Youth Unlimited Magazine | Fall 2012

THE CHIGAO PROJECT 2013 SERVE SITE DESCRIPTION & DATES

More Than a Cookie Cutter Mission Trip: SHORT-TERM MISSIONS REQUIRE FLEXABILITY

live it details

2013 Faith- Forming Experiences

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SPIRITUAL LIFE MATERIAL NOW AVAILABLE Youth Unlimited has taken our Serve spiritual life material, Shalom: Peace No Matter What, and turned it into a seven lesson curriculum that can be adjusted to fit the exact needs of your church’s youth ministry.

The curriculum comes with a leader’s guide that includes many helpful hints for starting discussions, connecting scripture to everyday life, looking for God sightings, being intentional about prayer and more.

Also available for purchase is the coinciding Shalom: Peace No Matter What trip resources packet.

Purchase both the curriculum and trip resources together for a discounted price!

For usability and ease, these resources are downloadable as Microsoft Word Documents. Making changes to fit the context of your group and reproducing the material has never been easier.

USE CURRICULUM FOR:

TRIP RESOURCES INCLUDES:

• Large group meetings

• Speaker notes

• Small group Bible studies

• Pre or post-trip lesson starters

• Education hour material

• Commissioning litany • Debriefing for the trip home

YOUTHUNLIMITED.ORG 2

• Follow-up sessions

Contents OPENING NOTE: The church is alive ......................................................pg. 5 experience overview .....................................................................pg. 6 live it .............................................................................................................pg. 8 the chicago project ......................................................................pg. 14 2012 summer pictures ................................................................pg. 18 serve ............................................................................................................pg. 20 articles

YOUTH UNLIMITED | FALL 2012 This informational guide is printed in the United States as a free resource to churches across North America. It is published triannually by Youth Unlimited, Grand Rapids, MI. Youth Unlimited has a rich 90 year history of assisting churches ministering to youth. Birthed out of the Christian Reformed Church, Youth Unlimited remains committed to the reformed perspective while serving alongside congregations of any denomination. We strongly believe that the local church is the tool God is using to reveal Himself to this world, and we are blessed to partner with congregations to offer faith-forming experiences that reach this generation of youth for Jesus Christ!

Design & Publication Director | Jim Bowerman Contributing Editors | Megan Nollet, Alesha Ebeling Contributing Writers | Jerry Meadows, Jeff Kruithof, Bekah Williamson, Millie Hoekstra, Jim Bowerman Cover Photo Credit | Megan Eilean Photography

a hand up...................................................................................................pg. 30

USA | Postmaster, please send undeliverable copies and address changes to:

beyond service ...................................................................................pg. 31

Youth Unlimited PO Box 7259 Grand Rapids, MI 49510

more than a cookie cutter mission trip..................pg. 32 changing the world ......................................................................pg. 34

They are QR codes: two-dimensional bar-

Youth Unlimited PO Box 1100 Norwich, ON, N0J 1P0

codes that can be read by smart phones.

THE YOUTH UNLIMITED TEAM:

Own a smart phone?

Executive Director: Jeff Kruithof 616.241.5616 ext. 3043 jeff@youthunlimited.org

Not sure what these boxes are?

1.

Download the app.

2.

Scan the code.

Hold your phone over the a code and use its camera and a QR app to read the QR code.

3.

Canada | Canada Post International Sales Agreement #41124116. Please send undeliverable copies and address changes to:

Enjoy!

The QR code will direct you to a site, a video, music, photo or other goody.

No smart phone?

Look for the link at the bottom of the page.

Missions Director: Jerry Meadows 616.241.5616 ext. 3040 jerry@youthunlimited.org Events Manager: Millie Hoekstra 616.241.5616 ext. 3063 millie@youthunlimited.org Office Manager & Program Admin: Alesha Ebeling 616.241.5616 ext. 3038 alesha@youthunlimited.org Marketing & Communication Director: Jim Bowerman 616.241.5616 ext. 3039 jim@youthunlimited.org

youthunlimited.org

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here was something contagious about the welcoming smiles, excitement and energy I felt walking into Maranatha Christian Reformed Church for the start of the Woodstock, Ontario Serve. I could sense an eager anticipation from everyone involved.

They were waiting to see what God was going to do in them and in the community through them.

That evening, as a way to mix up the group and encourage building new friendships, I watched a group of elderly congregational members teaching the students how to Square Dance. I must admit, I never thought I would see the day when students would be having so much fun being taught how to dosey doe. What a great picture of what intergenerational relationships can look like!

and it was going to be a faith-forming week for everyone involved.

Tuesday, it was off to Marion, Indiana, for the Marion Project. It did not take long after my arrival to hear exciting stories that told me this new Servetype experience was making a positive impact in Marion and on the participants.

From the city of Marion’s Facebook page: “The students’ impact in just three days for Marion has been immeasurable. Perfect strangers traveled here to build two houses for

hear these words from Matthew 25:23: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Blessed by the stories of summer 2012 and looking forward with great anticipation to summer 2013!

Jeff Kruithof Executive Director

/the church is alive/

The next day at the congregation’s Sunday morning worship service, I enjoyed watching Maranatha’s students lead much of the service with support from a few Serve participants who played drums and sang. It is inspiring and encouraging to see what happens when adults empower and equip students to lead—another great picture of youth leading in the Church, thank you God! On Monday, 60 Serve participants were off to the worksites, eager to show the love of Jesus in Woodstock and London, Ontario. I had the joy of visiting many of those sites. Time and again, I saw smiling faces and heard many words of thanks from those being served by the students. I could tell God was at work,

Habitat for Humanity, help build our new bus terminal, clean up parks, paint, help at the Boys and Girls Club and work at the YMCA, CSA and many other downtown buildings. They were humble, kind, giving and showed us the power of faith in action, not words. We were honored that this fabulous group came to Marion and hope they have inspired our community to continue in service.” – Marion, IN

“IT IS INSPIRING AND

On Wednesday I stood at a worksite and overheard a team of youth ask permission to give up time at the water park on the last evening to finish a project for families in need.

Another group returned after the event to continue serving those who had become friends during the week. Wow, the Holy Spirit was really moving in the hearts and lives of students!

THANK YOU GOD!”

