THE CROSSING WEEKLY

Every Friday and Saturday, YouthStorm hosts Bingo in the Crossing Fellowship Hall. It’s a great time with food, friends, and fellowship. We recently connected with Haley Michelson, who is leading the Bingo ministry as a second-year YouthStorm intern. Haley has a heart for service and shared with us the goal of the Bingo ministry, how to get involved, and what she has learned.

So, what is Bingo?

Haley: Bingo is a ministry we have that gives us the opportunity to serve others. We’re focused especially on the older generation, but it’s really a multi-generational thing. We welcome the Bingo community in and handle all the concessions for the evening. 

One of the reasons I love it is because we get to share Jesus’ heart with people through serving them. And that looks different than you might think. We do make food, but it’s also just about being there for them and building relationships. The conversations we have with the Bingo people are great! Some of them have traveled the world, some of them have funny stories, they have nicknames that have been passed down; different things like that. 

That’s the heart of it too – the Church is about being a servant in the kingdom. There are some people who come to play and they don’t know Jesus but they know we are a church. When they come in, we get to have these conversations, pray with them, and invite them to other community events we’re hosting like Pumpkinfest and Christmas at the Crossing. It’s a great bridge.  

What have you learned through leading and serving in this ministry?

Haley: I realized my own love for serving people and working with people and I’ve seen the importance of that. It’s a valuable opportunity for our young leaders and YouthStorm’s interns as well – teaching them how to have a servant’s heart. I have seen volunteers who did not want to be on the front-end interacting with the people, but they went up and they’re like “oh my gosh, I love this!” It really is a lot of fun and it’s really fulfilling.

There have been times we are dealing with folks who are upset or having a bad day – if we’re following Jesus’ example, even he got yelled at and blasphemed but never went back and had a bad attitude towards others. That’s the challenge of it. It’s an opportunity to learn and practice serving with a heart like Jesus.

If someone wants to serve on the Bingo team, what does that look like?

Haley: Come talk to me! There are a lot of moving parts and we have rotating volunteers and interns across the different positions. Steve April is like our head chef who mans the kitchen and grill. We also have people at the front talking with our Bingo people and taking orders. Whether it’s interacting with the Bingo folks, cleaning and prepping food for concessions, washing dishes, or timing the french fries – there’s something for everyone. 

We have a lot of fun working alongside each other. Then, when there’s a bit of downtime while Bingo is in progress, we enjoy hanging out together. 

Finally, any words of advice on how we as a Church can welcome the Bingo community? 

Haley: Our Bingo people love conversation! They are starting to really warm up to the church and people at the church. If you have the chance, just be kind and ask questions–that’s huge! There have been some people who have really just felt the warmth of our community and have started coming around more often. They love the events, they love talking to us, and it’s a great opportunity to share Jesus with them.