2026 Youth Group Service Trip Reflection
On a warm Saturday in June, Pastor Brad and I met six high school students and their parents in the parking lot at church. After the boys took a seat out of our rented twelve-passenger van, we loaded in duffel bags and sleeping bags and pillows, said a prayer in the parking lot, and then took off for Philadelphia, a 707-mile journey.
Our destination was The Philadelphia Project (TPP), a nonprofit founded in 2010. The mission of The Philly Project is “To partner with the local church, serve our most vulnerable neighbors, and provide transformative service opportunities.” Along with nine full-time staff members, TPP recruits interns to help lead service projects for seven weeks of the summer and occasional weekends throughout the year. Each week sees about 100 middle and high school age volunteers come (along with their supporting adults), and volunteers have the option to focus on different types of ministry: church ministry (outreach, evangelism, physical labor); kids ministry (camps, VBS); construction ministry (at local homes or churches); or mercy ministry (other nonprofits such as shelters or food pantries).
We arrived after dark on Saturday evening and hauled our luggage up two flights of stairs to the dormitories where we would spend our week. The guys (Pastor Brad, Jacob, Andrew, Owen, and Josh) shared a room in the boys’ hallway, and the girls (Pastor Lisa, Hazel, and Kate) shared a room in the girls’ hallway. Because the official check-in for our week wasn’t until Sunday afternoon, we had the opportunity to see a little bit of Philadelphia on Sunday morning. We enjoyed breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market before traveling to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
When we returned to TPP, we met the other church groups checking in for the week. There were about forty kids there altogether, likely because this was the week leading up to July 4. We then met our intern for the week, Ryanna. One of the nice things about TPP is that each group stays and works together, rather than mingling with others. Ry climbed into our van and directed us on a tour around Philly, pointing out landmarks, telling us some of the history, and inviting us to pray for challenges within the city and for our ministry that week.
On Monday morning, we ate breakfast, packed our lunch coolers, and headed off to Pretzel Park. Our mission was to lead VBS in the park for neighborhood children, so we spent some time practicing the stories and crafts and games. But as 9 turned into 9:30 and then to 10 am, not a single child showed up. We spent time talking as a group, and ultimately we took a walk over to the church that we were assisting for the week. The caretaker there took us on a tour of the church, telling us about the history of the church and the changes in the neighborhood.
We headed back to the park, ate lunch, and took off in the van to our afternoon stop, St. Joseph Villa. Saint Joseph Villa is a retirement community that serves not only the general public, but also aging nuns from the Sisters of Saint Joseph. We were volunteering on the fourth floor, one of the memory care floors entirely populated by Sisters, and we were helping with a special event. The Sisters enjoy playing bingo, and they earn “Bingo Bucks” from this. Once a month, the staff set up a store where the Sisters can exchange their Bingo Bucks for small items like candy, socks, lotion, cards, or stuffed animals. Our students helped Sisters who needed mobility assistance and encouraged them to pick out treats.
After our volunteering was complete, we headed back to TPP for showers and rest time. Every night after dinner, we listened to speakers, worshiped together, and then had time as a group to talk through our day and do devotions. This time together was especially valuable for us. Since we were few in number, we had the opportunity to hear each person speak and to grow closer because of that.
On Tuesday, when once again no one showed up for VBS, we started picking up trash around the park. We opted to drive to another park and take a hike along a river before lunch, and then after lunch we headed back to St. Joseph Villa. Today’s project was helping the Sisters create flower arrangements, and it was surprisingly enjoyable. We had the option to go swimming after this (it was nearly 100 degrees), but instead we got ice cream and returned to our air-conditioned dorms.
On Wednesday, we put up flyers in a different park to advertise VBS for the following week, praying, and preparing for the next group Ryanna would be leading. We returned to the riverside park for lunch. After lunch, we headed to a fourth park. By this time, it was about 105 degrees outside and incredibly humid. We met John from the Friends of the Park, and we helped him rake leaves, pull weeds, and generally clean up the park. John insisted we take many breaks in the shade and drink lots of water, and we were very grateful! On our way back to TPP, we stopped for “water ice,” a Philadelphia specialty that is similar to Italian ice (or a snowcone). It was the perfect treat after sweating outside all day long.
Before we knew it, it was Thursday morning and time to pile back in the van for the twelve-hour drive home. We are grateful for your support and prayers during our time away!
– Pastor Lisa