Palms Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, FL is one that has made mission partnership their intentional focus, and have been engaging their youth in mission work for more than 30 years. Youth Director, Wilson Kennedy, says, “It’s the hallmark of youth ministry at Palms. This is how our youth are engaged in the world and think theologically and critically about our world and about how our faith calls us to be active and engaging in it.” A few months ago, before kicking off a summer of mission trips and local service work, Palms youth came together for a mission retreat. At the end of it, high school senior and Palms’ resident videographer, Jacob May, created this video, highlighting trips they’ve been on in the past, and what each member of the youth group feels is most special to them about these trips. The photos in this video are not only from their mission trips to the Carolinas and beyond, but also from work they’ve done in their home community of Jacksonville. Wilson says, “Because we’re situated two blocks from the beach, we’re intentional about being engaged in mission, and in partnership, and in solidarity in the beaches. There are over 250 chronically homeless people in Jacksonville, so we partner with organizations like Mission House and BEAM, which stands for Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry. Our church is also undertaking a study on issues of access [to services, affordable healthcare, job creation, and job training] at the beaches because we have the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor living together. So we’re constantly serving in different ways in our community and our neighborhood.”
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Driving down I-240 with Top 40 radio set to a dull roar has never been my ideal time for reflection or an experience ripe with opportunities to learn how to better show love to others. I usually keep the windows rolled down, the radio up high, and my thoughts on mute—using the highway only as a necessary means to a more purposeful end. But this summer I have found myself sitting in a lot of 240 traffic—on the way to and from the office or leading groups to and from worksites—consequently with loads of time to think.
My few weeks in Asheville have opened my eyes to how different my hometown is to other places. I was born in Clinton, South Carolina. I grew up in Clinton, and I go to Presbyterian College, which is also in Clinton. I have never really had the chance to experience the world outside of my little bubble, AYM has given me that chance. There is no way that I would see someone walking down the streets of Clinton with a blue mohawk, or witness a scheduled drum circle in the middle of the city where people of all backgrounds are given the chance to be united through music. I needed to see and experience these things, to get a taste of the world outside of my bubble. I have been a member of the same church since birth; I have only been a part of other congregations a handful of times. Since I have been molded in such a deliberate way for so long, it becomes difficult to imagine anything different. I have become trained to believe that the way the things are done in my church is the right way to do things. Which is not always the case.
Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 I don’t like to wear shoes; they’ve never been my thing. As a child I got in trouble regularly for running around without shoes then bringing dirt into the house. If I can go barefoot, I do– parks, beaches, school, work, you name it I’m barefoot… but I never took off my shoes because I thought those places were holy.
This week on the blog we wanted to highlight one of RYM’s newest partner agencies, Carroll’s Kitchen, opening later this summer in Raleigh. Carroll’s Kitchen will be a “501c3 restaurant with a vision to end homelessness for women in Raleigh and inspire everyone in the city to make a real and positive change.” This summer Carroll’s Kitchen will be one of stops on RYM’s urban walk, an opportunity to explore Raleigh on a deeper level by walking in community members’ shoes. We got to speak with Jim Freeze, the executive director of Carroll’s Kitchen, about how this idea came about, the services they will offer women in Raleigh, and the change they hope to see for their community.
A few months ago on the blog we introduced a few of our newest partner agencies– Asheville Poverty Initiative and A Place at the Table in Raleigh. This week we’re highlighting one of our agencies that’s been partnering with AYM since the beginning– Children First/Communities in Schools (CIS).
You’ve met Martha, Liam, and Bella— three performance poets and high school students speaking out against injustice in the Asheville area. Now, meet Nora, who brings us her poem, “163,” making us aware of the number of rape kits backlogged in Buncombe County, and the injustice this does to the survivors of sexual assault. At YMCo, we wanted to know why this number is so high and what can be done to change it. We contacted Our VOICE, an organization that “serves all individuals in Buncombe County affected by sexual assault and abuse,” and we spoke with their Court Advocate, Stefanie Gonzales. Stefanie shed some light for us on the process of reporting sexual assault in Buncombe County, why rape kits don’t always get tested, and what we, and especially our teenagers, can do to prevent that number from rising any higher.
This week on the blog we’ve got Beth Woodside writing from Clemson University. Read below about her experiences with AYM, RYM, and her plans to make a difference in the world! “I want to start a nonprofit that takes food that would otherwise be wasted from places like supermarkets, catering organizations, and restaurants and donates this food to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries. Phew. That is intimidating to say at 22 years old. It is a daunting and considerable dream. But that’s exactly what it is: my dream.
In last week’s blog post we introduced you to Akia: a high school junior, member of BYOP (Baltimore Youth Organizing Project), and organizer of a recent youth-led mayoral candidate assembly. We mentioned that in their efforts to organize this assembly, BYOP met with youth from Brown Memorial Presbyterian and invited them to attend the assembly. This week, meet Nick: a Brown Memorial youth who attended the assembly and spoke with us about his perspective on it, the relationship with BYOP, and the work still to be done in Baltimore.
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