| Youth group gives time to community, money to missions |
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From ag.org May 11, 2005 On Saturday, April 30, Revo Youth Church, a ministry of Kingsway Church (AG) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, raised $2,000 for Speed the Light (STL) in efforts to promote community service, ecological responsibility and global missions. The idea for the âEarthbeat 2005â project came about after Revo Youth Church Pastor Bryon White visited a church in Illinois one year ago. The church coordinates the fundraising event annually on a grand scale to raise funds for major church expenses. White adapted the idea, scaled it down a bit and the youth church decided to use the event to raise funds for STL, a student-initiated ministry that provides equipment and vehicles for missionaries around the world. The Cherry Hill Township (population of about 70,000) participates with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the Clean Communities program and encourages local residents and groups to volunteer their time to help keep parks and playgrounds clean. The youth church asked the township for the opportunity to get involved. White met with an engineer for details and the township provided all the necessary supplies for clean-up. Students asked family, friends and neighbors to sponsor them with hourly pledges based on an 8-hour workday. Besides raising money for STL, the youth group wanted to use the opportunity to build community relationships. White provided materials to hand out to neighbors and potential sponsors describing the churchâs desire to teach the students accountability to the community and to the environment. âIt was also a way for students to communicate their involvement in the youth church â a great opportunity to talk to their neighbors,â White explains. At 8 a.m. on a rainy Saturday morning, 33 teenagers and 6 adults met for breakfast and divided into four teams â each with its own quadrant of the township. Though the students could not perform some of the tasks they were anticipating that day because of the rain, they still had plenty of work to do. A township engineer provided the group with a map of the township and highlighted areas that needed attention such as parks and school grounds. âThe students worked every minute of the day picking up trash and clutter,â says White. âThey hit a good majority of the township.â The teenagers told White that they were overwhelmed by the amount of trash they picked up. âYou just donât see it unless youâre purposely looking for it,â said one student. White is pleased with the results of the fundraiser. Money is still coming in for STL. The youth church plans to make Earthbeat an annual event; however, next spring they hope to make it even bigger. White would like to get local businesses involved and raise around $10,000 for STL. âWe want the youth to learn how to grow balanced in life,â says White. âGiving to the community, as well as raising funds for global missions, is part of that.â To learn more about Revo Youth Church, see its Web site at http://www.revoyouthchurch.com/. For information on Kingsway AG, visit http://www.kingswayAG.com/.
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