Kneeling in Solidarity

"What is important to you?" I asked our small cluster of teens at the first soulspace youth gathering. During the discussion, three things rose to the top: they wanted the soulspace youth group to be a place of welcome, a place of safety, and a place where they would be challenged to serve others.

Excitement built as we discussed ways to accomplish these goals. They jumped on board with helping out at community meals, assembling refugee kits for Mennonite Central Committee and serving at our food booth at the local garlic festival. We found an exciting opportunity for a summer service trip - the Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection programme (DOOR) in Chicago.

In late July 2008, a van load of youth and leaders set out for Chicago. The adventure began early when a van tire was punctured by a nail, forcing us to find a garage open on a Sunday.

Throughout the week, soulspace youth were challenged and invigorated by their service experience at various sites across the city. They saw one neighbourhood of million dollar homes, looking the other way as homeless people walked by their doors on the way to the soup kitchen at a neighbourhood church. They learned that since the middle of June, one teen had been shot every day in Chicago. They met Mama Daisie, now 84 years old, who had served in the soup kitchen since its beginning in the 1970's.

Reality hit hard when a gang-related shooting of a 15 year old took place right outside of the First Church of the Brethren where we were sleeping. In response, we choose to have a time of prayer for this church and its ministry in the community. Youth from across the US and two Canadian Mennonite churches stood together in a circle on the very sidewalk where less than 24 hours before a young person had been shot. With the blood of this teenager still on the sidewalk under our feet we prayed. One of the teens went to her knees as she said "in solidarity with the grief the community would be feeling."

The soulspace youth entered each service opportunity giving all they had. Their evening reflections and honest comments on the experience impacted the staff and later the soulspace faith community. Their passion to welcome and serve others challenged us all and we are grateful for their visible presence at soulspace.