Millions of Adventist youth around the world participated in Global Youth Day on March 17. Global Youth Day has been a chance for Adventist young people to “Be the Sermon” and minister to their local communities since 2013.
This year Southern played a major role in being the hands and feet of Jesus as a group of over 50 volunteers from the ministries Westside4Jesus, iWitness Bible Work Club, GYC Southeast, Enactus and the Pre-Dent club boarded the bus to Chattanooga.
Westside4Jesus has been involved with the residents of a low-income apartment complex in West Chattanooga for several years. Every other Sabbath, a group of 20-25 volunteers spends time with the children of the apartments by playing outdoors with them, giving out snacks and having a small worship service.
On Global Youth Day, the five clubs mentioned earlier joined with volunteers from Wildwood Lifestyle Center and the University of Chattanooga’s (UTC) Adventist Christian Fellowship to hold a health expo for the adult residents of the apartments.
Throughout the day, the volunteers helped by giving massages, praying with people or taking their blood pressure. Others handed out over 100 meals to the residents. Another group of volunteers sang and played with kids, while others spent the time knocking on doors to invite people to come to the expo.
Sarah Mann, sophomore nursing major, remarked, “I got to help out with the health expo and take blood pressures. As a nursing student, it was really great experience with patient teaching and interaction. I hope we were able to make a lasting impact on everyone in that community.”
All in all, it was a blessed day. As the volunteers loaded tables and chairs onto the bus at the end of the day, several of the residents commented on how blessed they were by the event, and one child remarked, “When are you guys going to come back here again?”
We look forward to continuing to take part in Global Youth Day in the years to come.
Some other quotes/feedback (anonymous):
“The event was a blessed experience in being able to co-labor with fellow believers as well as co-labor with Christ. It was humbling to be able to see that both young and old received services that catered to their spiritual, physical and emotional needs”
“It was great to be a part of something so meaningful and life changing. The event was well organized and very thought out. I would recommend it to someone in the future.”