I recently had the opportunity to head out and see our friends in Steubenville, OH. It was a great time of meeting new friends and getting to know a wonderful community with amazing people doing amazing things already.
I made it to church Sunday morning at First Westminster Presbyterian and was warmly greeted with smiles and hugs from loving people who appreciated very much all that YouthWorks did in the community over the summer. Countless times I was told what a blessing our program and staff are to the church and more importantly to the community. After church there I “went up the hill” to see our friends at Tower of Power where we go on Wednesday evenings. It was amazing! There was a lot of energy and praise going on and it was a blessing to be a part of it. Pastor Mitchell is a wonderful man full of love for his community and was very appreciative of us coming to see him during the summer.
Over the course of the next few days I had the privilege of meeting with great people in the community who make what we do possible. I met with Luke at the Parks and Rec department and got to hear a little about him and what they do in the community. Bill at the Joshua Project shared with me his passion for the community and how we can better serve with him for the summer. I met with the nursing homes we serve at and heard countless stories about the fun that was had within their walls. I met Toni at the YWCA who just started in her new position and was able to share in the excitement of that. Amy showed me around town and pointed out projects she was hoping we could work on. Yonk and I shared a meal and he gave me the VIP treatment of riding around with a city councilman. And last but not least… I had an amazing time getting to know Pastor Jason at First Westminster. It was great to talk about what missions means to the both of us and how we could use that vision to continue serving the youth, this community, and his church.
After such a short time it was very difficult to say good bye to such an amazing group of people. But I look forward to many more wonderful partnerships and conversations in the “City of Murals!”
~Bryan Vogel
Eastern AD