To each of you who accompanied students to one of Youth Unlimited’s 28 faith-forming experiences this summer,

ENCOURAGING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ADULTS EMPOWER AND EQUIP STUDENTS TO LEAD — ANOTHER GREAT PICTURE OF YOUTH LEADING IN THE CHURCH,

JEFF KRUITHOF

is the Executive Director of Youth Unlimited, an avid NASCAR fan and an outdoor enthusiast.

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LIVE IT

SEE PAGE 8

Live It is a large youth event that is all about connecting youth to God, helping them understand where they belong in God’s kingdom and how they can know God’s purpose for their lives.

Students will come together to build upon their spiritual gifts, recognizing that each one comes to the table with their own personality, interests and God-given talents. This faith-forming experience is a spiritual catalyst for high school youth. Live It is a chance for youth to expand their understanding of who God is and who He made them to be.

As students celebrate and explore how God has created them as unique individuals, they also learn that they are called to be a community in Christ. The worship portion of Live It brings all the participants under one roof for praise and worship through music and teaching times.

LIFE-CHANGING FAITH-FORMING

STARTING AT

EXPERIENCES

$425 USD

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

CHICAGO PROJECT

SEE PAGE 14

The Chicago Project is a large scale Serve that will be held on the university campus of Trinity Christian College. Youth will be the hands and feet of Christ through acts of service in the neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois!

The Chicago Project is an opportunity for students to build relationships across boundaries and share Christ’s love to broken communities. Students will also develop a closer relationship with God and one another through large and small group times.

SERVE

SEE PAGE 20

Serve is about joining with God in the renewal of all things. Every year, all across North America, thousands of students and hundreds of youth workers feel the call to say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Serve exists to bring heaven to earth — “Thy Kingdom come” — by pairing student and leader work forces with churches and communities in need. Students are sent out to serve, care for and restore their world.

This unique opportunity gives students a chance to experience an inner-city missions project and strengthen their faith while doing so. Through it all, they will have fun, meet new people and experience the blessings of working together to make a change in their world.

Through Christ’s death and resurrection, a new age of redemption and reconciliation has come. Every year, the impact is amazing, and transformation is the goal for all of the communities, congregations and students involved. Lead your students out of the church building and into the community. Serve is not just about a week-long trip; it’s about transformation that lasts a lifetime!

STARTING AT

STARTING AT

$375 USD

$330 USD* *Unless otherwise noted

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I WANT MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER EVENT. I NEED: A LIFESTYLE A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING L TO KNOW MY GOD-GIVEN POTENTIA TO ENGAGE THIS WORLD

13 20 7, –2 23 LY JU IA AN LV SY N N PE , GH UR SB PITT

HELD AT ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY

VI SI T YO UT HU NL IM IT ED .O RG FO R MO RE IN FO

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RM AT IO N

By Millie Hoekstra

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ive It is more than just another event; it’s a spiritual awakening for high school youth to expand on living their unique lives for Christ. It exists to teach students about themselves so they can be an active part of the church body and engage their culture. Through the use of their unique skills, personality and interests, each student spends their time at Live It learning about their God-given potential and how their strengths and skill set can be used in this life.

At Live It, students spend the majority of their time breaking out into the peer group that best represents how God has wired them (arts, service, discipleship or athletics). While surrounded by like-

minded peers and leaders, students expand their understanding on where they belong in God’s kingdom and how they can know God’s purpose for their lives. It’s about creating an atmosphere conducive to following, learning, listening, leading and serving.

Discovering how God has made them, students will rise above the traps of compromise and cynicism and identify how to bring optimism, hope and a sense of expectation to the world.

Motivated by the love of Jesus Christ, students will become more aware of being used by God to restore this world.

While we were created as unique individuals with the ability to worship

Christ with every aspect of our beings, we are also called to be a community in Christ. The worship sessions at Live It will bring all the participants under one roof to celebrate being one Church.

Together we will give God all the glory.

“DISCOVERING HOW GOD HAS MADE THEM, STUDENTS WILL RISE ABOVE THE TRAPS OF COMPROMISE AND CYNICISM AND IDENTIFY HOW TO BRING OPTIMISM, HOPE AND A SENSE OF EXPECTATION TO THE WORLD.”

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CREATE/ARTS

God’s love for creation and the arts can be seen in students who have a passion for design, drawing, music, photography, acting, video and more. While they spend their time exploring, expressing and living out their passion, students will learn the value of becoming co-creators alongside the Creator of the universe. Participants will have opportunities to work with a wide range of artists in order to enhance their God-given talents and learn how to use these gifts for the glory of Christ.

GROW/DISCIPLESHIP

Students with the natural gift of leadership can have such a positive impact on their peers if they use it for the glory of God. These students will grow as leaders while being challenged to discover what God wants of them. Through group discussions, activities, prayer and practicing spiritual disciplines, they will grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus. Most importantly, students will learn the joy of expressing their story to others, learning to explain how it fits into God’s story and the plans He has for us.

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DO/SERVICE

Students who love to work with their hands and focus on accomplishing projects are such a blessing. While spending time fixing and building things, students will go beyond the joy of accomplishment to learn how they can express the love and joy of God to people in local communities (and beyond) through their skills. Participants will give of themselves to support a greater cause and serve alongside their peers and leaders on various projects and restorative mission work for those in need.

PLAY/ATHLETICS

So many students have a love for athletics and spend their school year being part of a team. Through a variety of sports and activities, participants will explore ways to contribute to their teams while playing the roles of game officials, coaches, captains and players. Learning to honor the game, one’s opponent and ultimately our Lord, students will be challenged to win with grace and lose with honor.

Participants will also explore the joy of serving others as athletes and as members of a team.

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? Live It allows youth to experience God at work in their lives while being surrounded by peers who think like they do. Together, they can explore the gifts God has given them without being selfconscious or afraid.

— Live It Leader It was wonderful to connect with my students on a whole new level.... A good time for me as a leader to just take it in, get reenergized and excited to get back to ministry at home!

— Live It Leader

I have always heard that anything that was “amazing” had to come from God. When I got home, I told my parents that the only word I could use to describe my trip was … amazing!

— Live It Student

The speakers at Live It were amazing; their topics were easily applicable to my life and stuck with me even after it was all over. This experience also gave me the opportunity to see God almost everywhere I look.

— Live It Student

A TYPICAL DAY 7:00 AM – BREAKFAST | 8:15 AM – KICK-START RALLY | 9:00 AM – TRACK TIME 5:00 PM – DINNER | 7:30 PM – GENERAL SESSION | 9:15 PM – YOUTH GROUP TIME 10:00 PM – NIGHT OPTIONS | 11:30 PM – CURFEW 11

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHEN DOES REGISTRATION OPEN?

