Youth Unite and Serve

In June, 73 middle school students, high school students, and adult leaders joined together for a Servant Event at Heit’s Point Lutheran Ministries. Six churches (four from Missouri, one from Kansas, and one from Minnesota) came together to serve at Heit’s Point and in the surrounding community of Lincoln. The students completed several work projects. In Lincoln, the groups repaired a deck at one home, painted a second home, and made minor repairs to a third home. At Heit’s Point, groups painted cabin decks, moved equipment from an older shed to a new building, cleaned the chapel area, installed a new fire pit, rebuilt retaining walls and a dam, and mucked out ponds to allow better flow for the natural spring.

The latter activities, rebuilding the retaining walls and dam, and mucking out the ponds, served as the connecting point to the theme for the week “Water of Life” and the theme verse from John 4:14 “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In this theme, youth heard from Pastors and DCEs from the six churches who shared stories and made connections to the Bible about the power of God and the gift of life He provides to us through our baptism, and how that gift of life is a gift for everyone.

In addition to serving in Lincoln and at Heit’s Point, youth were able to take advantage of the many opportunities Heit’s Point has for fun. Students played disc golf, fished, swam in the Lake of the Ozarks, and enjoyed nightly campfires, which culminated with s’mores on the last night of camp.

Luca from Timothy in St. Louis, was excited for the opportunity to serve the Lord and grow in his faith. “It was great to get to know so many people from the Midwest who love and want to serve the Lord.”

Janine Mallardi, program director of Heit’s Point expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the hard work of all of the participants, saying, “It was amazing to see kids from all over come together to serve as one body of Christ. It was an amazing week with amazing servants of the Lord.”