ALIQUIPPA MISSION TRIP

About Aliquippa

Aliquippa is a small town located in western Pennsylvania. In 1905 the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company constructed a mill in Aliquippa causing the small town to grow and prosper. By the 1940’s, Aliquippa was a thriving community with around 30,000 people living in the city.

When J & L Steel closed the mill in the 1980’s, Aliquippa suffered greatly. The poverty rate went up as employment went down. Today, the city has around 9,000 residents. This has left many of the businesses and residences abandoned. In Aliquippa over 90% of the students in their schools are on subsidized lunches. Aliquippa faces real difficulty, but Jesus is working through many people to show the city his love.

The Trip Basics

WHEN: Two Trips in 2019. June 6-9. July 11-14. Both Trips begin on a Thursday evening and conclude around 2pm Sunday. Groups can stay longer if they choose.

WHERE: Aliquippa is located in western Pennsylvania about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

WHO: This trip is for everyone. Married, single, kids, students, whole families, whole small groups. This trip is a great way to interact across generations and experience serving

and mission together.

WHAT: We spend the morning serving. In the afternoon we spend time connecting relationally with neighborhoods and kids, playing, talking and having a fun time.

COST: Our 2019 trips cost $150 per person.

Who We Partner With

Scott and Sue Branderhorst are local missionaries in Aliquippa. They are on the ground year round, they know the area, the people and have established trust in Aliquippa. They connect us with people who have needs we can help with.

We love working with Scott and Sue. Their love for people and sacrificial service is contagious. A perfect example of this is the picture above of Scott serving kids. To find out more about Scott and Sue and the work they do in Aliquippa CLICK HERE.

UNCOMMON GROUNDS CAFE'

The Cafe' is a bit of a ministry hub in Aliquippa. Uncommon Grounds Cafe' is supported by Church Army and lead by Herb Bailey. We partner with Herb in a variety of ways and appreciate his passion for social justice, art, the dignity of all people and motorcycles.

We visit the cafe so our teams get a taste of the best chocolate milk on the planet and also get to rub shoulders with Herb.

Lodging Details

We camp out on 80 acres of private property a short drive from Aliquippa. It is kind of like a private park. This property has two ponds, many hiking trails, a picnic pavilion, sitting areas, a volleyball court and a bocci ball court. We swim and fish in the ponds, take walks, enjoying evening camp fires and really utilize this space to unwind and enjoy hanging out.

We stay in tents. Groups are encouraged to bring the tents they need for their group. In the event you run into trouble securing enough tents we do have a few that can be used.

We have found that some folks are more camping friendly than others. The fun thing about this is that those that have more camping experience help others get their tents set up. Getting your group's camp site up is a fun, energetic, team building activity.

Other things to know:

There are portable toilets on the property.
We shower at a local YMCA.
In the event of inclement weather we do have a church facility that we will stay in.

FAQs

What do we do when we serve? Serving can be cleaning, painting, landscaping, light construction or all of the above. We make sure that the work you do is equal to your group's skill level.

How does food work? We eat at our camp site in a picnic pavilion. The food is prepared daily by our RippleFX team. We ask some folks to pitch in each meal to make set-up and clean-up go quickly. If you have food allergies or special food needs in your group please let us know so we can acommodate folks.

We do have a few foodies on our team who like good food, so we tend to eat yummy food with plenty of healthy options.