Registration opens on November 1, 2012 and will allow participants to choose a track and make full or partial payment.

HOW DO I REGISTER?

Registration for Live It will happen online. This online registration will allow you to register for yourself or your group, manage changes, make substitutions and more! (One adult per every five students is needed.)

CAN I PAY FOR SOME OF MY REGISTRATION NOW AND THE BALANCE LATER?

Yes, you can register online and then make a partial payment of $150. Take advantage of the Early Bird Rate by paying for your registration in full before March 31, 2013. After March 31, the price will increase by $50 per participant.

CAN I FIND MY OWN HOUSING AND ONLY PAY FOR THE PROGRAM?

Yes, the Program Only option covers everything except housing and food.

MUST I CHOOSE A TRACK NOW?

Yes, everyone (students and adults) must select a track on a first come, first served basis. There is limited space in each track.

CAN I SWITCH TRACKS LATER IF I CHANGE MY MIND?

Yes, you may switch to a different track if space is available until June 15.

WILL MY GROUP BE HOUSED TOGETHER?

Yes, your group will be housed together by gender. You can also make a request for a certain roommate when you register.

WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO MY CHOSEN TRACK?

Most information will be posted online at youthunlimited.org; watch for updates. One month prior you will receive an email with more specific information and directions to the event.

WHEN DOES LIVE IT BEGIN AND END?

Check-in will begin at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, July 23. Live It programming ends with lunch on Saturday, July 27. All participants will depart campus by 2:00 PM. 12

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TRINITY Christian COLLEGE

July 28 to August 1, 2013 VISIT YOUTHUNLIMITED.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS “The church has left the building!”

Next summer, over 250 students and their leaders will flood the streets of Palos Heights, Illinois, just 30 minutes from the Windy City, to show Christ’s love and bring restoration to the community. Participants from across Canada and the U.S. will travel to Trinity Christian College ready to worship in the sanctuary as well as the streets, advancing and expanding the ministry of the college and area churches. The Chicago Project is a chance for students to be a vital and lasting expression of Christ’s love to the community of Palos Heights, Illinois.

Hosting the Chicago Project for Youth Unlimited is a great extension of the ministry that our Trinity Christian College students do throughout the school year and helps us expand the incarnational ministry God has called us to. We’re not just about higher education. We’re about the Father’s business, as Christ called us to be, in our community.

— Jeremy Klyn, Trinity Christian College Admissions Director

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what are they saying?

This is what people had to say about 2012’s large Serve project held at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana: What are all those kids doing downtown? They are working with downtown business owners and organizations, the City, Habitat for Humanity and Main Street Marion on the biggest cleanup yet! Look forward to seeing beautiful things this week in your downtown!

— Main Street Marion

I wanted to come to be with my friends and build deeper, longer-lasting relationships with them, where even when we graduate we’ll still keep in touch. I was actually talking with my friends earlier saying, ‘I want to come back next year, and would you guys come with me?’ It’s tiring work; but it’s worth it.

— Matthew Ginter, 15-year-old participant

I really wanted my daughter to have the opportunity to participate in a service project like this. It’s a great opportunity to work with other youth and worship and serve as a group.

— Sharon Houle, Adult Leader

Some of these youth, when they get here, don’t know how to pound a nail in, but by the end of the week they’re proud of what they’ve done, and so are we.

— Chris Schonbachler, Habitat for Humanity board member

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Project Details Who: High school youth groups of any size, and their leaders (one adult per five students).

What’s included: The Chicago Project is an all-inclusive program with housing, meals, programming and materials provided.

Registration: Opens November 1, 2012 – space is limited, so register soon!

Transportation: Each group is responsible for their own transportation to, from and during the event.

Campus: Trinity Christian College. Trinity has a wonderful campus and many local ministry relationships.

Participants will stay on campus and sleep in air conditioned residence halls. Each four-person suite has its own bathroom and shower. Buffet-style meals will be served out of the college’s dining hall, and students will worship together each day in Trinity’s Ozinga Chapel.

Site description: Just 30 minutes from the center of the Windy City, Palos Heights offers a beautiful suburban location for the campus of Trinity Christian College. Chicago is well-known for its sports teams and shopping, but lesser known areas continue to struggle from the effects of poverty. During the school year Trinity’s students have opportunities to serve in the city as well as in the local communities. Dedicated volunteers address the needs of others, and they share the love of Christ whether they are handing out lunches to the homeless on Chicago’s streets or tutoring children through after-school programs. Whether working in the city with Roseland Christian Ministries to help tutor kids or in the suburbs with Restoration Ministries to help restore people broken by drug and alcohol addiction, Trinity is committed to shaping lives and transforming culture.

Your group can join year-round partnerships and help with various service opportunities including tutoring, cleanup, light construction and many urban and suburban ministries around Chicago. After The Chicago Project your group can opt to catch a Cubs or Sox game, visit the famous Brookfield Zoo, take in a museum or shop the Magnificent Mile. There is no shortage of things to do in Chicago.

Sample daily schedule 7:00 - 8:00 AM – Breakfast | 8:00 - 8:30 AM – Devotions | 8:45 AM - 4:00 PM – Worksites 4:00 - 5:30 PM – Free Time | 5:30 - 6:30 PM – Dinner | 7:00 PM – Worship 8:45 PM – Youth Group Time | 9:45 - 11:00 PM – Free Time | 11:00 PM – Curfew

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YOUTH UNLIMITED SUMMER 2012 | RESTORING A BROKEN WORLD

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STUDENTS BRINGING HOPE TO A BROKEN WORLD

R E G I ST R AT I ON F OR S E R V E 2 013 OP EN S N OV E M B E R 1, 20 12 VISIT YOUTHUNLIMITED.ORG TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION 20

F R E Q U EN T LY A N S W E R E D P R AY E R S

By Jerry Meadows

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n every community across North America there are people praying, “God, if You’re really who You say you are, please send help.” Like the mom who, in the middle of the night, scooped up her children and drove to the women’s shelter. She left her abusive husband and for several months worked to restore her family.

She promised her children that someday they would have a home of love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness.

