Ireland & Scotland

While you’ll most likely connect well with Irish and Scottish teens, intentional relationships are pivotal in building wonder for exploring and sharing the Gospel. Young people in both countries consider God “irrelevant” and have little interest in spiritual things. You’ll also most likely be encountering Roma Gypsies (from Eastern Europe or Pakistani), Indians (from East Asia), and some people from the Middle East, which means ministering from a whole new perspective.  

Therefore, your ministry will really focus hard on building relationships and simply getting to know people. Once relationships are built and you’ve developed trust, you’ll be able to talk about Christ in a low-key, no pressure environment. You and your team will probably partner with the churches to host “drop-in” youth clubs, do street performances, and run VBS programs as well.

Royal Servants takes the safety and health of each participant seriously. We go to great lengths to ensure that participants remain healthy and safe throughout the trip. Therefore, no participant is allowed to be alone in any city; Royal Servants always travel in groups of three or more, and when possible, with either a male or Summer Staff in each group. The Trip Leaders also continually monitor conditions within the host country both before and during the trip. If a situation arises that threatens the security of the team, either politically or from environmental conditions, the team will be moved to a stable location.

Ministering in Ireland and Scotland and debriefing in London will provide countless things to do and places to explore! You’ll get to roam deserted beaches and search out crumbling thousand-year-old castles on Ireland’s North Coast, wander narrow, winding medieval streets of Glasgow, get lost in the lush meadows and rolling hills of Dunoon, or leave Buckingham Palace and stroll along the famous Thames River while keeping your eyes on Big Ben.

You’ll find out right away that the Irish have a strong spirit of independence and are proud of their rich heritage of music, literature, and dance. Their official food mascot? The potato! The Irish tend to be night owls, and your ministry activities often start late and end even later! But don’t fret, if there’s one thing Ireland knows how to do right, it’s a proper cup of tea to keep you going. 

And the Scots? Your first cultural experience will be trying to understand what the Scottish are saying to you. And due to an influx of immigrants from around the world, Scotland is now a melting pot of culture whose streets are a mix of plaid kilts, Asian turbans, and colorful middle-Eastern hijabs. You’ll find a quintessential Scottish pub side by side to a curry restaurant with street performers competing for your attention in the shade of castle turrets. If we are lucky we might get to see the local clans compete in the Highland games!

A student on the team recently said, "I never would have believed that I was capable of truly influencing another person’s life. I am blessed that God has chosen me and that He wants to use me to bring others into a joyful relationship with Jesus.”

You will have numerous opportunities to trust God and grow in your relationship with Christ. And if you come with an open heart and willingness to serve, you’ll learn what it means to place your identity in Christ and serve selflessly. We want to see you grow in such a way that your parents won't recognize you when you return!

If you are comfortable working in a post-Christian, multi-ethnic location, are not intimidated by those who think that your faith is outdated, irrelevant, and insignificant, and if the thought of getting to know people and developing friendships in a laid-back, relational way is appealing, then the Ireland/Scotland mission trip might be right for you. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if you enjoy listening to their beautiful accents.

Your team will shop locally and prepare most of its meals as a group. Both are “meat and potatoes” cultures, and you’ll enjoy most of their food. And each excels at the art of fish-n-chips. Even if you don’t like fish, you have to try it, and you just may come away a new believer in the importance of the mom and pop “chippy” down the road! And the local bakeries? Too terrific to talk about, and good luck staying away.

You and your teammates will be going lean-and-mean by sleeping on the floors of the churches that you partner with. So pack your sleeping bag and mat and find a cozy corner!

Once ministry wraps up, you’ll head south to spend the last five days in London, England. Debriefing is all about ending well and preparing for transition, so time and space will be made to process your summer of ministry and reflect on the things you’ve experienced God doing in your life. We want to see you equipped to successfully take what you've learned and apply it to your life back home.

Though the team will land in Dublin, your ministry time will be spent in Northern Ireland. You’ll begin working with Christ Church in the Belfast suburb of Dundonald. From there, you and the team will go to the city of Coleraine and make it our home base as we will venture out daily to the surrounding communities by train. We will visit Portrush's community of skateboarders and surfers, Londonderry's Hope Ministries serving in many different capacities such as store fronts, street evangelism, prayer ministry, etc.

Then it’s off to Scotland, using a ferry to travel the 12 miles between the two countries. Your ministry will begin in the picturesque town of Dunoon, where Royal Servants has a long history of involvement in the community and with local churches doing ministry in and around the town. It’s safe to say you’ll be inspired and challenged to embrace your home with the same zeal and passion as the believing Scottish community does theirs.