brett rules the road

Saw my friend Brett Householder last night. He's a youth minister, a fact which is in large measure my own darn fault. Brett was a volunteer back in the salad days of my YM career. I put him in charge of the whole senior high ministry and then facilitated a contact which led to his first full time position in a church. We'll not speak much of that first chuch here. Let's just say that Brett forgives me, I think.

I've mentioned mission trips in a couple of posts. There is a storied church tradition of summer mission trips for senior high students. They were always the highlight of any given year, for students and leaders alike. Megan (who happens to be Brett's sister) at Quiet Here is a veteran of our past trips, as are Dan McElwain (from yesterday's post), and also Mike, the missionary to the Czech Rebublic.

Brett serves a church in Pittsburgh now, Beulah Presbyterian Church. They're doing right by him, it would seem. Currently he's in the midst of his own Road Rules mission trip; a concept he and some students created when he worked with me. 11 Days, 3 inner cities, including Washington D.C. on the Glorious 4th. Brett said the fireworks were unbelievable.

I hung out briefly with his team at their short term home, Paoli Presbyterian Church. They experienced inner city ministry in D.C., including a day at L'Arche, had just finished working with the homeless at Trevor's Place in Philadelphia, and are travelling to NYC as I type this. Today they will be making art kits for children with AIDS.

Brett's team is enthusiastic. They're a neat bunch of kids; a good mix. Brett told them last night that he was proud to be their youth minister and I can see why. One team member, Brian, managed to start a wave in a D.C. metro station, keeping it going even as he boarded a train and pulled away. Nate makes himself into an excellent human beat box. Look for Nate and Brian's hip-hop ditty "Doors Opening" (based on their Metro experience) to top the charts; once they return to Pittsburgh and get it recorded.

If you pray, pray for Brett and his team as they conclude their trip. You can find a brief synopsis of each day's Road Rules activity here. Click any Road Rules 2005 link to read about that day.

Jannotti tag: travel