Youth At Conference dig into mission

Youth At Conference (YAC) dig a gardening mission beside OKC-Quayle on May 30. Photo by Laura Deerwester

United Methodist youths learn about worm farming from Rachel Koster, associate director of Closer to the Earth, an urban farm in Oklahoma City.

In the organic garden, volunteers spread cardboard and cover it with wood chips. Behind, a youth rakes freshly-cut Johnson grass for compost.

Three missions engaged 30 Youth At Conference (YAC), sixth-graders and older. Coordinator was Paul Corr of Alva.

They worked May 30 at Closer to the Earth, an urban farming project of the Community Youth Outreach program, on OKC-Quayle church property.

With a focus on environmental education, the youth-led project includes an organic garden, greenhouse, worm farm, and zero-landfill effort. The Oklahoma Conference’s Youth Service Fund (YSF) supports this project.

The youths also boxed 9,000 pounds of food for the Regional Food Bank and worked at a Habitat for Humanity house in southern Oklahoma City.

Mornings featured the mission experiences, with fun-center trips after lunch. Transportation was arranged by Elizabeth Jardine of Muskogee and Ann Browning of the Conference staff.