Many answers to prayer merged when all she could afford was a run-down house, but the church around the corner committed to helping her. With donated construction supplies and a Serve work crew, the house was completely refurbished in just four days. The Serve students and youth leaders, members of the congregation, the mother and her children all stood together on the last day of Serve and dedicated the home to Jesus Christ. A home of love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness.

Prayers like this and so many others get answered when students pray,

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The student or youth leader’s prayer: “What should we do for summer missions?” God guides the individual or the group to opportunities. Many students and youth leaders prayed that prayer and found their answer in Serve. They traveled throughout North America to help restore a broken world. They learned and co-labored with church leaders doing sustainable community outreach while studying the Word and dealing with their own life struggles in small groups.

The prayers of many parents, grandparents and sending congregations get answered in an environment like that. “Please Lord, help our teenagers grow in gratitude and generosity.” There is the prayer: “Help us raise the money for this trip.”

Where God guides, He provides. So when you know He has called your group to go somewhere, He will provide the funds.

Then there’s the prayer of a congregation wanting to advance incarnational ministry outside the four walls of the church building. “Lord, give us creative ways to meet the needs of our community. Connect us emotionally and physically to people so we can meet their spiritual needs. Send us laborers for the harvest.” Serve can be one answer to that prayer as the congregation unifies to pray for the community month after month, lines up worksites and contributes their skills and gifts to hosting students in the church building. As God answers, the congregation is energized, the church is appreciated by the community and God is glorified.

The prayer of a person in need. The prayer of a congregation to creatively meet needs. The prayer of a student ministry asking how and where to serve. The answers to these prayers are often found in one another, often intertwined, by the One who hears all our prayers.

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Serve LOCATIONS AND SITE DESCRIPTIONS FOR SERVE 2013

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       MARCH 9–16 (SPRING BREAK)

JUNE 22–29 (LAGRAVE)

JUNE 8–15

JUNE 29–JULY 6

JUNE 15–22

JUNE 29–JULY 6

JUNE 22–29

JULY 6–13

JUNE 22–29 (NORTH CHURCH)

JULY 6–13

JUNE 22–29

JULY 6–13

BRADENTON, FLORIDA HOUSTON, TEXAS

STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS BUNDE, MINNESOTA

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

CROWN POINT, INDIANA 22

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN AUSTIN, TEXAS

VANASTRA, ONTARIO

PORT PERRY, ONTARIO ROSELAWN, INDIANA MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN

JULY 6–13

JULY 13–20 (FAIRFAX)

JULY 13–18 (SPECIAL NEEDS)

JULY 13–20 (BROOKSIDE)

JULY 13–19 (MIDDLE SCHOOL)

JULY 20–27

JULY 13–20 (NORTH CHURCH)

JULY 20–27 (NORTH CHURCH)

JULY 13–20

JULY 20–27

JULY 13–20

JULY 27–AUGUST 3

ORILLIA, ONTARIO OTTAWA, ONTARIO

BYRON CENTER, MICHIGAN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA HAMILTON, ONTARIO

WASHINGTON, D.C.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN HOLLAND, MICHIGAN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO WEST DES MOINES, IOWA

NEW DATES AND LOCATIONS STILL BEING ADDED! VISIT YOUTHUNLIMITED.ORG FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ALAMOSA, COLORADO | LONDON, ONTARIO | REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN | SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA WINNIPEG, MANITOBA (SPECIAL NEEDS) | PLATTE, SOUTH DAKOTA | WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO

MARCH 9–16 | BRADENTON, FL (SPRING BREAK)

JUNE 8–15 | HOUSTON, TX

FULL REGISTRATION IS DUE FEBRUARY 5, 2013.

Our church is sandwiched between the low-income Houston outskirts and the white collar Woodlands, TX. New Life is very involved in community outreach, participating in ministries that work with adults with special needs and helping out in low-income neighborhoods, while also supporting a sister church in Nepal. We believe in coming alongside people in ministry and empowering them to make a sustainable change in their community and beyond. We will mostly be working in conjunction with our church ministry, Old Town Spring Heights Task Force (located 20 minutes north of Houston, TX), which is a group of five area churches working together to make an impact for Christ. The five churches are all different in ethnicity, culture and denomination, but we worship the same LORD and are continually blessed and uplifted through relationships that are being made and deepened within the community of Old Town Spring Heights. Participants will be helping the community through home improvement projects, community beautification and the development of a community learning center.

Located just south of the Tampa Bay area in Manatee County, Bradenton is a fabulous place to explore art and historical attractions, have fun in the sun, enjoy the beach and go on all types of water and boating adventures. However, despite God’s bounty of beauty in our county, there is a high percentage of families that are homeless or nearly homeless. Our church is seeking to make an impact on our local public elementary school district by helping to make minor repairs and increase the curb appeal of area homes, giving owners pride in their homes and their communities, while beginning what we hope is a long relationship with these families and their neighbors.

Working with Habitat for Humanity, your main focus will be on doing minor repairs and painting and landscaping within our local elementary school district. Students will have the opportunity to meet homeowners and their families and share stories and testimonies.

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JUNE 15–22 | STEPHENVILLE, TX

JUNE 22–29 | BUNDE, MN

Stephenville is known as the Cowboy Capital, a claim that is somewhat disputed by a few other cowboy towns. Stephenville is home to a large number of dairy farms and is located 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Stephenville has a population of 17,000 and is home to Tarleton State University.

The community is predominately an agricultural community where most are either employed on a farm or ranch or support the farmers and ranchers in some way. It is also a diverse area, home to native Texans as well as to Mexican and Dutch immigrants. Stephenville Christian Reformed Church worships at Stephenville Christian School, which is happy to open its doors to you. Sadly, 26% of the population here in Stephenville falls below the poverty line. Our church is making a difference in this community by working for individuals and also for organizations. You may be involved in some light construction and minor renovations as well as in doing yard work for the elderly, visiting the lonely, organizing at a clothes bank and working at a pregnancy care center.

Hailing from the plains of Minnesota, we would love to welcome you to our small town with farm friendly hospitality!

You can help us as we reach out to our surrounding neighbors in the communities of Renville, Clara City, Willmar, Raymond and Prinsburg. Our vision is to partner with local churches in showing Christ’s love to the people we may drive past every day, but who do not know about the hope offered in the gospel of Jesus Christ! We plan to have local churches each find two or three families with physical needs that can be addressed

by Serve. We also hope that the relationships established between families and churches will continue beyond the week of serve and not just meet their physical needs but their spiritual needs as well. We will be working with local churches in the surrounding communities of Renville, Prinsburg, Raymond, Willmar and Clara City to help families or individuals with homes in need of paint, lawn care and other small construction projects. Other ministries we may partner with include Hope Pregnancy Center, Habitat for Humanity and shelter houses for men and women.

