GO Weekend is an opportunity at the end of the ministry year for Student Groups to go out into their communities and serve together.
This weekend was the third of our big events for Student Groups. At the beginning of the ministry year, we have Fusion, where we come together for groups to go deeper faster and build intentional relationships. In January, we have the Winter Retreat, where we get away to push students to evaluate their spiritual lives and take their next step as they Pursue Life in Christ. For GO Weekend, we look outwards and go into God’s world together, to serve our local communities.
This year, we challenged our students and leaders to think about their service in light of people, not projects! We spent time digging into Luke 10:25-37, looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan, and challenged our students to ask the same question - "Who is my neighbor?"
Throughout this past weekend, we had students all over the county finding ways to connect with and serve people. Many of our groups found neighbors or organizations that needed help with yardwork, and they had a beautiful day for working outdoors! We had three groups of boys that got connected with Handi*Vangelism to help them clean up their new property in Akron, several groups had more personal connections with neighbors or family members who they were able to assist with outdoor yardwork, and many other groups got together to bake or cook meals. One group of girls decided to bake treats as well as write encouragement notes and hand them out to firefighters, police officers, and EMT’s in the area and spend time praying for them. We also had groups that decided to prep meals that they could then take to someone they knew who could use the extra support and love, even including encouragement notes and verses for that person.
The most exciting part about GO Weekend is seeing students recognizing needs and fulfilling them with great passion! Our students were challenged to continue to look for their “neighbors” and find ways to love and serve them, even when it may feel uncomfortable - just like Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37-39.