Check out upcoming @ ca for meeting dates

Vision for Youth Group

 

Vision: To influence teenagers to follow Jesus Christ in beliefs and life practice.

  • The root of our vision comes from Matthew 4:19; Come follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. (NIV)
  • (Come) follow me  - CHOICE, each must choose to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
  • I will (make) you - CHANGED, the willingness to become more like Jesus.
  • (Fishers) of men - CALLED, sent to influence others to follow Jesus.

Other key verses that we seek to establish in the hearts & minds of teenagers:

  • Luke 2:52 - (this describes Jesus in his teenage years) - And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and men. (NIV)
  • Romans 12:2 - Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (NLT)
  • Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (NLT)
  • Ephesians 6:3 - If you honor your father and mother, you will have a long life full of blessings. (NLT)

It is our task to "anchor" our students by connecting them to:

  • GOD: the key to authentic faith. You can't have authentic faith apart from Jesus.
  • FAMILY: the key to lived-out faith. If a student can live out their faith at home, he/she can live it out in the world.
  • CHURCH: the key to an enduring faith. Keeping students connected to Jesus' church helps them live & grow a faith that will last.
  • PURPOSE: the key to meaningful faith. Without God's purpose for each student, there is no meaning.

In Matthew 22:37, 39, Jesus taught his disciples to love God first and others as themselves.

We emphasize five core values of Jesus that characterize such love:

1. LIVE THE WORD: Find God's perspective by searching for it in the Bible & seeking to live it out in our daily lives; this is the greatest act of worship.

2. SERVE PEOPLE: Honoring our parents first and then others helps clarify our purpose in life. (key to a long & blessed life)

3. GIVE GENEROUSLY: We must learn to give of our time, talents and resources generously.

4. TELL THE STORY: Our mandate is to tell the story of Jesus by sharing how he is working in my life.

5. BUILD THE BODY: Be part of a multigenerational community at church.

Here is the environment we are looking to create in which to grow these values:

    • As we gather each time we are looking to grow/create an informal atmosphere in which young people can feel comfortable.
    • We want the core of our time together to be centered on relationships - not programs, music, services or sermons (we may from time to time have these as part of our time together but they are not the center of what we are trying to do).
    • We want to build trust through playing games, talking in small groups, eating together, connecting with families and listening to our students with a desire to understand where they are coming from.

Check out upcoming @ ca for meeting dates