Here at tha porch, community is really important to us. When I say community, I am talking about coming together as one big family. We want our students to be close friends with each other, as opposed to acquaintances who see each other once in a while. Relationships are supposed to be what make tha porch a great place to be. Everyone wants to be surrounded by friends, but even more importantly, relationships with fellow Christ followers help us grow in our faith. This is critical during the high school years. So at tha porch, we are always trying to intentionally connect students through relationship. It’s hard to have an effective ministry when everyone comes by themselves and sits in little pockets with the same people each week. We are on a mission to tear down the walls of background, school, grade, and appearance. Real ministry starts to occur when a senior jock from Stow is friends with a sophomore trumpet player from Hudson. What do they have in common? Jesus Christ… and a passion to serve Him together!

Because we have multiple schools represented at tha porch, this community idea can be difficult to accomplish at times. Some students come into our ministry and feel unwelcomed or out of place. The reason why is always the same - they don’t have friends here at tha porch. As a result, they don’t want to be here! This is where Mom and Dad can play a crucial role. If you want to get your son or daughter connected here, you will most likely have to make them come at first. But if you get them here on Tuesdays consistently for multiple months, something magical will happen. They will make friends at tha porch! Why? Because they were here! How does a student make friends if he or she is never here? Soon you won’t have to make them come because they will love to come on their own. It’s all about relationships!