UPDATE 10 - Hosting Liberti Communion Youth Trip
Hey all!
Today I have a guest post from our summer intern, Adam Carvella! Adam helped lead a Liberti Communion youth mission trip in the city of Philadelphia a few weeks ago. On one morning, he brought three teenage guys over to clean up and pick weeds around our new building. I enjoyed meeting them and am thankful they served us. I pray this small service event is a sliver of vision of how God could use this building to bless folks both near and far. Read on below!
The week of June 16th, the Liberti Communion held a youth service trip focused on our own city of Philadelphia, partnering with various ministries that are doing good work to alleviate both spiritual and physical needs. Among these were Small Things, Salvation Army, Sunday Love, and AlphaCare—organizations that are well established and were even previously known to some of the students.
One small mission, however, could have easily slipped under the radar. On Thursday morning, three teenage boys and I took a trip over to Lehigh and Belgrade, the future site of the Liberti River Wards permanent church home. After stopping at Home Depot to pick up some weed killer and gardening gloves, we met Pastor Stephen outside, who gave us a tour of the building and explained a little bit of the mission of River Wards and the impact we hope to have with this building. For the next hour or so, we picked weeds, poured weed killer, and cleaned up trash around the outside of the building, hoping to create a pleasant exterior for our new neighbors. For a special surprise, Larry Walker stopped by and treated the boys to Little Susie’s cafe across the street!
While this project may not have had the clout of Small Things or the prominence of Salvation Army, all three of the boys in debrief said that this ended up being their favorite project of the week. The chance to hear from Pastor Stephen about the history of River Wards and the hope for future outreach made them feel as if they were not merely pulling weeds, but becoming a part of the story of the church; knowing the importance of their task reframed it from menial labor to serving the greater kingdom of God.
I myself am blessed to have been able to take part in this trip and this service site. While the boys were honored to be included in the work that God is doing through Liberti River Wards, Stephen, Larry, and I feel privileged to have been a part of the work that God is doing in these student’s lives. Continue to pray for the youth of the Liberti Communion as they grow and are shaped by the gospel, and pray that we faithfully model the life of the Christian for them.
- Adam Carvella
