About Urban Immersion Service Retreats

Certainly life is not fair, but have you ever asked yourself; "Why not? — why can't it be?" Urban Immersion Service Retreats train people to ask that question and discover their personal role in the answer.

Since 1997, we have trained more than 5,000 people to fight the fair fight. We rally volunteers from the faith community, educate them about real-life urban poverty, translate that knowledge into action, and relate the entire experience to Christian beliefs. The retreats are a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC).

We network with Twin Cities homeless shelters, battered women's centers, crisis nurseries, affordable housing projects, food shelves, and senior centers to give retreat participants a chance to serve and connect more personally with the circum- stances of struggling urban families. For some retreat groups the connection may be hands-on, such as serving a meal to families in a shelter, for other groups it may mean working behind the scenes, such as painting a crisis nursery.

What You'll Learn

Whether a weekend or a week-long retreat, the first portion of the experience is spent unraveling the unique struggles of people living without. Participants learn to put a face on the homeless and discover just how young that face can be. They grapple with the survival choices working-poor families must make each month. What would you do? Opt for cheaper child care to afford an apartment in a safer neighborhood? Forego health insurance to pay the rent and hope no one gets sick? Participants also learn what role self-worth, chemical dependency, racism, and domestic violence play in poverty and what is being done to break the cycle.

The second part of the retreat experience places volunteers in the community, helping those who need it. The third portion gives volunteers a chance to talk about what they have learned, relate it to their faith, and set goals for the future.

If the phrase: "Life's not fair" is a call to action for you, join us.