What Did You Do This Summer?
from Torrey H. Brinkley
Students are soon back in school for the fall semester. Many went on vacations, some went to camps, others tried sports activities, and a few were able to work at summer jobs.
Would you be surprised to hear that no less than 26,000 youth participated in summer 2007 work camp projects in the USA and abroad organized by Group Workcamps Foundation, based in Loveland, Colorado?
Junior and Senior High students went to serve in 37 different states or foreign countries doing projects such as interior & exterior painting, building or repairing porches or wheelchair ramps, constructing or fixing stairs/steps, and winterizing homes. Some went to assist the elderly, tutored needy students, served at food banks, or helped at children's day camps.
One of the young fellows in our local men's Bible study went along on one of the Group Work trips this summer, as he photographed the teens at work in West Virginia. Matt Wade noted that the 400+ youth were able to complete repairs on 71 homes during one week, plus sharing their Christian faith with many isolated and/or elderly residents in one poor community of the US. There are nightly inspirational chapel services for the youth, who come from a variety of churches around the country. The tech people put together a nightly audio-visual presentation each night that highlighted the work experiences of the teens that very same day.
This labor of love (in serving others) reflects an American phenomenon that has characterized our society for generations: volunteerism. Perhaps this comes from our Christian forefathers who taught, believed and practiced verses such as Colossians 3:23:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from from the Lord as a reward."
Interestingly, the impetus for serving others in need started back in 1976 when the Big Thompson (River) flood just outside of Loveland, Colorado devastated small towns with many homes caught in the onrushing floodwaters. There now have been over 1000 work camps since that time, where each group of young people serves from 20 to 80 homes/sites. Group Publishing reports that total participants have been 266, 350 persons in these last 30 years.
Each church that brings their teens to serve also has their own sponsors/parents/youth pastors to guide & minister to the needs of the youth during the work week. Some churches have chosen to participate in this ministry for over 20 years now, and one cook that served in West Virginia this summer has helped prepare meals for over 33 camps!
When one considers the selfishness and indifference of the stereotypical teen, how refreshing it is to see youth and their sponsors choose to give back to some of the poorest communities of America in such a noble and selfless manner! Each church should at least contemplate a visit to www.GroupWorkcamps.com. Take a look at the photos of all their efforts, and see if your church teens would like to sign up for next summer's projects (start planning now!).
This is the same spirit of Christian compassion that has helped re-build the US Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck back in 2005, as hundreds of churches have sent steady streams of workers with hammers & saws. Remember that Jesus was a carpenter by trade, not a philosopher in a rocking chair.
