New Around the Mission

Pine Straw Pays Off

April 19, 2010

As warm, spring weather drifts into the southeastern part of the county, it is a common practice for residents in Raleigh, North Carolina, to fill their flower beds with fresh pine straw after winter’s harsh effects. What is not common are 40 high school students volunteering to unload 1900 bales of the pine straw for families living around the city on a Saturday afternoon.

On April 10, the Water Works Student Ministry at Church of the Apostles in Raleigh delivered 1900 pre-sold bales of pine straw and spread 600 of them around homes. They raised $5,000 for an upcoming mission trip to Windsor, Maine in July.

“We have been doing this for five years, and we usually raise about one-third of the total amount of money we need for the outreach,” reports Curt Solomon, Director of Youth Ministries. “It is a great team building opportunity and gets us out into the community to interact with people on their turf.”

Southern Pine Needles in Greensboro, North Carolina, owned and operated by Logan and Eloise Porter who attend Church of the Redeemer, sell the pine straw at a discounted price to maximize funds raised.

The forty students dedicated to attend the Reach Work Camp in Maine this summer will join 400 students from around the country for one week to work on 40-50 work projects in a city with a struggling economy, where homeowners cannot afford necessary repairs to their properties.

“We have been doing Reach Work Camps with our youth for 12 years and one of our kids is now on full time staff with the ministry,” says Solomon. “They obviously catch the vision for ministry and mission when we invest in doing this kind of outreach.”

Posted By: Cynthia P. Brust
Categories: Faith in Action