Spotlight on Summer Service
As a Confirmation student and PYF member, Megan Davis was introduced to CROSS Missions. She felt immediately drawn to mission work, and, for the past 8 years, in addition to CROSS mission trips and her other WPC volunteer activities, she has found a way to satisfy that calling as a member of WPC’s Hunger and Homeless team. This summer, Megan worked as a CROSS intern. She credits the opportunities and experiences offered by the WPC education and outreach ministries and the support and encouragement of fellow WPC members for giving her confidence in her calling and leading her to apply to be a CROSS Intern. Below are her reflections, in her own words.
CROSS Calling: How I Found My Passion and Purpose
My journey at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church started in 2008 when my family moved here from Michigan. I will never forget the first time I walked into the “gather together room” as a tiny Kindergartener and was instantly welcomed by Betsy McCarter. After the gather together time, we went to our Sunday school classrooms, and still as the “new kid” I was welcomed with open arms. From my time being in the kindergarten classroom to Senior High, I can tell you the name of each one of my Sunday School teachers.
Fast forwarding to 2017, The Williamsburg Presbyterian Church PYF group took a trip to CROSS Missions in Charlotte, NC. While it was only a weekend in January, I knew that I had a passion for mission work. After I came home, I would do various projects with the PYF group, but I hadn't joined any WPC groups or committees yet.
The following year, “A” Williams told our group that we would be going back to CROSS for a week in the summer instead of just the weekend. We were all extremely excited to go back and see what a week at CROSS looked like! When we got to CROSS we were instantly welcomed by the CROSS Interns and staff. I remember thinking to myself, that’s going to be me one day. As our group was going through the week at all the various mission sites, we started to think about the big question - what happens when we get home and how can we bring what we just learned and experienced home.
When I got home, I went onto the church’s website and looked up the various outreach opportunities that were at the church. I knew that I wanted to take what I had done and learned at CROSS and do mission work at home. I was shocked to find out how many committees and groups there were that fall under Outreach here at WPC. However, there was one team and committee that stood out to me, and that was the Hunger & Homeless committee. When I was reading the committee description, I noticed that the Leader of the committee was none other than Jim Kirkpatrick, who just so happened to be my middle school Sunday school teacher.
The first chance I got, I talked to Jim about joining the team. He was more than excited to welcome me to the team, and I was immediately added to the email chain. Jim told me when the next meeting was and that he hoped to see me there. The thought of going into a room full of adults sitting at a table and being the only youth there can seem really intimidating, especially when you’re in the 8th grade. I can confidently say that I was instantly welcomed by the entire team, and I knew that they were excited that I was there. It took me a few months to get all of the information down, but I have the best team and the best support system behind me.
I've been on the Hunger and Homeless team for 6 years and I'm happy to say that my time with the team is not over. I am more than excited to see what my future with the team holds as I continue my journey and education here at WPC.
Along with the Hunger and Homeless team, in 2021 I was asked to serve as a Youth Elder on Session. Being a youth elder is something that I’ve always wanted to do since I found out it was possible. Being an elder as a youth comes with so many responsibilities. I had the privilege to serve as an Outreach Elder and I can confidently say that I would do that again in a heartbeat. Working and learning about the other committees and what they do for the church and for our Williamsburg community was amazing to say the least. I got a whole new perspective of Outreach as a whole, between working on the budget to re-writing the mission statement. I was very proud to be a part of that experience.
All the inspiration and encouragement that WPC has given me has led me to an amazing opportunity as an Intern for the CROSS Missions program in Charlotte, NC. What this entails is working alongside 5 other absolutely amazing interns in leading different church youth groups each week in mission work around the Charlotte area. Each week we get a different church and a different list of mission sites, and each week brings new challenges and new joys.
This year we focused on the theme of Justice & Joy and how we can balance carrying out God’s justice and joy. Throughout the summer we, as a group of interns and as a program, continually carried our God’s Justice and Joy. While our Thursday night is used to close out our week together, I choose to think of our “closing” worship as a start. My final closing worship was a tough one because it’s our last one as a group of interns who have been through so much together in just the span of 2 and a half months. Instead of thinking of that closing as our last, I can't help but to think about what comes next with my journey at WPC. After this amazing summer in Charlotte, I wonder how I can continue carrying out God’s work throughout the year before the next CROSS summer starts.
As I leave Charlotte and head back to Williamsburg, I know that with my return, I have a full plate of WPC activities to jump right back into. This summer I got the chance to reflect on my faith journey, and I realized how much WPC has played such a key and important role in that journey. I am forever thankful to each and every person who has helped me to get to where I am today, in Charlotte, NC serving as a CROSS Missions Intern.
From the CROSS Website: CROSS Missions is a unique urban outreach program in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are committed to crossing over boundaries that divide us, crossing out stereotypes that judge us, and keeping Christ’s love as our focus. In the last 20 years, more than 15,000 people from 270 churches, colleges, and schools in 19 states have served through CROSS Missions. In addition to serving others, CROSS also empowers and equips young people to work for change in their own communities.
