Service Groups
Since 1983 Harambee Ministries has received service groups – college students, church groups, and missions teams – as an important part of our service and learning base. Service groups serve God by joining us in loving our neighbors in Northwest Pasadena. Groups interact with Harambee staff and learn about Harambee’s history and philosophy while being challenged about the Christian’s responsibility in the city, among the poor, and toward reconciliation. There are opportunities to interact with the children and families in the community. Harambee is blessed by the volunteer labor of service groups.
BOOK YOUR SERVICE GROUP
Email us to schedule your service group.
INFORMATION ABOUT
– Saturday morning service groups
– Week-long service groups
SATURDAY MORNING SERVICE GROUPS
Come from 9am to 1pm, engage in a work project on-site, and be led in bible study and hear the Harambee story from our staff. Great for small groups seeking community service opportunities.
WEEK-LONG SERVICE GROUPS
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
Week-long work groups arrive on Sunday afternoon and depart Saturday by midday. Tentative daily schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, Tuesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. are reserved for community dinner and teaching.
TRANSPORTATION
Bring your own transportation and/or rent a van(s) from the airport for use by your group during your stay. Public transportation is available. If you plan to use public transportation, expect slower transportation times.
RECOMMENDED AIRPORTS
Burbank airport is the closest (20 minutes away). Lowest airfares are often into Los Angeles International (35 minutes away). You can also find some great airfares into Long Beach (40 minutes away), Ontario (50 minutes away) and John Wayne/Orange County (55 minutes away).
HOUSING
Lodging is available in in our Ministry House at 1589 Navarro. This house can accommodate up to 60 people in a gym-floor type setting. There is a kitchen. There are also separate bathrooms for men and women. During the day your belongings must be stowed in a secure location that we will designated for your group (the Ministry House is in heavy program use and sees a lot of foot traffic). Bring sleeping bags and pillows. Individual air mattresses are helpful.
FOOD
Each group provides its own food. The kitchen in the Ministry House has a refrigerator, stove, cupboards, pots and pans, and many items that your group will need. We suggest you plan for a few extra people at each meal, as groups often choose to invite children, staff or neighborhood residents to share a meal and fellowship with them. Supermarkets are about a mile away. The kitchen is also used by our School during the day, so please keep in mind that the kitchen will be shared with our regular staff throughout the time you are here.
WORK PROJECTS
We own six properties and there is always a need for maintenance. Painting, structural repair, light construction, landscaping, dump runs, clean-up, and other projects can be expected.
COSTS
– SATURDAY MORNING SERVICE GROUPS: Project cost: Communicate with our service group director to plan a budget for your work day.
– WEEK-LONG SERVICE GROUP (Sunday 2 Saturday): Housing cost: $15 per person per night. Project cost: Bring $750 or more that will be used for work projects.
SHARING, TEACHING, AND YOUR GROUP’S TEACHABLE SPIRIT
Come with a teachable spirit. Our expectation is that Harambee staff will speak to your group at least 2-3 times during a week long service project. Service groups come to serve in the mission of Harambee, and we at Harambee also have something important to share with your service group, namely, a detailed description of what God has done to transform this community and a vision for how He can accomplish similar transformation where you live. Come with a heart open to receiving from the Harambee community. Among the topics for sharing and teaching are the following: the history of Harambee Center; the biblical view of Christian community development; God’s heart for the poor; justice and compassion; racial reconciliation; and other topics.
PREPARATION
We encourage your service group to prepare in two ways: (1) Study the book of Amos as a team prior to arrival, and (2) Read through the study guide Urban and Multiethnic Outreach.
