May 17, 2007 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Online Editor Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of One |
Youth minister leading teens to lives of service
Andrew Schielke, 41, has truly found his calling. As youth minister at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, he believes his work is making a difference in the lives of the teens he serves. He was born in Riveredge, New Jersey, and spent most of youth in Mays Landing, but Schielke’s career started as an Air Force jet engine mechanic and continued at the Restaurant School of Philadelphia. He worked as a chef as Eagle Lodge (now the ACE Center) and the Golden Pheasant Inn in Bucks County. Schielke then spent three years working at a group home for behaviorally challenged kids, helping them transition to home and school. Throughout these years, he always volunteered at churches working with youth groups while pursuing his Master’s degree in Counseling and Bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministry from Eastern University in Radnor. His volunteer church work, to which he dedicated as many as 20 hours a week, was very fulfilling for him. “I love watching the kids’ faith develop as they learn about Christ and the principles of the church,” he said. After a decade of volunteering with students, Schielke attended the National Youth Workers Conference. “It was there that I realized I needed to be doing this type of work full-time.” Last fall, Andrew was offered a regular position as Youth Minister at St. Thomas’. He jumped at the chance to serve the students and his faith in a full-time capacity. As Youth Minister, Schielke oversees the spiritual, social and service activities for the Junior High and Senior High Youth Groups, serving students in grades 7 through 12. The role of Youth Minister at St. Thomas’ is a new one. “This is an ambitious leadership and financial undertaking by St. Thomas’ — evidence of our community’s commitment to youth development around a well planned framework of respect, joy, relationships, commitment and spirituality,” explains David Schreffler, St. Thomas’ Youth Commission Chairperson. “We believe we are helping to train the next generation of community leaders by building a solid foundation for them.” This year, Schielke and his students have been planning a youth mission trip they have named, “Mission Possible.” Forty people will be traveling to New Orleans for a week in June. There they will work with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The past school year has been spent preparing for this trip through prayer, examining what service means and extensive fundraising.
Last weekend the students sponsored a car wash, raising $765 towards the trip expenses. Though they plan to stay in a local church, they need to raise a total of $19,000 for air travel, transportation, food and incidentals. Each student is responsible for raising a certain amount of the costs through fundraising efforts. On Super Bowl weekend, the students prepared over 500 hoagies and sold them after church services or delivered them to the homes of members. Earlier this spring they were in the kitchen again, sponsoring a fundraising Pancake Dinner serving over 300 people and holding a bake sale. Not all of their service work is for the Mission Possible trip. Throughout the year, Schielke coordinates activities serving the poor locally, while providing opportunities for the students to learn about the lives of others. “Famine to Feast” was held during Presidents’ Day weekend. Students prepared sandwiches for the homeless and then traveled to North Philly to distribute them. To gain a deeper appreciation of the homeless experience, the students fasted for the entire day while performing this service. They finished their day with a late-night feast and discussion of the day’s experience. The kids then slept overnight at the church. “I love to provide faith-in-action opportunities,” says Schielke. “It is important for me to take the kids out of their comfort zones and give them real experiences that will stay with them in the future.” Schielke likes to plan service programs around the holidays so the students incorporate service as a regular tradition. Last year near Halloween, St. Thomas’ sponsored their Harvest Festival. Three buses of young children from disenfranchised areas of Philadelphia were brought to St. Thomas for a celebration. The junior and senior high school youth group students planned and ran all the activities for the kids including face painting, hayrides, pumpkin picking and bobbing for apples. Christmas time included the “Be An Angel” program. Over 200 at-risk kids in Philadelphia participated in games and received a hot turkey dinner and numerous Christmas gifts. This, like the other programs, was planned and organized by students in the youth group. The group draws kids from Chestnut Hill, Flourtown, Mt. Airy, Fort Washington and over 20 different schools. Many of the students begin participating in the group in seventh grade and remain involved until the end of their high school years. The appeal for the students is the wide variety of activities available to them. Social events include movie nights, game nights and ski trips. Every other Friday night, the junior high students come together, and every other Sunday night the senior high school students meet. At these sessions, Schielke chooses a specific theme and begins by preaching on that topic for approximately 20 minutes. The students then hold their own discussions, sharing and teaching each other. Snacks and social time follow these discussions. “The Breakfast Club” meets every Sunday. Junior high students meet at 9 a.m., and senior high students at 11 a.m. Schielke is joined by adult volunteers who teach the Bible and facilitate discussions and prayer around a different lesson each week. The curriculum includes lessons built upon each other and targeted for different aged students. “The kids learn a lot about Jesus Christ and how not to be so influenced by the outside world. We want to help build a strong moral grounding,” explains Schielke. There is much more that Schielke still wants to build for the youth program. When he looks to the future, he hopes to introduce new events like weekend camping trips and participating in Creation, a Christian rock, fellowship and worship festival. He wants to extend their service programs and provide para-leadership training for student leaders. His focus now is securing funding for the mission trip. “We need to get the kids to New Orleans. I know that for some, this will be a life-changing event.” To learn more about the youth program or to contribute to the Mission Possible trip, contact Andrew Schielke at 215-233-3970 x 126 or AndrewS@StThomaswhitemarsh.org |
