By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

A group of youth at Grace United Methodist Church in Geneseo is “learning by doing” through their project of renovating the Sunday school area used by pre-school and elementary-age children.

Molly Neumann, who with her sister Jane, last fall organized nondenominational, student-led Bible studies for area youth in grades 6-12.

The gatherings led to the current renovation project which addresses the common area where the younger children sing and do crafts.

“As of right now, our classroom is a combination of pre-school and elementary students, so it is important to make a large space that fits the learning abilities of diverse age groups,” Molly Neumann said.

The young people have been working on giving the walls a fresh coat of paint, which was donated by church members.

Neumann said plans are being made to host a church breakfast to raise money for the renovation project.

“Following that, we intend on making some additions to create a child-friendly environment,” she added. “Our youth group has taken the time to begin the painting portion of the renovation project and is available to help with any small additions going forward.”

The adult leaders and helpers, Jackie and Joe Mickley and Mark Koster, are available to offer guidance and assistance with the youth projects, Neumann said.

When asked about how the renovation project was chosen, Neumann shared that the youth classrooms had become storage space after the pandemic…”With the start of the New Year, we wanted to strengthen the FROGS (Fully Rely on God) program and create a better place for the growing youth at our church. When Jane, Jackie Mickley and I took on the cleaning out of the rooms, we got the idea to start fresh and update the outdated classrooms.”

It was that idea that initiated the plan to renovate the space and make it more appealing to new families in the area, she said…”Our main goal is to make a comfortable and attractive leaning space for the students.”

Plans are to have most of the renovations complete by the close of this school year, and Neumann added, “However, improving the program is an ongoing and evolving effort.”

She said the group is “looking for more youth to become involved. Everyone in the community is welcome to join the group with our community projects and Bible sessions. We also offer Silver Cord opportunities for interested high school-age students.”

The young people meet every few weeks, depending on Geneseo High School and Geneseo Middle School activity calendars.

The meetings begin with students who want to help prepare dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and a student-led Bible study to be held after the meal. All family members are welcome to join the group for the meal.

For more information, contact Molly Neumann at 309-714-9531.