Youth News

There is another spaghetti dinner scheduled for March.  More details to follow!

YouthWorks 2009

  Submitted by Corrina Ricker 

        Sunday morning, June 28, 2009, the CLC youth and its leaders prepared themselves for another mission trip. The destination this year was Onancock, VA.  Attending the service that morning, packing the cars with our bags and embarking on the journey ahead had become a routine for some of us that have taken part in Youthworks trips in the past. But, for the two newest members to the youth group, Aaron Jones and Devan Boppe, everything was a new experience. This year, Kim Jones, Dave Kruger, Pastor McIntyre, Kirk and Dane Livers, Jake Johnson, Hanna Simane, Rachel Ober, Molly Harman, Aaron Jones, Devan Boppe and I set out on a trip that had many surprises in store.

We pulled into the East Market United Methodist Church parking lot around 5:30 Sunday evening. We unloaded our belongings and got comfortable and ready for orientation activities. While we were already becoming acquainted with other church groups, our leaders found out in their meeting that it would be necessary for our group to be split into three. These were Dave with Dane and Jake, Kim with Molly, Rachel and Devan, and Kirk and Pastor with Hanna, Aaron and myself. We would be mixed with other church groups and sent out early the next morning to work either at a program for kids in the area (known as 'Kid's Club') or on various houses in the community. My group went to Kid's Club on Monday while the other two groups went to work on different houses.

Kid's Club was held at a separate church, Cokesbury, located just down the street from East Market Church. We all piled into the basement of Cokesbury , immediately realizing the age and history that could be found in every corner. Everyone gathered around the Youthworks staff member, Tim, who was in charge of Kid's Club. Tim basically told us what an average day at Kid's Club is like, so we knew what to expect. He also mentioned that some of the children are bilingual, but some speak solely Spanish. Being able to utilize my knowledge of the Spanish language outside of school was exciting to me, but a lot of people looked apprehensive about the idea of having only limited communication. Consequently, preparations for the day's activities also included a crash course in basic Spanish phrases.

The children were picked up by our church group leaders from trailer parks around 11:30 (Kid's Club began at noon). The day consisted of practicing Bible verses, singing and dancing, crafts, reading and lots of games. The children were very well behaved with only a few exceptions. The challenge of communicating with a child who does not speak English was definitely an obstacle, but we all thoroughly enjoyed bonding with the children during the two days we spent at Kid's Club.

On Wednesday morning, my group went to our worksite. It was a church (Oak Grove) so old that it did not have indoor plumbing and in the adjacent graveyard were tombstones that dated back to the 1800's. The interior of Oak Grove was extraordinary; complete with a genuine tin ceiling and beautiful wood work. Our project instructions for the next two days were given to us by a man named Don. He also gave us a brief history of Oak Grove Church which included the fact that it had the oldest continuing Sunday school in the nation. Don told us that we should scrape and repaint one side of the church. A few of the Oak Grove Church members were so grateful that they left us coolers full of fruit and other snacks. It was rewarding to know that people really appreciated what we were doing for them. It was also very motivating to be able to see the progress we were making on such a historic church.

Motivation could be found as well from the community members whose generosity was astounding. Our evening activities were made possible because community member opened their homes to us. For example, one evening we used people's docks to go crabbing. The man that owned the dock that I was crabbing on with Rachel and Molly let us sit and lower our lines off the side of his boat. It was also planned for the youth to go swimming in community members' pools. Everywhere we went, people were waving and asking how we were doing. They were interested in the work we were involved in and in sharing their stories with us.

On every Youthworks trip, the last night is always the same. Everyone attends a cook that is also open to the community. Afterwards, we make our way back to where we are staying and gather into one room. When everyone is settled, the lights are dimmed, soft music begins and a somber mood is spread throughout the room. A staff member reads from John 13 about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Buckets of water are carried into the room by the staff members and they wash the adult leaders' feet and pray over each individual leader. When they finish, our leaders proceed to wash each of our feet and pray over us. After three years of going on Youthworks trips, I still cannot put my finger on exactly what makes this part of the week so emotional. If could be the reflection on the difference we have made on the community. It could be the prayers that our leaders say for us. It could be the realization of the love that is expressed through a foot washing service. It could be any combination of the three. Whatever the reason, this single half hour out of the entire week is definitely the most powerful.

The youth at CLC are extremely fortunate to be backed by church members who are willing to donate time, money, skills and expertise so that we can have opportunities like this one. We are also lucky to have adults who sacrifice so much to lead us on these trips. All of the youth would like to thank the church members and, more specifically, Pastor McIntyre, Kim, Dave and Kirk for being great leaders this year. These trips are honestly not even fathomable without a support system like the one we are blessed with at CLC.