A Summer of Service

As we gear up for a new year of Fourth Church Youth, I want to spend some time reflecting on the incredible summer we had together. Summers for Fourth Church Youth always revolve around our mission WorkCamps, and this year was no exception. Over the course of the summer, we had three great trips:

• Elevation volunteered at the Summer Games of the Illinois State Special Olympics.
• Senior Highs traveled to New Orleans to contribute to the relief and rebuilding work that has been taking place after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
• Senior Highs also spent a week working on important camp improvements at Presbyterian Camps in Saugatuck, MI, mission and ministry of the Presbytery of Chicago.

These trips were meaningful experiences for the youth and adults that participated in them. Not only were we able to share God's love through service, we also grew as individuals and as a group.

Over the next several days, I will be posting reflections written by WorkCamp participants. As you read these, I hope you will get a sense of how God moved through these trips and in our lives.