[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the Root Cellar podcast.
We believe that God is at work restoring broken lives, families and neighborhoods around the corner in Lewiston and Portland, Maine, across New England and the world.
On this podcast, we'll discuss what God is doing on our team at the Root Cellar through our partners in Maine, uh, and invite guests from away to share how God is at work among them.
I'm your host, Joel Furrow. Thanks, uh, for join this all by him by tempted and tried. I wonder why the good man dies bad man thrives in Jesus Christ cuz he loves them both. We're all cast ways in need of hanging on by the last threads of. Hey, welcome to another edition of the Root Seller podcast. We are so grateful that you're here. Thank you so much for being part of this, for listening, for, uh, for being part of these conversations. It's, it's a genuine honor to bring some of this content to you and make sure you know how God is at work restoring lives, families, communities, neighborhoods. Right in Lewiston, right in Portland, Maine, through the Root Cellar.
You are the people who make this happen. Giving. It's your generosity that actually make this possible. God is using you to do this work. It's, it's, uh, it's incredible how many people actually contribute. Sometimes it's just $40, sometimes it's a thousand dollars, sometimes it's more.
Every single gift goes to support our ministry in just incredible ways. And we, uh, really genuinely couldn't possibly do it without you. A few weeks ago, I had a friend reach out and he offered up a $5,000 matching challenge for us. So we have an opportunity to turn $5,000 into $10,000 right now. And so for every gift, and we'll put this on the website for every gift that's given until we reach that $5,000, it will be matched. So your 50 bucks becomes 100, 100 becomes 200, 500 becomes a thousand. Maybe you just want to jump right in and say, you know what? I'll throw it $5,000 out there. You know what? If you do that, we're right there. It's incredible. So this comes at a really important time for us in the middle of our summer programming. This is the most expensive part of, of our programming year, actually. We do more programming, more ministry during the summer months. We take advantage of the sunshine before we hit the winter, uh, later on in the year, take advantage of it. And so we do a lot more. Our programming in both locations is bigger, more people served. There's just a lot more going on. And that naturally means more expenses. And so if you are able to contribute to this, we would be incredibly blessed. Blessed by that. Just to give you a little bit of a taste of what that impact could be, $500 is roughly what it costs for us to bring on a teenager for the summer when our Lou Crew or work opportunities programming in Portland and Lewiston there, it's a great opportunity to invest in the life of a teen, really giving them their first time job experience.
50 bucks a week is roughly what it costs for one of our kids to participate in our super summer day camp. And that's, that's really an incredible value. I mean, we're talking four full days of day camp, programming, enrichment activities, field trips. Just a deep knowledge of their role in how God is bringing his kingdom here and how they can contribute to what he is doing in their own communities, in their own homes. There's so much that goes into every single moment in the summertime. It's really incredible. And that's just with our youth. I mean, the impact of a gift, uh, you know, really multiplies when you start talking about the number of people we're serving in our English programming, the number of adults that are in families that are being supported through our food shares. Really just, there's so many ways to go about this.
We are really, really intentional about how we steward gifts. And so this is a great opportunity for you to jump in. Your gift will be doubled. It's really awesome. Uh, so if you can, if you can do it, go head over to therootseller.org right now, hit the give today button and make a gift. We'd be incredibly honored if you joined us. I'm joined today by Akash Ahuja. He is the director of high school ministry in Lexington, Massachusetts at Grace Chapel. Grace Chapel is a really interesting church. They've got campuses all over eastern Massachusetts. So really, really great to have him on the show. More importantly, he's bringing a perspective both as a mission team member 10 years ago and then now as a leader of mission teams coming back to the root cellar. For the last few years, uh, they've really taken a intentional look at how they do this work with their teens, how they disciple their teens, how they partner with us. And in a recent, this past, this past winter, they, uh, brought a group up on a vacation day. It's a school vacation day during the school year, but they brought a group of teens up to serve and to help us distribute new boots and coats, uh, to participants of the Path Forward program. If You've checked out, uh, one of the past episodes about the Path Forward program. You'll know that these are individuals who are potentially facing homelessness but are able to have housing through the city's general assistance program. And part of the deal with that is that you have to do some work, you have to volunteer somewhere or do some work. And uh, we've developed this program called the Path Forward where we do a lot of different things but effectively point them towards work readiness so they can be more secure in their housing, more secure in their lives in general, and hopefully move away from general assistance and into a more secure life. It's a way that we really, really believe that's what it looks like to love our neighbors as ourselves, to empower them with those opportunities.
So Akash and his church partnered with us to help distribute those and we did it in a really unique way. Included a foot washing, brand new socks and brand new boots. Really a unique experience for everyone involved. And before we have this jump into this conversation with Akash, I want you to just check out this is what it looked like today.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: The volunteers from Grace Chapel and the.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: Lou Crew are teaming up to serve the Path Forward adults who so often.
[00:06:11] Speaker B: Are serving them in this space and.
[00:06:13] Speaker A: Have the opportunity to wash their feet and bless them with a pair of boots. The city has a program called General Assistance where people who are not able to work, um, are provided an opportunity to complete work fair hours or volunteer.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: Hours at different organizations.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: And here at through Cellar, we are.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: One of those organizations.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: So the city sends us lots of volunteers.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: Um, they help out with their after school program, they help out with cleaning.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: They work our cafe. Um, we've created a curriculum called the.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Path Forward that each member participates in.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: Overall, we're just trying to help them move from where they're at to where they want to be.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: So honestly, when I heard about the feet washing, I was a little scared.
