Wisdom & Wonder Youth Corner

Check out how our youth have been participating in the Wisdom & Wonder hour on Sunday nights this semester!

For our class on ethnic identity, food, and faith, Haley Y. made Holley Barreto’s sauce recipe included in the Our Place in God’s Story packet!

For our class on the history of American Christianity and race, Abby B. drew this beautiful piece of art as a reflection. When Pastor Melissa asked about the color and location of the cross, Abby said she wanted the cross to be a focus above the two hands forming a heart, and she chose to place the cross outside on a rock rather than on a building because she didn’t want to limit the power of the Spirit.

Tiernan kicked off our class on Modern Christianity and Public Life by sharing this moving reflection:

Good evening, everyone. As some of you may know, today we will be learning about Modern Christianity and how that involves service and being involved in public life. Churches are engaging in their communities more by reaching out and hosting events as well as helping those in need. Our church gives money to local and larger charities, goes on mission trips to help others in less fortunate situations than our own, and hosts small community events like Pumpkin Palooza, as well as much more.

My faith and upbringing at Hopewell Presbyterian Church have helped me join in on that service. Throughout my years in the church, I have learned that in order to really be part of a church, you need to participate in it. I find that if I am only a member sitting in the pews and do not actively participate in other aspects of church life, I am still part of the church, but I am not getting the best possible experience out of it. I try to go to church most Sundays, which I am generally successful in doing, but other church events are equally important to me as worship. I have been on three mission trips, helped with many smaller events at our church, and hosted game nights for the local children (although they mostly end up being young teenagers that are around Josie’s age, these events have been successful and have connected the church to the community). As a Deacon, I have found myself to be even more involved in the church. As Bev mentioned this morning, it is a special privilege to be able to contribute to the decisions about the charitable organizations to which HPC will donate its money. I personally have worked with Urban Promise in Trenton, an organization that tutors children to help them with homework, give them a faith community, and help them to have a successful future. This has been a positive experience for me, especially when I helped HPC get involved in a food drive that they were having this past July.

It is the wonderful community around me and our congregation that allow me to learn about new ways that I can build upon my relationship with God and our community. I believe that many other churches have similar communities in which the people are excited to serve, which allows Modern Christianity as a whole to focus on service.