Jake Nebeling has discovered that service in the name of Christ can feed the mind as well as the soul.
At 15, he already has a full schedule. His class load as a high school sophomore includes chemistry, English, world history, Spanish and algebra II. Between homework assignments, he regularly attends church on Sunday mornings and youth group on Wednesday evenings. In his spare time, he enjoys video games with a touch of gadgetry, such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. And he’d like to find a part-time job. And yet, Jake has found time for a new passion – service to his community and his church.
Jake first began volunteering as a server at Table of Plenty at Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church in Half Moon Bay in order to earn a Boy Scout merit badge and rank advancement. Every Thursday evening Table of Plenty serves up a healthy meal and fine dining experience for members of the community in need. Servers, such as Jake, wear signature black aprons and custom name badges.
“Once I competed that assignment I just kept doing it,” Jake said. “I enjoy serving the people and they appreciate the service for them. I enjoy seeing their faces happy.”
A self-confessed techie who thinks he might want to pursue a career in cybersecurity, he also jumped at the chance to run the sound board and PowerPoint slides for Wednesday night youth worship at Mariners. And more recently he has joined the crew that manages the cameras that feed the worship service to the loft at the 10:45 a.m. service on Sundays. He’s excited to combine learning with service.
“I’m into tech and I was already running the audio and slides on Wednesday, so I just jumped right into the camera work,” Jake said. “I just like being up there, being with the team. I like the community (at Mariners) and I like serving for our nice community. We have such nice people.”
Jake grew up attending church and Kid’s Clubs at Mariners and sees service as a natural step in his still early faith journey. His advice for members of his church family who have been considering taking on a new or expanded service role? “Just go for it. If you’re interested, find out more and (the church staff) will help you find a slot.”
By Dan Page, Volunteer Storyteller
