Children's ministry
Daycare programs, games, and possible field trips to places like the zoo or a museum.
Mission trips to
Chicago Mission Trips
Street outreach, refugee ministry, and kids who need a lap to sit on, all inside one city.
- Length
- 5 or 7 days
- Ages
- 11+
- Group size
- 15+
- From
- $495
The story
Why Chicago.
Chicago gives your students a city-sized mission field without leaving the country. Your team works out of a local church and spends the week among people the city often overlooks: men sleeping on the street, refugees waiting on their paperwork, and kids in daycare programs who need an adult to play with them. It is the kind of place where a youth group learns that ministry is mostly showing up.
One of our teams prayed for a group of men sheltering under the overhang of a muffler shop. When they came back the next day, a man who had not been able to stand was walking. The trip leader said the team came away encouraged to pray with authority and expectation, and that is the posture we hope your students take home from Chicago.
Your days vary. You might spend a morning in a daycare running games or taking kids on a field trip to the zoo or a museum, then an afternoon on the street building relationships with unhoused men and serving in a shelter. Work project teams help build a playground at a local public school, and the refugee ministry needs hands to provide clothing, showers, laundry, and meals to people awaiting official status.
At the end of each day you come back to the church for a hot dinner and a debrief with your Mission Leader. The leaders who serve Chicago have hundreds of reviews between them, and they know how to help a group of teenagers process what they saw on the street. Trips run five or seven days starting at $495, which keeps Chicago within reach of most church budgets.
Part of Domestic Mission Trips
Trip ratings
Overall experience ratings.
Overall experience
100%5 stars
- 5 stars
- 100%
- 4 stars
- 0%
- 3 stars
- 0%
- 2 stars
- 0%
- 1 star
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Average ratings by category Out of 5
- Pre-Trip Communication
- 4.5
- Lodging
- 4.5
- Ministry Activities & Experience
- 4.8
- Overall Site Rating
- 4.7
- Overall Experience
- 4.8
Nappanee Missionary Church 
Nappanee Missionary Church 
Nappanee Missionary Church
The work
What you'll do.
Community Service
Homeless ministry
Street outreach, relationship-building, and service in a shelter.
Work projects
Help build a playground at a local public school.
Refugee ministry
Provide clothing, showers, laundry, and meals to refugees awaiting official status.
Nappanee Missionary Church 
Nappanee Missionary Church
Programs
Who this trip is for.
Chicago is for youth groups and adult teams of 15 or more, ages 11 and up. With capacity for 50 a week and five- or seven-day options, it works for a mid-sized student ministry or a few churches combining. Groups under 15 should ask us about other trips.
The details
Upcoming trips & cost.
| Location | Length | Cost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2027 – Mar 5, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Mar 6, 2027 – Mar 12, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
| Mar 8, 2027 – Mar 12, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Mar 13, 2027 – Mar 19, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
| Mar 15, 2027 – Mar 19, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Mar 20, 2027 – Mar 26, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
| Mar 22, 2027 – Mar 26, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Mar 27, 2027 – Apr 2, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
| Mar 29, 2027 – Apr 2, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Apr 3, 2027 – Apr 9, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
| Apr 5, 2027 – Apr 9, 2027 | Illinois | 5 days | $495 | Request |
| Apr 10, 2027 – Apr 16, 2027 | Illinois | 7 days | $545 | Request |
From the groups
They Came to Serve. They Left Changed.
“One veteran especially impacted me when he passionately asked us to come back, reminding me how meaningful even a few hours of genuine connection can be.”
Nappanee Missionary Church “One of the most impactful moments of the trip was worshiping alongside the Bethel church family and experiencing Church on the Street.”
Nappanee Missionary Church “I realized that God is not distant, He is always present and ready to meet us.”
Nappanee Missionary Church
Logistics
Where you'll stay, eat, and get around.
Lodging
Your team stays on site at the church, sleeping on the floor. Bring a sleeping pad or air mattress plus blankets or a sleeping bag. Hotels are optional at roughly $25 to $35 per person per day extra.
Meals
Breakfast is cold cereal, fruit, and bagels, with hot options possible. Lunch is a packed sandwich, fruit, and a side. Hot dinners are served at the church after ministry, and your team helps with prep and serving.
