What a summer it’s been! Though we’ve “taken the summer off” from our Sunday night meetings, our youth have been active! Nine members of our youth group attended at least one camp at Camp Shipshewana, with several of our students attending two or more! Camp is so important, because it gets students away from the distractions of home and gives them time to truly connect with others, and most importantly, with Jesus Christ. Please join me in praying that the spiritual growth that began over the summer will continue to bear fruit in our students, and that our youth will live out the calling God has put into each one of them!
Three of our youth, (Aaron Estep, Aubrey Lantz, and Eva Estep) also attended the Engage Youth Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From all accounts, this was a wonderful experience for these students. The relationships we have been building with Goshen and Nappanee youth provided our students with plenty of friends to hang out with. It gave me great joy to see our youth spending time with teenagers from other churches, and to see them developing stronger Christian friendships!
We will be starting our weekly meetings back up this next month, starting with a Community event at Ox Bow Park. (More details to come in the next week.) The following Sunday, we’ll begin meeting again from 6-8pm at the church. Our theme this year will be “Formed”, which is taken from Romans 12:2- “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Over the year, we’ll be learning how to think differently than the world, and how God transforms us into children that please Him. Our curriculum will look at the life of King David, how we balance truth and love in our relationships with others, how we relate to people in authority over us, and how we relate to money and possessions.
I would love to have a couple of more volunteers to help us on Sunday evenings. You don’t have to be a superhero to work with students. You only need to be willing to love them unconditionally, and help to influence them toward Christ. He does the work of transformation; we simply seek to be His hands, feet, and voices in the lives of those He is transforming. If you have any interest in helping, please talk to me!