HH_091318

homerhorizon.com life & arts
the Homer Horizon | September 13, 2018 | 21
Parkview Junior High Ministry gets colorful with Paint Wars
Weekly program
resumes for fresh
year of fellowship
Laurie Fanelli
Freelance Reporter
Fellowship is fostered in
many ways.
On the evening of Sept.
5, the members of Parkview
Christian Church’s Junior
High Ministry found a creative
and vivid way to come
together as a group with an
event dubbed Paint Wars.
Splatter dodgeball, giant
soccer and protect the president
were among the friendly
competitions that were
highlighted by lots — and
lots — of brightly colored,
washable paint.
The fun and cooperative
event, held at the church’s
Homer Glen campus from
6 to 7:30 p.m., encouraged
participants to use teamwork
to get as messy as possible.
In the process, the white T-
shirts worn by most Junior
High Ministry members,
were transformed into oneof-a-kind
abstract designs
during the colorful collaboration.
Junior High Ministry
leaders host a similar event
annually — last year’s Color
Wars featured play with
powdered paints, along with
ketchup and mustard battles
— and Parkview Homer
Glen Student Campus Pastor
Matt Williard makes it a
priority to keep things fresh
and exciting for the participants.
“We try to mix it up,” he
explained. “We don’t like
doing the same thing year
after year. One year, we did
a food fight, and we always
try to find something new
and something different.”
Amelia Pencak, 12, enjoys
the Junior High Ministry because
the setting provides an
easy, comfortable space to
get a better understanding of
church and discuss religion
with her peers. She was all
smiles at Paint Wars, though
she was planning a defensive
approach to the messy mayhem.
“I’m kind of excited, but
I’m also kind of not, because
I don’t want to get my hair
full of paint; I’ll probably
run the opposite way,” Pencak
said with a laugh before
the games began.
Junior High Ministry
member Dominick DeSantis
had no fear of getting covered
with paint as he and his
friends shared colorful highfives,
and 11-year-old Gavin
Monreal was excited to play
dodgeball and soccer while
getting other people messy.
Paint Wars was all about
fun, friendship and faith, and
many Junior High Ministry
members took the opportunity
to share what they love
about the weekly program as
it returns for a new year of
interactive education.
“I like that I get to learn
about God, and I get to play
games,” Monreal said.
Williard believes that
personal connections are
a key element to why so
many young people enjoy
Parkview’s Junior High
Ministry program. Whereas
other groups may put an
emphasis on the instructor,
Parkview stands out as valuing
each individual equally,
student and group leader
alike.
“We want to know them —
Participants push a giant soccer ball toward each other’s goals Sept. 5 during the Paint
Wars event put on by the Junior High Ministry of Parkview Christian Church at the
church’s Homer Glen campus. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
we don’t just want them to
know us,” Williard said. “We
believe that relationships are
really the way into a person’s
life. We’re interested in the
person over the program.
When we do fun stuff like
this, we are building those
intentional connections with
kids through small groups.”
Parkview Christian
Church Homer Glen Campus
is located at 14367 W.
159th Street, and the Junior
High Ministry meets on
Wednesday nights. There is
also a High School Ministry
program, which meets on
Sunday evenings, and hourlong
church services are
held Sundays at 8:30, 10 and
11:30 a.m. each week.
For more information on
Parkview Christian Church
and its ministries, visit www.
parkviewchurch.com.
Paint Wars attendees are all smiles while posing for a photo during the event.
Dodgeball was just one of the games played at Paint Wars.