August 20, 2026
This summer, over two weeks in July, Galilee’s youth stepped beyond the church walls to put their faith into action, serving neighbors in Loudoun County and farther south in the Roanoke and Franklin County area.
Our local SummerServe camp gave rising 6th through 8th graders the opportunity to discover ways Christians can serve their nearest neighbors. For some students, it was their first experience working alongside Galilee’s community partners. Our older youth traveled further afield to Rocky Mount for Summer Venture, where they encountered the needs of a more distant community.
James 2:14–20 served as the focus Scripture for the young SummerServe students as they explored what it means to express faith through action. They sorted school supplies at Mobile Hope in Leesburg and food donations with LINK Against Hunger in Sterling. They also served some four-legged neighbors, making braided pull toys for dogs at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter and touring the shelter to learn about the people who care for animals in our community.
Another day brought the students into the kitchen, where they prepared 80 lunches for guests at the Loudoun Homeless Shelter in Leesburg. The youth made two kinds of sandwiches and packed watermelon, chips, and cookies, making sure those they served had choices rather than simply receiving whatever was handed to them.
SummerServe wrapped up at JK Community Farm, where students picked peppers and potatoes destined for the local pantry network.
When was the last time you were on a youth mission? Galilee youth Ben Stewart put together this video on SummerServe.
Meanwhile, Galilee’s older youth headed south for the second annual Summer Venture trip to Rocky Mount, Virginia. Hosted by Redwood United Methodist Church, the team helped run Vacation Bible School at the Henry Fork Center, sorted donations and distributed food at the Roanoke Rescue Mission, and served with God’s Provision Food Pantry in Rocky Mount.
Whether sorting food, picking vegetables, preparing lunches, caring for animals, or sharing the joy of VBS with children, our youth discovered the same lesson in many different places: Christian faith is not meant to remain merely something we believe or say.
As James reminds us, faith comes alive in what we do.
Watch Ben’s video on Summer Venture, Galilee’s youth mission trip to Rocky Mount.
We are grateful for our youth, their adult leaders, and the community partners who welcomed them into their work this summer. Through SummerServe and Summer Venture, our students had the opportunity not only to serve others, but to see more clearly how God is already at work in the communities around them.