In an email to past Mexico Mission trip participants on Friday, June 21, Piedmont Community Church’s Senior Pastor Steve Schibsted said the church would not plan a 2025 trip as it studied the viability of moving forward in the wake of youth pastor Scott Kail’s retirement this year.
Dear Mexico Mission Participant,
It is likely you know by now that Scott Kail has resigned his position as Pastor to Students at Piedmont Community Church. Scott loved the students of our church and Piedmont with all of his heart. He will be missed.Scott led our Mexico Mission Trip for over 20 years. He was passionate about providing students with this amazing experience and was the driving force behind the trip. With the absence of his leadership, I am writing to let you know that we are going to ‘push pause’ on the trip this coming year. The trip is a huge undertaking for our church. We don’t see any way that we could orchestrate the trip this year without Scott.
Before Scott retired, we sensed it was time to take some time to seriously evaluate the future viability of the trip. Due to many issues including crime at the border, transportation complications and rising prices, it has become increasingly difficult to organize and carry out the trip. We are taking a close look at these challenges and will decide whether it is possible to participate in future missions in Mexico or if we need to investigate other service opportunities.
We are very much aware that this trip is loved by many of you and may even be the highlight of your year. There is so much value that is derived from spending a week in Mexico serving families in need.
While it is important that we hear from you as we determine the future of the trip, at this point, we are not sure how we will solicit your opinions – perhaps through surveys, small group meetings or other means. We do know that we will not begin this process until the fall when more people are in town.
Until then, have a great summer,
Steve Schibsted
Senior Pastor
Piedmont Community Church