Regional Post: The Midstates

All of our sites are split up into four different region teams that work year round developing relationships in communities and working out the details for the summer. Twice a month we will feature updates from these teams. Regional Director Jason Atkinson and Area Directors Mike Thompson and Melissa Bonetti comprise the Mid States Region.

 

 

This weekend in Milwaukee we celebrated a wonderful partnership between YouthWorks and Unity Lutheran Church.  YouthWorks has been serving in Milwaukee since 2000, but we started our partnership with Unity in 2005, it has been 8 great years of serving the community together.

 

As I prepared for this celebration, I chatted with several folks around the office who have either spent a summer serving in Milwaukee or visited there to see the YouthWorks site.   One thing I heard over and over were stories of how the community of Unity became like family.  This congregation genuinely cares for one another and you feel like family when you are with them.  I am so blessed to feel this myself in my visits to unity over the years.

 

Here are a few words from area directors, Mike and Melissa:

 

Nearly a year ago when I started as an Area Director, the consistent message I kept being told was “You’re so lucky that you get to set up and hangout in Milwaukee!” After just my first visit there last spring I could tell why. There’s something special about a community that is so well connected and bonded together. From our host church Unity Lutheran, to our many MANY great service partner’s and community friends, the people in Milwaukee just have a special genuineness that flows over into everyone they meet, including the hundreds of youth that come through every year.

 

After having spent some time this morning at a special celebration with Unity, I can now say with confidence that I am beyond lucky to be able to have Milwaukee as one of my sites, and can’t wait to see what God is going to continue you do in this amazing place.   -Mike Thompson

 

 

 I set up the Milwaukee site for a few years as an area director and even had the chance of overseeing it during a summer.  I’ve always enjoyed the city of Milwaukee.  I feel like it’s a city that has so much to offer that people don’t know about.  There are such amazing things going on in the city.  A few of my favorite things about our housing site are: hanging out with Zeke and Pastor Kevin during meals on Wednesday nights; Having donuts after church with the congregation, Saying Hi to Peggy the secretary, eating at “Honeypie” and of course spending time with so many people that come through the doors of Unity.   I often have the opportunity to talk about my time setting up the Milwaukee site and I always have so many great things to say about it.  I sure do miss spending time there seeing how God is working amazingly in that city.  I look forward to the day when I can go back to visit.  It will be great!   -Melissa Bonetti

 

It was a blessing for Mike and I to join Unity for worship this morning.  When Pastor Kevan asked me to say a few words the thing I shared was this:

 

For 8 weeks each summer strangers walk through the door of unity as they come on their YouthWorks trips, but by the end of the week they are no longer strangers, but friends.   Hundreds of youth and adults make unity their home and now after 8 years several thousand have passed through the builing.  I reminded the congregation that they had an impact on their lives and on their stories.   So many of these youth had their lives changed because of a trip to Milwaukee and our friends at unity played a role in that.