Youngchurch:

Hands of friendship

Project help young people meet needs 'right across the street'

This year, when Eleanor Anderson thought about a service project for the students of her Sunday school at Emanuel Lutheran Church, Ludington, Mich., she decided to look close to home. “When people think about helping others, for some reason they always seem to look at the other side of the world,” she said. “We forget that there are often needs right across the street.”

Kennedy Kirby (right) helps Rune Kirby put a personal touch on his “Hands of Friendship Box.” Emanuel Lutheran Church, Ludington, Mich., collected “comfort items” for a shelter, a project to open children’s eyes to needs in their community.

Anderson remembered reading somewhere that the U.S. is now the third largest mission field in the world. Prompted by that information, she began to look for a service project in Ludington. What she found was Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters, the women’s shelter serving Mason, Lake and Oceana counties. The shelter serves as a short-term home for victims of domestic violence.

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