Here We Stand Student Site | Faith in Action

Harvest House ( Could you give up everything for God? Could you walk away from your life and possessions to move somewhere new and do something totally different? Gary and Linda Tatu, the founders of Christian mission...

I was at church a lot this weekend. On Saturday night I was in charge of the slideshow during our first contemporary worship service. There were lots of people in attendance, which made me feel good. I was pretty nervous...

I attend a Catholic private school, which is weird because I'm a Lutheran. Most of the time it's not a big deal. My friends and teachers are cool with me being a Lutheran. The cool thing about my school is that they require...

My confirmation small group is supposed to do a service project every semester. We decided it would be fun to be a bell ringer outside the mall. All of us took turns standing next to a big red kettle and rang a little...

Last night I helped serve a meal at a local homeless shelter. I was really nervous because I hadn't done anything like this before. A few other kids and I went there with my youth minister. A bunch of people from my church...

I got confirmed yesterday. Actually, my pastor says I'm not supposed to call it that. I think they called it "Affirmation of Baptism" or something like that. Since I don't remember being baptized, I guess it's good...

A few months ago I was wondering what I was going to do with my summer. My older siblings had jobs, boyfriends, and a bunch of church trips to go on. I knew I was going to be bored hanging out at home with my parents all day...

At church, we all love Natalia. She is funny, kind, and a warm person. Natalia is a friend to everyone. That is why we were so sad when we heard about the accident. Natalia's dad had a little bakery he ran out of his house....

In Costa Rica, Valentine's Day is called "El Día de Amor y Amistad" or "The Day of Love and Friendship." It is not just a day for secret admirers, boyfriends, and girlfriends. It is a day to celebrate all the people...

Part of my job as a pastor is to help train student pastors. I supervise their work, give them suggestions, help them solve problems, lead worship with them, discuss the Bible with them, and walk with them in their call to...

Cameron couldn’t figure out what to do for his Eagle Scout project. Everyone else in his troop had done really cool projects—like landscaping a school, building benches for a park, or even making a baptismal font. He...

A few years ago, my family started a new Christmas tradition. We always open presents on Christmas Eve, so when Santa stopped visiting our house (wink wink) there wasn't much to do on Christmas Day. Most stores are closed,...

Phillip went through the neighborhood dressed as a vampire. This was his last night of trick-or-treating. His parents said that once he was in middle school he couldn’t go begging for candy on Halloween. ...

Vacation Bible School at Word of Peace Lutheran in Rogers, Minnesota, selects a Social Ministry Project for the week. According to Education Director Kristin Skare, “VBS is a time to teach them we’re connected to a wider...

As part of a three-year rotation, about 85 high school youth from the South-Eastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Synod participated in a mission trip to South Dakota this summer. In July, the group flew into Rapid City, S.D., and...

Project Connect Every year, Project Connect reaches out to hundreds of young people and helps them discern where God is calling them. Project Connect is a joint mission of the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran seminaries (...

On a Camp Amnicon canoe trip in the Apostle Islands (NW Wisconsin), 17-year-old Kale exemplified God's call for people to be humble in their actions. Kale, along with his youth group, were at the tail end of their week long...

Becky Wayman recently graduated from high school at Shorewood High School in Wisconsin. She attends Lake Park Lutheran Church and has been an active member not only in the youth group there, but in the life of her school as...

Eric Golden had an interest in music at an early age. He cheerfully acknowledges, “God gave me a gift in my fingers.” When he was pretty young he started to try making music by pushing down on piano keys, and...

The Forgiveness Project The Forgiveness Project is a charitable, non-profit organization that seeks to promote awareness for forgiveness, understanding, and conflict resolution. The project collects stories of regular...

In May of 2007, a Des Moines, IA television station and the local newspaper featured a young boy battling adversity. Aaron Flatt, a 10-year-old boy, was born with Holt-Oram syndrome, a disease that affects the limbs...

Kids Against Hunger is a volunteer-based program designed to help children and teens rise up and fight global hunger. After volunteering in a hunger-stricken nation and seeing lasting effects of hunger on children,...

In many communities, when families become homeless they also become separated. Many shelters accept either women and children or just men. The founders of Family Promise were convinced that Americans are compassionate people...

On Cole's fifth birthday, he wanted to make a difference. His best friend's younger sister was diagnosed with cancer. Cole asked his mother if he could donate his birthday by collecting money from people instead of presents....

Pura Vida In 2001, Mark Ely of Denver made a decision that changed his life. At age 33 he quit his six-figure earning software consultant quit his job to change his mission in life. He had taken a mission trip...

A Complaint Free World Rev. Will Bowen of Christ United Church in Kansas City, Missouri, was teaching his congregation about prosperity. In this lesson he challenged the congregation to try to go 21 days without...

Every year, some 90 million Americans tune in to watch the biggest sporting event of the year—the Super Bowl. While this is a truly amazing spectacle, there is something even more remarkable that takes place on the first...

Margaret Reynolds was a sophomore at St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia. She implemented the beginning of a Big Sisters program that pairs middle and high school girls with at-risk children from St. James'...

Alex's Lemonade In 2000 a 4-year-old cancer patient named Alexandria (Alex) Scott decided that she would set up a lemonade stand to help her doctors find a cure for cancer. Her brother Patrick helped set up the lemonade...

Random Kid Talia Leman felt a strong desire to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Talia, a fifth grader from Waukee, Iowa, developed an idea to use trick-or-treating as a fundraiser she named Trick-or-Treat for the Levee...

Youth and Partners Raise Over $53,000 for Teen Tomelessness www.reggiessleepout.org On one of the coldest days in November, over 300 youth and adults left the comfort of their warm beds to sleep outdoors in Des Moines,...

The ONE Campaign is an effort to rally Americans, ONE by ONE, to the cause of ending poverty in our world. The ONE Campaign's goal is to direct an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward developmental aid in the...

One man who really puts faith into action is Taylor Mason. He is a talented musician who traveled the nation looking for his niche in the world. He was in Chicago for a little while and he learned to play the blues....

My friend Anna is a bundle of energy, smarts, and strong faith in God. I first met Anna at the annual Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) conference for my synod. She was a member of the LYO board at the time, leading...

Friday Nite Alive — Coldwater, MI Sometimes life happens at warp speed, leaving little time and space to build relationships. Across the country, coffeehouse ministries are a growing trend because they offer teens a...