I hadn't really done it ever before in my life. Um, but when I got the bowl, I picked up the bowl of water and I was like, alright, let's just do it. Because if Jesus do it, I can do it too. So I can't say I've washed anybody's feet before other than my own.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: But um, I don't usually do this, but it's definitely an eye opening experience. I'm really grateful for it.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: I've been cleaning people's feet and giving shoes for people.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: My name is Cynthia Stoddard, AKA Cindy.
I volunteer to help with my ga.
Um, I involved with the kids at the after school program and the summer program, we had great conversations. I got new boots, new socks, feet washed, and I could get a jacket or coat if I wanted, but I've got a really nice one at home, so I'm not going to do that. I'm not greedy.
Um, and now we're getting ready to have a wonderful meal that a lot of people are prepared.
[00:07:58] Speaker B: I'm Josh and I come from Lexington. It's just like in the whole concept of like serving people and like doing what Jesus did.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: So like obviously if like Jesus did.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: That and I'm trying to follow in.
[00:08:09] Speaker A: His example and be like the best like person I can be.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: I want to do what Jesus is doing. So this is like one step I.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: Can take to do that.
[00:08:15] Speaker B: We're all children of God and not.
[00:08:17] Speaker A: One of us is better than the other. But how God loves us the same.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: And views us all as the same. Jesus did came here to our planet and cleaned people's feet. So why we cannot do the same.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: It's cool to wash people's feet and like, um, and think about how Jesus did that to the disciples, um, as an act of serving in gratitude.
It's really awesome.
[00:08:44] Speaker B: What's kind of weird because for me feet is something really personal.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:51] Speaker B: I don't like but after that giving shoes and see the people smiling and stuff, it's just is a good feeling.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: Minambre Staphnin My name is Fidel. We are so happy to be here because this community is our family. We feel good here and we are thankful or we thank Rosella for the gift.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: Now we have shoes and jackets and.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: Every time we are here because we feel good here. It's our house, Rosella.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: So when we follow the example of.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: Jesus who had everything and decided to come as a servant, we realized the.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Value of the neighbors, the privilege to.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: Serve in the way that Jesus serves.
[00:09:41] Speaker B: And made himself humble when he came. Just come to hut telling you have to do those stuff too. You don't want to regret.
[00:09:54] Speaker A: I am really excited to be joined by our friend Akash from Grace Chapel in Lexington, Lexington, Massachusetts. We, we tell a lot of jokes about Massachusetts and Maine, but. But we won't. Not at your expense. We only say the good things about Grace Chapel.
That's good, that's good.
Akash, thanks so much for joining us.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah, my pleasure.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: So you're. You are representing. You're already. You've got the root cellar T shirt on. So you got. Got the threads. That's good, that's good. Thanks. Thanks for that. We're going to talk about the mission trip experience. You just got back from, uh, Lewiston, spending a whole week with us with a mission team from your church. A bunch of teenagers. Right.
And, uh, are you recovered, rested?
[00:10:38] Speaker B: I'd say I'm recovered. I definitely had jet lag coming back from the trip, if that makes sense. So the first day I got home and tried to put myself to bed early.
I wouldn't fall asleep because my body was so used to going to bed really late.
And then I also woke up before my alarm the next morning because my body was so used to waking m up so early. But I'm now recovered. I'm back on my personal time zone. And kids are so active in the group chat right now, sharing photos they've seen online and already, you know, with their inside jokes and stories and talking about next year and all those wonderful things.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: That's awesome. That's awesome. I am. We really just enjoy the time we have with you, and I know that our team is. I shared before you left, just so blessed by your church, by your team. And, uh, I'm excited for everybody else to hear a little bit more about this partnership and how it's happened, but could you maybe we'll just start with you. I want to hear more about kind of your story and how, uh, kind of ultimately brought you, I guess, through the doors of the Root Cellar. But more importantly, kind of, you know, what God put in you, what you're into today, kind of take us back. Like, who. Who are you? And you're a leader in your own right, in your community, in the Christian community down there in Massachusetts. And so just, uh, excited to get to know you a little bit better.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, well, first of all, our church is blessed by you guys, and so thank you for your level of just working with us, uh, in this partnership. But for me, myself, my name is Akash, and I am a youth pastor or director of high school ministry at Grace Chapel. I've been at that church for coming up on seven years in some capacity or another.
Um, it's basically the only church I've worked at since graduating college.
And we've been delighted for the past a little bit more than two years to have a partnership with the Root Cellar, especially between our teen ministries, which kind of goes back even longer than two years ago as I was experiencing my first call to ministry. Uh, about ten years ago, I was actually a participant on a root cellar missions trip back in Lewiston, which was very transformational and stuck with Me throughout all of my time. And so when we were in a season of rebuilding missions, trips, post pandemic, and needing a new place for us to go, my first thought was, hey, I know the root cellar. I know they're incredible. Um, and I think that we have some opportunity to really, uh, walk with them not for just one week of the summer, but really in, uh, a much more deeper and more meaningful shared relationship. And so that's what we've had the pleasure of doing the past little bit. Yeah, our teens have loved it. It sounds like the Lou Crew teens have loved it. And so it's just been really great. Every time we get together, it feels a little bit like a reunion and just we praise God for how God is working in both of our spaces.
[00:13:30] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been really a, a, uh, really cool thing to see that partnership develop. Um, and I want to go back a little bit. I mean, you got to experience the retailer. Really an, uh, interesting stage. We had just started taking on mission teams. It's funny to think about this makes me feel really old. This is a reoccurring theme on the podcast so far, having these conversations, and we end up talking about how long it's been since something has happened. And I am somehow the common denominator here. And that just means I've gotten older, so. But you were, you were a teen.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: We were a really small missions team. I think that we fit into one 15 passenger van, but we were predominantly high school seniors and we were also from a relatively rural part of Connecticut. I mean, I think I was the only person on that team who has a non white cultural background. And it was so interesting to really see, like, our whole team really get swept away in Lewiston and be able to see how we can reach neighbors from all over the world in just a day's drive.
