These were just a few of the words participants used to describe Helping Hands Day, a youth service event held on April 10 th . Now in its fifth year, Helping Hands Day offers an opportunity for youth and adult advisors from the Upper Bucks and Lower Montgomery Conferences to join in service to area agencies and in fellowship with each other. The idea for a youth service day evolved from a Lutheran Youth Gathering in Atlanta which arranged servant opportunities in that community, according to Deb Detweiler , Director of Christian Education at Trinity, Perkasie . Helping Hands Day was inaugurated in 1995, with 100 members of Upper Bucks Conference churches serving at 12 social service agencies. Among the 270 were members of Lower and Upper Montgomery Conference churches who were formally participating for the first time.
Young volunteers apply a coat of caring at a local social service agency.
The service groups were comprised of six to eight youth from various congregations plus two adult leaders. The Rev. Marcia Bell of Trinity, Fort Washington , and her group went to A Woman's Place , a shelter for abused women and children. Bell said that some of the youth were disappointed that the tasks did not include working with the residents. Becky Parsons , a tenth grader and a member of Bell's congregation, was excited about her first Helping Hands Day experience. At first, I was kind of nervous because I didn't know the other kids in my group.