This trip has been cancelled due to COVID-19, however we are offering SERVE@HOME for 2020.Read More
Serve Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Date: 07/10/21 - 07/17/21
- Church Partner: Thunder Bay Christian School
- Availability: CANCELLED
- Rate: $450 CAD before April 1st
- *$500 CAD after April 1st
- Capacity: 40
In Church Partnership With
Thunder Bay Christian School
SERVE Projects
- Thunder Bay Shelter House
- Grace Place
- The Gathering Place
- Twice as Nice
- Habitat for Humanity (steel-toed boots required)
- Regional Food Distribution Association
- First CRC Sports Camp
- And More!
Participants are asked to bring work boots and gloves for worksites. While on sites, SERVE participants will learn first hand about the importance of teamwork, bonding with new friends and most importantly spread the love of Christ through their actions. The impact they will make on the people at these sites will change lives and possibly even their own!
Site Description
Thunder Bay, EH?! We are located on the north shore of beautiful Lake Superior in the heart of the Canadian Boreal forest. Despite what we think, visitors claim our mosquitoes are double in size and that the black files never seem to go away. But don’t let the bugs scare you away! We are surrounded by the world’s largest freshwater lake and it shapes the most beautiful landscape around us! We also have the world-famous Persian (cinnamon bun meets donut), and it is a favourite treat by locals and those who visit. Our SERVE Host Team is formed with very enthusiastic volunteers from all three Christian Reformed Churches in Thunder Bay and we have together formed as one body to reach out to people from the downtown areas of the city to the rural outskirts. It is our vision for Thunder Bay that we can cover this region with the message of the gospel. There are so many people in our city and surrounding area who are in need of Christ’s grace, and though each congregation is distinct from the next, together we work hard to establish extensive relationships within the community. We not only give encouragement to each other through our work, but we jointly support organizations that help reach our community with the gospel that brings them into Christ’s healing grip. Join us in our mission to help those in the city who have not yet heard the hope of Christ. Our Host Team promises a friendly welcome, unique experience, and a week in which God is glorified to the fullest!
You will be accommodated at the Thunder Bay Christian School with on-site showers, sports and kitchen facilities. Evening sessions will take place at the neighboring First Christian Reformed Church Fellowship Hall or Sanctuary, which is just a 2-minute walk from the School. You will be sleeping in classrooms, so air mattresses are strongly recommended for comfort and we do ask that you limit your air mattress size to a single or double mattress.
Our day away is an all-day excursion to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (1-hour bus ride), where students can choose to spend the day at the beach or bike-and-hike ALL DAY! We will head out after breakfast and making a stop at the famous Terry Fox monument to get a beautiful view of the Giant. After the stop we will continue to drive to the provincial park. Should participants chose the beach day, it includes a full day on the beach to relax, play volleyball, go swimming and go on a nearby light hiking trail. The bike-and-hike includes an approximate 8km one-way trail bike right to the trails for an exhilarating hike up Ontario’s highest (and most beautiful) cliff points. Along the way, we will stop for lunch while taking in some breathtaking views of the Lake Superior shorelines. Please be warned that this choice is not for the faint of heart, but rather for those who like to be challenged as it is a 22km round trip bike and hike. We promise it is as rewarding as it can get. After the bike and hike are complete, we will all meet up as one big group for dinner on the beach and a campfire worship experience (not without s’mores of course).
Get Directions
Registration fees do NOT include transportation to and from the sites. Each church group must provide vehicle(s) and adult driver(s) for the entire mission experience regardless of whether you fly or drive to the site. The vehicles you bring will be used to transport small groups to the work site each day, so 12-passenger vans or mini-vans are preferred. Cars do not facilitate the transportation of an entire small group in one vehicle, so please do not bring them. If you wish to bring a bus, please check with the Host Team to see if this is acceptable before you make arrangements. If your group is unable to provide van transportation, please have a youth leader call the ThereforeGo Ministries office to discuss options and additional charges.
For your decision-making purposes, the closest airport is Thunder Bay International Airport (10 minutes away from the site). Please DO NOT book airfare until you have received email confirmation from ThereforeGo Ministries that you have been placed at this site.
Facebook: ThunderBaySERVE
Instagram: Thunderbayserve
* Like and follow our Facebook page to view lots of pictures from past Thunder Bay SERVE Projects that we have hosted between all three local CRC churches. By checking it out, you can get a glimpse of what we offer our participants for worksites and activities altogether (you may even see how beautiful the bike and hike it for the day away). Should you chose Thunder Bay to SERVE in, our Host Team keeps your family and friends from back home updated throughout the week of SERVE with plenty of photos and videos.