Um, yeah, so that was, um, a very different time. I feel like you're saying you just started hosting missions teams. We were going through an outside organization that kind of made things interesting in terms of communication.
A lot of the staff and volunteers have remained the same, which I think is a testament to how good the work is you do. But really from what I see from then to now is just a lot of strength.
And I think if I had to guess, knowing what my team was like and hearing about, uh, how you guys work, I think the thing that makes the root cellar a special place for missions is that the root cellar is ready to receive any missions team.
Uh, not every missions team is ready for the root cellar, but Joel and Alyssa and everyone else is so gracious with being right where we are. And, yeah, I think I truly mean that. Like, you guys are ready to host anyone.
Not everyone is ready for you guys. But you'll, uh, you'll help us into that process, which you've tried to. You've helped me, you've helped our kids. You know, not every team is the same. And so while the days are long and the level of service is high, I've also seen just a lot of accommodating and giving grace to students and really making it a place where they walk away not feeling defeated, but really feeling like they did contribute whatever they could, which is special. I think you guys do the same thing with your neighbors in Lewiston.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: Yeah, well, that's. That's great to hear.
We really. One of the things we. We hope we're doing is welcoming those who come in our doors, whether mission teams or neighbors, people in need, regardless of situation, providing a. A welcoming relational environment. And that's. And that's been. Honestly, that's been. It's intentional, but also it's. It's not like I started that or we started that. Our teams are. That. That was done for us. You know, this neighborhood welcomed us. I'm. I'm not from Lewiston. I'm not from Portland and not from Maine, but we were. I was welcomed into what God was doing here already. And. And so it's. It's something we get to kind of pass on, and it's exciting for us to share with a team over several days. I mean, you get this, like, really intensive environment to. To interact in. It's not. It's not, uh. It's not chilled out. It's not relaxed. We don't ever build it that way. But it is. It's pretty. Pretty intense interactions and intense programming. But talk a little bit about, you know, what are some of the highlights that you have kind of taken away? I mean, you guys are on year two with us. You've done two straight summers, and then a few other. A few other trips up, which we can talk about in a minute. But what's some of the highlights around these trips for you personally? And. And then maybe some things that your team. You've heard from your team.
[00:17:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say that one of the highlights, my teens will always say, is just being able to interact with teens in Lewiston. And because they're teens, they're already following each other on Instagram and keeping, uh, up. And it's been really special to see times that it's not just like here's photos and here's fun, but also like here are Bible verses and here are prayer requests. So even just the way that there is a spiritual community being built up from those interactions or um, when we say goodbye at the end of a week, it's not goodbye, but we, we'll see you the next time. Cause we always know that something else is in the calendar for us to, uh, come back to. So that's definitely one of the teenagers highlights is just the other teenagers, I think as a whole group. Like we obviously love the kids at Super Summer. They really are just so special and teach us so much.
I always invite my kids to reflect on what's different about our VBS versus what Super Summer looks like. Cause it just helps us see some of the ways in which we prioritize differently or value differently. But what we really have is like we need each other because we emphasize different things that are both so useful with the Root Cellar. I'm really astounded that kids are put into spaces where there's going to be conflict. We go to the park to ride scooters and there's 12 children and there's nine scooters and we just say that's going to be okay. Let's see how this plays out. Like, who is willing to take turns, who is willing to share, who is. What happens when feelings are stepped on? How do we restore, uh, those hurt feelings in relationships and to trust and believe that 8, 9, 10 year olds can figure that out together if we guide them through? It gives our teenagers the capacity to say, wow, I think that we could kind of talk about our hurt feelings and restore our broken relationships with our friends or enemies and how that just shows the kingdom of God at work, even in the tiniest little things. I always love that. As a highlight from our trips, the.
[00:19:12] Speaker A: Root Cellar engages neighbors and volunteers to.
[00:19:15] Speaker B: Cultivate social, economic and spiritual wholeness as.
[00:19:20] Speaker A: Part of God's kingdom.
We are able to do this work thanks to generous individuals like you to volunteer, make a gift or learn more. Join us today@the retailer.org yeah, you mentioned, uh, work your teens working with other teens. You know, that's the, that's our lucre teens. The teens are from the neighborhood. That's kind of, I, I think kind of a unique thing. I went on several mission trips when I was a teenager and I, I don't recall ever working with other teens at the place I was at, uh, as if we were somehow co workers in, in, in the m. In the ministry itself, it was always, hey, I'm here to somehow do this for you.
Ah. I mean, what. What do you think?
What's been a. What's been a. I mean, it sounds like they've enjoyed that, but any particular reflections on how those interactions have maybe changed their perspective of what it means to, I don't know, to serve or go on a mission trip, gonna be part of a mission team?
[00:20:19] Speaker B: Well, I think that a pitfall that some missions teams can fall into serving elsewhere is having a sense of pride that the whole thing wouldn't exist if it wasn't for their summer of missions. Just because summer is a heavy time for missions. And so sometimes, like, serving is a summer only activity. And that is so not the case at Root Cellar. I love the ways that you guys have been open about saying, like, we're really glad we have a missions team this week. We don't have a missions team every week, and we keep going on just fine. And so when we go into volunteer, we're not the only volunteers. There are other people volunteering, whether they are refugees and asylum seekers or they're local. We're born in America, so it's really incredible to just kind of see that we are coming alongside an existing thing. We're not being asked to transplant and do the thing. And then when we go, it's like a void and there was nothing there. So I think that opening their eyes to that and just knowing that, like, they can follow the root seller on their Instagram or podcast or email list and say, hey, the work is going to continue without us. We got to be a part of it. But it's not all about us. We were just, you know, assisting the work that God was already doing through people who are committed year round. So, I mean, that definitely stands out to the adults and the leaders. I'm praying that for our students that continues to fully unfold in their hearts. Just the impact of that. But I think that's definitely a distinctive that I really value.
