The youth of WCUC were quite busy in April. After wrapping up our lenten series on Prayer, participating in the Palm Sunday service, working our way through Holy Week with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil on Saturday and finally celebrating Easter, the youth had plenty of inspiration to begin a different kind of “Holy Week”. School vacation immediately followed Easter this year and the youth got busy living out their Christian faith through service to others.
On Monday, we traveled to Lawrence to volunteer at Cor Unum which is a meal center that serves free breakfast and dinner 365 days a year to anyone who walks through the door. At Cor Unum volunteers are asked to either work in the kitchen, serve the food, or clear and set tables throughout the night. It was a busy night when we were there, but we were joined by other volunteer groups so many hands made light work. The spirit of generosity and camaraderie was palpable in this place!
On Thursday, the youth traveled to Maynard Boys and Girls Club to meet and play with kids who were participating in the vacation week program. We then were lucky enough to help chaperone a trip to Boston for a Fenway Park Tour. We joined their 62 kids and 5 adults for a fun afternoon and even caught a glimpse of Dustin Pedroia playing ball with his kids on the mound as a little pre-game warm up before the evening’s game.
The highlight of our “Holy Week” came on Saturday morning when six youth and two parents showed up at Household Goods to help in any way that we could. We ended up receiving and sorting donations, cleaning and organizing various rooms, putting bed frames together, folding table linens and sheets, sweeping and vacuuming floors, and dusting shelves and hanging pictures. Many other adult volunteers there commented repeatedly about how impressed they were with the teenagers’ work ethic and positive attitude. Likewise, the youth were really impressed with HG and the amazing work that they do to help people who are trying to get back on their feet turn their houses or apartments into “homes”. WCUC’s Pris Clark works at HG on a regular basis and was there on Saturday working beside us. It was fun to see a familiar face and to share the experience with her.
On Sunday at church, Pris shared a bit of her perspective of the day with the church. Most notable was her testimony of the statement that one HG adult volunteer, who is a parent, made after our WCUC youth group had left. She said:
“Boy, if that is an example of what today’s church can do for youth, we might need to change our family’s priorities!” What a witness these young people are to not only their own character, but also to God’s Love and to the ways that we are indeed God’s hands in a world that desperately needs generosity and support. Thanks be to God for this amazing “Holy Week”.
~Joyce