Cornerstone Goes to Baton Rouge

Plans are underway for our Cornerstone Campus Ministry Winter Break Mission Trip in January 2017.  This year we are planning to travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and work with Presbyterian Disaster Response and Rebuilding Together to help rebuild homes destroyed by flooding in the area.  We’d like to invite you to be part of our planning to make a difference in the world!

Right now we have 18 members of Cornerstone planning to participate; that number is higher than usual, so the need for funds is greater.  We will housed at University Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge and we will be working with an organization, Rebuilding Together, to rebuild homes.  As you may know, we’ve made many similar trips to New Orleans, Birmingham and Austin in the past and each time it has been a life-changing experience for our students as they learn and live in the midst of crises response. 

This year we’ll be flying down to New Orleans on Sunday, January 8 and returning on Saturday, January 14.  The trip costs us approximately $800 per person (including round-trip air fare, ground transportation and the cost of meals and supplies).  We ask each student to contribute $200 towards the cost; they may in turn ask their home congregations to cover a portion of that registration fee.  The balance is covered though fund-raisers such as bake sales, etc. and generous gifts of our supporting congregations. 

We would like to ask you to consider “adopting a student” through your mission or outreach fund or perhaps through your regular operating budget or a special offering.  In return, we’ll make every effort to schedule a time to report to your congregation about the trip when we return.  We can assist with worship or lead an adult forum or assist with a potluck dinner program or whatever creative venue you can provide for us to share our story.   “Adoption” costs $250 per student (of course if you’d like to contribute more, we’d be willing to accept it!)