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Connect > Groups> Jr High
 
Our Middle School Youth Group, Impact, meets bi-wekly for fun and games, lunch and learning. The group also gets together to serve others, and sometimes just to have some fun! Junior High meeting information is updated regularly in our church newsletter or the Grace calendar.
Below are just a few of the things we've been up to:
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Hope (And More) in a Backpack
Sometimes happiness comes in the form of a toothbrush….. So is the case for HOE Ministries (Hope for Orphans of Ethiopia), an organization that aims to help impoverished Ethiopian orphans by providing backpacks filled with some of life’s simple necessities. Inspired by this blooming new ministry, the middle school youth group at Grace Community Church recently partnered with HOE Ministries to help their cause. For three weeks, the Grace youth group coordinated the assigning of empty backpacks to participating church families who filled the backpacks with basic toiletries like toothbrushes and toothpaste, school supplies, recreational items like small toys, jump ropes and balls, as well as miscellaneous things including candy, baseball caps, socks, t-shirts and flashlights. Some families sent personal notes and photos with their packs, and around 70 backpacks were filled by Grace Church members.
 Within the next month, these backpacks will be sent to Ethiopia to coordinate with the June arrival of HOE founder, Tom Mustico and eight other volunteers. During their two-week trip to Ethiopia, the group will visit eight orphanages and hand-deliver the 70 backpacks donated from Grace Church, and over 130 packs from other participating churches. In addition, the volunteers will share bible stories, do arts and crafts, read, sing, and - most of all - shower love and affection over these destitute children. “We’ve been given a mandate by God to reach out to these people,” explains Mustico. “My goal is to create an awareness throughout the entire United States about the staggering conditions in Ethiopia, which includes extreme poverty, abuse, and deadly diseases such as AIDS.” Shockingly, 1 out of 10 children die before reaching their first birthday, and 1 out of 6 die before the age of 5. “God has blessed us with an incredible amount of wealth, and with this prosperity comes the responsibility of sharing our blessings with those who have none,” he adds.
HOE Ministries, which was established after a life-changing trip Mustico took to Ethiopia, and derives its name from the idea that in the same way a hoe tills the soil to cultivate and nurture it to bring forth and perpetuate life, we are all instructed by God to do the same to aid our brothers and sisters. Eventually, HOE plans to be involved with different facets of ministry including the development of vocational schools in Ethiopia.
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IMPACT Goes a Long Way
The Grace Community Church middle school youth group, Impact, goes a long way in serving others. This year, the group, which calls itself Impact, chose to raise money for The Children’s Rescue Mission in Honduras. The Mission serves needy children in the area; it supports a farm which produces milk and provides meals for children, and it facilitates the distribution of medical care as well.
 Not only did Impact find a way to raise money, but they also found a way to have a lot of fun at the same time. They built friendships with each other while working and having fun together on their mission to serve other kids. Their idea was to sell pies for Thanksgiving and donate the proceeds to the Children’s Rescue Mission. But first they’d have to pick the apples and bake the pies.
Apple picking is lots of fun – especially if you can eat as you pick. This past October, sixteen kids traveled to Blue Jay Orchards for an afternoon of apple picking and hayrides. The kids had fun together while working on the first leg of their project. After 3 hours of running, climbing and picking, the group came back with smiles, sticky fingers and numerous bushels of apples.
Next step: baking. Actually it was peeling, cutting, mixing, rolling dough and baking – all organized by Kim Stonebridge. The Saiz family graciously offered their kitchen for the marathon cooking session where 20 kids gathered to make pies and apple crisp. Twenty pounds of sugar and countless bags of apples later, the middle schoolers had produced over 70 pies!
The kids made posters, designed order sheets, and for the next few weeks worked on Sunday mornings before and after church to fill orders and sell the pies they had made. They quickly sold out all the pies and raised over $800. While the money they raised was able to fill a great need for the children in Honduras, the efforts of this group filled many needs right here as well. Instead of writing an anonymous check, this group was able to experience the process from beginning to end. They invested the time, they did the work and they saw the results. They built community amongst themselves as they spent time together, had fun together and served together. They showed us all a wonderful example of Christ’s work here on earth: to build community with one another, love one another and serve one another.
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| Grace Youth Band |
The Grace Youth Band plays in the cafeteria each month
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| Kayak Adventure |
One hot day our middle schoolers went ona kayak adventure!
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