DEMONSTRATION — Steubenville chef and baker Alice Swearengen showed participants in the Mount Zion Baptist Church Youth Baking Class how to bake cupcakes, Wednesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Excitement filled Mount Zion Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, when local children participated in a youth baking class and decorated their own cupcakes.

Chef and baker Alice Swearengen of Steubenville led the class, which was organized by Mount Zion’s youth ministry. Swearengen taught more than a dozen children the basics of baking cupcakes before letting them transform one into their own edible work of art.

This was the first time teaching baking for Swearengen, who picked up the skill within the last year. She’s primarily a chef, specializing in soul food, with the aspiration of opening her own catering business and food truck.

“I just want (the kids) to have fun and enjoy,” Swearengen said before the class. “Anytime I can help with the youth it’s beneficial because there’s nothing really to do around here. I want them to have fun.”

Assisting in the kitchen was Caitlin Kirkpatrick, who echoed her friend’s feelings, saying, “I thought it was nice to help. Like she said, there’s really not much to do around here. And you never know, with children, you could spark a passion really quickly.”

MASTERPIECE — Symphany Robinson held up a cupcake, which she said she decorated to look like herself, during the Mount Zion Baptist Church Youth Baking Class, Wednesday. -- Christopher Dacanay

By the end of the class, all children were asked what they’d learned. Jamiyah Slappy mentioned how to prevent cupcakes from over-baking, with Zyan Poole noting that cupcakes should be baked for 18 minutes, according to Swearengen’s recipe. Karmyn Ross, too, recalled the importance of adjusting the mixer’s speed.

Swearengen gifted the children with jars of ready-to-make cookie dough, so they can practice what they learned at home with their families.

Participating children included members of the public and members of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Kingdom Kids Ministry. Swearengen was invited to share her expertise by Trey Jeter, administrator and youth programs director at Mount Zion.

“For the holidays, we thought it would be nice to teach the kids how to bake some things, so they can go home and, hopefully, do it with their parents at home,” Jeter said.

Wednesday’s class was the latest activity for Mount Zion’s youth ministry, a group frequently occupied with events and outreach.

Every Sunday, partway through Mount Zion’s service, the youth ministry will gather downstairs for Children’s Church, which includes a class or team-building activities. The ministry hosts Youth Sunday every third Sunday of the month, wherein ministry members lead the entire service, from ushering and praying to reading the scripture and even preaching.

The final youth Sunday of 2024 will take place this Sunday at 11 a.m. at Mount Zion, 221 N. Seventh St. The ministry will install its recently elected officers on the Youth Leadership Council, including three who were present for Wednesday’s class: DaVeena Hendricks, chief financial officer; Synai Robinson, assistant director and overseer of outreach and community development; Aaron Ashby, assistant director.

The Youth Leadership Council meets once a month with a lengthy agenda, but members have been meeting much more often lately, like to practice for the ministry’s Christmas play — tentatively set for Dec. 22 at Sycamore Youth Center.

The youth choir practices once per week. Members sing at Mount Zion and other churches in Steubenville and abroad, going to places like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Washington, D.C.

Overall, the ministry has 40 members who participate sporadically, as well as roughly 12 adult leaders. A former teacher with 16 years of experience in youth ministry, Jeter said that a foundational aspect of the ministry is letting the youth take charge.

“The good thing about this group is we try to let it be a youth-led group. They lead the group and us adults, we follow what they want to do. They meet before us adults meet, and the new piggy back off of what they want — what’s realistic versus what we can and can’t do.”

The ministry’s mission, Jeter said, is to “create leaders, to develop a faith base with them, to really let them know that they are someone, and they’re not just a number.”

Youth have engaged in outreach projects, such as visiting the Urban Mission Ministries Inc. shelter to feed and pray with residents. They’ve also cleaned up Seventh Street and ministered to passersby. Sharing in fellowship with other local churches is another recurring activity for the ministry, which also hosts fundraisers like a recent bake sale.

Jeter noted how the ministry hosted a safety training, featuring local leaders like the Rev. Ashley Steele, formerly of Urban Mission ministries; Health Commissioner Andrew Henry and Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. The ministry will take time just to relax and have fun, with a kickball tournament being one example.

Robinson is a junior minister and has been with Mount Zion for two years. She said she’s learned much about critical thinking from being involved with the youth ministry.

Also a junior minister with two years spent at Mount Zion, Ashby said he’s developed organizational skills through the youth ministry. The group is very active in supporting Mount Zion, he said, calling the ministry “the foundation of our church.”

The ministry is like “one, big, happy family,” Ashby said, adding that he’s learned how to solve disagreements between members. The group is intentional about including younger kids, and members will often support each other during their sporting activities, he noted.

Although it existed before he became involved, Jeter got on board with the ministry about three years ago. He merged the group with his nonprofit Rise Community Youth Group, another youth-led organization that incorporated college preparation aspects.

This has been a busy year for the ministry. Now, Jeter said, the group is looking to make 2025 “even bigger and better.” The ministry’s theme for 2025 is “Ignite: Fueling Faith, Love and Action.”

Jeter said the group plans to involve a media club leader from Steubenville High School to institute a business aspect for the ministry. The ministry also aspires to establish college student pen pal relationships with Franciscan University of Steubenville students, and it’s searching for a dedicated space to host ministry events.

Last week, Mount Zion launched the Little Zion Stars, an arm of the youth ministry for children aged 7 and under.

Courtney Robinson, the Little Zion Stars’ director, said, “Teaching them the basics and giving them a strong foundation of our faith is important. We usually do songs and play, that’s how they learn.”