Operation Backyard cleans up city; projects
Posted: Friday, July 23, 2010
More than 200 area youths hit the streets of Huntington this past weekend as part of Operation Backyard. The project was a collaborative effort of a dozen local church youth groups putting teenagers to work painting, cleaning and serving with local charities.
“The goal of Operation Backyard is to show the kids that the mission field can at times be in our own backyard,” said Roger Vezeau, youth pastor at the College Park United Brethren Church in Huntington. This was the fourth year for the project which as grown in size from around 100 the first year to more than 200 this year.
Projects ranged from home repair for the elderly to mowing vacant lots and painting fire hydrants for the city of Huntington.
Huntington University housed the 200 participants in its dorms for the weekend. Teens arrived Friday night, July 16, for fellowship time and a message by Huntington native Chris Lahr, who currently works with Iglesia del Barrio in inner-city Philadelphia. Saturday consisted of a work day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an additional evening of fun and fellowship. Sunday featured the group collecting cans and other items for Love INC.
Also benefiting from the work performed by the teens were the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington County, the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, the Police Athletic League, the city of Huntington, the Forks of the Wabash, Homier Field, Malta House, the Huntington City-Township Public Library and numerous elderly people and shut-ins.
Youth participating in the weekend were from the following churches: Huntington Baptist, The Awakening, Northridge Baptist in Fort Wayne, The Well, Iglesia del Barrio in Philadelphia, Life Community, New Hope, Union, St. Peter’s First Community, Faith Community, Central Christian, First Church of the Nazarene and College Park United Brethren.
