CHAPTER EIGHT: EMPLOYEE SERVICES AND PRIVILEGES

8.21 Staff Participation in Student Ministries

Many student ministry service projects take place during the spring semester & over summer break each year to serve in another community and experience another culture.

Potter's Clay is a ministry with the people of Ensenada, Mexico. Ministries throughout Ensenada include sports, construction, VBS and medical ministries with ample opportunity for staff involvement in any area. Spring Break in the City ministers in inner-cities, serving each city’s most disadvantaged populations in youth centers and homeless shelters.

Emmaus Road sends out student teams to partner with full-time missionaries and mission organizations around the world. These summer service projects have resulted in intimately connecting Westmont students with their brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe, challenging students to intersect gifting, passions, and study with living life on mission, and providing an outlet to share how God is, in fact, moving in all corners of our planet.

Westmont believes these trips can provide invaluable experiences for both students and staff members as they interact, work, serve and learn alongside one another and those from other cultures and circumstances. Employees are encouraged to join students in these ministries under the following guidelines:

1. Some staff are asked to participate as one of their job duties.
2. A few staff members each year may be granted up to three extra vacation days to enable them to attend. In order to qualify, each staff member must agree to become a member of the ministry team, take part in all preparation activities, and remain in the ministry location for at least three days. Anyone who is interested should obtain approval from his or her supervisors to be away from work, and if desired, request the extra vacation days. Vice Presidents will evaluate employee requests for the extra vacations days. Requests from first time participants will be given preference.
3. Employees may also volunteer to participate by taking the time off without pay, or by using their own available paid vacation time. You’ll still need to become a member of the ministry team, take part in all preparation activities, and should obtain approval from your supervisors to be away from work.
4. For staff members who volunteer to attend these trips over consecutive years, the extra vacations days may not be granted every time.