Transportation
Groups can drive or fly in. Parking is available on site and vans are recommended, since your group provides its own transportation to and from ministry sites each day.
Travel tips: Five-day trips are $495 and seven-day trips are $545, with start dates from March through August in 2027 and 2028. Vans make the week much easier.
Your destination guide
Plan your trip.
Download the Chicago destination guide
PDF, 3 pages, 4.0 MB
Who Has God Called Me to Serve?
Chicago is a world-class city that feels like home and exudes classic, Midwestern friendliness. In this town, your neighborhood defines you in a city that is very proud of its community. Chicago is very cosmopolitan with people of all backgrounds and walks of life. Our ministry hosts have established deep roots of friendships with the residents in the areas where you will serve. You will be able to build off this foundation of trust and build your own relationships with locals.
Chicago has both a grit and a unique passion. Will you come, join the community, and share the love of Jesus in this historic city?
Dress Code Policy
It is important to remember that when you are on the field ministering, you are representing God, Adventures In Missions, and local missionaries. Modesty is the key to all clothing you decide to bring with you. If you are questioning whether or not you should bring it, then leave it at home. Here are a few guidelines for clothing choices:
- Bring something modest to sleep in.
- No short, tight, or clingy clothing is permitted. This means no yoga pants or leggings.
- Sleeveless shirts and tank tops that are 2" wide are permitted on girls. No sleeveless shirt of any form is permitted for guys.
- If you cannot raise your arms above your head or touch your toes without showing your stomach or lower back, leave it at home.
- Shorts must come to the top of the knee. Capris or loose fitted joggers are great options.
- Skirts and dresses should be below or close to the knee.
- Make sure clothes are not stained and/or torn (except for clothes for painting/heavy manual labor). You do not have to wear your best clothing, but make yourselves presentable. It may be offensive to the locals if you look sloppy
- Fly into
- O'Hare Airport & Midway Airport
Ground transportation details are in "Where you'll stay, eat, and get around." above.
What not to pack
- Any item that supports a focus on appearance
- Any item that isolates people from participating with the rest of the group
- Anything you aren't willing to part with
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What Will I Do?
- Children's Ministry
- Homeless Outreach
- Prayer and Street Outreach
- Work Projects
- Refugee Ministry
Fun Activities
- Millennium Park
- The Bean
- Wrigley Field
- Navy Pier
- River walk
- Michigan Avenue
Schedule
| Time / Slot | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | Breakfast + Devotional | Breakfast + Devotional | Breakfast + Devotional | Breakfast + Devotional | Breakfast + Devotional | Breakfast + Devotional | |
| Morning Ministry | Worship | Elderly Ministry | Food Pantry | Park Evangelism | Food Pantry | Departure | |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | ||
| Afternoon Ministry | Arrival | Work Projects | Children's Ministry | Free Afternoon | Homeless Ministry | Community Outreach Block Party | |
| 6:00 PM | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | |
| 7:00 PM / 8:00 PM | Orientation + Worship | Debrief + Worship | Debrief + Worship | Debrief + Worship | Debrief + Worship | Debrief + Worship | |
| 9:00 PM | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | Free Time | |
| 10:00 PM | Lights Out | Lights Out | Lights Out | Lights Out | Lights Out | Lights Out |
How we keep teams safe is covered in the "Safety." section above.
- AIM office, toll free: 800-881-2461
- AIM office, local: 770-983-1060
Peace of mind
Safety.
The safety of our participants is a priority for us. We have an internal Risk Management team and external Risk Management consultants. We monitor information from reporting agencies and rely on the knowledge of our ministry partners. Teams will follow both AIM safety protocols and location specific guidelines provided by our ministry hosts. Adventures In Missions (AIM) Mission Leaders are well-trained and experienced leaders. Their purpose is to plan, prepare, and direct your mission team. Your group leaders and chaperones are responsible for the safety and security of the participants under their care. AIM Mission Leaders will lead and advise the group leader on how they can best lead, care for, and protect the participants in accordance with their Mission Leader training, and cultural constraints for the location in which you are serving.
Watch
See Chicago.
Gallery
Photos from Chicago.
Questions
Good to know.
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