[00:21:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, the teams really. I mean, they really serve a purpose. I mean, we're definitely there. They help us to scale our, uh, programming especially. But the intention is that a team's kind of coming into something that's already existing, coming alongside it. And I think, I mean, I don't want to. And this is, I don't want to overstate it, but there is a. There is this kind of interruption of the cycle of, you know, those who have things and, for example, can take a week and go somewhere else and Serve. Right. Kind of implies you have some resources in which to do so. Serve those who don't have things. There's kind of this like, savior, you know, and then those who need to be saved. Complex and relationship that can happen. And that's something that we did not want to see develop in our. In our mission teams. And that was kind of from. All of us had done trips in the past, and it was all. It was all stuff I'm really thankful for and that I was a part of. But I had a trip that. To Brazil when I was. I think it was eighth grade, I think is how old I was something. Something around there. So, like, you know, 14 years old maybe. And, um, it was. It was great. It was phenomenal. I loved it. I loved the whole. The whole experience. But we went down to help someone help a church. Help. Uh, the. We were helping construction. We were building a church's, a pastor's home. And it was. It was a really great experience for me. I learned a ton. But I had nothing to add from construction. I still barely have anything to add from. From construction perspective. And, uh, and, you know, we. We were working alongside these two guys who were construction workers there in Brazil. And like, looking back, I'm like, we just.
I'm sure we just took hours or maybe a week's worth of work, or maybe we set them back a week's worth of work possibly as well. Like, how much helping were we actually doing? And we had, you know, large team and again, super grateful for that exposure and that opportunity. But what was actually being accomplished with those resources and time and. And, you know, who really benefited from it? And I don't know how much the.
The. The group that we went to go serve actually benefited from me being there. I know I benefited greatly from that experience and that exposure. But. But we knew we had. We want. We want to do this whole mission team kind of venture. We wanted to make sure it was organized in such a way that it was a team from away kind of joining in what God's already doing and being part of a larger community. Um, and. And so we do look for churches who are kind of have that similar mindset. You guys have a really unique approach to developing these trips. You're not just kind of looking, hey, where can we go this summer? Could you talk a little bit about that? It seems pretty intentional.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Thank you. Yeah. And I think that it's still something that we try to figure out. Especially, you know, one of the things that helps a team fit together is that it's not ballooning to a size where you can't have relationships with each other.
Um, and so I do feel like it's what's important to us is that.
[00:24:42] Speaker A: So keeping the mission team low, the size low is what you mean, right?
[00:24:46] Speaker B: Just because when you have more people, uh, it's hard to get deep with each other. And when you have more people, it's a little bit easier to not jump in where you're needed because someone else can step up and do that.
It's kind of nice when it's like, oh, we need all hands on deck.
But we. We like to figure out our trips to have a range of what kids can serve within their gifts.
Some kids would love to do construction. Root cellar is not the trip for them to do that. When we do our missions teams training and we're asking, like, hey, are you thinking about serving here or there? The other place I say root cellar is the trip where you are the least likely to pick up a paintbrush or swing a hammer. So if that's what you're looking to do, we can find a place for you to do that somewhere. But it's just not going to be here in Maine. Like, what you're more likely to do here is learn names. You're more likely to hear stories, um, and you're more likely to be pushed out of your comfort zone in a cultural sense, because you're going to go into a place where, um, people don't have the same background as you, um, for the most part.
And I think that there's a value there that is maybe not right for everybody, uh, but some students are looking for that. And I think especially, um, I'm talking about students a lot, but really, the church at large can, uh, open our eyes to the global church and how God is moving in all parts of the world, not just in our congregations or denominations or neighborhoods.
[00:26:19] Speaker A: Yeah. No, that's great. That's so good. That's so good. I mean, the partnership approach you guys have, you've taken a trip up just yourself. There's leaders that have come up. And then you brought the teens, a group of teens from your youth group. And we should say, like, you're. The mission team that you brought up was this past week was, uh, what, 25 kids? Is that right?
[00:26:38] Speaker B: No, if you count the adults, it was 23 people. So I think we were 19 and four.
[00:26:42] Speaker A: 19 and four. Okay. And. But you, you. Your mission, I mean, your youth group is significantly larger.
[00:26:47] Speaker B: Right? I mean, you're, uh. We have four missions, trips this summer, middle and high school. And that amounts to, I want to say, 78 kids.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:57] Speaker B: M. And then another 15, 16 adults.
[00:27:00] Speaker A: On top of that, which is an incredible impact to spread them out that far, but also to, to focus in and say, how can we keep that low, keep it impactful, keep it for everybody, keep the relationship being built. You've. You guys have come up a few different times over the last couple years now and had some unique experiences. There's one in particular that, that I, at least for me, it's always a really unique experience. But, uh, could you talk a little bit about coming up, uh, this past, this past winter, you guys had a unique trip up, but also, you know, the activities were unique, but there was a goal with it as well.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Are you talking about our day Foot Washington?
[00:27:34] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah.
[00:27:35] Speaker B: So we were just asking Alyssa, uh, like, can we come up if there's a school holiday, our kids will be free. Can we come and do something, anything with you guys? And she was looking at it with her calendar and it was timed really well with a couple of other things going on. Like the weather is getting colder, so there's a need for boots and coats. And it was also just a end date or transition date for the, I believe it's called the Work Ahead program.
