What is Project 54?
It is an annual fundraising event of the Wilderness Ministry Institute. The goal is to raise money to outfit indigenous youth workers with the needed gear to share the Gospel with underprivileged youth through outdoor adventure.
How does it work?
Project 54 is made possible by volunteer team leaders who each recruit a team to climb every 14er in the state of Colorado. On August 28th our 54 team leaders will lead a team to the summit of all 54 fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado. Each team leader gathers a team of friends, co-workers, family members, etc. to climb with them. Every person raises pledges on their team’s behalf (think of it as a walk-o-thon on steroids). This year we are asking each team to raise a minimum of $1000 (for example 10 members could ask 10 donors for $10 each). For friendly competition, all the 54 teams donation levels will be tracked on the Project 54 map page so that everyone can know where their team stands. Click here to see the map page
This year we are giving prizes to the three teams with the highest overall cumulative donations:
2009 Summit Photo Contest Winners - First place - $1,000 gift certificate to REI!
- Second place - $750 gift certificate to REI
- Third place - $500 gift certificate to REI
- There are also prizes for the best and most creative summit picture turned in.
Corporate Sponsors
Each peak will also have a corporate sponsor. The Wilderness Ministry Institute represents an international charity, but our partners are local businesses committed to a cause the community cares about.
- To see a full list of our corporate sponsors click here
- To learn how to become a corporate sponsor click here
Who does it benefit?
Donations from Project 54 provide indigenous youth-workers the gear and training they need to lead life-changing wilderness ministry in their country. The countries and regions that WMI works with include: Central Asia, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Belarus, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania, South Africa, Uganda, Greenland and Sweden.
Why so much effort for wilderness?
Solitude and adventure has a significant place in any student ministry program that desires to see radical transformation. The more we invest in indigenous youth missions around the world, we become more convinced of this: If we are going to bring change to our cities and communities, and ultimately the hearts of hurting young people in our world today, we are going to need to find creative ways to quiet the noise for them so they can hear the Father’s voice. Transformation will begin when young people are able to hear the Gospel over the sounds of honking horns, thumping woofers, and angry stressed out parents.
Lets face it, video games, Itunes, the latest situation comedies and reality shows are not going to bring hope or life to young people. Yet this has become their food and drink. The airwaves have become the voices of truth that sing them to sleep at night. Yet consider this: Even in the much-less-technologically busy days of Jesus, even He, the Master, saw it necessary to spend a bulk of His time with a group of young people (His disciples) away from the noise of the city. He went out into the wilderness with them—teaching them how to once again hear the voice of their Heavenly Father. If Jesus made such a concerted effort to get His disciples out of the hustle and bustle to clean out their ears, and minister to their hearts in an era which was much less-technologically noisy than today, then we can certainly conclude that the need for helping kids quiet their souls is equally if not more important right now!
What is the Wilderness Ministry Institute
A group of people committed to initiating and developing Christ-centered, outdoor ministry programs worldwide that are committed to providing the highest possible quality outdoor experience for young people at the lowest possible cost.
Our mission is introducing young people to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith through guided wilderness adventures
“After the meetings I was left feeling excited about the trips and the difference we can make in the kids lives. I felt renewed and refreshed knowing that there is a real quality team to set us up to do a quality job!” – Wide Open Spaces, Christchurch New Zealand.
“Meeting leaders from WMI was a great blessing for our ministry. Their excellent teaching and leadership skills helped us to not only start dreaming about a movement of God in the Czech Republic, but also to go with others into the wilderness and share God with them there. We had the privilege of receiving great WMI training, and then we had the chance to try out what we learned. Each of us realized that there is a big need for teaching these skills in our churches. We appreciate our ongoing relationship with WMI, and we want to see more young people reached for Christ here in one of the most atheistic countries in the world.” -Josiah Venture, KO Czech Republic