Student Serving | Generosity Story

John Huber:
As a Family Ministry pastor, I've been so excited to see our families engage in serving. And I've seen our students step up in a time where they've been at home a lot. They've been on the screens a lot. So this is a way for them to actively be involved in the life of the church. And I really believe that by serving it helps them grow spiritual.

Melissa Lagree:
Students at Westside Family Church love serving in our Kids Ministry. It's amazing how many times we have students coming up to us asking where can they be placed, early childhood, grade school, wherever they're needed. They are always willing to do so.

JJ Lane:
Firmly believe that you're never more like Jesus than when you serve. And so our hopes for our students is they become more and more like Jesus. And so we started coming up with different ways, different ways we could get them to serve, begin to ignite that faith, help them become a little bit more like Jesus.

Speaker 4:
I started serving because my brothers, they are younger and they are in the Student Ministry. And so I decided to do it because I love it. And so I wanted to spread that to other kids.

Speaker 5:
I started serving because I just wanted to be in the atmosphere of kids around me, and just learning what it's like to serve, and being in that leadership role.

Speaker 6:
After leading in Student Ministry, I was completely hooked. And so, I was like, I have to lead at Northend. After leading an adult worship, it was amazing to just get to reach those people who got it.

Speaker 7:
You know that you're actually making a difference in the kingdom. And you know, that the work that you put in actually matters and it's just really powerful and inspiring to me.

Matt Adams:
When COVID hit, we had just a lot on our plate. We needed people to respond. One of the most significant things that happened over the last six months really, is that we were challenged to pack 200,000 meals in one weekend.

JJ Lane:
This summer, we did this thing called Make Your Move, where students served in their community and made a big impact in their community. And then in September, we released our students and said, "Hey, we don't want you to just to hear another message. We want you to be a message." And they blew us away.

Becca Alvord:
The food packing event was the most attended event. And I think we had like over 70 students serving at Speedway.

Matt Adams:
Saturday, when we shut down, we were about 60,000 meals short, and someone challenged us, let's do it again on Sunday. Let's continue the work. Well, Sunday morning at 9:30, the entire Student Ministry showed up to fill the room with volunteers. It was so cool. You could just feel the energy in the room and they weren't just there to serve. They were there to serve with passion and enthusiasm. They wanted to do this, and they had a great time packaging.

Becca Alvord:
When you looked at the food packing event, once the students showed up, we had probably about twice as much production.

Matt Adams:
Every time a box was filled, we'd ring the bell and the students would cheer. It was just so cool.

Becca Alvord:
I'm just proud of the kids. I know that God is doing something in their lives when they're serving.

Matt Adams:
When our people are presented with an opportunity to meet a real need, they stand up and especially our students.

John Huber:
They're amazing Westside. We are so thankful as a body of believers to have you and your families serve, not just with your time and your talents, but your treasures. And so we can't do this without you. And we are thankful for you.

Matt Adams:
Thank you, West side for your generosity, especially thank you to our students, parents, and leaders who support them and our kids as well. You guys make a huge difference, and you're really touching people's lives during these hard times.

Speaker 4:
I'm going to keep serving for my entire life, for sure.