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Youth lead the way in area church

CAPITOL HEIGHTS - 'Considering that so much negative is written about the youth of Prince George?s County, we want everyone to know that Gethsemane UMC?s youth are doing positive things in the county and church,' said Shirley Newton-Guest, the church communicator.

The young people, ages 13 to 25, participate in and hold leadership roles in many of the church?s traditional committees, such as finance and worship. At the church?s annual summer picnic they held a basketball tournament, not just for themselves but for anyone in the community.

Some of the 25-30 Gethsemane youth come from very stressed families, where drugs and alcohol are not uncommon,. They have friends who are promiscuous and even some in jail, Newton-Guest said.

'As a church, Gethsemane's heart is so open to deal with anyone who comes,' said the youth?s co-leader Ramone Jackson.

Their next project is to refurbish the basketball court in the church. Then they'll begin to build a neighborhood competitive basketball league among other churches and groups.

'Despite the odds, they try to understand God,' Jackson said. At the end of the summer, he said, they'll hold a spiritual gifts assessment workshop, to aid them in understanding how they can best serve God.