July 1, 2010

Uplift students participate in service projects across Searcy

SEARCY, Ark. — This year’s group of Uplift students at Harding University are not satisfied with just listening. After hearing a lesson on Sunday from North Atlanta Church of Christ’s Don McLaughlin about teenagers finding ways to serve their communities, over 200 students began to coordinate an effort to make serving Searcy and their own hometowns a reality.

By Thursday, the plans were complete, and the students gave up their afternoon free time to travel across Searcy and serve local residents.

Ten youth groups from several different states participated in a range of activities, including playing with children at daycares, praying with people at Wal-Mart, handing out water and popsicles to workers across town, picking up trash at Berry Hill Park, bringing coloring books and crayons to children in the hospital, and singing and praying over several areas of Searcy.

“They’re thinking outside the box when it comes to listening to sermons. They’re thinking about what they can do,” Pocahontas’s West Ridge Church of Christ youth group leader, Chase Froud, said. “Teenagers today are ready to help the world.”

Many youth groups who participated in the service on Thursday will implement these same service projects in their hometowns, including the youth groups of West 7th Street Church of Christ of Columbia, Tenn.; Decatur Church of Christ of Decatur, Texas; Campbell Street Church of Christ of Jackson, Tenn.; West Ridge Church of Christ of Pocahontas, Ark.; Friendship Church of Christ of Olive Branch, Miss.; Eastridge Church of Christ of Rockwall, Texas; College Avenue Church of Christ of El Dorado, Ark.; Lascassas Church of Christ of Lascassas, Tenn.; Northside Church of Christ of Augusta, Ark.; and Enterprise Boulevard Church of Christ of Lake Charles, La.

Uplift is a youth summer camp at Harding University for students going into the 7th grade up to students entering their freshman year of college.