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Ten members of the Starmount Presbyterian Church Youth Group went to Philadelphia in July to serve alongside members of Broad Street Ministries.

BSM, established in May 2005, is located along the Avenue of the Arts in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The mission statement explains that BSM is “a broad-minded Christian community that cherishes creativity, fosters and nurtures artistic expression, extends inclusive hospitality and — works for a more just world through civic engagement.”

Members of the group went out each day to interact with members of the Philadelphia community, learning more about organizations who help those in need.

Participants interacted with the homeless at shelters and soup kitchens, packaged meals for terminally ill community members, harvested crops from an urban farm, and interacted with campers of an inner-city reading camp.

Worship and reflection were a key part of each evening’s activities. One evening was highlighted by Andre Cureton, a motivational speaker who shared his experiences while homeless. This seemed to be one of the highlights for many participants.

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“My favorite part of the week was hearing Andre talk and give us his story. That’s the main thing that impacted me throughout the week and really knocked down some stereotypes that I had. If he can find God throughout all his struggles, we all should be able to.”
— Sara Kronenfeld, Page High School

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“What I remember most about the mission trip was how we were able to connect with the homeless people. It was interesting to me because our society separates them by casting them off or looking down upon those who talk with them or communicate in any way, and here all of that wasn’t there. It helped me to think about those that are homeless in a different way because like Andre said very few are homeless because of drugs and alcohol, which I found was true. I really enjoyed the interactions even though they may have been uncomfortable at the time. It was worth it.
— Rebecca Stubbs, Grimsley High School

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“We cooked food for the homeless, but we didn’t let the food service counter become a barrier separating us. We ate our meals with the homeless people we served and listened to their stories around the table, and in the process I found out that the homeless folks were people just like me.”
— Pastor John Odom