Charity & Justice – a youth mission 2008

Thirteen youth and four adults from PHUMC spent spring break in New York City for mission, cultural diversity experiences and fellowship. They explored working together in inter-faith and ecumenical environments at Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew UMC.

The group worked with women at a homeless shelter, with teens questioning their sexual orientation who had been kicked our of their parents’ homes, and with a food pantry where clients “shop” for their own groceries and run the store. In a protest outside a restaurant that pays immigrant workers $1.25 an hour, the youth were joined by young New Yorkers who shared their concerns as the peacefully cried out for justice. They also visited the Church Center at the United Nations and learned about peace and justice going hand-in-hand, the Israeli-Palistinean conflict; they participated in a Bible study on justice led by David Wildman of the UM General Board of Church and Society. They visited the World Trade Center Memorial, becoming familiar with events that occurred when they were only age 7 or 8.

“Even though we didn’t build a house or dig a foundation for a church, we were spreading Christ’s love and building his church in a spiritual way,” said Kate Trotter. “Many of my stereotypes were shattered on this trip. Now I feel like it is my duty to share what I learned about Palestine, Israel and sweat shops.”

“I learned that as Christians we must walk with both the charity foot and justice foot,” said Anna Lee Pittman. “Jermaine changed the way I perceive gay people. He had just come off the basketball court; he told us about his new home from a client’s point of view. I learned mission isn’t always going to Mexico to build houses. Mission comes in many ways.”

“It doesn’t take building a house to help others,” Tyler Adcock said. “I learned what charity and justice really are. Now that we know how to be passionate about mission work, we can put those ideas into practice.”

“The women in the homeless shelter were smart, had jobs and were happy we were there,” Kate added. “They sleep on cots the church provides.”

“I have started looking into where my clothes come from and which stores use sweatshops,” said Kate. “I saw love in the people we met and also in my fellow youth. My youth group is my second family. Maybe it was our goofiness walking down the street, singing songs and laughing.”

“Many times when we get home, the mission work is over,” Olivia Holmes said. “With this type of experience, the work really began when we got home.”