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Dexter, ME sits on the 45th parallel—the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Since its founding in 1816, Dexter has built an exquisite history full of ups and downs.
Dexter, ME sits on the 45th parallel—the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Since its founding in 1816, Dexter has built an exquisite history full of ups and downs. Growing in success due to its location on the Sebasticook River, the mills, factories, and manufacturing plants provided stability for many residents. Since their closings, many have moved away, leaving Dexter’s elderly population in need of assistance and extra love.
Without the resources to do home repairs themselves, Workcamps has a tremendous opportunity to help build strength for a community in need.
Dexter is a tight knit community who strives to grow as one. Together, the residents of Dexter have a heart for their small town and are thrilled to have visitors stop in. With a population of 3,895 and Lake Wassookeag right in the center of the community,
Dexter is a perfect location for a Workcamp and a week of meaningful change.
Our Partner
Our local partner has been involved with Group Workcamps for many years. From working as a youth pastor to cosponsoring past Workcamps and serving as a volunteer, our partner and his team are ready to bring an amazing camp to Dexter.
Date | Availability | Age | Register | Save Trip |
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- | AvailableCall for Availability |
Senior High (14+) | Register |
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Participants will stay in a facility with *full air-conditioning. This facility only has a few indoor showers: 4 private ones per gender. We'll either be building outdoor showers or bringing in shower trailers for additional. Everyone will be sleeping on floors, gender-separate, so bring your air-mattresses!
*Subject to change
In Dexter, projects will include full exterior prep and painting of homes, weatherizing mobile homes, installing new steps, porches, and ramps, and much more!
A "typical" day at Group Workcamp involves serving others, "God Sightings," daily devotions, and interactive worship programs. Your schedule will look similar to this:
Every year, the Group Mission Trips team dedicates extensive time and energy to create a new Jesus-centered program experience through morning and evening programs, crew devotions, and youth group devotions (included in participant handbooks). Programs are designed so that you don't just look to a stage, but look to Jesus.
Our well-trained staff leads programs daily. Plus, you and your youth have the opportunity to serve by leading parts of each worship program through music, drama, Scripture reading, and other hands-on experiences. Feel free to bring guitars, drums, harmonicas, banjos, and great voices!
Make-up tips, viral videos, and giving away large amounts of money to complete strangers are a few ways young people have found themselves becoming famous, influential, and extremely wealthy. Along with social media, we’re all influenced by the people around us through news, music, work, school, sports, and basically anywhere we direct our attention. Whether we think so or not, everyone is an influencer in some way or another. Everything we do is watched by our friends, family, peers, and others around us, making an impression and having influence.
Our goal with the program this year is to help students navigate the many influences in their lives and encourage them to look toward Jesus, the greatest influencer of all time, so they use their influence to positively change their culture. Romans 12:2
While you are in Dexter, you can explore nature, bike, kayak, ATV, or just relax on the beach.
Visit Lake Wassookeag, a natural spring fed lake that has a wonderful coastline, during your free day or stop into the Lake Shore restaurant next door to the lake, a great local spot to enjoy a bite to eat. The largest mountain lake in the northeast is just 45 minutes north in beautiful Greenville, Maine.
Finally, try a whoopie pie, a Maine red hot dog, or a lobster roll as you explore this beautiful and unique city! You won’t regret it!
Jr/Sr High trips: Must be at least 11 years old OR entering the 6th grade in the fall of the same year as your trip.
Sr High trips: Must be at least 14 years old OR entering the 9th grade in the fall of the same year as your trip..
We normally split groups up into work crews. But, we are willing to work with your group on how you’d like to split into crews. Our work crews are made up of six people with usually one or two adults and four or five youth--typically each person from a different church. If you’d like to have your youth meet new friends and develop friendships outside of your youth group, then allow us to split up your group. If you have specific church safety rules that require your group to be together, we are more than happy to arrange that for your group as well. Our top priority is to partner with you to arrange the best experience for your youth group and help you meet your ministry goals.
Yes, you must have 1 adult (21 years of age or older) for every 5 youth (20 years of age and under). If both boys and girls are registered in your group, you must have at least one male adult and one female adult registered for supervision at night.
Yes, Group Mission Trips requires all participants 18 years of age or older be screened and background checked by their church prior to attending.
For Workcamp Classic
A "typical" day at Group Workcamp involves serving others, "God Sightings," daily devotions, and interactive worship programs. Your schedule will look similar to this:
Check-in: Sunday between 12-2 p.m.
3 p.m First program, followed by the Adult Meeting
5 p.m. Dinner
7 p.m. Evening Program, everyone will get to meet their work crews!
8:30 p.m. Youth group devotions
11 p.m. Lights-out
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
6:45 a.m. Rise and shine!
