Service is a huge part of the Waynesburg community and for biblical & ministry (BMS) majors, a lot of them work or volunteer with church’s in the Waynesburg area and even in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Sophomore youth ministry major Brett Thumm has been working in parking lots with Foundry Church in Morgantown, and for Thumm, it has been a perfect step.

“When I came here I just bounced around church’s because there are so many church’s around Waynesburg, and I hadn’t found one I stuck with because I was bouncing around the ones I liked,” said Thumm. “As soon as I walked into the Foundry, this is where I need to be, this place feels like home.”

Even though Thumm has not been cleared to work with the children because all of his clearances have yet to go through in the state of West Virginia, he still loves volunteering at the church.

“I love it, it’s so much fun, it’s a newer church it’s only been around for two years now and I just love it so much,” said Thumm. “They get to see how kind of crazy I am and I have fun with them.”

Sophomore youth ministry major Mandi Pascarella is paid to work with first Baptist church on Sundays and over the summer, and she, like Thumm, enjoys the work she does.

“I love it,” said Pascarella. “So, I work at a summer camp with their youth and kids and it’s nice to translate what I learn there to church ministry, so getting to watch the kids grow and things click in their head is nice.”

Pascarella once had a lesson about sharing where she put different amounts of macaroni in everyone’s bowl then the children had to share amongst themselves and at the end put it all in one bowl.

“I let them try to put it all in one bowl and they made a mess of it,” said Pascarella. “The best part was after we cleaned up all the macaroni I asked them to relate it back to the bible lesson we learned and they could.”

Pascarella had doubts on whether she could work with the children, as she would like to work with more middle schoolers and high schoolers, and now working with five to eight years became a challenge.

“I learned not to reason with them as much, everything they think comes out, you’ll be teaching a lesson about one thing and then I had a boy tell me about his dog,” said Pascarella. “I’m kind of learning to relate what they are saying to the lesson and pull them back in and I didn’t know I could do that.”

Pascarella only spends a few hours a week prepping for the Sunday lesson and then spends the time at the church on Sunday morning and feels that she doesn’t have to worry about school.

“I don’t feel it hinders my school work which helps making it a lot of fun and, like I said, it’s like summer camp and I love it so much,” said Pascarella.

Sophomore youth ministry major Veronica Steen is a youth developmental professional over the summer and during the school year she works with First Christian church of Waynesburg preschool. She just loves the child dynamic.

“They are really fun because they have such a different dynamic,” said Steen. “All the little kids are different, so when we do songs some of them are super into it and when we do bible some of them are super into it and drawings and all the things little kids like to do.”

Steen said she has really been able to learn how to be patient while working with kids.

“It makes me a lot more patient because I have to be really patient with kids and I’m generally an impatient person so getting to work with kids just brings out that side of me: time management and patience,” said Steen.