Youth

YOUTH MISSION EXPERIENCES

The summer of 2024, we will have 2 week long youth mission experiences. Any youth currently in 6th-12th grade can attend either or both of the mission experiences. Adults are always needed!

In addition to our week long mission experiences, we will have local mission days where we will go to local mission agencies to help out in our community! In the past we have worked with Kindness Closet, FeedNC, Bridge of Hearts, The Christian Mission, and more! As these dates get scheduled, information will be added below.

2024 Youth Mission Experiences

Atlanta Area Mission Trip

We will be going to the Atlanta Area (staying at John's Creek UMC, in John's Creek, GA) to do inner city/relational type work. Work could include: Food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, boys and girls clubs, community gardens, etc. We (Mt. Tabor UMC and WCUMC) are planning this trip together, so we have lots of flexibility with what we will do. Groups will likely work in the John's Creek Area for a couple days and in the Atlanta metro area for a couple of days. All groups will have a minimum of 2 adults with them and will be working with mission agencies that have been vetted.

More details will come out as we know them.

July 21st-27th - ASP

Youth Mission Blog

WCUMC Youth Mission Blog

We will update our youth missional adventures here all summer! Please check back in to see the great work our youth are doing and to find out ways you may pray for our youth and their work!

Just one more day!

Today was another good day. Had a bit more rain today than we have been having, but it didn't really impact our work too much. This evening, we went to Big Stone Gap, VA to a park for a picnic with some of the homeowners. The youth really enjoyed the playground and had a good time. Here are updates from the youth perspectives.

Group 1:
Today our team went to a new house. We worked for a gentleman named Paul and his family. Our half our team put down paint tarps on the floor and painted the walls in one room. We also put quick dry mud on cracks in the current baseboards for a cleaner look. We also added baseboards and quarter round for parts of the home that were not finished yet.

Group 2:
Today our group spent the majority of the day sanding to remove the excess mud from the ceiling we’ve been working on. We then we added more mud in spots that needed a little more in order to make the ceiling even to prepare for painting tomorrow.

Group 3:
We worked for this lady named Ronda today and she treats us amazing. We don’t deserve her. She gave us wax melts for our candles and she gave us all types of candy. She is so nice and appreciative of our help and we are so glad we got her as our homeowner. Today we continued replacing her deck boards and it started pouring. We also played with the cats.

Some photos of fun at the picnic

Some photos of the groups work for today!
Hump day!

We had a great day. One group finished at their house and will be at a new job site tomorrow. The other two groups will return to the same homes to continue the work they have been doing! Everyone is tired, but having a good time. Tonight the youth have been playing 9-square most of the night!
Group 1:
We went back to the same home today. Some of us added vinyl siding to the gable end of the home. The rest of us installed quarter round molding around the kitchen and dining area. This enhanced our ceiling work from Monday and Tuesday. We also spent fellowship time with the family and wished them many blessings! We are very proud of our hard work!!

Group 2:
Today we started off by measuring the ceiling and sheetrock so we could fit it correctly into place. Then we finished installing the sheetrock into the ceiling and drilling nails so that it was perfectly sturdy. Afterwards, we began to mud the sheetrock and the nails showing through the ceiling, as well as the cracks dividing the pieces of sheetrock. We then swept the floors and began cleaning up for tomorrow. It was one of the most productive days we’ve had so far this week! Mrs. Molly was super nice and talkative as always, and we felt so accomplished after making a huge mark in our project!

Group 3:
Today we went back to the same house to work on finishing the porch, installing the last few pickets, sanding down the railings and replacing a few rotten old boards. Today works did not take very long it was more of a fishing touches day so we left the job site early. Since we were done early we took a group trip to the dollar general to get snacks.

Evening program activity

Group chores

Hanging out in the sleeping area

Cleaning up after mudding drywall

Group 2's dry wall work

They did the triangle (gamble) section of siding

Nailing in quarter round

Cutting trim

All smiles!

Group three finished the railing at the end of the deck and on the stairs

The section of deck group 3 resurfaced

Trim nails!

She loved nailing the trim up

More rotted wood group 3 replaced

The triangle section is part of what group 3 worked on today

Group 3 finished the front. Work a previous group started

More trim

Drilling pilot holes

Muddy but smiling

She got a bit of mud on herself!

Cutting out rotted wood

Working on siding

Someone needs a taller ladder

Cutting wood

Peek a boo

Taking out some boards that needed replaced

Proud of their railing

Master sander at work

Removing boards

Sheetrock crew!
Time for a two-step

Updates from today!
Thankfully it has not been too hot here this week and also not too rainy!. Tonight, we had a "culture night" here at ASP and went into town to have a night of line dancing. There will be some photos of that interspersed through the rest of the photos. The youth and adults all had a blast!
Group 1:
Today we were greeted with a surprise, one of the house owners kids told us to close our eyes and a few seconds later we opened our eyes to see to 2 month old puppy! So that gave us the boost we needed. The first thing we did was covering all the furniture, then we grabbed the quick dry mud and covered the nails and fixed up some patches that needed to be filled. (very satisfying process) Next we covered the wall that connected to the ceiling with duct tape. Then we painted our first coat, and then a few minutes later we finished it off with the second coat. We had a very fun time, and it was such a honor to help and meet the homeowners!

