By Diane Smith
‘We've been coming to Family Missions Week for six years. My son, who is 14, chose not to play All-Stars baseball this summer because he did not want to miss Family Missions Week. I came here because my son wanted to come.”
A youth leader who had never participated in Family Missions Week commented, “This was an awesome week! Already we are planning a mission trip with our eight youth during spring break next year.”
“We're moving to Texas. Can we come to Family Missions Week if we live in Texas?”
Some 374 children, youth and adults converged July 11-15 on the mountain at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center to demonstrate “Faith@Work.” Youth and their 50 leaders impacted the greater Lynchburg area through a variety of ministry projects. Youth and their leaders repaired rotten porches, replaced the roofs on two houses and part of a roof on a church house; others served meals at a soup kitchen as others scraped and painted shelving; and some participated in a soccer camp at one of the area churches as an outreach ministry. Still others shared time and conversation with detention facility inmates, folks in a retirement facility and a facility for the mentally handicapped. Some read to, sang with and played games with preschoolers at the church childcare center.
“I'm not the same person that I was when I got here; I'm different,” commented one of the older youth.
Youth weren't the only ones ministering during Family Missions Week. Sixth graders were using sewing machines to make cloth bags for the Migrant Ministry in the Appomattox Baptist Association. Seventh graders made neck pillows to distribute at a retirement center in Lynchburg. Younger children made gifts for the office and dining hall staff, an expression of appreciation for the many ways the folks at Eagle Eyrie help us.
Missions Week at Eagle Eyrie is a truly wonderful way for churches to involve youth and adults in missions, especially if the church has a small group of youth. Also, some churches may be hesitant to plan and conduct a mission trip; they may think that mission trips are expensive. Missions Week at Eagle Eyrie in July is a perfect introduction to mission trips. We take lots of the concern out of the process; we enlist the work sites (thank you, Dawn Fisher!); we plan the worship and Bible study experiences.
We have a great team of volunteers who pull this week together. Without this team of diligent, hard-working volunteers, Missions Week would never happen. We affect the greater Lynchburg area; yet we, too, experience God through his working in and through us.
Diane Smith is a member of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's staff who is responsible for coordination of Family Missions Week.