[00:28:02] Speaker A: Path Forward.
[00:28:03] Speaker B: Path Forward, yeah, Work Ahead.
But it was kind of like this milestone, uh, moment for the Path Forward group. And so we were invited to come up and bestow gift to donate these collected winter boots. But not just to know, pass them off and move on, but to actually say, we're going to, we're going to give these. We want to know who we're giving it to and actually have like a person to person exchange, not a group to group exchange.
And it's going to be really targeted first towards, uh, the people who just finished this period of the Path Forward and we're moving on to the next thing. And so being invited to actually step into Jesus's place and watch the feet of these people, to honor them and their accomplishment as they're going on to this next chapter of the Path Forward program.
Most of my students had not done a foot washing at, uh, some point in their lives. This was their first time. There were many times that the people that we were serving spoke no or just less English. And so just very challenging to not even be able to hold a conversation while this is happening. It's a pretty intimate thing to wash feet and then to say, you know, we brought these boots for you to have. Uh, we really hope this Blesses you through the winter season. I think that opened our kids eyes a lot to just uh, things that we take for granted. You know, for most of my kids, if they want winter boots, they get to the mall, they buy a pair. They don't think about it. If they want it, they can get new boots every season. But to go to people who had to learn like how to put on winter boots because it was their first time putting on footwear like that style and to also just recognize what these adults were working on in terms of their work permits or housing, uh, or whatever else they were earning through the path forward, um, it just kind of put things in a different context for them.
Uh, that was really, really special.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: M. Yeah, there's a really great.
We put together a video about from that day, um, and had got a chance to interview a few of your teens with it. It was really, it's an eye opening experience every time we do it. Uh, years ago there was another organization here in town that put together an event like this and they, they were doing uh, uh, socks and boots, a sock and boot giveaway. And then they, they introduced this, this foot washing thing and they happened to use the, they wanted to use the rootstar facility for it. And that, that's kind of where we, we stole the idea from them. But it's, it's just fits in so many ways obviously mimicking Jesus and his act of being a servant leader. Those, you know, you're not just to be served, but to serve others as his in his words. And that moment just becomes just. It's close. Washing someone else's feet is a very close, intimate kind of moment obviously. And, and, and not everybody's feet are enjoyable to wash. I know mine aren't for sure, but it's, it's, it's just this humbling experience. And, and I found a couple of times this has happened when we've done this that it gets returned. Someone wants to wash the feet of those who are there to quote unquote, serve the other. And, and that's, that's even. You know, also it's a really emotional moment for people. It's um, a beautiful example of, of what? Of how Christ serves us and has humbled himself for us and obviously uh, passing that on on to our neighbors.
For your teens to do that. I mean did. I was, I was curious. Did you tell them coming up, hey, we're gonna go wash feet or, or is that something they learned when they got here?
[00:31:23] Speaker B: You know, I'd have to check and see like what emails I sent in advance. I want to say that I prepped people on it, but does everyone read their email? Like, I think that there were some students who were still like, wait, are we really doing this? Is that what's happening right now? And for one student in particular, um, was. That was just very challenging to her.
And then especially because it got a little tricky in that two women wanted the same pair of boots and there was only one pair of that particular boot. And they were like, only one of those two women spoke English. So they were like translating their fight to this like 16 year old girl. She was like, I'm not sure what I'm doing here. Can I just wash your feet? Because that's what I know. Yeah. And I love that. So I do think it's homeless students in advance because springing things on kids doesn't always go really well.
[00:32:13] Speaker A: Mhm.
[00:32:15] Speaker B: But I was unsure about it because we don't have that tradition in our church. We just haven't done it before.
And I didn't know how kids would take it. Would they be uncomfortable? Would they push back? Would they shrink away and not want to engage? But I discovered that by kind of raising the bar and telling our kids like that is what we're gonna do. And it's not because I thought it was a good idea. It's because we are learning from Jesus. And that is the point of everything we're doing as a youth group. They really rose to that. And we're leaders in that. And I think that some of them, if they had been asked, would have said that they didn't think that would be in their comfort zone or that they, they wouldn't want to do that. But at the end of the day, going through that and saying, I learned I was capable of that, you know, I learned that following Jesus footsteps in this way was more attainable than I would have guessed. And that's a powerful lesson to learn and one that I should probably remind them of more often of just, you know, as, as you take a step out boldly in faith, how Jesus comes behind you to support you and keep guiding you forward.
[00:33:16] Speaker A: Um, yeah, there's a verse that we've always kind of reflected on in Philippians 2. And just when Paul's describing the mindset of Jesus that he considered others as more significant than himself. And I've experienced personally, like, hey, I know the footwashing thing's happening. I know it's gonna, it's coming around, it's coming up again, like, you know, to what degree. Have I, Do I avoid it? Do I jump in and be part of it? You know, do I, you know, it. Those questions start like do I really want to do this?
And those. That's just, it's a, it's a prideful thing to kind of be resistant to is what, it's a conclusion I've always kind of come around to. And, and, and I was just so impressed by, I think you and then your team, like your teams, they jumped, they jumped in, you know, and I know that it's, it's different, it's odd, but man, just the, the humility to do such a thing and then also to receive the blessing of doing it, I think is as well. You're not just blessing others, but there's a reception of blessing on you when that happens, you know that, that you guys have started to have kind of relationship not just with, with the root cellar, but with, with Lewiston and with, with our neighbors specifically. And, and that's just a, that's a really cool thing. Really cool thing.
That's awesome.
What's been some of the challenges for you? I mean we kind of talked about, you know, obviously foot washing might be a challenge, but what's uh, what's been some of the challenges for you or your team? And kind of some things that it's just, it can be challenging to come up to a different place, different culture, step into something that's maybe a little bit more uncomfortable.
