Te church building is a modern looking facility


‘It gives the whole congregation the opportunity to


located under a big sky in a Cedar Falls suburb. Some aſternoons might be quiet, but certainly not Wednes- days. Te bustle comes in waves starting with the first surge of senior high youth who arrive at 3:30 p.m. for study club. A sign at the front door reads: “We want you to succeed in school, and we want to help!” Youth scatter about with their laptops, textbooks and


band instruments. Some work on their own projects while others mentor younger students. One of the youth mentors is John Hood, a high


school senior who attends Wednesday Night Live with his younger sister, Renae. Te siblings started coming just aſter their dad died, when they were in sixth and seventh grade. Tey had just moved to the community and their mother had hoped the program would be a way for the two to cope with their loss and meet friends. Five years later, the brother and sister are leaders. Both said they enjoy working with the children and envision their futures in helping professions. “If you’re having a bad day, you get over it fast com-


ing here because the kids make you feel better,” said Renae, who wants to be a teacher. Ninth-grader Carter Waelchli does his homework


during study hour but may be required to attend the Wednesday program since he is the pastor’s kid, a role that “is complicated,” he said. Carter, a freethinker and good with words, is credited


with asking an intelligent ques- tion to a prominent presidential candidate (while campaigning for the Iowa caucuses) in which the response “went like, super viral and went everywhere.” Carter has ideas: Te church


needs to stay relevant by getting out there and “doing some impor- tant stuff and not just being the old stereotype of sitting and listening for like two hours. Advancing new ideas would be really more helpful for everybody, not just for the pas- tors and the geeks like me, but for the whole community.” At Wednesday Night Live, the tone is set for children and youth


Following the meal, the community circles up for a time of prayer and thanksgiving. Hank Gerst (right), 11th grade, has attended to the program for 14 years. He said Jesus’ central message is: “Treat your neighbor as yourself.”


grow meaningful relationships.’


to think generously. For example, Katie Barnidge, a fiſth- grader, said some of the aspects she likes best about the pro- gram are ice cream sandwiches, God and crab soccer. If you raise your brows at the latter, she will explain it’s “crawling in reverse.” Lydia Lines, a ninth-grader, said she likes how the


day Night Live for 14 years. When asked what Jesus’ central message is, he said, “Treat your neighbor as yourself.” While a variety of ideas and opinions flow, there is


an obvious common denominator: love of one another. From the nursery to the kitchen to the youth room, when asking anyone the best part about this program, the consensus is: the people. “Wednesday Night Live gives the whole congregation


‘If you’re having a bad day, you get over it fast coming


the opportunity to grow meaningful relationships,” said Danny Stone, Faith’s director of youth and family minis- tries. “We believe faith is caught, not taught.” Lilly may be too young to


here because the kids make you feel better.’


articulate what it means to be part of a loving community, but she likely knows exactly what it is. She might say it’s delicious food, good friends, people who care, a servant Jesus, a God of love. One thing is certain, Lilly has already learned about Christian hospitality because she brings a friend to Wednesday Night Live. 


Author bio: Mork Speirs is a freelance writer and director of marketing at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling


Center. She and her family attend St. John Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Iowa, where her husband is a pastor.


Katie Barnidge (right), shown with Zoey Kubik, said what she loves most about the program is “crab soccer, ice cream sandwiches and God.”


confirmation teaching style is open to questions. Hank Gerst, 11th grade, has been coming to Wednes-


January 2016 35


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