When you think of a trip to Savannah, pralines and ghost tours might come to mind, but not for a group of students and adults sent out from the Mill during this last month.
Pastors Adam Siskey and Kris Kuriger, along with Chandler Davis and Day 6 student choir leader Julie McNeely, took 69 seventh to twelfth grade students and 21 adults to the heart of Savannah to sing, serve and share the gospel with the city’s community. Hosted by Mission Serve, the Mill’s team was housed at Life Church at Ardsley Park where they slept on the floor on air mattresses.
The students’ eight days were filled with service opportunities in leading Vacation Bible School and working on houses designated by Mission Serve as needing assistance. Each construction team had a student “chaplain” who conducted a devotional on-site at lunchtime with the other students, adults and homeowners. Roofing, painting and other needed repairs took up the rest of the day, and by the end of the week, three roofs had been completed.
VBS was a big hit with the community around Windsor Forest Baptist Church, with approximately 40 children attending. This was a blessing and an encouragement for a church with an older congregation in need of young people in its congregational life. By the end of VBS, two children had asked Jesus to be Lord of their lives.
As for singing, Day 6 and the rest of the team conducted a Sunday Service at Windsor Forest entirely on its own, with the church pastoral staff and congregation in attendance. Day 6 also sang the National Anthem at the local ball field at a game between the Savannah Bananas and the Gastonia Grizzlies, a highlight particularly for Adam because of the Savannah hats (one can only imagine!).
While serving and singing was the focus, it was the trip’s impact on the adults and students that would be long- lasting. Margaret says that her “wow” moment came when she saw the joy in her best friend’s face as she served in an unfamiliar area. This gave Margaret the confidence to teach four and five year-olds, a totally new experience for her. For Austin, it was watching his brothers and sisters in Christ deeply worshipping. Anna was impressed by a fourth grade girl at VBS who proudly told her that she had read her Bible the night before.
For pastors Adam and Kris, it was the unity of the students and adults that stood out. This served the group well on one very serious and emotional evening, as they prayed and wept over the death of a friend here at home. The urgency to know Christ led two students to make that decision.
A trip like no other, as they brought nothing other than the name of Jesus to Savannah.
