Vision Year

DETAILS | READING LIST | SERVICE

Go to Africa // Be a Revolutionary

Vision Year is Africa Revolution’s one year volunteer program.  This structured visional and missional experience looks to take participants deeper into exploring what a life of serving daily, growing deeply and living out the Kingdom can look like.  We have a two fold goal for our Vision Year program. The first and primary goal is to equip team members with life long Biblical convictions regarding the issues that are close to the heart of God. Team members learn from those in Africa in challenging and practical ways as well as from each other by doing life together. Secondly, team members spend much of their time serving in the community. Together we will align their gifts and abilities with needs in the community. Some spend their time transferring skills (e.g. teaching computers, tutoring or coaching). Our goal is not to send saviors to Africa, but to send humble, teachable, learners and workers.

To hear learn more about Rebecca’s experiences in Africa as a Vision Year volunteer, visit her and her husband’s blog www.mamelodistories.org

Vision year works by identifying trustworthy partners who are currently doing biblically based ministry in Africa, yet are in need of more manpower. Many such ministries are able to draw short-term visitors or volunteers, but need capable people willing to give a more substantial amount of time to serving and building into their ministry. In order to aid those who are busy about their good works, AR seeks to identify those capable, teachable, willing individuals; train them for a cross-cultural, team-based serving environment, and do the work of shepherding and facilitating the discipleship component of the year for these volunteers so that the partner ministry is in no way burdened, but only helped by them.

Who?

Applicants may include men and women, married and single aged 19 and older. He or she must have at least one year of college or equivalent life experience. Maturity and stage of life are exceedingly more important in qualifying individuals than age.

As well, applicants should have ministry or community service experience and be part of a church/community of believers where they live.

For college students, credit can be obtained for students needing credit hours for their internship.

How Long?

The program is 11 months of living in community. Team members must make a commitment to live and serve without going home (unless dire circumstances dictate that they must.) for this period of time. They will begin the year with a week-long orientation in the United States; then they will fly to South Africa for two additional weeks of intensive training and orientation. Team members will receive weekly training while in the country where they serve. Each person will be a member of a team that will live in a house together in intentional, incarnational community in or near the area in which they will be serving.

Spiritual Formation- Life Together

For team members, a chief focus of the year will be the formation and development of life-long Biblical convictions regarding suffering, poverty, restoration, justice, the Church and servant leadership, as well as other key issues that make Africa the perfect classroom for these critical lessons of life and faith. Each team will participate in an intentional spiritual formation program. Our informal reading and discussion curriculum and daily hands on experience will lead the team to a thorough understanding of what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God in today’s world. Team members will truly do life together. They will eat together, serve together, read together and pray together each day as they grow in their understanding of not just their community and its needs but the King and His Kingdom. Check out the reading list to get an idea of the topics team members explore together.

When & Where?
Throughout the year at various times we send out teams (inquire about current times). Teams attend our affiliated local church in their assigned community. They will be under the leadership and become part of the congregation for the time they are there.

Doing What?
For 6 days of the week the team spends time in their community serving, building relationships and living out the Gospel. They use their gifts and talents on a daily basis through their church and into the community. Some report to other ministry service sites (e.g Hospice, Orphanage)  in the community where they can apply practical skills to assist and equip local residents. (For a list of service sites click here or use the navigation at the top of the page)

Through service, they will learn about what it means to be Christ in hard places. They will become part of their community by building relationships with its residents.  Team members will begin to understand the joys and struggles that the residents in their communities experience on a regular basis. This is an invaluable experience that cannot come through a 2 or 3 week trip.

Folks Back Home
We believe that each person should feel fully supported by his or her community of believers back home. Therefore, each sending church will have access to online journals, pictures, and regular e-mail updates documenting the person’s experiences. It is our hope that this will also work to build a greater awareness of global issues within the team member’s home church. We want each home church to feel a part of the journey. As well, each team member will be responsible for raising financial support for the year. We will help equip you for this process. See the details page for more info on cost and raising support.

When its All Said and Done…
Africa Revolution wants to provide a unique opportunity for people to be able to build God’s Kingdom in an international context and be transformed by it. At the end of the year, individuals will participate in one full week of debrief before traveling home. This will be a time of discussion and reflection on their experiences, as well as a time for them to relax. After they return home, sometime during the next year, the team will be encouraged to get together for a reunion at a conference or a weekend away with their old team mates and the Africa Revolution staff for a time of encouragement and fellowship

We believe this whole experience will radically change individual’s lives as well as be a blessing to ministries and communities in Africa. We look forward to hearing how individuals were transformed by their year in Africa. We hope one of those stories is yours!

Application and More Info
Download our 1 page flyer to share this opportunity with friends or others who you think would benefit from a year of learning and serving. Feel free to post it on bulletin boards, hand out at your church, etc. And please feel free to contact us with questions on our contact page.

If you’re thinking of applying, we are excited! We ask that all individuals moving forward with the application process consider doing a day of  fasting and prayer before submitting their application. We hope you’ll join the revolution with us!