FARMVILLE — A group of Farmville teenagers are taking their youth group name Fortify and putting it into action by raising money to build water infrastructure in third-world countries.
The group was formed in November by Spring of Living Water Church associate pastor Wes Thomas.
“I started it because my son asked me to go to a youth group in Greenville … He asked why we didn’t have one here,” Thomas said.
The group began with just four members and has grown to include 40 with an active attendance of 30 each each Friday night.
Members range in age between 12 and 18 and come from different Farmville churches as well as youth who are not associated with a church.
“Many of the youth attendees are members of other local churches — which is great and welcomed. This ministry is breaking denominational lines for the betterment of the Great Commission. We are teaching youth that a Christian’s life is one of service to others,” Thomas said.
During a meeting last month, Thomas discussed the importance of servitude in Christianity and shared facts about some countries not having access to clean drinking water.
“We wanted to teach that to be a Christian is to be a servant. Sometimes we might get mixed up as adults and think it’s all about us. Christ made it not about himself. We’re trying to teach these youths to be a servant to others,” Thomas said. “I didn’t want them to feel embarrassed or ashamed of what they have. It’s not my goal to make them feel ashamed for having, but I wanted them to be mindful that some people don’t have the basic necessities of clean water. I wanted them to be mindful because they are so blessed. We should be giving back in different forms.”
After the devotion, members decided to help raise money to provide needed water infrastructure to third-world countries through Samaritan’s Purse.
Samaritan’s Purse, a nonprofit organization, provides safe and properly dug wells and filtration systems in villages throughout Cambodia, Africa, Mexico and war-damaged Ukraine as well as others.
“They set a goal of $1,000 which would provide a village with a complete and functional water system,” Thomas said. “That first Friday, they brought in $100 of their own money. I could tell it wasn’t their parents’ money. It was lots of crinkled-up ones.”
Thomas and other youth group leaders Scott Fields and Matt Boggess are proud of the group’s efforts so far and encourage the teens to continue with their goal.
The teens also aspire to give back to their community and are looking for local volunteer opportunities to give back.
“These service projects are run by them. We are looking to do a physical labor type job for somebody. If someone needed their yard cleaned up, or front porch painted, we would look into doing something like that,” Thomas said. “We are looking for a way to help. That way these young folks can see it’s really cool to give back and help.”
If you would like to donate to the youth’s cause or have a service project suggestion, contact Wes Thomas at wthomas@farmvillenc.gov. Fortify Youth Group meets every Friday at Spring of Living Water Church, 4221 Belcher St., Farmville, and is open to new members.
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