JUNE 22–29 | CROWN POINT, IN

JUNE 22–29 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI (LAGRAVE CHURCH)

Long before NASCAR was popular, Crown Point was the home of an auto race called the Cobe Cup. In fact, this 25-mile race that started in 1909 (the same year Youth Unlimited began assisting churches) is credited with being the forerunner of the Indianapolis 500. In the old days, Crown Point was also known as a “marriage mill” as local laws made it easy to tie the knot there. And, in 1934, the infamous bank robber, John Dillinger, escaped from the jail only to be caught again and later shot by FBI agents in Chicago. Today the people of Crown Point struggle with unemployment and the financial, social and emotional difficulties that come with it. It’s here that we have made it a priority to nurture each other in the faith with the help of the Holy Spirit and demonstrate God’s love using words and acts of kindness as we attempt to be sensitive to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs around us. Most worksites will take place in urban areas of Northwest Indiana and South Chicago. We will be partnering with agencies like Habitat for Humanity, NWI Food Bank, Roseland Christian Ministries and 2nd Like Resale, as well as others.

Come help us celebrate the 24th year of Serve at LaGrave Christian Reformed Church. Grand Rapids has been called, “a cool city with warm hospitality.” Here in West Michigan we’re on the on the cutting edge of art, cuisine and culture, but we also have a distinctive small town feel as people are friendly and the streets are generally safe and clean. You will have the opportunity to visit the beach at Grand Haven during your trip.

While Grand Rapids is a wonderful place to live and visit, it is not wonderful for everyone who lives here. Nearly 16% of the population still lives below the poverty line. During your stay in Grand Rapids, you will have a chance to minister to these people.

LaGrave Christian Reformed Church will be the host during your Serve week. We expect that God is going to move in mighty ways this week, both in the hearts of individuals and in meeting the needs of the community. Come be a part of the change!

JUNE 22–29 | NEWARK, NJ (NORTH CHURCH)*

JUNE 29–JULY 6 | AUSTIN, TX

ADULT LEADERS MUST CONVERSE WITH REV. RANDY (REVRANDYVD@HOTMAIL.COM) BEFORE REGISTERING.

Deep in the heart of Texas, Austin is one of the best places to visit in the U.S. It’s known as the Live Music Capital of the World and has quirky shops and eclectic restaurants. Some areas of the city feel like a backyard music party and barbecue are going on all year long. Within the city limits you can experience the largest natural, spring-fed swimming pool in any urban setting. One promotional slogan for tourism says, “You may come here a stranger but you’ll leave as family.” Austin is a unique city that you will enjoy, but our problems are more than common. There is lots of poverty, homelessness and class discrimination. Can you imagine being on the streets of a city, feeling rejected and hopeless, and hearing a slogan like, “You may come here a stranger but you’ll leave as family”? Our church is impacting a community that is high-risk and includes a large homeless student population. At Sunrise Church you can be involved in soup kitchens, caring for the homeless, lawn care, park cleanup, home repair and maintenance, missional children’s ministry, on-site Vacation Bible School and more.

At North Church your group will experience cross-cultural relational ministry up close and personal. You may have a few hours of manual labor and you will help our staff and others in other everyday tasks. You won’t just serve the 75-100 people who come in for a daily meal, you’ll sit with, eat with, talk to and care for them as well. By the end of the week you will walk down the street and know the people and how to pray for them and our ministry. We join with these people daily to serve and experience life without the comforts of home. Along the way, we learn lessons about need, stereotypes and the power of God over the worst human failures and frailty. It is not easy, but it is good. Teams will eat, sleep & generally hang out at the North Church facility – a decidedly un-air-conditioned – but lovely historic building in downtown Newark. Our values are on relational and spiritual work that will empower and embolden Serve participants to think and live more missionally the whole year round.

*FOR ADDITIONAL AVAILABLE NEWARK, NJ DATES SEE PAGE 23

JUNE 29–JULY 6 | VANASTRA, ON

JULY 6–13, 2013 | MUSKEGON, MI

Vanastra, Ontario is located on a former Royal Canadian Air Force station that was used for radar training. Its name comes from the Air Force motto, “Per Ardua Ad Astra,” (Through Adversity to the Stars). We will be working for the people in Huron County who are experiencing various types of adversity.

Our goal is to be a light for Christ in the communities around us. From urban revitalization to creation care and relational ministry, we’ll do a little bit of everything. We’ll keep you more than busy doing deck repairs, painting, clearing trails for conservation areas, working at thrift stores, cleaning, doing yard work and possibly visiting the street ministry in London.

If Jesus spent a week with our church in our community we believe He would spend His time outside the walls of the church building, impacting lives. He is represented well by the local churches, thrift stores and various agencies in the area that work with us to line up worksites. We will be cooperating with organizations such as the Huron County Food Banks, Soup & More, Christian Business Missions of Huron, Habitat for Humanity and others.

If you imagine that the map of Michigan is a hand, we’re located at the base of the little finger. Our day away will be spent at the beach enjoying the best of what our tourism industry calls Pure Michigan. The work days will be spent with some great organizations and people who need help in this medium-sized town (population of around 100,000) that has many characteristics of a large city. Some work will involve cleaning up inner city areas. This has a huge impact on the people who live and work there. You may be doing light construction such as building wheel chair ramps or doing maintenance on homes. There is always stocking to be done at local food pantries, landscaping for the elderly or visiting and caring for people in the nursing home. Work will be largely with community-based organizations such as Love INC. and Community Encompass, a local transitional housing agency.

We look forward to a week in which God will speak into hearts, touch lives in need of His provision and show up in ways we never could have predicted.

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JULY 6–13, 2012 | ORILLIA, ON

JULY 6–13 | PORT PERRY, ON

You will find a warm welcome in Orillia, the Sunshine City, in the heart of Lake Country. Situated on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, Orillia is a port stop for many boaters along the Trent-Severn Waterway. The beautiful waterfront hosts many summer and cultural festivals and is a popular holiday destination. While considered a retirement town, only 18% of the population is actually retired. The rest are hardworking people involved in manufacturing, retail and tourism. Our hope is to connect with those people, families, groups and organizations in our community needing the help of Serve. Your group will enjoy a variety of work throughout the week. Tasks typically include painting, cleanup, light construction and repair, distributing food, landscaping, etc.

