Throughout the summer at St. Thomas, much excitement bubbles around the “Reaching Out to the Community” camps, dubbed “ROTC” for short. These camps provide opportunities for all ages to explore providing mercy and enacting justice for those in need.
For the past several years, the senior high youth of St. Thomas has traveled to Parsons, KS, where they are greeted with a warm welcome from St. John’s. The initial goal of this trip was to facilitate a VBS for St. John’s. This provided an opportunity for older youth to teach younger youth in a faith-based way and build connections.
This summer, it was noted that the youth of St. John’s were beginning to outgrow a typical VBS program. It was then that the idea for a Parsons ROTC week was suggested.
Leaning on leadership from her senior high youth, Mother Kelly Demo explored ways for the St. Thomas youth to share their knowledge through service-based learning. Having participated in ROTC camps for years, the St. Thomas youth were able to facilitate a mirror version of what happens in their parish.
Each morning in Parsons began with program time. The youth would receive an overarching lesson and then break off into small discussion groups. The theme of the week centered around food insecurity. What started with simple definitions soon broke into the territory of systematic change.
Following program time, the service-based learning began. This particular week, the youth volunteered with the Labette County Emergency Assistance Center (LCEAC). They spent time packaging bags of groceries to be distributed. The youth of St. Thomas were familiar with organizations like this and able to share assembly-line skills and a demeanor of genuine enjoyment in their work. The youth of St. Johns had local familiarity with the organization and relayed the direct impact of this organization.
As with most things in youth ministry, there were some moments of readjustment. The initial plans to facilitate a food drive morphed into an on-the-fly bake sale to raise money for LCEAC and better serve the organization’s needs. The youth adjusted with enthusiasm and went on to raise over $300 in one morning.
Now, in true ROTC fashion, there was an even work-play balance. Afternoons featured fun with sports, crafts, and a trip to the pool. Needless to say, this cross-parish camp has become a major addition to the well-being of both parishes. It has shown that the St. Thomas youth are well equipped to share experiences in an impactful way and that the St. John’s youth could give a new perspective and leave their new friends with a spark of joy that would shine through their stories when they returned to Overland Park.
by Kelsey Phillips
835 SW Polk St.