7:00 a.m. Breakfast, gather supplies and sack lunches
8:00 a.m. Morning program and then depart for work sites!
12:00 p.m. On-site lunch and devotions
3:30 p.m. Return to lodging for clean-up and free time
5:00 p.m. Dinner
7:30 p.m. Evening program
8:30 p.m. Youth group devotions
11:00 p.m. Lights-out
Wednesday:
Same schedule as the other days until 12:30 p.m.
12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Youth groups have free time (dinner is on their own)
7:30 p.m. The Variety Show and Evening Program start
8:30 p.m. Youth group devotions
11:00 p.m. Lights-out
Check-out: Saturday by 9:00 a.m.
For Workcamp Flex
6:45 AM - 8:00 AM : Flexible! (Rise and shine, breakfast - on your own)
8:00 AM: Morning program (At camp facility)
8:30 AM: Depart for project sites together
12:00 PM: Worksite lunch & devotions (Provided)
3:30 PM: Return for camp check-in (At camp facility)
4:00 PM - 7:30 PM: Flexible! (dinner, free time - on your own)
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Evening program (At camp facility)
8:30 PM -11:00 PM: Flexible! (youth group devotions, free time, lights out - on your own)
Your participants will provide home repairs at no cost for elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged people who need your help. Work crews typically serve the same resident for the entire trip, creating an environment where meaningful relationships develop.
Most projects are designed to be completed during the trip, allowing your group to experience the satisfaction of a job well done. You’ll serve the needs of others through projects like interior and exterior painting, building or repairing porches and wheelchair ramps, building or repairing steps, weatherization and other home repairs. No skills are needed!
Tools:
Each group is asked to bring painting and construction tools including rollers, gloves, hammers, circular saws, post hole diggers, electric drills, ladders, etc. A cooler and water jug is also needed for every 6 people–these keep lunch and water cold for participants on their work site. The full tool list is available for the registered youth leader under their customer account.
Personal Items:
The full packing list is also located under the registered youth leader’s customer account but it’s pretty much what you’d expect. Water jugs and coolers for lunches, work gloves, and modest clothing appropriate for a Christian mission trip.
Safety is our top priority!
We require groups to bring 1 adult (21 or older) for every 5 participants that are under 21 years of age.
We require participants that are 18 and older to be screened and nationally background-checked by their church every 2 years. Their pastor signs off that they meet Group Mission Trips’ requirements and are approved to attend.
Every staff member has been screened, background-checked, and reference checked by GMT.
We review safety procedures at camp—appropriate close-toes shoes/boots, gloves, and goggles are recommended.
Participants are not required to do any work that they consider unsafe. Participants may be using a drill for screws, but no one under the age of 16 can use a power tool or drill for drilling holes. No one under the age of 18 can use a power saw.
Our staff visits each work site at least twice by the time of camp and the first thing a crew will do when they arrive at their work site is check for potential safety issues.
Although we do serve in needy areas, we require work crews to stay together at all times. No one should ever be left alone and all participants are back at the camp facility by their designated check-in time.
Site coaches and other GMT staff visit work sites daily so they are aware of where a crew is working and any issues in the area.
Every work crew has the direct phone number to the GMT office and directions to the closest hospital. If an injury occurs on the work site, and is not serious, GMT staff will contact the youth leader and coordinate any transportation needed. If the injury is serious, the adult on site will call 911 and GMT staff will offer support and ensure needed medical forms are delivered to the hospital.
Each work crew will have a small first aid kit and a bigger one in each vehicle.
For Workcamp Classic
A Workcamp can hold up to 400 participants and we house them all typically at a middle or high school. Group Mission Trip staff transforms the facility into a home away from home–there will be a separate boy’s hall and girl’s hall, a cafeteria for meals, adequate bathrooms and showers, and either a gym or auditorium for programs.
Participants need to bring twin-size air mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags or other bedding to sleep on classroom floors. Youth groups are assigned to sleeping rooms together, gender separate. Sleeping rooms may be shared with other youth groups, depending on the size of groups and the size of the room.
Registered groups can see more information about their lodging facility online on their Customer Account under Lodging Info. The primary contact will have access to the lodging facility’s address.
For Workcamp Flex
Your group can stay wherever you choose. It could be a local church that might house you for free; a hotel with a pool, air conditioning, and other amenities; or maybe even camp in the great outdoors. Where you stay is flexible!
For Workcamp Classic
Meals will consist of hot breakfasts, picnic-style lunches, and hot dinners. All meals will be prepared for participants by kitchen staff. Picnic-style lunches will be assembled in the mornings and brought to work sites. The first provided meal is dinner on Sunday and the last meal is breakfast on Saturday. IMPORTANT NOTE: Dinner is NOT provided on Wednesday, youth groups have free time this day and dinner is on their own.
