on Being a Peer Minister by Jamie Tolmatsky

Beyond the four pillars {service, prayer, community, simple living}, Teen Service Week means a week of summer spent helping others, making new friends, and laughing in the most bizarre situations. Teen Service Week is a unique time when alphabetizing documents and washing floors becomes an enjoyable experience that you look back upon for the next 51 weeks. Teen Service Week instills the pillars in us not simply because of their importance but because we have the opportunity to explore, question, and embrace them every day.

Jamie, Josh, Angela, Rachel, and Patrick = 2012 Peer Ministers

In terms of Peer Ministry, being a Peer Minister made for an unforgettable week. I had the unique privilege of not only switching worksites daily and getting a sample of the wonderful organization we work with, but I also worked with other adult leaders in facilitating discussion and leading prayer. I cannot fully articulate how much fun I have being a Peer Minister. 

Peer Minister Love

It was both challenging and rewarding to alternate between a "teen" role at the work sites and an "adult" role for various activities at the home site. What I loved most was leading the last evening prayer of the week. It was an amazing experience to watch our prayer progress from what we called a "skinny outline" to a quite a lengthy, touching, and memorable night. 

Peer Ministers Make Carolyn's Sea Shanty Birthday Cake

Ultimately, I relish the role of Peer Minister because, first and foremost, it means I can keep coming back to TSW even when my days as a teen have ended! Since my first TSW I have found myself more eager to serve others, more open to contrasting views, more connected to prayer, and more loved as a member of our beloved TSW community. I have formed frienships which last beyond the week and discovered organizations and causes that have motivated and excited me on my own time. TSW opens doors I truly do not think I would have ever reached without participating in TSW.