Summer Communities of Service Returns

Summer Communities of Service Relaunches with New Energy and Young Adult Leadership

“If I Can Make a Difference for One”: A SCOS Volunteer Reflects on Summer Service at Back Bay Mission

By Hazel Stone, SCOS Volunteer and Education Major at Heidelberg University

This summer, I’m serving with Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi through the Summer Communities of Service (SCOS) program. It’s a program for young adults that brings together faith, community service, and justice advocacy. SCOS gives people like me the opportunity to serve full-time in a community setting from May to August, living out our faith while growing as professionals and leaders.

Back Bay Mission serves the local community through housing rehabilitation, a food pantry, empowerment programs, and advocacy work. Their mission is to strengthen neighborhoods, seek justice, and transform lives. I’ve seen all of that—and felt it.

This morning, we’ve had over 75 calls come in since 9 AM. We missed 79 calls and received 15 voicemails because of the influx. Repeating the words, “I’m so sorry, but we have unfortunately run out of funds,” and hearing the phones go silent—or hearing crying or yelling—has made my heart heavy.

Most of the time, I hear a thank you. But I can’t help but think about what might happen to them. Their life as they know it might be forever changed because we couldn’t help.

I’ve had to sit with that weight, and I’ve also had to remember the story I first heard here at Back Bay Mission during my first time volunteering:

A young girl was walking along a beach where thousands of starfish had washed up during a storm. She picked up starfish one by one and threw them back into the ocean. A man came up to her and said, “Why are you doing this? You can’t possibly make a difference.” The girl picked up another starfish, threw it into the sea, and said, “Well, I made a difference for that one.”

That story sticks with me every day.

If I can make a difference for at least one person while I’m here, then I will be thankful.

But honestly, I think I can confidently say that I’ve helped more than that. I am already thankful for the blessing and the opportunity to help others.

I may not be able to help someone keep their lights on tomorrow, but I can do good in other ways. I can answer the phone with kindness. I can offer respect. I can listen.

We must serve in the ways we are able, and be honest with what we can and cannot do.

That’s what I’ve learned here. That’s what Back Bay Mission teaches. That’s what SCOS gives us space to discover.

SCOS is relaunching officially in May 2026, with host sites at Back Bay Mission and Mohala Farms in Hawaii. It’s a program of the United Church of Christ and originally started in partnership with the Alliance of Baptists. In the early days, young adults trained at a place called the Fernbrook Center, built by volunteers. Now, we carry that tradition forward—serving on the ground, learning from real people, and exploring how our faith calls us to justice.

I’m grateful for this summer. I’m learning to serve with honesty. I’m growing in ways I didn’t expect. And even on the hardest days, I know that what I’m doing matters.

“Well, I made a difference for that one.”

Interested in serving with SCOS or sending a mission group to Back Bay Mission?
Visit thebackbaymission.org or contact Volunteer Ministries at the United Church of Christ.

To learn more about SCOS and Volunteer Ministries, contact the United Church of Christ Volunteer Ministries.