Cornerstone Family Worship Center’s youth department hosted its “Evening in Italy” event on Friday night, giving area residents the opportunity to taste some Italian cuisine for a reasonable price.

The church’s youth group underwent training for how to perform various responsibilities in food service like hosting, waiting tables, taking orders and even cooking with the help of parent volunteers. The primary reason the youth held the event was for them to raise money to pay their own way to a weeklong Christian camp.

First of all, the church having the youth host the event to raise money for their summer Christian camp fees is a valuable lesson in itself. The church believes the youth should learn the value of hard work to reach a goal. The youth worked together to decorate the church fellowship hall to simulate an Italian restaurant, plan the menu, cook the food, take orders and serve the food. Youth director James McIntyre compared the youth working the event to it being almost like a job, and McIntyre is right. It was as if the youth were working in a restaurant and earning wages.

In addition to the obvious lesson learned, there are some other angles in which one could view this activity. For one, the youth gained some experience in food service. It may not have been in a formal job setting, but nonetheless, these kids learned how a restaurant works and the roles and responsibilities associated with a restaurant. Secondly, the kids learned customer service and people skills. They were tasked with interacting with customers through taking orders, refilling drinks and waiting on the tables that were seated.

Another lesson the kids surely learned is that of teamwork. The youth group had to work as a team to make the event possible, coordinating different responsibilities, promoting the event through ticket sales and making sure all who dined with them Friday night were happy customers.

The event sets the bar for youth group activities in the area. It accomplished more than just raising money — it was a valuable learning tool for Cornerstone’s youth group.