Mission Trips
The “Spring Break” mission trip to New York City provided many new experiences for the twenty-nine people who went. It was the first time we’ve ever taken the train to reach our destination, and that was an enjoyable experience - especially since many in the group had never been on a train! The week in New York City was packed full of activities: service projects, seminars, sight-seeing, and commuting. Since overnight accommodations were at a Presbyterian retreat center in Newark, we had to catch several trains and subways to reach our downtown destination early each morning, giving everyone a taste of the life of a commuter.

We attended Fifth Avenue Presbyterian for worship on Sunday, April 3 and heard our own ministerial candidate Katie Givens do the liturgy. We worked each day at Broadway Presbyterian helping with their soup kitchen shelter as part of their ministry near Columbia University. We also attended a seminar at the Presbyterian United Nations Center and toured the U.N. buildings.

Sight-seeing included an open-top bus tour of lower Manhattan and a “Circle Line” cruise down the Hudson River, around the Statue of Liberty, and up the East River to the U.N. Greenwich Village and the World Trade Center site were among the many interesting places we visited.

The summer mission trip (July 9 - 23) will go to Colorado. We’ll spend a week working with the Denver Urban Ministries, gaining experience with soup kitchens, urban gardens, care facilities, and the like. This was a very meaningful experience for many of our youth three summers ago and should be again this year. We will stay at a church in Denver for the week that we are there. The second week of the trip will include exploring the Rocky Mountains and rafting the Arkansas River. Seventh through twelfth graders and their friends are welcome. The cost is $425.

The high school youth are invited to an overnight at the church on Friday, April 22, for movies and fellowship time as well as finishing the project for our participation in the Earth Day events in Bronson Park the next day. All ninth through twelfth graders are welcome to join us.

Presbytery Youth Event
The Youth Committee of the Presbytery is inviting high school and middle school youth from churches around southwestern Michigan to join in an “Urban Plunge” in Jackson on the weekend of May 13 - 15. It’s described as a “hands-on opportunity to participate in a mission project and experience mission work right here in Michigan.” All participants will stay at the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson. Contact Pastor Wayne if you are interested.

The high school youth group meets regularly on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 in the Youth Center. Come join us.

PeaceJam
Our high school PeaceJam group joined with youth from other PeaceJam clubs from four states in our region to spend a weekend with Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, who, along with Betty Williams, was recognized for her efforts in curtailing the violence between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The various clubs worked on a peace-making project in each of their communities during the past year and spent some time with a curriculum that explores what peace is and how one lives and acts as a peacemaker. Representations of those projects were presented to the Nobel laureate, and she, in turn, shared with them her story and the inspiration that “one person can make a difference.”

Middle School Youth
Our seventh and eighth grade youth group meets on Wednesday afternoons for pizza at 5:30 and activities from 6:00 to 7:00 in the Youth Center. Movies, discussions, and action are all part of the program. Also note the item above related to the “Urban Plunge” in Jackson on May 13 - 15. That’s open to middle school youth as well as high school.