Youth brave snow & frigid temperatures to serve

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MCM Travelogue:Our stories in god's story 3
August 2004

Do you remember where you were the morning snow was spotted in downtown Winnipeg this past August? I do, and I'm not likely to forget it soon. I was serving at the Anishinabe Fellowship Centre food bank in downtown Winnipeg, along with three junior high youth from Douglas Mennonite Church. Another small group of junior youth from our congregation served at the Missionary Sisters of Charity soup kitchen in the North End on that chilly day, along with our summer intern, Thomas Epp. That same morning, three more junior youth were serving at the Agape Table soup kitchen located at Broadway & Osbourne.

These service placements were part of a four day "Summer Ministry Experience" program for grade 8 students from August 16-19, 2004 at Douglas Mennonite Church. Nine young people eagerly accepted the challenge to "give up" four days of their summer to sleep in the church basement and be involved in service in the city of Winnipeg. During our four days together we painted a fence, served at numerous soup kitchens, sang for senior citizens in a personal care home, packed dinner kits and played with children at a drop-in centre. We spent time praying, worshipping and sharing with each other during morning and evening prayers. We experienced and shared the love of Christ. We also laughed together - a lot. The grade 8 boys also did a few others things on a regular basis, but I won't mention that here.

The purpose of the "Summer Ministry Experience" was to give junior youth an opportunity to be involved in hands-on ministry in their own city. One of my passions as a youth pastor is to provide service opportunities where youth can test their gifts and experience God's presence in new and relevant ways. As many of us know, life-change is most likely to occur in those moments when we find ourselves faced with new and unfamiliar situations. As a pastor, my hope is that the young people I work with will experience life change that draws them deeper into the presence of God. A service trip like this one is ripe with opportunity for such a change to take place.

The youth who participated in this program were fueled with an energy and enthusiasm that few of us beyond our Junior High years still possess. While stereotypes suggest that youth are self-absorbed and materialistic, this group of young people was excited about serving others and learning about the harsh realities of poverty, injustice and violence in their city. This same group of young people was eager to engage with God during our group sessions. I was often amazed by the maturity and compassion they displayed.

Did our group make a tangible difference in the lives of people in Winnipeg during our 4 days of service? I don't know whether anything we did made a lasting impact in someone else's life. I do know that the meals we helped prepare and serve and the dinner kits we packed provided nourishment for numerous people in our city. The hugs we gave and the songs we sang made a few people smile, when they might not have had anything to smile about that day. What I do know for certain is that the lives of those who served were touched and changed by the experience.

Ruth Bruinouge is the youth pastor at Douglas Mennonite Church.

"Our stories in God's story" celebrates some of the ways MCM congregations are participating in God's story in their communities.

…an initiative of MCM Evangelism and Service Ministries.

If you have comments or ideas for a story, please contact Norm Voth, Director of Evangelism and Service Ministries.