What does it look like when a new generation of believers steps up to serve its church families and communities? At Maple Avenue Baptist Church in Geneva, the Student Ministry Serve Team is seeking to set that Kingdom example.
Michael Herrera, student and young adults pastor at Maple Avenue Baptist, explained how the newest ministry team came to be. “We started an (adult) serve team about a year or two ago under our pastor, Brother Ricky Hall,” Herrera began. “We had this idea of doing that with the youth and having a team where we call on them and we say, ‘Hey, there’s this opportunity. Are you willing to help?’”
That’s a call to which Maple Avenue’s students have humbly and enthusiastically risen.
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Over the past two months, the Student Ministry Serve Team has donned matching shirts and started a ministry of availability. Whether it’s serving food at church events or passing out umbrellas in the parking lot during rainy weather, these students are eager and ready to serve their church family.
Their first big project was on Easter Sunday.
“They welcomed everyone,” Herrera explained. “They passed out bulletins, and they were just there as a smiling presence — a greeting and welcoming presence.”
Stepping outside church walls
The team is also looking to step outside church walls to meet local needs.
“Our next project is going to be here in Geneva, hopefully helping out with some construction needs like building ramps,” Herrera said. “We’re going to be looking for opportunities to be a light in our community and to help out in whatever ways we can.
“We want our church to be a presence in our community,” Herrera continued, “and we want to be a presence of serving — a positive reality of what the gospel is.”
He also stressed the importance of outreach through both words and action.
“We want to share the gospel with people that haven’t heard it. We want to step into dark places and places of need. We want to help people out and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Herrera emphasized the gospel influence of young believers.
“One thing that’s kind of been on my mind is just the importance of our students. They’re not just saying that they’re Christians. They give feet to their faith, and they want to help and be a light in a dark world.”
Equipping students
He believes that equipping students to serve and share their faith is especially important in a time when young people can be perceived as self-centered.
“In a world full of people taking selfies, we want students to know that they can just get together and serve the community and not really be about themselves, but about the Lord — about making Him known and loved and heard about.”
Herrera has seen firsthand the servant hearts of his students as well as the remarkable ways God blesses people through them.
“We had a need in our community,” he recalled, sharing one example. “It was an elderly couple. They needed some work done on the yard, and for them it was impossible. So I called up our team and I said, ‘Hey, is anyone willing to help out this person after school?’ And I had one boy say, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll be glad to help.’ He got it all done in two hours.
“I want [people] to see that our students are caring for our community. They care about our church, they care about the lost, and they are taking a step in the direction of brokenness. They want to bring refreshment to people’s lives through the gospel by what they do and by their serving.”
He also encouraged Geneva residents to reach out with any service project needs.
“If somebody has a nearby project in Geneva, Alabama, or the surrounding area — if you have a need — please call the church office and just let us know. If we’re able to help, we’d love to.”
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