St. Louis, MO at Urban Mission Inn

Return to https://www.betheneighbor.org/2024summer-trips to register! 

Be The Neighbor at Urban Mission Inn in St. Louis is a CONNECT TRIP, ideal for Grades 8-12, College/Young Adult, and Intergenerational groups.

Available Dates:

• June 16 - 21: 15 spots left
• June 23 - 28: 10 spots left
• July 7 - 12: FILLED
• July 14 - 19: FILLED
• July 21 - 26: FILLED

St. Louis, Missouri is a beautiful city on the Mississippi River, often called the Gateway to the West and marked by The Gateway Arch. St. Louis is a community committed to making its many attractions available to all, including the 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.

Sadly, St. Louis is also a city marked by a history and present-day reality of racism and its impact on all who live there. A significant marker in the city is known at the Delmar Divide. The Delmar Divide refers to Delmar Boulevard and is 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 seeking to heal the divisions and build lives. One such endeavor is 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. In addition, there are many other nonprofits collaborating to transform the divide into a connection for wholeness and healing.

Groups who choose the Connect Trip with Urban Mission Inn-Be the Neighbor in St. Louis will learn about the Delmar Divide and how such divides may exist in their home communities. Your group will connect and work with Delmar DivINE and other not-for-profits, 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 strive to live out their faith to bring hope and new possibilities through direct service, advocacy, and the arts. Out of these experiences, you will have the opportunity to imagine and plan ways to address issues of racism and poverty in your own community.

Summer programming begins on Sunday evening and concludes on Friday morning. You may stay an additional night to see the city for an additional $10 per person. (Check out is by 10 am on Saturday morning.) You will stay at the Urban Mission Inn at Union Avenue Christian Church.

Programming begins on Sunday evening and concludes on Friday morning. You may stay an additional night to see the city for an additional $10 per person. (Check out is by 10 am on Saturday morning.) 

Cost is $350 per participant and includes: 

• Breakfast and Lunch, Monday morning through Friday morning. (Dinners on your own.) 
• Lodging in a local church. 
• A dedicated Site-Coordinator & trained young adult staff to facilitate your week. 
• Fully planned service and educational experiences. 
• Honorariums for speakers, costs for activities, entrance fees. 
• A t-shirt for each participant. 
• Discussion guides for small groups. 
• Online training for your adult leaders in late May or early June. 

Note that your group is responsible for transportation during the week.