[00:34:46] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a really good question. Some of the challenges, I would, I would say that like it's a different ministry culture uh, than us because we're, we're a multi campus regional church.
And so I was recently hanging out with a group of kids at like a barbecue and there were maybe like 15 kids there. And I, I realized that of all the kids there, they all came from different towns and went to different high schools unless they were siblings and they went to the same. But like there weren't two people from the same place. And that leads to one kind of ministry and one kind of relationship. I think that what 95% of the people that you serve are like less than a 10 minute walk away from the roof cellar. And so even just for our students to understand like that community approach, a neighborhood approach, um, and just feeling like life can actually be lived together in a day to day moment, not in a event to event timeline is, it teaches us a lot just in terms of like what does it mean to actually follow Jesus as a group, spending more time gathered than scattered potentially. Uh, in perspective.
Um, so I think that's just a different ministry culture. And then I think another challenge, I mean that I experience is I always come away so convicted and inspired by the staff of the Root Cellar. A year ago, we were hosted by Fitz. So he was the guy who was there with us every morning, every evening, leading our devotionals.
You know, if, uh, we were there, he was there. Which, let's just call it 6am M. To midnight every day.
And uh, midway through the week, we learned that Fitz is a part time employee of the reseller. We were like, man, if you're part time, how. How do full time people do? Like, and just realizing for myself and for our kids, like the entitlement that we can have to say, like, oh, I deserve a day off or it's important to set boundaries around burnout and Sabbath. But are our walls ever up too much? Like, are we interruptible enough to see what God is doing in the world? Um, that's a challenge that. I'm just a week off from the trip. I'm working from home today and I'm sitting here thinking, getting ready for this call.
Did Joel or Alyssa ever work from home? What would that even look like? I can't imagine it. Because your work is so personal that it's hard to put pause on it.
[00:37:11] Speaker A: Yeah, ah, we occasionally do. It's a rare occasion, but we try, you know, uh, but yeah, that's. It's hard. There's a flip side to that too. I mean, we, we struggle with, um, with finding that, that Sabbath rest and saying like, you know, hey, no, we, we need to build boundaries around this around this time, you know, that, that uh, you mentioned fits. I mean, one of the things we're trying to do, we try to do this this year was not ask too much about her of our staff out of that because that you. You try to. You burn people out and it's. There's so many good things to be done. And the challenge I've always had is I've got a team of people who really want to do all of those things. And you kind of have to say, okay, hold on, let's think a little bit more broadly about it. That's just to be, I guess, kind of frank and transparent about that. It's.
There's a, um, you know, the mission trip Enterprise, I'll call it, has this. Some gets this like bad rap of kind of this like messiah complex or like savior complex, white savior complex even, you know. And uh. And I think more and more, you know, I'VE become aware of some of how that's ingrained in me and in our team over the. In our team here. You know, we. How much are we believing that we are the solution to a problem or that, you know, we have to be there in order for something to be successful or that we have to be the ones doing the. This is a good idea, so we should do it. And. And there's. There's kind of this implied lie that's in the myth that we're kind of buying into that, you know, somehow we are the necessary ingredient to what God is doing, to his restoration of this. This community. And, uh. And that somehow I'm. I'm the one that's supposed to do it instead of. Instead of Jesus. And how. In his timing, in his way. And so that's a, you know, you. That culture. Our hope is that, you know, you guys are experiencing what he's doing here and that we are joining in with him and what he's. He's already up to. Not that we're somehow, like, leading the way. I mean, he's. We're just finding Jesus where he. Where he's already at work and hopefully joining him. Him in it and inviting these mission teams to join us. So it's been a blessing for sure. What's, uh, what's kind of next for.
I wanted to talk with you. We did not. I didn't prep you for this one, so sorry.
[00:39:19] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:39:19] Speaker A: Uh, just had a thought on my way in.
Your what? Your title is student ministry pastor, is that right?
[00:39:25] Speaker B: Director of high school ministry.
[00:39:27] Speaker A: Director of high school ministry. I like it. I like it. That's a nice, nice title. So you get a perspective and you work with teenagers. Obviously, this generation of teenagers, current generation, there's tons of concern that people have, you know, we're working with teens here in Lewiston from, you, uh, know, via the Lou Crew. And, you know, we get a perspective on the teens that. The teens that we know here. I'd love to hear from you. You know, what are. How are you experiencing God restoring lives in and through your ministry? Maybe, but also just broadly with this generation of teens.
[00:39:58] Speaker B: Yeah. Let me talk about two things that come to mind really quickly. So if it comes later, then, you know, we'll deal with that. Um, the first is just, you know, celebrating how God is at work in more maybe, like, unpredictable ways. I think that youth ministry largely has relied on the people who go to church as a family. Their kids will also go to the youth group.
I'm getting more and more Students who show up at my doors for youth group. And I don't know who their parents are because the parents don't go to church. Like, they're. They're bumming rides from friends to go to church in the morning. The parents are like, I mean, this seems great. Like, I like that they're learning good values, but God isn't for me. And the kids are, like, on fire, wanting to start Bible studies, wanting to serve in the kids program, you know, getting baptized, all these different things. So, like, what is God doing? I'm just in awe, uh, that kids are reaching other kids or even sometimes a social media account is starting. A curiosity that leads a teenager to ask questions of the Christian person at their school that they know is a Christian, and that, like, a community can be found through these individuals who are searching for more in life. So that's one thing that's. That's really incredible. The other thing that's giving me hope for what God is doing in teenagers is, um, that I think they're, you know, people will talk about, you know, consumer culture in churches in Western society or in white America or whatever. And ministry leaders have to ask this question of how do we not create consumer Christians?
