Two months out Thanksgiving cheer
Youth gathering participants make, send cards as service project
I
n a display of empathy and compassion, the Southwestern Min- nesota Synod’s annual November Junior High Youth Gathering has established a service project that reaches out to homebound mem- bers of the synod. At Thanksgiving, nearly 500 recipients (mostly elderly) benefit from the effort.
Since more than 1,200 youth attend the overnight event—held the weekend before Thanksgiving—it is split into two gatherings (Friday- Saturday and Saturday-Sunday). It centers on a theme determined by the Lutheran Youth Organization board of 15 youth and 15 adults. Last year’s theme was “Take My Hand,” based on Psalm 40:1-3. The board breaks into teams that organize various aspects of the gathering. One of the most challenging, said Sarah Hausken, synod youth ministry coordinator, is determining a service project. Last year’s team discovered a project so successful that it will be repeated this year: making and sending Thanksgiving cards. “We focused on finding something that could be useful, that could
be accomplished in that time and in that space, and that made a dif- ference for people,” Hausken said. “And we decided that there are so many people who are isolated—away from home or in a nursing home or living alone—and we wanted to reach out.” By the end of the gathering last year, the young people had made more than 465 cards using stickers, markers and construction paper in all shapes and colors. Synod congregations provided names of elderly, homebound or overseas members, and the gathering created cards for nearly all of them.
But at the conclu- sion of the project, there wasn’t enough money for postage. Stephanie McCarthy, a pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church, Will- mar, Minn., said they hoped to raise enough
funds by the end of the gathering. Halla Dontje Lindell, 15, a member of First Lutheran Church, St.
Peter, Minn., explained the work of the Spirit that happened next: “By the end of the [worship] service we had all the money. The kids really worked hard and stepped up, and it was so cool to see. This
project was a wonderful way for them to praise God and have fun.” McCarthy noted the impact of the cards the following week when she saw them dis- played proudly in the rooms of the nursing homes she visited. “Sometimes we don’t realize how lonely it can be when you’re older and have lost family and friends, or are far away from home. Making these cards helped the kids see that even a small thing can have a huge impact on people,” she said. “Those kids tried to brighten the lives of those people the best way they could.”
Abigail Accettura
Accettura was The Lutheran’s summer intern and is a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Libertyville, Ill.
For more information, contact Sarah Haus- ken at
sarah.hausken@gmail.com.
Good
one! Adopt a
public school teacher/room
In school districts throughout the
country, times are tough. Teachers often buy supplies with their own money and spend unpaid time preparing for the year. So Peace Lutheran Church, Billings, Mont., asked the principal of nearby Highland Elementary School if it could “adopt” some teachers. The last Saturday before school started
(Aug. 24) Faith members of all ages spent the morning in eight classrooms helping the teachers get ready for the year. Will Sappington, pastor, said Peace intends to ask the teachers if they need help cleaning up at the end of the year too.
Send congregational stories—both those for a specific month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to
julie.sevig@
thelutheran.org. September 2013 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52