Rally teens make a difference
Filed Under: Iowa, youth, Youth Discipleship, Youth Rally
The 2009 WELS International Youth Rally brought together more than 1,000 WELS teens from across the United States and seven foreign countries. The rally, which was held July 8-11 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, included time for worship, education, fellowship, recreation, and service projects.
The community service projects completed by the teens included painting playground equipment, weeding flowerbeds in parks, and spending time with nursing home residents. KCCI, a television station in Des Moines, Iowa, featured a news story about the 500 teens who trimmed lilac bushes at the Ewing Park Lilac Arboretum.
Rev. Richard Warnecke, a coordinator of these service projects for rally attendees, says, "It is good to see Christians serving their Lord in love outside of the church and church grounds. Service projects teach Christianity as a lifestyle. Christianity is serving God and each other. It is a way of life. The hope is that when the teens return home that they will look for opportunities in their own communities to express their love for God in service."
Dr. Joel Nelson, administrator of WELS Commission on Youth Discipleship, which coordinates WELS' biennial international youth rally, says, "The youth rally is an opportunity to communicate to WELS youth from all over the world that their faith life can be taken to the next level by the power of the Spirit."
To learn more about activities at the youth rally, visit www.livingbold.net/welsspace/youthrally. See the commercials that youth groups created, hear music sung at the rally, watch some of the presentations, and read what attendees have to say about their rally experiences.
