“Your kids work harder than many adults. When can they come back?” There have been many satisfying moments since I started working with the youth here at Hope Church, but this one is one of my recent favorites. Fish Club signed up to cook up breakfast with Pancakes R Us, a volunteer organization serving Saturday morning breakfast to West Michigan’s impoverished. Our middle schoolers toasted bagels, packed snack bags, washed dishes, wiped down tables and poured coffee for over 250 new friends in our community, many of whom would not have a hot meal if not for organizations like this one.
And work hard they did. “What else can I do?” was a refrain I heard constantly throughout our morning. When I asked the youth what their favorite parts about the morning were, answers like “cutting up the danishes”, “cooking potatoes”, and “knowing I am doing something that helps someone else” were fast and easy answers. In fact, this activity was so meaningful, we are going back this month.
Both our youth groups have a number of activities coming down our pipeline; activities that aim to be helpful, fun, and reflective. Both of our groups will volunteer their time at the Think Hope auction in April, and Fish Club will be sponsoring the Crop Walk, a great way to raise money and burn off some steam too. High Hopes will be having a Lock-in at the church on March 27, before we gear up for a fundraiser for our mission trip to Brooklyn, NY – an all church bowling event! We have reserved a night at BAM here in Holland on May 3. 50% of all proceeds go to support our trip, so save the date on your calendar and look for more details to be communicated soon.
~Beth Jarvis, Youth Ministry Director