The story of God throughout time reveals youth being catalysts for His mission. We believe God wants to use youth to reap in the plentiful harvest (Matthew 9:37). Jesus’ disciples were probably in their late teens to early 20s. They saw Jesus bring about the Kingdom and communicate the gospel to all kinds of people in different lands. After seeing these things, Jesus told them to pray for workers to go out and do the same. A few verses later, Jesus sent out these teenagers to tell of the good news of Jesus in word and deed. The youth we work with are no different. They have the capacity to embrace their identity and calling and to live with a purpose, joining God in His redemptive plan.

CIY Missions exists to build Kingdom workers through urban, international and specialty experiences. Through these experiences, youth will be placed alongside trusted church planters, missionaries and/or men and women promoting the Kingdom of God through different industries (medical, business, agriculture, surfing, etc.). Our prayer is that God’s call on their lives will be amplified by their worship of God through serving and loving their neighbor.

Our experiences intentionally focus on serving the missionary or worker in that region, not a project. We want youth to relate and see what their lives really are about: the good, hard, funny and ugly. In doing so, maybe they, too, will join God in serving like these people do.

We offer these experiences to help youth understand who God created them to be and how they can love others by:
• Cultivating a servant heart
• Listening to the Holy Spirit
• Denying self

The purpose is simply to glorify God. We want to join Jesus in raising the next generation of Kingdom workers who will have a vision to see the world as God does and sacrificially love it as Jesus did. In the end, we want to point our participants and those whom we serve to Jesus.

Know Sweat Service Projects began in 1995 and exists to help students connect the heart of God with the needs of others through acts of service. It is our goal to amplify God’s call in the lives of students to serve the world around them. We believe service is a foundational part of being a Christian and something that needs to be done more than just once a year.

Each summer, hundreds of students from youth groups all over the country attend a week of Know Sweat where they provide acts of service, such as painting houses, repairing decks, minor yard work, ministry outreach and community service. These tasks are done for those who are elderly, are considered to be low income or are disabled.

What sets Know Sweat apart from other service opportunities is the intentionality of every aspect of the experience. Beyond just the service project is the need to help students connect with God’s heart. This is accomplished through four pillars that each week is built around: morning devotions, worksite discussions, Connection and youth-group time. Connection is a student intentional program filled with singing, preaching, interactive elements and practical activities that help connect God’s Word to what students are doing at their worksite.

Our goal at Know Sweat is to help student ministries engage in service for more than just one week during the summer. A week at Know Sweat helps a student realize the needs of those around them. It also gives them a tangible way to use the gifts God has given them to make a lasting impact in the lives of a total stranger. Know Sweat goes far beyond a simple conference where participants sit and listen. It gives students the opportunity to put their faith into action.