Sept. 29, 2008 issue
Kansas church sends eight to serve
By Aimee SiebertNEWTON, Kan. — A culture of service is bearing fruit among young adults at First Mennonite Church.
This fall the congregation is sending eight recent high school and college graduates to serve one or two years with Mennonite agencies in the United States and overseas.
“It’s amazing to see how a youth’s faith grows and takes root when they have a chance to live it out,” said Joel Schroeder, youth pastor at First Mennonite. “And the youth of this generation don’t just want to go the normal route. Service allows them to understand their faith in a new way.”
As Ruth Wiens, Creigh Bartel, Miriam Regier, Kara Schmidt, Kiley Schmidt, Rachel Goering, Sheralynn Neff and Amy Goering serve through Mennonite Voluntary Service, Mennonite Disaster Service, Service Adventure, Radical Journey and REACH, they embody the service culture First Mennonite has nurtured.
Five have just graduated from high school, and three from Bethel College. Pastor Clarence Rempel said several aspects of church life “snowballed into the culture of mission and service.”
First Mennonite has been blessed with youth pastors who have placed an emphasis on service. The youth group serves regularly in the community and participates in annual mission trips.
The congregation supports service ventures financially through a Short-Term Mission Fund. Giving to the fund expanded this year to $31,700, covering expenses for all eight.
Rempel also cites family experience with service as motivation for the youth.
“Most of their parents did service work themselves,” he said.
Amy Goering, who will leave in November to serve with MDS, has parents who met in MVS.
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