Local middle school students serve in Schuylkill County, Pa.

From July 24-29, 14 middle school students and 3 adult leaders from The Presbyterian Church in Morristown had the opportunity to serve the people of Schuylkill County, PA, along with groups from two churches in Long Island, NY through a Minneapolis-based mission organization Youthworks.

During our week there we had the opportunity to really get to know the people of Schuylkill County. In the mornings we did a variety of work projects, and in the evenings we had a variety of fun events that acquainted us with the people of Mahanoy City and the surrounding areas.

Some of the ways we served the community was by helping at a local fire station, doing repairs and clean-up at local churches, leading a kid’s club with children from the area, spending time with elderly members of the community in local nursing homes, and spending time with disabled adults at a local center. Through these experiences we were able to serve in tangible ways and were able to create connections with people throughout the community. For our evening events we toured a local fire department museum, visited and toured a local coal mine, visited a local state park, and held a community BBQ. Even through our evening events, we were able to better get to know the community we were serving. During our week there, we were able to make an impact in a great number of ways.  Even a local newspaper reported on our efforts in the area. Read more from The Republican Herald in Schuylkill County, PA!

Over the course of our week there, we made many great connections with the community and served others in big and small ways. It was great to see the students grew just over the course of the week. We will able to create bonds with groups from new churches. And as a group, we bonded together and in new and deeper ways.

Our week in Pennsylvania was a great experience!