger events launched by the Dream Center, such as back-pack give away, turkey-give away or Christmas days. As you come here to serve alongside us and be a part of the inner city miracle God is unfolding before our eyes, your opportunity to choose and pick your favorite
ministry may be very limited. We trust God with using all of your ability and will do our very best to give you a great experience. Accommodation: During your stay at the Dream Center you will share dormitory rooms with 6 to 18 people. None of the rooms have showers but most of them have bathrooms. A community shower, which is 3 shower stalls (one shower room for men and one shower room for women), is located on the floor you stay on. During Spring Break and Summer, we have a large number of people visiting on a weekly basis, you most likely will need to share a room with people from other teams, if this is a problem you may need to find accommodations elsewhere. Unfortunately, we do not have couple housing or private individual rooms. We provide all bedding (sheets and 1 blanket), 1 pillow and 1 towel, per person. Face cloths you ll need to bring. Team members: Due to the character of the program we must stress that no one under the age of 15 is allowed on this trip. Younger youth are often not ready for the challenges of the Dream Center environment and outreaches. If coming as an individual, you must be 18. There will be no exceptions to this rule. We understand you may have very mature 14 year olds, but please we ask that only 15 and older attend. Thank you! Church Services: Each team/individual is expected to attend all Angelus Temple services while staying at the Dream Center. Trust me, you re not going to want to miss it!! We have services on Sunday s at 9am & 11am and Thursday s at 7pm. Dress code: The Dream Center sends outreach teams into the neediest areas of Los Angeles. While you are here you are representing the Dream Center and a Christian lifestyle. It is very important that all volunteers/visiting team members dress modestly and in such a way that does not draw attention to themselves. 1. No spaghetti strapped, midriff, or low cut tops. 2. Shorts or skirts MUST be at modest length. Basketball shorts are fine. 3.Closed toe shoes must be worn on outreaches and campus work assignments. Taking it to the Streets: Your team will be able to experience several different areas of ministry. At the Dream Center, a typical week will include outreaches that involve ministering to people and prep work. Have your team get ready to give their testimony and pray with many people. Also, learn some Spanish! How about that age limit? We ask that you PLEASE respect this rule we have set up. Remember this is a lot of on-the-field missions work, going to Skid Row and working in gang communities. Our Outreach Directors really care about the volunteers they
take out with them. Thank you! How safe is the neighborhood? The neighborhoods in which you will be ministering and working are not safe. Watts, South Central, Compton, Imperial Courts, Crenshaw and Downtown L.A. are some of the poorest and neediest areas of this city. During these outreaches, you and your team will be under constant supervision of experienced Dream Center staff that know the streets inside and out. They are there to guide and protect you. - Using wisdom, trusting God; nothing will happen to your team. What to bring: 1. Donations Shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine products, men hygienic, diapers, baby wipes, baby product, socks, underwear, shoes, clothing, hair brushes, fans, blankets, sleeping bags, twin size beds and anything else you would like to donate. (You can call prior to arrival to get a more updated list of needs.) 2. Personal Hygiene Items - We will provide 1 towel per person and bedding set (sheets, 1 blanket and 1 pillow) per person. 3. Daily Clothing Shorts, (please make sure they are a modest length), jeans, sweatshirt or jacket, (it may get cold at night) T-shirts. Also, bring a pair of closed toe shoes for the ministry and flip flops for the showers. 4. Bible, pen & note paper You will have the opportunity to participate in scheduled bible studies as well as our services. Side note: Remember during your stay there will be down time. You can use these times for team meetings, bible studies, etc. This is your chance to really connect with your team on a spiritual level. 5. Bathing Suit Remember you re coming to California! The weather is always perfect for the beach! 6. Spending Money We have a café that sells coffee, snacks and more coffee. As well as a fitness gym, $5 daily; $10 a week. 7. Willing hearts Be prepared to give of yourself and serve others. Tentative Schedule Tuesday is our tour day, showing you around the campus all the key areas to know throughout the week. In the mornings your team will be split up, some of the ministries start at 6:00am in the morning whereas some will start at 8-9:00am; you ll then get a break for lunch. In the afternoons, your team (unless you are a large team of 30+) will stay together for the outreaches. Some of the outreaches due to their nature, have an additional age limit. You re welcome to call the Dream Missions office to receive an update on this. Your team must arrive on Monday to then depart on Saturday or Sunday.
Monday (Check-in Day) Arrive at the Dream Center between the hours of 12:00-3:30pm. The orientation/tour will begin at 4:00pm and will go until 5:15pm. Dinner will be served right after and then the evening is free to have individual team meeting. Tuesday 7.00am Breakfast 8.30am Ministry Assignments 12.00pm Lunch 12:30-1.00pm Ministry Assignments 5.00pm Dinner Evening is free Wednesday 7.00am Breakfast 8.30-9.00am Ministry Assignments 12.00pm Lunch 12.30-1.00pm Ministry Assignments 5.00pm Dinner 5.45pm Jonah Project/Skid Row Outreach Thursday 7.00am Breakfast 8.30-9.00am Ministry Assignments 12.00pm Lunch 12.30-1.00pm Ministry Assignments 5.00pm Dinner 5.15pm Bus Ministry (optional) 6.00pm Kid s Zone workers (optional) 7.00pm Service at Angelus Temple Friday 7.00am Breakfast 8.45am Team Debrief Meeting 12.00pm Lunch 12.30-1.00pm Ministry Assignments 5.00pm Dinner 6.00pm Dream Street/Skid Row Outreach or Jonah Project/Skid Row Outreach Saturday 7.30-8:30am Breakfast 9.15am-1:30pm Adopt-A-Block After Adopt-a-Block there is free time. Sunday (Check-out Day) 7.00am Breakfast 9.15am Fly Home