For registered groups: If you have a participant that has to eat gluten-free--please let us know. We can have a few gluten free options at camp, but need to know in advance to plan. The sample menu is located on your customer account, under Helpful Resources, and under Schedule, Menu, and Packing. Share this with your participants so they can start planning. Participants with special diets or allergies are welcome to bring their own food items to fill in as needed during the week. Please know that we do have peanut butter on the menu. Group Mission Trips is unable to guarantee there will not be any cross-contamination during meal preparation by kitchen staff. There will be a staff member available at camp who will be able to answer any questions about food. Click here for a visual on accommodations for dietary restrictions.
For Workcamp Flex
We provide picnic-style lunch at your Work Site, but you choose what you eat for breakfast and dinner each day. You may choose to eat out at local restaurants, order pizza, buy groceries and cook your meals, or even grill out over an open fire. What you choose to eat is up to you; meals are flexible!
If you have a participant that has to eat gluten-free–please let us know. We can have a few gluten-free options at camp but need to have an accurate number to plan for. The sample menu is available to youth leaders under their customer account and under Helpful Resources. Share this with your participants so they can start planning. Participants with special diets or allergies are welcome to bring their own food items to fill in as needed during the week. Please know that we do have peanut butter on the menu. GMT is unable to guarantee there will not be any cross-contamination during meal preparation by kitchen staff. There will be a staff member available at camp who will be able to answer any questions about food.
Focused on Jesus. Our goal is to point people to Jesus. Programs focus on Bible passages and daily themes that challenge us to respond to Jesus in ways we will never forget.
Interactive. People learn better by doing. Participants will be involved in sharing, speaking, singing, acting,reflecting...not just sitting and watching.
Relevant. Through creative multimedia, thought provoking sound and video, and moving contemporary worship, programs are designed to reach everyone.
Fun. Relationship-building activities, games and having fun are part of every program. Expect to have a great time!
*Deposits are non-refundable. Registration fees are in U.S. dollars and can be paid by check, money order, or credit card.
**There are no refunds after May 15th.
Payments can be made:
Call us! If there’s space available in your camp, we’ll ask for necessary payment. If you have a cancellation, and you’ve exhausted all efforts to re-fill spaces, call us to make cancellations. We’ll adjust your balance accordingly. 1-844-258-9616. Deposits are non-refundable. There are no refunds after May 15th.
Cancellations have a huge effect on the people we serve--it is devastating news to them when we have to cancel. Based on the number of registered participants, we plan for lodging, food orders, work materials and staffing–just for starters. Also, depending on the time of year, sometimes it’s simply impossible for us to re-fill cancelled spaces.
We recognize that unexpected events happen that can pull participants away from their original commitment. Give us a call, we are happy to talk through ideas to recruit other participants and keep your group intact. If there is no other option but to cancel your group, call us by May 15th to let us know. Deposits are non-refundable. There are no refunds after May 15th.
For Workcamp Classic
For Workcamp Flex
Picnic-style lunch at your Work Site each day.
Site selection and organization.
Supplies and project materials for each work site.
Bible-based thematic, fun, faith-building programs.
Devotions to do before, during, and after camp.
Director, MC, and up to 14 other highly-trained staff to handle all the details.
An online customer account full of camp information and resources to help prepare you and your group for camp.
Unlimited customer support from professional and courteous staff.
T-shirt and Mission Handbook for each participant.
We ask that all participants arrive on time and stay for the entire time. Every part of the program is valuable and helps guarantee a life-changing experience. We really try not to make too many exceptions to this because it does affect other participants, residents, and work projects. Please check the schedule and make travel arrangements accordingly. Contact us if a situation arises.
All trips are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register early. However, if you register for a trip that's full, we'll give you a choice: Join the waiting list for your first choice, or register for your second-choice location. Call us. We're eager to help!
Absolutely! Don’t just take our word for it. Give us a call 1-844-258-9616 and we’d be happy to connect you with other youth leaders who have served with us.
Our payment policy is designed to give you the most flexibility when reserving your mission trip experience with Group Mission Trips.
Register June-October 31st: No deposit is required to register until October 31st. Then, a $50 non-refundable deposit per person is due.*
Register November 1st-March 14th: Pay the $50 deposit* per person upon registration.
Register March 15th-May 14th: Pay the $50 deposit* per person plus 50% of your group’s balance upon registration.
Register after May 15th: Final balance is due upon registration.**
*Deposits are non-refundable. Registration fees are in U.S. dollars and can be paid by check, money order, or credit card.
**There are no refunds after May 15th.
We've worked with many of our local partners for years and serve on each of these trips ourselves so we have tons of information to share with you. If you'd like to request more information about this location, please fill out the form below and one of our Trip Advisors will get back to you as soon as possible.
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