Short Short--term Missions with Christ For the City
PURPOSE, MISSION, AND VISION PURPOSE: CFCI is a multi multi--cultural fellowship of God’s people who share common values, theology and ministry Philosophy and are committed to the multiplication of churches that impact cities in strategic population centers, beginning in the Latin world. MISSION: Helping people transform cities by transforming lives VISION: No Place without a Witness No Church without Vision No Person without Hope
STATEMENT OF FAITH We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life,
died on the cross for the sins of the world, was raised bodily and exalted to God’s right hand where He makes intercession for His own. He will personally come again.
We believe that God created humankind, male and female, in His own image. However, all creation suffers the
consequences of the fall and is under God’s judgment.
We believe that because of His love, God sent His Son Jesus Christ, who inaugurated His Kingdom, provided
atonement for sin, disarmed the powers and authorities, triumphing over them by the cross, reconciling the world to Himself. He will consummate His Kingdom in righteousness, power, and glory.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who glorifies Jesus Christ, working in all peoples to
bring them to believe and obey Christ. The Spirit dwells in those who believe, equipping and empowering them for lives of holiness and fruitful service.
We believe the Bible to be the divinely inspired and authoritative Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and
practice.
We believe that all who repent and believe in Christ are born into life eternal, delivered from condemnation, and
as His Church are called to communicate the Gospel, proclaim the Kingdom, make disciples of all nations, and seek to be instruments of His righteousness, justice, and healing, all to the glory of God.
We believe in the resurrection of the body, the eternal blessedness of believers in the presence of Christ and the
eternal separation of unbelievers from Him.
Timeline
Pray about your potential trip. You may want to talk with your pastor, youth leader, or mentor.
Fill out a Let’s Get Acquainted form.
After you have received notice that your form has been reviewed, you will receive a Short-Term Application . You will need to return the Short-term application along with the fee of $26.00. Then ask two people to email your CFCI Coordinator reference letters for you.
You may be called by CFCI for a brief interview.
Once all your materials are in, CFCI will begin contacting our ministries to see where you might serve during the time you have available.
You will be contacted when the decision to accept your application has been made. Your first month’s support along with the $64. processing fee must be received at least one month prior to your trip departure
CFCI will send a packet of information to help prepare you for your trip.
You should begin the process of raising support and assembling a prayer team.
Write a draft of your support letter and send your draft to CFCI for review. After your letter has been approved, send out your letters to friends, family, and churches.
If you do not already have a current passport, begin the process of getting or updating your passport.
If you will be taking language courses, begin applying directly to the school. CFCI will provide information on schools.
Make travel arrangements and send your itinerary to CFCI so that transportation and housing arrangements can be made for you.
Apply for international short-term medical insurance. CFCI can also assist you in finding an insurance provider.
Provide your handwritten signature on the Waiver and Insurance Verification sheets and send them to CFCI. You may scan and email or simply mail these two documents to CFCI.
CFCI will send your monthly support directly to the field. Your housing and other expenses will be paid from this amount.
When you arrive at the CFCI base, you may be assigned a mentor missionary who will give a brief orientation to CFCI ministry, the country, and local customs and will help you learn your way around.
Requirements
Christ For the City (CFCI) is an interdenominational, evangelical organization. We request that those who apply be born again Christians who have read and agree with CFCI’s statement of faith.
Applicants should be 18 years old or high school graduates.
Individual mission trips or internships can be from one month to one year in duration. You should have at least one month to dedicate to your trip.
It is recommended, but not required, that you have some international travel experience.
You should be prepared to be flexible during the preparation for your trip and the trip itself.
Be prepared to adapt to cultural expectations and the needs of the missionary hosts you will be serving.
If you plan to be in-country for six month or more, you may need to participate in some sort of language study prior to beginning your service. The level of language study needed will vary according to location and type of ministry you will be participating in.
Frequently Asked Questions What countries does CFCI work in? CFCI works primarily in Latin America but also has ministries in Spain and Mali. What does CFCI believe? CFCI is an evangelical, interdenominational organization. What kinds of ministries can I serve in during my time with CFCI? CFCI has a wide variety of ministry opportunities available to you. You can participate in programs for disadvantaged children and youth, help with church leader and pastoral training, assist our missionaries in preparing for and leading mission teams, or work in one of our medical clinics. These are just a few of the ministry options you will have. How long will I be expected to stay? Your stay can be from one month to one year in duration. We request that you have at least one month to dedicate to your trip. If you are interested in serving for over one year, please contact Dick at personnel@cfci.org to find out more about becoming a long-term missionary with CFCI. How much does it cost? The cost varies according to location. Typically monthly support ranges from $600- $700. What is included in the cost and what other expenses might I incur? Your monthly cost covers your room and board, local transportation to and from your ministry site, project funds, and administrative expenses. You will also be responsible for your own airfare and travel documents, any vaccinations you must have, the cost of your support letter mailings, and travel insurance. Your total costs may look something like this:
CFCI application fee CFCI processing fee Round Trip Chicago to Costa Rica Passport Airport Tax Prayer letters to donors & Stamps Short Term Insurance Gifts for host family 2 months in Costa Rica
$ 26 $ 64 $ 700 $ 135 $ 26 $ 100 $ 60 $ 30 $ 1370
Sample Total Support Needed
$ 2511
How will I pay for my trip? You may choose to pay the expenses out of your own pocket or you may raise the funds to finance your trip.
Where will I live? You will either live with a host family or in a mission guest house. Your meals will be prepared for you.
Can I fulfill my school’s internship requirements? Yes, CFCI is happy to work with you to fulfill any requirements necessary to allow you to receive credit for your internship with us. (In certain cases this may not be possible as some school internships require that supervising staff have a specific certification. If we do not have a suitable supervisor for you we may not be able to fulfill the necessary requirements.)
Is it safe? CFCI is, first and foremost, concerned with the safety of its staff and volunteers. We would never knowingly put a volunteer in an unsafe location. We rely on both our field staff’s expertise and State Department advisories when placing our volunteers. Our field staff, many of whom are nationals, are very familiar with the cities in which they serve. Orientation will be provided. However, no matter how carefully we care for our volunteers, there is always the potential for situations that we cannot predict. Some of the areas we work in occasionally experience natural disasters or mild political unrest. Please go to www.travel.state.gov to read the State Department’s travel advisories for the country you are interested in serving. If you have concerns about a specific area please contact us. Our staff members have traveled to our ministry locations and will be able to offer more details regarding our ministry sites.
What are the age requirements? We ask that all applicants be 18 years old or a high school graduate. We accept adults of all ages, but ask that they be physically able to travel and minister in a developing country where it may be more difficult to get around and harder to accommodate certain dietary restrictions and health problems.
Can my family come with me? Yes. We are happy to work with married couples and families with children.
Where can I serve? Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Mali, Africa Mexico Nicaragua Panama Peru Spain
Christ For the City International Bases
Omaha, NE
Seville, Spain
San Diego, CA Tijuana, Mexico Tuxpan, Mexico
n Salvador, El Salvador
Managua, Nicaragua
San Jose, Costa Rica
Panama City, Panama
Medellin, Colombia Bogota, Colombia Lima, Peru Cochabamba, Bolivia
La Serena, Chile
Cordoba, Argentina
Mali, Africa