Young and Restless

OK!!!!!! Yes I am back to blogging. It may have seemed lik for a spell that I had forgotten about what I consider to be a bit of therapy. But no I did not forget! I was just lost for a bit. I had a fairly rough go with SWINE FLU!!!! (Sorry H1N1 to be official). But that is just something that is scary, and really knocks you out for a good week. Now if only I had taken my mother's recommendation about getting the vaccine, I might not have been in that mess.

But moving on as I looked back I see that is time for me to post about work/my spiritual walk, and what God has been saying to me recently. So with further a due here we go!

Yesterday was a particularly busy day at the office. (and generally Wednesdays are as Tuesday is my off day and I am catching up on things) But rolling along and catching up I almost forgot about one big thing that has been pressing on my heart as of late! Youth and Youth Group! At Calvary we do have a very small youth group. Although it has been very hard for it to be consistent thing for many of the youth that we do have in our congregation and our community.

But back to the office and being busy! So I am catching up when 10 o'clock rolls around. I had a meeting at 10 o'clock with someone from our church body who totally has felt the call of youth on her heart as well. Now we sat and talked for over an hour about our various youth experiences and what we would like to see for our youth here at Calvary! And I think a lot of great things came out of the meeting. But after the meeting was over and we parted ways, I got to thinking and praying about the youth. Not only in our church body, but with the vast untapped potential of youth just in the community!

I did a little research and found this for the number of people in West Hartford. There are at least 61,046 people who call West Hartford home (2000 Census). How many of these are teens? And then I ask how many of them are teens that don't attend our church?

Those were two questions that had staggeringly high numbers attached to them! And it got me thinking about something that Bill has always said about our church. We are the only one's doing what we do in this area. And when I think about our youth and other churches in the area, I don't see a youth group that is doing what are church does either. And that includes our very own.

So now I am excited about what is in store for 2010! This is the year I feel that we are going to revamp the youth experience and make it a place that our teens can call their own. We envision a place that they can identify with and that keeps God's word relevant for them. It will be a place where they aren't afraid to bring their friends or classmates. That is the vision that I felt has been shared with me more than once over the past few months! And it is exciting!

I am currently reading the 7 Checkpoints by Andy Stanley (Who started off as a youth pastor, little bit of trivia for you). And in it he highlights 7 points that are ultimately a ministry plan for youth. (If you enjoy working with youth I would suggest you pick it up)

Now I know when I look back and re-read this post it will probably look like a bunch of incoherent ramblings. And that may be so. But I think there may be a reason for that. I am writing this post without a game plan and directly from the heart. I am just writing each thought as it pops into my head (Normally I at least have something I have thought through) I just wanted to pour out the sense of excitement that I have been feeling about this undertaking recently.

Youth are so important, and they are the leaders of tomorrow! My youth group experience was one that was excellent. I took many of the friendships I made and experiences I had and was able to apply them to my walk with God! This is how I want our youth to feel. I want them to have those quality friendships and experiences, and feel like they come out of our youth group prepared for a world that is ready to challenge them.

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)

Sounds like a great mission statement for youth. Don't you think?

-C-