Youth Group is Heading into Summer!
The youth have been busy with mission projects and cultivating relationships with the children. Three Wednesdays ago they lead the children in a lesson about what Jesus meant about being fishers of men. Prior to preparing their lesson plans the youth studied the passage of scripture in Matthew 4:18-22. We discussed the different things fishermen do in order to catch fish in comparison to what disciples, or Fishers of Men, do.
Fishers of Men
Fishermen follow/learn from experienced fishermen. They go to the places the fish are. They use bait to get their attention and hope it's attractive enough for the fish to bit the hook to be caught. To be a fisher of men we first must know and follow Jesus, then we will grow in our relationship with the Lord. And, we can't keep this good news to ourselves! We must go out into the world! When we are with others, we can catch their attention by our love and kindness, in hopes that we can lead them to be caught by Jesus! The youth took time to turn their lesson into a lesson that would make sense and be fun for the younger kids. They also split into three groups to create and lead lessons on Creation, Noah's Ark and the Ten Commandments for Sunday school lessons for the children as well.
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Youth on a Mission
During the past few Wednesdays, we have been more mission focused. The youth have cleaned up along Coatesville Road, laid down new woodchips for the playground, and some helped with providing care/activities for the children to allow other youth and adults to be able to go to the meeting with the pastor search team.
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Youth Sunday School Studies
On Sundays, they have been talking about transformation and transition. The school year is coming to a close, some are going to a new school, many are starting to date, and several are getting their drivers licenses. The past couple Sundays, they've been focusing on Paul and his transformation on the road to Damascus, maybe one of the biggest transformations read about in the New Testament.
Family Reflection
So, take the time to talk about the different transitions going on in your youth's life during this season or maybe even as a family. Are we putting God first and seeking him with every decision? Do we put in the time and intentionality as a family and individually to strengthen our walk with Christ? For example, are we in God's word, are we praying often and not just in crisis, are connected with other Christians at church or in a small group, and what are we allowing in our life that maybe distracting us from continuing to grow more like Jesus!?
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What's Up Next
In Sunday School, they will be starting an eight-week series called the Summer Survival Guide, covering eight different topics so if a youth misses a Sunday or two they won't be lost. A few examples of topics are Time with God daily, Honest Friendships, and Notice/Serve others. On the last Wednesday night for the school year, we will be learning about what repentance really is and why we are called to do it. During the summer food truck nights, we will be seeing what the Bible says about death, judgement, and eternity. Then for our in house retreat we will be focusing on the Armor of God! We are so proud of how your youth have come together to help our community and the time/intention they put into relationships with the children here at Mt. Olivet! Looking forward to seeing more opportunities for missions, cultivating relationships and growing each day in our walks with the Lord!