Some of the organizations we will be helping are: Living for Jesus Church (which serves a meal every day to those in need), Christian Horizons, Lighthouse men’s shelter, seniors’ homes, local churches and many non-profit organizations.

On the shores of Lake Scugog, located about an hour northeast of Toronto, a lot of our residents commute out of town to work in Toronto, Peterborough and especially the GM plants in Oshawa. The closing of the truck plant in Oshawa has affected a lot of families in the area. With many people unemployed or underemployed, the town relies on tourism in the summer.

While Port Perry is a pleasant place to live, we have identified close to 100 ministries and organizations in the area that help the less fortunate. This demonstrates to us a need for Serve.

You will be working for individuals as well as organizations such as Community Living, Christian Horizons, food banks, Windreach Farms (a therapeutic horse farm), Precious Minds (a place that provides support and care to families of children with learning disabilities) and others. You’ll need to come with an open mind and an open heart as we work on painting, landscaping, and other hands-on projects combined with the relational care of children with learning disabilities. You will enjoy what you learn from those you come to serve.

JULY 6–13 | ROSELAWN, IN

JULY 13–18 | OTTAWA, ON (SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS)

Roselawn is a small rural community with many residents working in the steel mills 25 miles north in Gary Indiana.

Community Church began a ministry in Roselawn over 30 years ago with a Vacation Bible School. Today, Community Church is a growing and thriving young church with people from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Our vision statement reads: Celebrating Christ; Restoring Community. We celebrate our relationship with Jesus Christ through God-honoring worship, and we restore community through acts of loving kindness, modeling Christ’s love for us. We are an outreach church totally dedicated to mobilizing the body of Christ to serve our community. When you come to Serve here, you’ll join a work already in progress, which will continue long after your week here is over. The hands-on aspect of the work will include many sites dedicated to home repairs in low-income housing areas and also feeding the hungry from our church food pantry. These opportunities and others will help us continue our relational care in our community.

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The Special Needs Serve is for people from the ages of 14-26 with special needs that cannot be accommodated at a traditional Serve site. The work projects will be tailored to the ability of the individual students, allowing them to experience the joy that comes from serving others in the name of Christ in a multicultural setting. The work might include painting, yard work, office work, etc. Students are partnered with a peer who befriends and works alongside them for the five days. The evening sessions follow the same Serve theme as all Serve sites, but apply the Biblical principles in uniquely entertaining and meaningful ways.

Since the total site capacity is 30 (not including the Host Team volunteers) this becomes a time of growth, affirmation and true community. One parent voiced appreciation this way: “Being a parent of a serve participant, we so much appreciate all the very many people who make this mission trip happen. For a person with disabilities to go on a mission trip and be able to minister to others is such a wonderful thing. As a parent, it makes me cry with thankfulness and joy. I hope that there will be more Serve opportunities across this beautiful country of ours.”

JULY 13–19 | BYRON CENTER, MI (MIDDLE SCHOOL)

JULY 20–27 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI (BROOKSIDE CHURCH)

You’ll get to experience the best of both the city and the country in Byron Center. We’re close to rolling farmlands and to the thriving metropolitan area of Grand Rapids. This gives us a unique perspective on the needs of people who come from various backgrounds. Our goal is to meet the needs of people in our community as we harness the energy and potential of middle school students willing to work hard, make an impact and have a whole lot of fun.

Welcome to Grand Rapids, home to five of the largest office furniture manufacturers in the world. Nicknamed the Furniture City, another claim to fame is that Grand Rapids was the hometown of former US president Gerald R. Ford. While there is affluence and an expanding health care hub on our Medical Mile, the sad fact is that nearly 16% of our population falls below the poverty line. Nearly 20% of those in poverty are under the age of 18. The Brookside Serve site will provide you with the opportunity to grow in your faith while you serve this poorer side of the community. We’ve coordinated meaningful work with a number of organizations in town as well as through our own deacons. We will be hosting a mobile food pantry at Brookside one evening where we’ll hand out 10,000 pounds of food in one hour! You’ll also have tons of fun with games, activities and a few surprises throughout the week. Teams will enjoy a variety of work. Tasks typically include painting, cleanup, light construction and repair, distributing food, landscaping, working with students at a youth home and more.

We do painting, landscaping and inside and outside cleanup around the Byron Center area. We work with a couple of area ministries to help us find our job sites. We also work with a local food pantry and a few other organizations in Grand Rapids. We can’t wait to meet you, and look forward to the things we will all learn together during this exciting week of service. God will surely do great things among us.

JULY 13–20 | HAMILTON, ON

JULY 13–20 | REDLANDS, CA

Welcome to Hamilton, Ontario, the city of waterfalls, located along the Niagara Escarpment on the western shores of Lake Ontario. Hamilton is also home to the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, the Bruce Trail, McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University College. The Canadian Football Hall of Fame can be found downtown right beside Hamilton City Hall, and across town to the east, the Canadian Football League‘s Hamilton Tiger-Cats play at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton is just a one-hour drive away from the world-famous Niagara Falls.

You may be involved with park cleanup in the city centre and beachfront of Lake Ontario, assist urban youth ministries and homeless shelters in Hamilton’s city core (CityKidz, Living Rock, Mission Services, Good Samaritan Ministry, L’Arche Hamilton) as well as participate in multiple landscaping projects throughout the area. During your Serve experience in Hamilton, you will impact the lives of others, even as they impact you.

Welcome to Redlands, a city rich with historic structures, museums, theatres and music. Our church, The River, is located 60 miles east of Los Angeles. We are a 600 member congregation who love the place God’s called us to live. We work hard building relationships with those in our community.

Our hope is to provide experiences for students so that they may grow their trust in Jesus and bless those around them.

Working as the hands of God in service is one of six key areas on which our church focuses. We have a very active care ministry for those in need and, throughout the year, even build loft homes in our church parking lot and then deliver them to families just over the border of Mexico. (Serve students will not be leaving the U.S.) Students who come to Redlands will learn from and have opportunity to serve leaders at local homeless ministries, student ministries and neighborhood ministries around our region. Come help us proclaim God’s love and care in our community. We are excited to see the things God will accomplish in our midst.

