Students Demonstrate Christian Service During SYNC Retreat
The SYNC Retreat for young adults and college age students is an amazing experience that is growing in interest and ministry success. This year, participants made friends, worshiped, played and prayed together…they also served during this initiative sponsored by Church of God Youth and Discipleship.
On Saturday, February 7, 2015, the SYNC Leadership Team and many young adults attending the SYNC retreat delivered case after case of laundry detergent to the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home in Sevierville, Tenn. This is a vital and necessary supply to keep the clothes clean and looking nice for the many children and teenagers living there. Several staff members, including Dr. Walt Mauldin, the Children’s Home director, were present to receive the detergent gift and to accompany the SYNC delivery team on a guided tour of the facility. The SYNC team was shown one of the many residential cottages on-campus and met some of the house parents. The team viewed the warehouse where everything from shoes to frozen goods is stored for the many residents who live there.
Young adults who volunteered for the delivery were asked what they thought about SYNC’s partnership with The Home, and their involvement in the delivery. One young man said, “It was an incredibly humbling experience; it felt great to give back.” Another team member said, “It’s easy to forget about the little things like laundry detergent, but it was truly a blessing to deliver a truck load to the children’s home during SYNC. The directors were extremely welcoming and made their appreciation for our small act of kindness known in a big way. It was an amazing experience to be able to witness and learn about their ministry and be a part of it in this way!”
During SYNC 2015, many young adults came together to worship, hear God’s word, and fellowship with others their age from all across the country. It was inspiring to see them stand together and answer Jesus’ call to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Church of God Youth and Discipleship invites church leaders to consider how The SYNC Retreat 2016 might help churches minister to college age and young adult students. For more information visit http://www.syncretreat.com or contact Randall Parris at [email protected] /423-478-4883.