Group 2:
Today at Molly’s house we took out the staples (from the previous ceiling tiles) and left over screws out of the ceiling. Afterwards, we began hanging sheetrock. We completed two rows of sheetrock and had to cut it specifically to fit around the fan opening. We then swept the floors, moved the furniture back in, and packed our stuff up to head back to the high school.

Group 3:
Today at Sheila's house we continued to work on the deck. We ripped out more boards (decking) and added new ones. We also added more sister joists. There was also a lot of work being done under the deck today. It was tricky\, but it looked good when it was done! We did some more sanding and we added pickets to the railings. While we were working the homeowner and her sister were at a doctor's appointment. Overall, today was lots of fun and we made lots of progress!!

This is the shower trailer!
Day 1

We have had a great first day here in Appalachia, VA. Our housing situation is stretching some of the folks, but we are all good and safe. No A/C and outdoor shower trailer (with no hot water) is definitely new for several folks. All in all, we have spirits are good and bodies and minds are tired.

Here are updates from the job site from the kid's perspective!

Group 1:
Today we met our first home owner’s (we will likely visit other homes throughout the week). They were very friendly, and have had workers from ASP visit their home for the past few years. Our focus in this home is to help finish up their kitchen ceiling. Today, we spent the whole day sanding the mud used to seal in the dry wall (installed by a previous group), and enjoyed a very lovely dry wall dust shower. It was repetitive, and took a lot of work, but our group managed to sand down the ceiling to be mostly smooth and flat. We followed up by spending lots of time cleaning all of the dry wall dust off the floors and everywhere else the dust drifted off to. Tomorrow, we will visit the same house to finish the ceiling, including fixing small holes and painting to make the ceiling look as nice as possible.

Group 2:
We ate breakfast and helped clean up after, then we packed our lunches, and went to the Mrs.molly’s house, she was really nice. We cleaned up the place, and placed all of their furniture outside of the house, so it wasn’t in the way when we cleaned. Then we went to the gas station to use the bathroom and get some snacks, then we came back to their house to sit down, relax, and eat. When we finished lunch we went back to working, and put on protection to remove the ceiling tiles, then we got a trash bag to put the ceiling tiles in. We took several water breaks in between working, and we finished taking the tiles down. We put them on the side of the house for the people to take care of them. After we moved all the furniture back in, and plants, because there was supposed to be a storm coming soon, and we didn’t want anything to break or get knocked over, and that was our day, pretty productive.👍

Group 3:
We had so much fun rebuilding a porch for Sheila. They were so sweet to all of us and they were very patient. We ripped up the old boards off the front porch, drilled in new boards and added sister joists to the foundation to make it more sturdy. We got popsicles from Shelia’s sister, Rhonda and we got to play with two adorable kittens named Socks and Garfield.
Sheila was very appreciative of all our hard work and looks forward to seeing us tomorrow.

Note with pictures: One of our job sites, the homeowners have requested to not post photos of their home. So that team will just have photos of the team outside of the home.
Expect the unexpected - Expect the Unexpected

Today was a day of unexpected. The group that went to lead VBS and neighborhood cooperative ministries had 9 children (Neighborhood Cooperative has been averaging 50 children). It was unexpected, but ended up being a blessing. The group that went to The Place yesterday was so efficient, that The Place had no work for us today. So the group that was supposed to go there went to Mercy Community Church. That group went in with some assumptions about what they would see, but found things to be very different...but it also was a blessing. You can hear about the youth's experiences in some updates from them below. Also, enjoy lots of photos from the day!
Group 1 & 4: Neighborhood Cooperative

Today, we got the chance to work with VBS at Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries. We really got to connect 1 on 1 with all of the campers who came. It was nice to get to build relationships with all the kids and do more of the hands on work rather than behind the scenes. I enjoyed working with one of the kids, Jesus and getting to know him and really connect with him today.

Group 2: Mercy Community Church

The mercy community church is a place for people experiencing homelessness could go to socialize and get two hot meals on Wednesdays. Today they were given some clean clothes, a shower, and checked on by a foot doctor. They normally get a bible study and worship and many of them call this place home. When we went in, we were expecting a completely different environment. What we saw really opened our eyes and changed our perspectives and made many of us emotional. This was a big stretch for a lot of us and really pushed us out of our comfort zones, but we are very glad to have been able to experience this.

Group 3: Children’s Haven

Today, I we went to children’s haven and I got to work to help foster kids out by helping organize clothes in the basement for them or whoever there guardian is at the moment to shop for free which I think is amazing that they do that, we also watered plants and did some yard work to make the place look more presentable. I thought that the children’s haven was a really good place and had a great meaning behind what they do because they help foster kids be able to connect with there parents or separated siblings which I think is awesome for the kids so that they can get closer to there parents or siblings that are at a different foster home so that they can have a healthier life.
Day 2

Here are updates from today's job sites. These are written by members of each group. We had 3 groups go into Atlanta today (and got to experience the MARTA and a bus ride).
Group 1: ZABAN
ZABAN is an organization that takes in home insecure people. It is the only one in the Atlanta area that allows couples to stay together. Today from 10-12 they offer a hot meal, showers, and laundry to 12 people from the area with insecurities. We helped check the people in and offered conversation during their time at Zaban. We had an enjoyable time serving home insecure people in the Atlanta community and meeting new people!!

