Youth at First Presbyterian Church Has Been Busy...

Back Row: Brandon Ervin, Nikki Gilmore, Austin Anthony, Hendrik van der Walt, Heath Marker, Marnelise van der Walt, Ryan Simons, Aaron Wise, Hugo van der Walt, Vivek Patel, Jacob Hounshell, Zach Hounshell, Carson Bruner, Matthew Hounshell. Seated: Paige Tester, Courtney Fullroth, Kelsey Tester, Chloe McKinney, Ally Hayes and Joe Smith

Youth at First Presbyterian Church at 114 E. 4th Street in Greenville have had a busy spring and summer, thanks to the many snowy, icy Sundays this past winter.

A fund raising spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings was postponed time after time, due to that weather. Plans for a summer music mission trip were put on hold. Confirmation instruction was delayed. But, not to be discouraged, Presby youth were determined to push ahead, having faith that time and funds would be there.

After all the bad weather delays, confirmation instruction began. On June 16, Gabrielle Smith, Annie Hayes and Zach Baker were confirmed, enabling these new members of the First Presbyterian Church to take their places with older youth to journey to the Christian music event, Creation 2015 in Pennsylvania, near the end of June.

At last, the spaghetti dinner was finally accomplished with everyone pitching in to make it a financial success to fund the Creation trip. Spaghetti was just a small part of the event, with wonderful salads, luscious desserts and games led by the young people. This promised to be a yearly event as the youth were planning, not only for their musical week, but for assisting with the Family Retreat and Vacation Bible School at Chenowith Trails at the end of August.

With funds from the spaghetti dinner, plus a donation from First Presbyterian Deacons, 20 youth and chaperones traveled to the Creation Christian music festival in Pennsylvania. Sleeping in tents and enjoying the opportunity to listen to live concerts with over 80 Christian music artists, the youth also experienced daily worship, hearing many nationally known speakers, Bible studies, and participating in a spike ball tournament. The weeklong event provided a great opportunity for the youth to bond with each other and their chaperones.

To learn more about youth opportunities and activities at First Presbyterian, a downtown Greenville congregation, call 937.548.3188.