Some 600 Seventh-day Adventist young people from across North America have served in New York City over the past seven months, working as volunteers in the recently completed project “We Care NYC.” The project, an initiative of the church in North America, was designed to involve Adventist youth in providing material and spiritual help to New Yorkers impacted by the September 11 tragedy.

Youth took to the streets, meeting and praying with people, handing out literature, working in warehouses and shelters, and filing records at the victim’s resource center.

James Black, youth ministries director for the church in North America, says the project provided unique opportunities for service for the young people who participated. “Many of them had never hit the streets like that before,” he says. “A lot of powerful testimonies have come out of this experience.”

Volunteers came together each evening for worship at the South Brooklyn Church. The church also served as the project’s hub, providing sleeping quarters and an eating area.

“Our kids helped make a difference,” says Black. “They may have not come to New York wanting to do filing, but they soon realized the impact they had made. Without their work many survivors would have had to wait months to receive assistance.”

Other volunteers worked at various warehouses that served as aid distribution points, while others worked at Ground Zero helping to feed rescue and clean-up workers.

“We made an impact on local churches too,” says Black. “We wanted to support the local churches in the area, which deal with the aftermath of this tragedy every week.”

Young people paid their own way in order to take part in “We Care NYC.” The project was a joint venture of the North American church’s youth department, the Center for Youth Evangelism, and the Adventist Church in the Greater New York and Northeastern regions.