LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)–The commissioning service for 430 Acteens volunteers during the National Acteens Convention on July 3 provided a moving picture of what missions is all about - sharing the light of Christ with a lost world.
The 430 volunteers will serve in 22 states and two countries this summer as part of the Acteens volunteer programs, Acteens Activators, Acteens Activators Abroad and Acteens Interns.
The commissioning service was held under what looked like a sky glowing with stars, as thousands of Acteens waved pin lights in the dimmed arena at Louisville’s Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center to illustrate the impact the missions volunteers are having in 22 states and three countries this summer.
A week prior to the convention, for example, five Activators from Kentucky helped Rolling Hills Baptist Church in LaGrange, Ky., start a Women on Mission group in a trailer park where the church is located. The Activators from Living Faith Baptist Church in Hartford, Middleton Baptist Church in Franklin and Guthrie Baptist Church in Guthrie conducted Vacation Bible School, worship services and a missions fair there.
In Florida, six Virginia Activators from Laurel Hill Baptist Church in Verona and Linden Heights Baptist Church in Staunton stepped in and helped the American Red Cross provide meals to wildfire victims during the Acteens’ stay in Daytona Beach, where they conducted children’s activities at area hotels June 20-28.
Those preparing for upcoming Activator trips also were commissioned, including nine Acteens from First Baptist Church, Humble, Texas. They will help distribute food and clothes at the Gano Missions Center in nearby Houston July 20-24, as well as lead TEAM KIDS and Backyard Bible Clubs.
During the service, the Acteens were encouraged to carry the light of Christ in whatever they do throughout their lives.
Megan Pieniazek, a Texas State Acteens panelist from Adkins, Texas, said the experience of being an Activator the past two years has been an unforgettable and irreplaceable one in her life.
“To me, Activators is much more than a word. It is an opportunity … to share God’s love,” Pieniazek said. “Activators allows us to be on fire for God and gives us the courage to let our light shine everywhere we go.”