I think that teens are way ahead of the curve with that.
My students are, like, well ahead of schedule with realizing that they need to be asked to do more than just show up and meet the bare minimum requirements.
They're the ones who are asking, you know, can we help with games, with worship, can we start a Bible study? Can we even plan a youth event?
Um, they're the ones stepping up and saying, we can't just attend the ministry. We have to serve this ministry, even peer to peer, not relying just on the adults who have the passion for it. And I think that as these students grow in their skills for planning and communication, that their reach will only grow further. And I'm just really excited for how they will learn from that and keep that as they enter into young adulthood, college age, work age, and have co workers, not just classmates. Um, I think that there's a lot that I'll be doing this next generation of students.
Um, that's good.
[00:42:45] Speaker A: I mean, that's great.
I've been kind of, uh, My perspective on this generation has been somewhat similar. I think it's.
They have this. There's this idea out there or a narrative about teens that they. That they're kind of too far gone, that it's become too secular, that they're not that interested.
And man, what I, what I found Is that. That. I mean, teens in general just have, like, a great, um, radar for things that are inauthentic or not true. And, and they, and. And I think they're being fed a lot of things that are just either ambiguous or there's nothing that's really solid where truth is kind of this, like, relative thing. And the role that.
That faith might play is, you know, maybe not. Not that important. But what we've seen with our teens is that when they have an opportunity, they see something that's real and authentic, like a true, authentic relationship where you can. That's positive and there's. There's a vision of where you can go. Where you can go with something. There's investment in their lives. There's a tangible presence of, of what God's love looks like. In, in. Within a community, we actually work through problems instead of just like saying, hey, no, you know, you know, you're not welcome here anymore because you, you know, you messed up. But we actually sit and work through a problem and then restore that kid into the, into the group. I mean, that's, That's a very real thing. And they're like, that's what I'm looking for, that. We're in on that. Uh, you know, and I. Man, I think so often it's. If you can get your mindset out of just these, you know, four walls of a church or four walls of, you know, the roots and into. How do we walk with someone in their life a little. A little bit more and play a real role in their life?
People are drawn to. Towards authentic relationships, um, and actually caring about one another.
[00:44:30] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think that's. That's what people are learning. Especially. I think students can easily, um, kind of plan their life around moments. Like, maybe that moment is winning the football game at homecoming. Maybe that moment is like they're being valedictorian, graduation, like, whatever moment they have in mind that's like, oh, that's what I'm going to make it. You build up to something, and it's gone in like a moment. But they're discovering that relationships, those are not as temporary as whatever trophies or accolades they can, um, acquire or accomplish. And so the, the reality and the gravity of, um, discipleship and community has been more enticing and compelling, I think, to students who started to kind of realize that, um, the things that they can get so worked up around are. Are just fleeting.
[00:45:25] Speaker A: That's good.
That's good. I mean, you mentioned discipleship. What is the approach you guys take in?
I Guess in your church in general, how emphasized is that for you guys?
[00:45:37] Speaker B: Uh, I think that we could always be emphasizing discipleship more. We.
We don't have, like, a set plan. We have, let's call them four categories, or I guess our language is pathways. But discipleship includes being curious, so learning from resources or asking questions, think things like alpha or books and podcasts, connecting to a group. Right? Like having mutual accountability and peer discipleship, making an impact. So serving in the church, in the community, or global spiritual disciplines grow with practice. So engaging in prayer, scripture, fasting, whatever else. So, and I probably, probably most of my youth docs point to something like that, right? Whether it's continued learning, continued group life, continued, uh, devotional practice, or continued serving, I probably need to get better about using the language that we've set up so that, like, it actually, like, starts to click. But, you know, for us, like, I think that we get to experience almost all of that when we're at the root cellar, because we're serving, because we're working out this missions trip, family together, because we're being led in devotionals and journaling by the reseller team, and because we're really trying to go in with curiosity, like, how does your ministry run? Like, who are these people and what are their stories? You know, those kinds of things. It really kind of makes sense, right? Go on a week of mission as a part of discipleship. Even just that surrender of this week is yours, God. Like, how do you want to work in me and work through me for this one week?
[00:47:04] Speaker A: That's one of the things I think that we love the most about your team and then other teams as well, when they come with this sense of learning, you're open to what God wants to do, um, in your own life, and that actually opens you up to contribute more. Um, sometimes a team will come with, um, an angle or, uh, a particular expectation that we may or may not be able to meet in terms of what we have planned.
But if you come kind of open with just, you know, hey, God, what do you have for me this week, really cool things can happen, um, both personally and then with the interactions.
I want to talk really briefly for, like, maybe about restoration. So if you guys get a chance. You've seen this a few times now, restorative practices in with our kids and teens as well. So that's our. Our approach, to quote unquote, is unique. And it takes mission teams sometimes a couple of days before they see the impact of it. Some don't see, don't ever Quite get it. But the. The idea of working with a kid to restore them to the group but also restore the harm that was done is that you've probably gotten a chance to see a few of those happen. Do you have any. Anything stand out in your head?
[00:48:11] Speaker B: Yeah, you know, someone else could probably do this better than I could, but kids are on green light, yellow light, or red light. And I understand the, uh, teenagers are as well sometimes. And yellow light is just a warning, like, they can't go on field trips. But red light is like, were pulled out, but not, like, sent home. Kids on red light are still at the program, but kind of pulled aside to have a conversation with a staff member and a, uh, kid or multiple children that they hurt through their actions or words or behaviors. And to be able to say, like, you know, I've seen your staff be so patient with kind of like, as long as you need, like, that's how long we'll take to restore this. I think it's a lot easier to just, you know, write a letter home and send the kid out. And I think that it's more tempting to do that. I think that's. Somehow schools will do that through suspension or detention and stuff. But I've learned a lot from that. Just in terms of. We're working with, like, little kid feelings. They're not the most expressive people. But as Jesus put on flesh and dwelt among us, these staff are becoming like children to listen to children and use children's words to help them, you know, express their feelings. And how that was received and how to apologize has been really meaningful to me and inspirational.