Group 2: PAD
PAD (Policing, Alternatives, and Diversion Initiative) is a organization that allows for a second alternative for minor infractions, like trespassing, substance abuse, etc. It allows people who get arrested to receive resources instead of being detained. They offer things such as meals, case workers, free Ubers, and a place to hang out. Not only does the organization provide materialistic things they also provide a welcoming family that some have lost through the years.

We had the opportunity to serve here today, packing bagged meals for those in need, and unpacking their packaged foods into their pantry. We heard many employees speak about their connections and relations to PAD. We deeply appreciate them for allowing us in to learn about their space and intentions to help better their community.

Group 3: The Place
Our group went to The Place which is a Thrift store that resells used items like furniture and older technology. There is also a food pantry where they give food to people in need. While we were there we helped clean up the yard and take out trash. We also wiped down the wooden furniture and put labels on the tags and sorted clothes to sell. Overall we had a great time and would do it again.

Group 4: Gateway
We had so much fun helping people with their lunches and sorting clothing for them. It was such an enjoyable experience to be around. Sorting the mens and women’s clothing did take some time but it was still fun. The people at the building were super nice and respectful. It was great to meet new people and see the experience around the people working. It just feels so great for helping people and helping them with their needs that they have. Seeing the building that the people were staying and the rest of the entire building was really cool to look at. The feeling when you help people feels so great because it just makes you feel like you have accomplished something. It would be so great to come back again!

Here are some photos from today!
Day 1 - Hunger Action Center

Today we went to the Hunger Action Center. We packed 16,733 pounds of food! We packed boxes, weighed food, and labeled boxes. Along with doing this work, we made meaningful connections with the people working at the Hunger Action Center along with the people in our groups. After doing our work, we had a great dinner out together! Please continue to pray for us as we make connections with others, do meaningful work, and grow as Christians.
Both groups have arrive at John's Creek and are all getting settled in!

Tomorrow we all go to the Hunger Action Center together!

Williamsons Chapel UMC right before leaving.

Mt. Tabor UMC right before leaving.

Prayers for all of the groups as they minister to Atlanta this week!
2024 Youth Mission Experiences

This summer, we have 2 youth mission experiences you can follow along with!
July 7th-13th, 20 youth and adults will be headed to the Atlanta area!
We will be working at places like The Hunger Action Center, Zaban Paradise Center, PAD, The Place, and Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries. Each group will also get a chance to go to the King Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
We are doing this trip in conjunction with Mt. Tabor UMC, out of Winston Salem UMC

July 21st-27th, 22 youth and adult will be headed to Appalachia, VA to work with Appalachia Service Project. We will have 3 work teams doing basic home repair on houses in the area.

We will have updates each day about the work that each work team was able to accomplish!
FeedNC - Youth Mission Monday

Today a number of our youth and adults spent 3 hours at FeedNC. Half our our group worked in the warehouse, sorting through fruit, veggies, breads, and cakes that were donated from outside organizations. We helped make sure things were not past their use by date and still in a usable condition. The other half our our group work in the food pantry restocking things and getting it ready for the first shopping gro0up tomorrow!
FeedNC did a great job of giving the youth a tour and explaining the whole food pantry process to our youth. All of the youth had a great time and learned a lot about the FeedNC. We even had some folks stay and have lunch at the Donoghue's Open Door Cafe!
Here are some photos of our experience today.

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YOUTH MINISTRY PROGRAMS

Our youth ministry programs are designed to help youth find ownership of their faith, grow in their faith, and learn how to live their faith boldly outside the walls of the church. We are very relationally focused, working to build a supportive community were everyone can find a place of belonging and can use their gifts to build up the community around them.

There are programs on Sunday morning that are more bible study focused The Sunday night program has large group worship time as well as a small group time where youth can safely explore their faith through topics that are relavant to them. Our current small group break down is a 6th grade girls group, a 7th & 8th girls group, a middle school boys group, and a high school group.

We have fall and spring retreats that are great times to get to know other youth better, they often serve as incredible mountain top encounters with God, and can springboard youth into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. We also maintain a missional focus, serving both in our local community and on mission trips to other states.

All youth that are in 6th - 12th grade are welcome to join any of our programs at any time!

Youth Programs

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning at 11:00, we have two groups that meet down at the youth house.

Middle School - The middle school group meets at the God Cave and is currently looking at biblical principles that we can find in film/movies. Most of the movies we watch are disney based, but we can really watch just about anything!

High School - The high school group meets in the youth house and have an in depth bible study. It is an open format, where they read scripture together and talk about what they think it means.

Snacks and hot cocoa are provided each week for the youth in the Youth House Kitchen.

Sunday Night

Confirmation