Youth Group's Pie Auction Raises Thousands for Speed the Light

Although there are many reasons to celebrate the week of Thanksgiving, the members of Watford City (North Dakota) Assembly of God start their week off with one of their most exciting and highly anticipated events of the year — the annual pie auction.

Now, pie auction and "excitement" may not seem to go hand-in-hand, but this auction is much more than a church bake sale — this year's auction raised nearly $30,000 for missions!

Associate Pastor Chad Petersen, who has led the church's youth group of 35 teens for the last two years, says that the pie auction is a fun and exciting time for the entire church.

Petersen explains that the auction is held annually the Sunday before Thanksgiving and has been a church tradition since it was started by Youth Pastor (now Senior Pastor) Sheldon McGorman 14 years ago. Put on by the church's youth, the auction benefits Speed the Light (STL), the Assemblies of God National Youth Ministries missions effort that supplies AG missionaries around the world with essential transportation and creative communication equipment.

"The event begins with a soup, salad and bread meal that we ask families to donate what they would have normally spent on a meal going out to eat," Petersen explains. "Then we have the pie auction with a real auctioneer heading it up."

This year, about 30 pies were donated, ranging from traditional pumpkin and pecan pies to a more exotic caramel apple pecan pie and a frozen root beer float pie.

"A triple berry peach cobbler pie sold for $1,150, with the caramel apple pecan pie a close second at $1,050," Petersen says. "We even had someone buy a pie for $500 and then sneak it back into the line-up where it sold for $300, so that one pie raised $800."

The total amount raised through the meal and auction for Speed the Light was $29,112 — a record amount for the event, which is even more remarkable in light of the church having just finished a building program which tripled its square footage.

"Last year our goal was $20,000 for Speed the Light and we raised about $23,000," Petersen says. "This year our goal was $25,000, and with our other fund-raising events, we should reach at least $33,000."

But the auction and other events aren't just about raising money. God is at work through their efforts. Petersen says he connected with two visitors who chose to stay for the auction who were overwhelmed with the generosity of the church — one even sending video of the event back to his family.

Petersen says that he has seen a change in the church's students as well. "There is a realization that missions is not distant. It has become very personal," he says, explaining that some of the students personally know the missionaries they support. "It's a realization that these are our friends, that we're doing something for them and helping them accomplish what God has called them to do . . . each of us have a different role, but we all have one purpose, one goal."

"Speed the Light enables missions to become up close and personal for students, leaders, and parents," says Heath Adamson, senior director for AG Youth Ministries. "When we come alongside students in ministries like STL through something as simple as a pie auction, we see the effects of community, generosity, leadership, and discipleship. Hats off to Pastor Chad for seeing the discipleship that takes place when students are focused on mission."

However, the church's ministry efforts don't stop with Speed the Light. Watford City Assembly of God also has its own missions efforts. After achieving its goal of planting a church on five continents in five years (the fifth church to be planted in 2015), the church has already committed to impacting every country in the world by 2030, whether that is through supporting a missionary, helping to support a project such as water wells in Africa, or helping to plant a church.

And locally, the opportunities for the church to impact lives continue to grow by the week. Just six years ago, Petersen says, Watford City was a small town of about 1,400. Now, with the oil boom, the community is more than 10 times the size and growing every day. "There are a lot of people coming here who are frustrated, tired, worn out or going through a difficult time," Petersen says. "We use every opportunity we have to make a difference and to reach more people for Christ."

Article image used under Creative Commons license. Photo credit: ginnerobot, Flickr 

Dan Van Veen

Dan Van Veen is news editor of AG News. Prior to transitioning to AG News in 2001, Van Veen served as managing editor of AG U.S. Missions American Horizon magazine for five years. He attends Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri, where he and his wife, Lori, teach preschool Sunday School and 4- and 5-year-old Rainbows boys and girls on Wednesdays.