For about two dozen teens from Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA), their “street learning” involved sitting on a curb each morning and scraping paint from a teetering picket fence…

“Learning on the streets” is usually a reference to education that comes through rough experiences, often outside the law.

But for about two dozen teens from Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Gainesville, their “street learning” involved sitting on a curb each morning and scraping paint from a teetering picket fence that fronts the Davis Street entrance of Good News at Noon.

The youth group from Westminster had volunteered to be leaders and teachers for an afternoon summer camp at Good News. They wanted to reach out to the younger kids who are a part of Good News’ ministry.

But Westminster’s Director of Student Ministry, Andy Nelson, also wanted the Westminster teens to learn a few things themselves. So he would bring the teens to Good News early each morning, hours before the Summer Camp was to start, and let them perform service-related projects, such as restoring the street side fence.

Good News customarily hosts several summertime camps. This week’s camp was advertised as starting just after lunch and ending just before dinner. The 50 or so campers for this week’s session were primarily of grade school age.