‘Underground’ youth group reaches out to community
NEW CASTLE – Can you imagine that New Castle actually has an underground movement that believes a small group of students can change the world? Well, it’s true.
The diversified New Castle Christian Church youth group call themselves The Underground because they meet in the basement of the church in a big, green room. The group is made up of kids from all around the county who attest to the fact they are typical teenagers who run, sweat and eat like teenagers. They love Krispy Kreme donuts and college football to name a few, but their first love is Jesus . . . always.
Members of The Underground Youth Group at New Castle Christian Church.
Their goal is to be a force among youth that will spread the gospel, change lives and glorify God, according to Ryon Birtsch, a senior at Craig County High School.
Perhaps they can’t change the world all at once, but they sure made some changes in and around New Castle recently when they held a week-long missions trip right here at home.
According to youth leaders Mike and Melissa Beaudoin, the group of 30 gathered at the church on a Sunday evening with sleeping bags, pillows, and all the things they would need for a week-long trip away. They camped out in the empty parsonage next to the church and ate in the church fellowship hall.
This park bench took on a patriotic look when members of The Underground youth group spent two days sprucing up the former Lions Club Park.
Every morning before starting their day they gathered in a circle in front of the church and prayed. Each evening before dinner they held a devotional service in the sanctuary. After dinner was a time for recreation and games and then came showers with a lights-out time line of 10:30 p.m.
The teenagers loved it.
“I think it’s awesome we got to do work around our own county,” Dylan McAllister said. LeeAnn Mattox said it was fun hanging out with friends and working in the community. Mike Beaudoin said money and other expenses factored in their decision to spend their mission’s week doing things locally.
Starting with the only park in town, they not only mowed and mulched they put up two tether ball poles. Several of them found joy in doing a little art work. One of the park benches was painted to look like an American flag and a tunnel the smaller kids have so much fun crawling through is painted red with a Bible verse on it.
By splitting up the workers each day the group was able to do multiple projects. One group redesigned the varsity football team locker room at the high school and painted the lockers and the floors. At the New Castle Commons, the young people bought and laid gravel along a newly dug path across the yard to the driveway.
They also power washed the gazebo and coated it with sealer. They helped load wood and wash windows and anything else they found that needed to be done around town.
But it wasn’t all work and no play. The group spent one afternoon at Mike and Chris Ouellette’s house cooling off in their pond. And in the evenings following dinner they could be seen in the church yard playing all kinds of games and having fun despite the terrible heat.
None of this would have happened, they all agreed, without the help of Mike and Melissa and the other 10 adult volunteers who helped out by staying and chaperoning, supervising, supplying meals, keeping tabs on the group and all the projects, cleaning up behind everyone and God alone knows what other things had to be done to make the week a huge success. Everyone worked hard to make a difference in the lives they touched.
Maggie Wincher summed it all up by saying, “At first I didn’t expect it to be this great but my expectations have gone over the top. This week was all I expected and so much more.”
Their August calendar is already full of events like a cookout on John’s Creek, movie night and home football games.
For further information visit their website by searching Craig County Church Listings/OurValley.org. Under New Castle Christian Church you will find the link to the youth group website, wegetthebasement.org.
