As part of last week’s Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church, several youth from Ventura Baptist Church traveled to King City to, not only assist with activities, but also benefit the community.

The youth spent their evenings with children at the church, organizing activities and assisting congregation leaders, and their days performing yard work for Arletha Palmer at her home on Pine Canyon Road. The group from Ventura, Calif., looked at the work as a way to develop a relationship with the people of King City.

“It is a perfect fit for what we are trying to accomplish with our youth,” said Dave Warbritton, youth pastor with Ventura Baptist Church. “We want them to step out in a different community and help make a difference.”

The project started when Dan Paxton, pastor of First Baptist Church, approached Palmer after service. Paxton knew she needed help with work in her yard and on her house, as her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and cannot upkeep the property.

“There were so many projects her husband began when he was well and just couldn’t finish,” Paxton said. “They had always taken such good care of their land, and they had to let projects go over the years.”

The group worked Monday through Thursday last week, performing projects such as, painting fences, pulling weeds, raking and mowing grass, trimming shrubs, and preparing the property for fire hazards. On Friday, the group visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and then they left on Saturday.

“They have been wonderful to me,” Palmer said. “They are doing work beyond what I could ever do myself.”

This is the second year the youth group from Ventura has come to King City. Last year, they painted the entire outside of the First Baptist Church building. The group used to go to Mexico for a yearly trip, but with recent violence, trips there have become impossible.



For the complete article see the 07-28-2010 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 07-28-2010 paper.