I don't put my kids. I don't tell them, like, what light they're on. But when I see broken relationship, I've, uh, definitely learned to move towards that and try to say, you know, we need to reconcile this instead of sweep it under the rug. When for us, like, every desire, temptation is to sweep it under the rug, pretend it wasn't there. But we've seen a couple of friendships restored by doing that. We've seen, like, there's like, opportunity for God to work through that. So, yeah, hopefully just more and more we can adopt that posture of saying, when there's a hurt, we engage in it instead of pulling away from it. And, um, the same way that, like, when you work out, like, you're tearing down your muscles and building them back up, or when you break a bone, it's healed stronger than before.
I think that's true for our communion, for our relationships. I think that as we experience little scrapes and bumps and tears when, uh, we rebuild, we were actually stronger than at square one. And so we need to remember that when we're experiencing the hurts that, um, this is actually the path to a better group than we had had before. We stepped on each other's toes or offended each other.
[00:50:34] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it feels like long suffering many times. I mean, that's actually really how I describe it. And um, you know, watching our, our staff sometimes sit with a kid for 45 minutes and they are refusing to talk, but then eventually kind of, you know, and you're just patiently waiting. Many times not annoying, but patiently waiting. Getting to a point where there's actual restoration between even some kids who've had a physical conflict. You know, there's a literal, a literal fight.
You know, punches were thrown or something was thrown at them.
What's underlying that? How can you help develop that, Develop a little bit self control in that kid.
And those are really important moments we've just found, you know, we've got to be dedicated to. It doesn't always feel comfortable. It's not easy, you know, And I think again, it's just. We're really grateful for teams like that, like yours that can jump into this and kind of say, okay, let's learn. Instead of saying, you know, hey, I would have, I would have kicked this kid out, you know, 30 minutes ago. Again, that's an example, I think, in many ways of a tangible example of of God's love for us. You know, one of the things that happens is that when there's. Especially this happens a lot when there's been, um, harm, ah, that's been caused sometimes to a staff member, from maybe a kid to a staff member or maybe the building or something like that. You know, something like that that's happened could be an offense or words that were said or whatever. There's forgiveness that's needs to be given after a child has kind of said, you know, hey, I'm.
You know, there's a genuine apology. Okay, how can I make this right? How can we restore, um, go through that process and. But then there's a, this forgiveness that's happened that happens and there's a reminder of like, and God also forgives you. Like, there's a complete. There is this forgiveness that's constant and available. So that's a. It's. It's not fun, but it's, it's. It's challenging, but, you know, glad that you guys have gotten a chance to continue to experience that and looking forward to more in the future.
[00:52:26] Speaker B: Yeah, and we experience it by just seeing the kids year to year. Last year, I don't want to say the kid's name, but this one boy was on Red lit like twice in the same week. And we saw him again this year and we're like, wow, like, God is doing something in this, like, fourth grader's life. Like, he is more of a leader. He's more aware of his peers. Obviously, like, there's some tangible teaching of social skills through this process, but there's also just what is the kid learning through this unconditional love and what that means about God, um, that allows him to stay in this group and even start to share gifts more than disrupt. Uh, so that's been powerful just to even see like a, ah, year from now the impact. And you know, I think that's a benefit of returning too, is just seeing the continued growth in the kids.
[00:53:12] Speaker A: That's awesome. Well, Akash, this has been great. Uh, get to know you even more and hear this reflection. I really appreciate you, your team, your church, and the partnership that we have. I, we kind of, we hold you guys up in really high regard and, uh, are excited to see like, I mean, this retailer family kind of expand past Maine now and, and down there into, into Lowell and other parts of Massachusetts. If people want to learn more about you or the, the church, where can they? Where's the best way to find you?
[00:53:37] Speaker B: Yeah, the best thing to do is probably just email me. My email is akash, uh, grace.org so I especially have a heart for new youth pastors. I especially have a heart if you are trying to do youth ministry and seminary at the same time, because that was me for three years and it is no small task. But yeah, if you want to connect with me about the Root Cellar or anything about youth ministry, then just email me and we'll find out a way to get a phone call or a coffee if you're local or whatever else you need.
[00:54:05] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:54:06] Speaker B: Awesome.
[00:54:07] Speaker A: Thanks so much, Akash.
[00:54:08] Speaker B: Thank you, Joel. Till next time, thank you for listening.
[00:54:11] Speaker A: To this episode of the Root Cellar podcast.
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[email protected] uh, farther along.
Understand why.
So cheer up. My brothers live in the song uh uh.
Will understand that all by him ah by uh. Tempted and tried I wonder why the good man dies Bad man thrives in Jesus Christ Cuz he loves them both we're all cast aways in the rope Hanging on by the last threads of our hope In a house a mirror full of smoke, confusion, illusions I've uh, seen the word Did I go wrong I sang along to every chorus of the song that the devil wrote Like a piper at the gate Leading my men down to their fate Some will courageously escape the seductive voice with the heart of faith While walking line back at home there's so much more to life than we've been told it's full of beauty that we will unfold and shine like you struck gold my wayward son the dead weight burden weighs a ton I'll go down to the river and let it run Wash away all the things you've done Forgiveness all right, Father, Along.
