A Quick Update On the Youth Ministry (September 2014)
I love what God is doing in and through the ministry of Bible Fellowship Church. Being the youth pastor here is a great blessing, and although there are always challenges that stand daunting, the Lord has been faithful and it is a great joy to see much fruit being borne. I wanted to give you a (very) brief update on the (very) early stages of youth ministry as we kick off another year.
Impact Youth (high school)
We had a number of students graduate last year, and I wasn’t sure how much it would affect things. Having our first meeting reminded me that we have a great group of 12-14 core students who love the youth group and are eager to grow in Christ. Not only are we gearing up for the Amp’d Conference at the end of this month, which is very outreach oriented, but we are following that up immediately with an evangelistic push using a resource from the Gideons called The Life Book. It is a CD-case-sized book that contains an overview of the Old Testament, a full copy of the Gospel of John, and a series of articles and notes on issues that teens face. We’re working on having every student in our group hand out 10 copies each to their friends. In addition, we’ll be studying the book of John at youth group starting the very next week, so that our youth can invite their friends out and learn what they are reading together. I’m really hoping that this year we can see a lot of teens come to faith in Jesus.
Praise God for:
- The great volunteers we currently have
- The evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit among the teens
Please pray for:
- At least two new youth leaders – one male and one female
- The Amp’d Conference
- The Life Book outreach
Junior High
Last year was a building year for Junior High, and overall I was pleased with how it went. We saw the group roughly double in size, and more than half of the students that come out are from families that don’t attend church on Sunday morning. The plan for this year is to really establish a few basic things: (1) the relevance of the Bible in their lives; (2) the need to put God first; (3) a clear understanding of the gospel. Another major focus will be not only with the youth themselves but also the volunteer leadership team, which is made up of some teens in the Senior High youth group. I’m hoping to see them grow and mature through serving, and build up their confidence in God.
Praise God for:
- Teens who are willing to serve
- Reaching unchurched families
Please pray for:
- A hunger in the students to know and love God’s Word
- Connections to be formed among local churches on a Junior High level, as there currently are none
ISCF Korah
The campus ministry at Korah has always been strange. Sometimes it seems to be going full-speed, other times it feels like no one is interested. I was really pleased to have 13 or so students show up at our first meeting on Thursday – some of whom are students who came in years past but dropped out last year. There is a lot of churched teens at Korah, enough that we could easily have a group of 30+ students. However the academic and extra-curriculur demands for many are too great (some also just aren’t interested). I’m grateful to have the youth pastor from Bethany to help me lead this group. This year I’m praying for big things.
Praise God for:
- Another pastor to partner with
- Some key students who have remained faithful
- The ability to sponsor 2 Compassion children as a group
Please pray for:
- Consistency in attendance
- A boldness among believing students, that they would not be ashamed of their faith
ISCF White Pines
The group at White Pines was just kick-started last year after being dead for a few years. Unlike Korah, White Pines has hardly any churched teens. It is very much a mission field. Last year there were 3 students who really were consistent in coming out and legitimately desiring to learn the Bible. I was thrilled today at our first meeting to hear them share about being at Christian summer camp and their efforts to read the Bible daily. We spent most of the time discussing questions they were asking about what they read in Matthew during personal devotions. Cool! I expect this year to be full of great discipleship.
Praise God for:
- Providing a new sponsor teacher as last year’s teacher retired
- The conversion of a grade 12 girl over the summer, whom we had been praying for
Please pray for:
- The students to continue to grow in their faith
- A move of the Spirit to advance the gospel and see new believers
Canadian Bible Guy 