NorthPark youth active in missions, take pride in leading at church

Terrorism threats and war did not prevent NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, students from answering the missions call during their spring break. The Apexx Student Ministry (7th- through 12th-graders) and Cliffhangers College Ministry sent volunteers to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and New York City.
   
NorthPark’s associate pastor of students Kris Segrest led a group of 20 college students and leaders to New York City. Renewing a previous partnership with Park Slope Community Church in New York City, the NorthPark team led Sunday services at the church and distributed hundreds of invitational flyers in surrounding neighborhoods.
   
The team also manned prayer stations near Coney Island and Ground Zero and worked with New York Relief, a homeless ministry. The missions team found that New York is still a ripe missions field 18 months after Sept. 11. Seven adults were led to  Christ.
   
Some students discovered their missions niches as they worked to remodel a building purchased by the North American Mission Board to house future volunteer teams.
   
Samford student Jessi Campbell immersed herself in scouring an old freezer. “While I found talking to strangers at the prayer stations intimidating, I got so much out of working on that building. Some of our guys spent hours working on windows that looked like they had never been cleaned. When we left, I was proud to see them sparkle from the street,” she recalled.
   
Meanwhile in Myrtle Beach, a choir, live band, drama ministry team and technical team of 109 had a busy week.
   
Associate pastor of worship Charlie Martin said the team’s goal was to reach the unchurched. “We sang in a band shell on the beach, a retirement center, two shopping malls, a school assembly and a youth detention center,” he said. During the six days, the team of 109 performed 12 times, presenting an upbeat mix of songs.
   
Martin said the highlight of the trip was “seeing eight of our own students pray to receive Christ. On [March 22] our prayer leader Terry Anderson and I prayed for 20 professions of faith. We had 22 total.”
   
NorthPark’s 7th- through 12th-graders don’t only show up for beach trips, they also fill the choir risers weekly to lead Sunday evening worship.
   
Executive Pastor Dennis Blythe believes this ownership of the Sunday night leadership role is key to attracting the students. Student ministry associate J.D. Thorne agreed, “Our student choir is strong because they are used every Sunday night.”
   
Blythe said Segrest’s ministry approach is “cutting-edge.” Segrest employs a variety of creative expressions in worship settings. He also uses modern trends and media-hyped events, such as designing last year’s summer camp around a “Survivor” theme and having the department-wide Christmas party at a local theater. Averaging 80–200 at Wednesday night student worship, and  230 in Sunday School, Segrest credits the church’s emphasis on small-group ministry for the growth in student numbers.