Youth News

Mission in Minneapolis
This trip was inspired by the 2010 Summer Mission Trip to Cairo, Illinois. A group of six First Lutheran Youth participated in a Mini-Mission Trip to Minneapolis on August 20-22. The youth enjoyed being submerged into urban culture. They rode the city bus, learned about the needs and issues Minneapolis is facing, and saw how God is working in the city through people who are putting their faith and trust in Him.

The youth helped serve dinner to homeless people through Impact International, and they volunteered at the Marie Sandvik Center which serves low-income/homeless men, women and children. Youth also went on a prayer-walk, explored the Global Market, ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant, and attended worship at the multi-ethnic Sanctuary Covenant Church in North Minneapolis.

Youth Mission Trip to Cairo, Illinois

Nineteen youth and four adult leaders traveled to Cairo, Illinois to host Kids Club, Outrageous Sports Camp, and do some scraping and painting of homes. Youth played games with the kids, led skits, did arts and crafts, and read books. For those who worked on the homes, the owners were very appreciative for their efforts. At the Outrageous Sports Camp, youth worked with older children and played sports. Youth also participated in a Bible Study with teenagers from Cairo.

Hear their personal stories on Sunday, September 19. Thank you again to everyone who prayerfully and financially supported this mission trip!

To Do a Good Turn Daily

If anyone wonders if “good turns” are still a part of every scout’s creed, I can assure you that they are and here’s a case in point: Last weekend there was a fender bender accident at the intersection of 63rd Street and Winnetka Avenue. One of the cars had been pushed over the curb, knocking down the octagon stop sign on that corner. This intersection is normally a four-way stop, so vehicles coming up to one of the corners where a stop sign was in place would simply stop and then precede, thinking the car on their left or right would stop as they usually did. After hearing a lot of brakes screeching and angry shouts, a local resident picked up the sign that had been knocked down and held it in its normal position so that motorists approaching the intersection would be reminded they must stop.

A group of Troop 3405 scouts, members of a venture puppeteers group, were on their way to perform at Three Rivers Park. They realized the stop sign situation needed attention so, with the help of their scout master, they went to the corner, armed with pieces of pipe, some rope, and a sledge hammer. They placed the sign in its normal position and drove pipes around the sign post. Then they tied the support pieces to the post and the sign was again in position to do its job.

I’m sure the action on the part of these young men prevented more accidents that could have caused personal injury and possibly death.

By the way, these scouts doing a good turn are the ones that meet at our church every Monday evening and are a great addition to our service to the neighborhood. I’m proud to have a group like this associated with our church.

—Roger Gustafson

Youth Experience Hunger on a Global Scale

For 30-hours, youth will go without food as they learn about world hunger and experience real hunger firsthand. A 2,000-link paper chain is hanging from the hallway ceiling outside of the Community Room. Each link represents the 26,000 children under the age of five years old who die from hunger and poverty-related issues every day!

For each quarter that is donated, a link from our hunger chain will be removed. A quarter may not seem like much but 2,000 of them (one for each link of the chain) will yield $500. This will go far in providing food and clean water for children in desperate need. Place your donation in the box provided at the 30-hour famine display in the narthex.

The 30-hour Famine Youth Event was an overnight event held at First Lutheran Church of Columbia Heights on February 20 -21, 2010 for youth ages 12-18.

30-hour famine youth event