Who Will Teach Our Youth to Care?

By Pastor Marty Dasler

Bethany Lutheran Church of Bainbridge

August, 2004

Talk about the heat. Several weeks ago I was in Tecate, Mexico not far from San Diego but in a world rarely seen by the 13 teens and four adults from Bethany and Port Madison Churches. It was a good thing most of the youth did not know that they were working in heat that exceeded 100 degrees. I thought this is a tough way to build basic housing - the last thing Mexico needs is imported cheap labor. But these youth spent a good deal of their winter fundraising for their summer servant trip and they were determined to complete their portion of two houses before handing the project over to the next church group.

What they lacked in skill and training they made up in enthusiasm and energy. Only a few days ago most of them saw the inside of a wall and wet stucco for the first time. Now they were up to their elbows in the dust of drywall and cement. For five straight days they worked alongside our host 
families and learned to appreciate the joys and hardships of life in a boarder town.

These Bainbridge students were overwhelmed by the generosity and warmth of our host families. The key to this program was in the quality of our local contacts and the selection process of the families, who never lost sight of 
their mission to these young people.

Are there more cost effective ways to build houses for poor people? Absolutely! But there is no substitute for young people working in a cross-cultural setting. Our youth came away with a better perspective of life on Bainbridge Island and a lifelong commitment to compassion.

Bethany is not the only church that participates in these servant projects. Nearly every church on the island has some form of service opportunity that enables young people to respond to the call of God through witness and service. Churches, at their best, call on kids to live out their values.

Several years ago Bainbridge Schools participated in a program called "Its about time for kids." Part of this study involved an extensive survey of more than 1,800 students. While this survey demonstrated that many of our young people live in a climate of wonderful opportunities, it also showed several weaknesses in our community and suggested, "we may not be a community in which points of caring and connectedness are commonplace." Both teachers and parents were shocked to find out that Bainbridge students scored significantly below the national average and well below the state average in the internal asset of caring (39%). Coincidently Bainbridge students also scored only 38% involvement in a religious community. I think that there is a connection. 

Our Bainbridge schools put a heavy emphasis on teaching tolerance. But tolerance can be perceived as a passive value that can lead to apathy. This happens in a very subtle way. If there are no agreed upon standards, if we are free to choose our own values, why not choose the ones that require the least effort or are the safest? By that standard apathy is a clear winner.

In much of the Bible, and this is reflected in many faith communities, the highest value is love, and love can be very demanding. When driven by a passion for God love is capable of moving mountains. I am well aware that many in our community are more than a little nervous about religious passion, and for good reason. Religious passion is dangerous. Countless people continue to be killed or wounded because of the misguided excesses of religious passion especially when it is combined with intolerance. But is the world also in great peril because of our apathy? No one does a body count on those who die because of our lack of caring.

Watching young people work hard in Mexico was inspiring for me and gives me hope for our common future. While church is not the only place where youth learn to care, statistics verify that faith communities often remind our youth that the highest value is not tolerance, but love.