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JULY 13–20 | WASHINGTON, D.C. (FAIRFAX, VA)

JULY 20–27 | HOLLAND, MI

THIS SERVE SITE IS LIMITED TO GROUPS OF 12 OR LESS.

Come be a part of our multicultural community of reconciliation, healing and hope! Faith Church is located in the heart of Holland, Michigan – the birthplace of the Christian Reformed Church. Holland is a city that has evolved from a Dutch farming town into a diverse city with many different cultural traditions.

Both Cinco de Mayo and Tulip Time take place within a week of each other, giving Holland the opportunity to celebrate both its Dutch and Hispanic cultures. Faith Church finds itself in a perfect location to be an agent of reconciliation in a city that has become increasingly diverse. Our covenant declares our desire to be a multicultural community where anyone, regardless of ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic class or language, will feel part of our family. At our Serve site, you will not only witness what we do, you will also help us live out our vision. Much of the work we do will be at homes of individuals and families that are connected with the Holland Free Health Clinic. Many might also have the opportunity to work with our Hispanic pastor serving children in a local neighborhood. It is our prayer that each job site is primarily relationship-oriented.

It is an eye-opening experience to be in the U.S. capital and drive past the White House, then pull up at a shelter and soup kitchen two minutes later. What extremes there are in our society! In Washington DC you can be near influential leaders who literally believe they can change the world and among persons on the street who feel they haven’t got a prayer. Both are in need of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. You will have the opportunity to serve at a variety of worksites, including soup kitchens, halfway houses, painting projects and yard work. We have one worksite where we make sandwiches during the day, and then the group goes out in a van about 5:30 PM and ladles soup and gives sandwiches to the homeless people that line up at different delivery points throughout the city. Most of your service will take place in inner Washington DC. Come prepared for a new experience that you won’t forget!

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JULY 20–27 | PETERBOROUGH, ON

JULY 27–AUGUST 3 | WEST DES MOINES, IA

Peterborough is an hour and a half east-north-east of Toronto and is so full of rivers and lakes that it is a kind of “cottaging” grand central. We have the largest lift lock in the world, free concerts in a downtown park every week and are home to Fleming College and Trent University. We’re also blessed to have extraordinary church unity lived out in over a dozen denominations in Peterborough through Church in the City.

We pray together, work together and live the gospel together!

However, we also have a very large homeless population here, so our work isn’t done yet. We can’t wait for you to come and experience unity in the body of Christ and help us reach the community God has given us. We’ll be helping in food and clothing banks (Good Neighbour Care Centre, Kawartha Food Share). We’ll also pitch in with ministries that serve our at-risk, street level population (St. John’s Anglican Church, Brock Mission, Cameron House). We will also be engaging the global issue of human trafficking and attempting to fund the freeing of a slave through the work of the International Justice Mission.

Des Moines is Iowa’s largest city (metro population around 500,000) and also the capital. Our church, Crossroads CRC, is located in the western suburb, which made Money Magazine’s Top 100 list a couple years ago for best places to live and launch a business.The fruit of prosperity is not the same as the fruit of the Spirit, however. Just because a suburb is wealthy economically does not mean all its people have what they need or that poverty has been stamped out. We live, work and worship among those that have abundance and those that have great physical and financial need. Our church is a short drive from downtown Des Moines where we will do a majority of our work. Our work will range from light construction work to painting a house to partnering with local ministries such as Hope Ministries. Come help us be the hands and feet of Christ in our community. You will have opportunities to foster a servant spirit and learn more about God’s call on your life.

A TYPICAL SERVE DAY 7:00 AM – BREAKFAST/PREPARE LUNCHES | 8:00 AM – DEVOTIONS | 8:45 AM – WORKSITES 4:00 PM – SHOWERS/FREE TIME | 6:00 PM – DINNER | 7:30 PM – EVENING SESSION 9:00 PM – SMALL GROUP | 10:00 PM – SNACK AND FREE TIME | 11:00 PM – LIGHTS OUT

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? We are looking forward to hosting Serve for a number of reasons. First, it has been monumentally important to the spiritual growth of our students individually, as well as a huge factor in the growth of our unity, community and the relationships within our student ministry. Second, we desperately want to share the spiritual experience that has impacted our students with the parents of our church, praying that it will be a catalyst in the growth of student to parent discipleship and relationships. Third, we want to use Serve as a new way of reaching into our community, capitalizing on the connections that we already have and developing more missional relationships that will allow us to live the gospel out practically and intentionally in our city.

— Peterborough, Ontario Serve

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KINGDOM BUILDERS IN THE LAND Immerse yourself in the story of the Bible through this twoweek spiritual journey through The Land of Israel and Palestine and return with a renewed vision of the Kingdom of God and your place in it!

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A HAND UP

By Jerry Meadows

A

s eight students and a couple of youth leaders tore the roof off a ranch house, one yelled down, “The plywood is sopping wet and moldy. Should we tear it off, too?” The Worksite Coordinator, a Deacon from the Host Church, hollered back, “Tear if off. And, be careful you don’t fall through.”

The homeowner walked over and said he didn’t have money for new plywood. As his three small children played nearby, he went on to say that he didn’t have money for any of it. He thanked the Worksite Coordinator for doing the job with excellence, and was reassured that the repair costs would all be covered for him. This was no band-aid approach. The church had taken an interest in the family and their financial situation, as well as in their emotions and spiritual life. The work being done this particular Serve week was just a continuation of the longer relationship. The church had helped to pay the family’s heating bill last winter since the man was underemployed and scraping by. It was when the Deacons 30

came out to the house for a visit that they noticed the roof was a big part of the problem. The home owner said his family had never gone to that church before, “but we do now because it’s the kind of place that helps people with stuff like this.”

As part of a strategic plan, the church agreed to put on a new roof. Through a government program, new insulation would be provided once the roof was done. These improvements would reduce the heating bill to something the family could manage on their own.

This is not just a service opportunity. It is a relationship that glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, between the church (a community of believers) and a family in their area. It is an opportunity for students to learn, not so much about roofing as about how the body of Christ meets the needs of others.

Outcomes: For the students, it’s more than a week of service. It can be a significant part of their life journey by helping them

connect their Christian life to actual transformation in a community. It is reasonable for students to grow in gratitude, generosity, their relationships with Christ, an understanding of themselves and their own life issues, and to better understand their personal skills and interests.

