Bringing in the Burbs!

If you're a kid living in upper middle class America, Christmas break offers some very comfortable options; skiing with the church youth group, spending all of those Christmas gift cards at the mall, playing video games, or just laying around on the big comfy couch in the bonus room and watching Jersey Shore re-runs.  But the youth from First United Methodist Church in Millington, TN take a different approach to Christmas break; they get uncomfortable.  

Every year, the youth from FUMC of Millington are led out of their cozy heated homes, they kiss the leftover Christmas turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie goodbye and they head to some of Memphis' most unpolished neighborhoods to participate in a church mission project called Down and Out. Down and Out is a program intended to introduce the youth from FUMC of Millington to leadership and volunteer opportunities in struggling communities surrounding Millington.  In addition to this, it gives them an opportunity to experience what life might be like in the shoes of residents of the area where they are visiting. At home, the youth have choices, but during the program, they have none.  They give up their Northface Jackets for donated clothes, all of their meals come from a local food pantry and they even hand over their cellphones (!!!). 

We had the opportunity to meet the youth of FUMC yesterday as they gave some of their time volunteering at Caritas.  Amy Baltensperger is a recent graduate from Millington Highschool and though she is no longer a member of the youth group at FUMC, she came back to participate in the Down and Out program for her fifth year. "People don't see the value of service enough...Maybe because they're scared of Memphis or they haven't been exposed to it [communities like Binghampton] yet but working with the Down and Out program puts you in a different mode of thinking." 

The beautiful thing that we at Caritas get to witness on a regular basis is the gathering of all types of people from in and around Memphis, FUMC's visit from Millington is evidence of this. Caritas, in a sense, is like a magnet for a city in search of connection and the gathering that occurs here proves that we all share the same heart.  

First United Methodist of Millington Youth Group

     Thursday, December 27, 2012 

Written By: Maggie Russell, December 28, 2012