Planting the seeds of success

Through a nationally active Southern Baptist group known as Acteens, sponsored locally by the First Baptist Church in Jackson, teenage girls are learning about involvement in missions on an everyday level.

Women church leaders at First Baptist responded to what they saw as a need to help lead young women, said Avis Bollinger, whose daughter, Sierra, is active in Acteens. Bollinger leads a younger group called Girls in Action.

"A lot of older women in the church were aware that a lot of girls were getting away from being able to see other people's needs," Bollinger said. "They were getting more involved in 'me' and 'my.'"

Through the WMU, the adult women, with moral support from the church, started encouraging young women to become more involved with missions.

The first week of July, seven girls who reached the level of Acteen Activator and three adult leaders went to Gulfport, Miss., to help with the ongoing cleanup from Hurricane Katrina. Acteen Activators are Acteens who have worked a little harder and demonstrated locally that they are ready to make a bigger mission effort.

"It breaks your heart to see how much damage is still here," said Olivia Riley, 16, one of the participants. "They've come a long way but still have a long way to go."

While the Acteen Activators from Jackson were in Gulfport, they held vacation Bible school for the children of Broadmoor Baptist Church, including one 5-year-old boy who lost his mother in Katrina's aftermath. They held a block party for the neighborhood and fed anyone who was hungry. Before going on the trip, they raised money to buy the food for the block party.

In Gulfport, they also helped clean up a yard for an older woman who only recently moved back into her home.

"We got to reach out to them and hear their stories," Olivia said. "It really makes me feel like we're serving God's kingdom."

Whitney Tankersley, 17, of Jackson said she was touched by the children she encountered.

"To see little kids in Bible school separated from their families but still smiling, it was such a lesson that God is good even in bad times," she said.

Whitney was the one who met the little boy who lost his mother. During the week she was there, she saw a sad, reticent little boy open up a little.

"I'll never forget him," she said. "It was such a neat experience."

Some lessons were more subtle. Whitney recalled smiling at a customer in a Wendy's restaurant in Gulfport.

"She patted me on the back and said 'I'm glad to talk to you. I'm so hopeful about things to come.' That touched my heart."

As a mom and as a leader, Bollinger said she is proud of these girls for their enthusiasm in wanting to be helpful and for feeling like they should do more. The girls made "gospel bracelets," beaded bracelets representing their faith, that they gave to people they encountered. Although they cheerfully gave away the bracelets, they were disappointed that one of the repair projects they had planned to do while in Gulfport had not materialized. Bollinger said the girls felt like they should be doing something more tangible. She told them that those bracelets might have been the reason God led them there.

"All we do is plant the seed when we do these mission trips," Bollinger said. "These girls will never know who they have touched with their little bracelets. You go down there with a willing heart and serve the Lord. Hopefully somebody will be saved through that."

The girls in Acteens are so well thought of, said WMU director Barbara Popp, that boys in the church asked for, and got, their own group. It also speaks well of the girls and the women who mentor them that college girls often come back as assistant leaders to keep the program going.

Acteens at First Baptist Church is open to any girl interested in participating, from any church. Bollinger said that respect for the girls extends into their schools.

"They are a wonderful, wonderful group of girls," Bollinger said. "I'm so encouraged for the future. They're going to be making our decisions for us. When they go to vote, I hope we have people with good moral values; these girls certainly do. In preparing for these trips the most important thing is they prepare their hearts and have the right attitude. That's the key to making them successful."

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160