July 19, 2012
A reflection by Ashley Kern

If you're like me, when you hear the words "National Young Adult Conference" you probably think of young adults traveling from all over the country, gathering in worship and community, enjoying peaceful recreation and workshops.

"Service project" is probably not what comes to mind first.

Many participants took a week off work to attend NYAC last month, and they spent several hundred dollars on travel and registration costs.

Why then, you ask, would a group of them choose to spend an entire afternoon of free time working on a service project?

As a steering committee member tasked with helping to coordinate service projects this year, my initial contributing thought was, "Let's find something we can do for Knoxville."

So 10 other young adults and I found ourselves downtown at Knox Area Rescue Ministries, which serves roughly 400 homeless persons every day in various capacities. We were divided into three groups: one to work with flowers in the courtyard, one to deep clean the family emergency shelter, and one to clear brush outside (basically acting as human weed-whackers).

Three of us were assigned to do battle with the raging weeds between two fences – and they desperately needed to go because of security reasons. I was less than thrilled as we got started in the sweltering sun, my teammates hacking at the brush and me dragging it to the dumpster. But as I watched my peers work, I was soon in awe, humbled.

How did they not let even one complaint escape their lips?

Less than three hours later we had found a rhythm and determined that yes, we would be victorious in the "battle of the brush." I hopped the impossible fence so we could work side by side and get the job done even faster. I even started to laugh and enjoy myself.

Reflecting on this experience, I am grateful for my new friends and fellow volunteers from NYAC. I'm grateful for ministries like KARM, who serve even the least of us with abandon. And I am grateful to have witnessed and learned from this beautiful example of Christ's love in action. Perhaps next time I hear the words "National Young Adult Conference," service will be the first thing on my mind.

To read more about NYAC, 2012, check out the June 28 issue of Newsline at http://www.brethren.org/news, and visit http://www.brethren.org/nyac, to see photos. To support Youth and Young Adult ministries of the Church of the Brethren, visit http://www.brethren.org/give.

Church of the Brethren Newsline