For the Host Congregation, it’s more than several months of planning.

It becomes a rallying point and an ongoing advancement of community outreach and sharing the Gospel clearly. Many churches build service like this into their congregational DNA. For the community, it can be an opportunity to see Christians as doers of the Word and not hearers only. It also helps people who are served in social, emotional and financial ways.

Plus, those being served share their stories with the students serving and there is mutual benefit and learning.

BEYOND

SERVICE

By Jerry Meadows

P

articipating in Serve, whether a site or a project, will introduce your students to the concepts of justice and missional living.

As a youth leader you can use the small group helps and the post trip followup plan provided by Youth Unlimited to build from the service opportunity into a lifelong journey of pursuing the character of Christ and His heart for missions and justice.

The types of service work your students will perform in the community may include: Community Revitalization: Light construction, maintenance, cleaning, demolition, general improvements to homes, non-profit offices, local government buildings/ land, cleaning vacant lots, building wheelchair ramps and more.

Compassion for the Marginalized: Those in need of food and clothing benefit when Serve participants sort and distribute these essentials with hope and joy. Also benefiting from this are persons in need of social acceptance and genuine affirmation, such as the developmentally, physically or cognitively disabled. The working poor, though they may not be destitute,

often feel overlooked and have legitimate needs that a student work force can help to meet. Tangible and non-tangible needs are addressed as Serve participants listen to and learn from the life stories of those receiving the work.

Creation Care: Some tasks in this category seem like mundane chores until we consider that God Himself commanded that we be wise stewards of His world. Community gardening, cleaning up a park, repairing bike trails, feeding horses used for therapy or installing erosion fencing all have a profound impact and help to change lives.

Recreational Ministry for Children: Whether in a city park or a community outreach program, caring for children can help impact the entire family and the future. Simple games, crafts, songs and Bible stories can be used to educate and minister to children and their parents.

Acts of Kindness: This goes way beyond busywork.

The goal here is to turn the receiver’s thoughts and attention, even if only for a few moments, to the love of Christ.

This also helps the Host Team Church/ Organizations with their own public relations as students can help them canvass an entire area, building Christ’s reputation in the greater community.

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MORE THAN A COOKIE CUTTER MISSION TRIP

By Jerry Meadows

E

very short-term mission trip you go on requires extreme flexibility. You and your group have to be willing to give up control of many daily choices and comforts. In a typical summer week, most high school students get some choice in when they get up or go to bed, what they eat, how they’re entertained, when to use their cell phone, etc. On a mission trip, all or most of those choices fly out the window.

It’s vital to enter a week of missions by laying your expectations before the cross and recommitting yourselves to being living sacrifices. At Youth Unlimited, we’ve tried to share what you can expect at a Serve site, but there will be many variations.

If we were building a program or a franchise, we might insist in having cookie cutter sites. But we’re building the Kingdom of God, allowing individual congregations to introduce students and youth leaders to what life and ministry is like in their unique community.

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We ask each host church to involve participants in what they are already doing (or would like to do) to reach their community. Each will have a set of strengths, and each may have some things that you don’t particularly enjoy or understand.

The church in one community may have an affinity to care for the disabled through manual labor. Building wheel chair ramps with prepared parts is a creative use of service time for both skilled and unskilled laborers alike. This personifies Colossians 3:17 and is a great blessing to everyone involved.

The church in another community may specialize in relationships with people on the street. Simply being together with people in their neighborhood is the ministry. Sitting, talking and sharing life with people is what it’s all about. Not just serving in a soup kitchen but sitting down to eat, spend time with and learn from the people who come in off the street is an expression of Christ.

The host church that you serve has a unique local outreach and home mission perspective. Go there to serve and learn from them. Determine with your group ahead of time that you will be a blessing to the host church by submitting to them in love in order to learn how God is uniquely working in their community.

Whether you are planning your first mission trip to be a Serve experience, or if missions has become a part of the DNA of your youth ministry, continue your plans with openness and flexibility, ready to experience what the Spirit of the Lord is doing in each church and location you choose.

“ENTER A WEEK OF MISSIONS BY LAYING YOUR EXPECTATIONS BEFORE THE CROSS AND RECOMMITTING YOURSELVES TO BEING LIVING SACRIFICES.”

Certificate in Youth MinistrY the prograM is designed for: • Youth workers • High school teachers • Pastors • Guidance counsellors • Volunteers in youth ministry For more inFormation: Rachel Janecek: rjanecek@redeemer.ca or 905 648.2139 x4544 www.redeemer.ca/youthministrycertificate

777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, ON L9K 1J4 T. 905.648.2131 | F. 905.648.2134 | 1.877.779.0913

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CHANGING THE WORLD

By Bekah Williamson

C

hristians dream of changing the world. We love the idea of a radical life, challenging social norms and defying inequality.

This summer, high school students across North America committed to making these goals more than simply abstract dreams. Dreams became reality during Serve. “Serve is not an ordinary mission trip. Serve shows you that the smallest moments do change your heart,” said Abe, a student from Wisconsin.

Thousands of students dedicated a week of their summers to serving churches and communities. This meant taking a week away from holiday (or vacation as it is called in the U.S.) and serving others in a variety of ways such as building houses and distributing food in low-income areas.

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Serve is a week of sweat and dirt, but also a week of worship and growth.

Warren, a youth leader from New York, says that Serve helps his students “take time to listen to perspectives and experiences of Christianity outside their own. They are able to see a passionate forward approach to religion instead of complacency, which is what they’re used to. It sparks conversation.”

Serve can be an introduction to the radical life Christians yearn for, so that students who aren’t satisfied with selfish summers can grab hold of that life and give it every ounce of energy and devotion they have. Julia, a high school student from Wisconsin who served at LaGrave CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, explains that Serve helped her “get out of [her] comfort zone, serve God and grow in faith”

with the other students from across the country. She’s met people who “can’t shut up about Jesus Christ,” and who have challenged her to notice and appreciate God’s hand in her own life.

“SERVE CAN BE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RADICAL LIFE CHRISTIANS YEARN FOR, SO THAT STUDENTS WHO AREN’T SATISFIED WITH SELFISH SUMMERS CAN GRAB HOLD OF THAT LIFE AND GIVE IT EVERY OUNCE OF ENERGY AND DEVOTION THEY HAVE.”

THE

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