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St. Louis, Missouri
at Urban Mission Inn
Race and Reconciliation

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Trip Type

Connect Trip - These trips are primarily hands-on service. They focus on how to actively develop partners in your own neighborhoods so that, together with your neighbors, you can work to make your community a place where all people can thrive.​ Learn more about the different between Connect Trips and Reach Trips by clicking here.

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Ages

Middle School Students, High School Students, College Students, Adults​

 

Maximum Group Size

25 people, including adults

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Available Dates​​​

  • June 8 to 13, 2025

  • June 15 to 20, 2025

  • June 22 to 27, 2025

  • June 29 to July 4, 2025

  • July 20 to 25, 2025

  • July 27 to August 1, 2025

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St. Louis, Missouri is a beautiful city on the Mississippi River, often called the Gateway to the West, and marked by The Gateway Arch.  The community is committed to making its many attractions available to all, including a free Art Museum, History Museum, Zoo, and beautiful historic parks. It is a city blessed with a population that reflects the beauty and diversity of God’s people. 

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Sadly, St. Louis is also a city marked by a history and present-day reality of racism and its impact on all who live here.  A significant marker is the Delmar Divide, which refers to Delmar Boulevard - a socio-economic and racial dividing line originating with racial segregation laws, housing covenants, and redlining. Even though these measures have become outlawed, the divide is still perpetuated through city planning, economic, educational and social opportunities, housing appraisals, and more.  The Delmar Divide is both a real division in the city, and a symbol of racism and its effects on the life of a community and individual lives. 

 

The beautiful thing is that people of many races and cultures in St. Louis have come together to work on being anti-racist and seek to heal the divisions and build lives through organizations like the Delmar DIVINE. The Delmar Divine consists of national and local nonprofits, capacity building, and social innovation organizations that improve the lives of children and families in the metropolitan St. Louis area.  There are many more nonprofits collaborating to transform the divide into a connection for wholeness and healing. 

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Groups who choose to go on a Be the Neighbor trip to St. Louis will learn about the Delmar Divide and how such divides may exist in your home communities. Your group will connect and work with Delmar Divine and other nonprofits, including churches who serve and advocate for people who experience the poverty, barriers, and challenges created by this history and present-day reality of a racial divide.  You will see how churches and local organizations strive to live out their faith, to bring hope and new possibilities through direct service, advocacy, and the arts. 

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Your group will explore how the topics you’re learning about are relevant to your own community and will develop a plan for how you can continue this work when you get home. Be The Neighbor weeks are learning and launching trips, meaning participants will leave the week equipped to live lives of love, service, and justice in ways that are relational, sustainable, and dignity-affirming!

 

Be The Neighbor’s summer programming begins on Sunday evening and concludes on Friday morning. You may stay an additional night to explore see the city in this location for an additional $10 per person. Check out is 10 am Saturday morning.


Trip costs follow our equitable pricing model. You can read more about it here. We want everyone to be able to participate no matter their financial realities. Regardless of which level you select, your trip includes: 

 

  • A simple breakfast, lunch and snack Monday morning through Friday morning

  • A dedicated Site Director and Intern(s) to facilitate your week

  • Fully planned service and educational experiences

  • Theological reflections created to engage participants in connecting what they are learning to their faith

  • Lodging, including showers, dedicated sleeping rooms, gathering rooms, and kitchens use - most sites include air mattresses or cots for all of your participants

  • Costs covered for honorariums for speakers, activities, supplies for projects with community partners, and any entrance fees for educational experiences

  • A reusable water bottle for each participant

  • Discussion guides for small groups on Reach trips and small group interactive education led by BTN staff on Connect trips

  • Journals for each participant

  • Online orientation for your adult leaders 

  • A coupon code to get t-shirts at-cost (shirts will be included at the Neighbor pricing level)

 

Please note that your group will be responsible for dinners and transportation during the week.

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