Shining the Light

By Colleen Nelson.

When Juan Sebastian Gallo was recruited to be youth director at First Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg in 2017, he arrived from Florida with a fresh eye for the beauty of Greene County and an eagerness to serve the needs of the youth he found here. He soon got to know other out-of-town youth directors - Justin Rhodes from Alabama who had arrived the year before to serve at Waynesburg First Assembly of God in East View and Tim Meeks from Idaho, doing good work at Waynesburg Church of the Nazarene on Dark Hollow Road.

What these “new kids on the block” found here is a microcosm of what youth face in rural communities across America – plenty of scenic vistas but not enough to do and more than enough drugs available to cost them their future before it begins.

What could these new directors on their way to becoming ministers do to make a difference? The answer was to breathe new life into the Greene County Youth Network, organized more than 20 years ago to help youth ministers work together and with others in the community to tackle problems that affect us all. When it comes to not having enough to do, the good old-fashioned act of helping others is a great way for kids of all ages to find new friends and have fun playing on a winning team of spiritual proportions.

“We are committed to taking the message of loving each other into the world and meeting the needs of people beyond our church walls,” Justin tells me at a recent planning meeting, this one held at the First Assembly of God. He, Tim and Juan are there with others from Jefferson Baptist, WWJD Christian Center, Mt. Morris Tabernacle and Lori Lhota of Communities that Care. This county task force helps bring groups together to tackle problems in the community and her fellow organizers are tireless advocates for making a difference in the lives of others. It’s 9 a.m. and they are busy reviewing their lists of things to do that have been ongoing for months, all those little tasks it takes to make their first big community venture – the Love Greene Project – happen.

Neighbors helping neighbors – what a great idea! Love Greene has its own Facebook page full of info about this day of service on September 29 at the EQT REC Center in Waynesburg. Volunteers have been invited to come for a registration breakfast, then fan out across the county to do a few dozen projects, including painting at Bowlby Library, removing carpet, painting a bedroom and building flowerbeds at Cornerstone Bible Ministries on Willis Road, Jefferson. Storerooms will get cleaned at Corner Cupboard and donations sorted at the Cherry Door Thrift Store in Waynesburg. Crews of adults and frisky teens will mow and weedwack at Cedar Grove Cemetery, clear trails at the Greene County Historical Society and Ryerson Station State Park, do roadside cleanup on Rolling Meadows Road and help paint a mural on the wall at Pioneer Grocery in Rogersville. Requests are still coming in from individuals who could use the kind of help they used to get from their kids and grandkids.

Juan Sebastian Gallo (left) and Tim Meeks (right).

“At this point we need about 100 volunteers,” Justin declares, looking up from his laptop to the screen of things to do projected on the wall. “Projects will take about four hours and then we’ll return to the REC Center for lunch. How’s lunch looking, Tim?”

Tim grins from his corner. “No problem. My mom says she’s going to help and she’s a beast in the kitchen. We’ll be fine. But if anyone is volunteering at the REC center after the crews leave, they can certainly help.”

Thanks to a donation from EQT, there is enough money for T-shirts for the first 100 volunteers; businesses and partnering churches and agencies have come up with donations for food, paper products, all those little things that make meetings like these so important.

If it rains, outside projects will be postponed for another day – Love Greene is turning into an ongoing project with plans for the future to be a network of volunteers serving both nonprofits and individuals in need of help around the house, the yard, or just a friendly visit from a neighbor.

Younger kids and their families are signing up to visit residents of the county nursing homes and entertain with music, songs and handmade cards. Those who stay at the REC Center on the day of service will find tables set up for making cards and writing letters to soldiers, inmates and shut-ins along with a chance to help Tim’s awesome mom put on a picnic.

“We’re hoping that other churches and youth organizations join with us,” Juan tells me as we stand on a rainy Wednesday morning meeting shoppers at Waynesburg Farmers Market and letting them know there are volunteers available to help out if they have a project that needs done. “We can get so much more done if we work together.”

To join this new generation of neighbors helping neighbors, or if you know of someone who needs some neighborly help around the house, contact Youth Director Juan Sebastian Gallo at First Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg – 724-627-6006.