Walk –
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7
We need to purposefully teach our students to walk in the faith, to willingly be set apart, and to live out their faith in God not just at Church or home, but in every aspect of their life.
Worship -
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalms 29:2
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” Psalms 100: 1-2
Worship is the highest service we give to God! So it is important, as we center our lives, to be certain to take time to serve Christ through worship. We need to make sure our teens understand this; that participating in worship is more important than being “busy” elsewhere.
Work –
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants or he who waters is anything, but only God makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
“…Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12
During confirmation, our students learned everything about their faith, right? Or has God given us a challenge to continually grow in our faith? Healthy spiritual growth flourishes under spiritual leaders who are willing to plant the seeds and water them! But the growth happens with the faith that God will make it grow. So, we must pursue opportunities to encourage growth for our students.
Welcome-
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?... Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:14-15, 17
We must have a purpose to bring in other teens to nurture their growth and service in the Lord. We must welcome other teens to a fun and relaxing environment created for discipleship, fellowship, and the pursuit of Christ in our lives.
Witness –
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2: 42, 46-47
God did not intend for Christians to live alone in isolation, but in fellowship with other believers and to be identified as the body of Christ. We are instructed to experience life together! True fellowship happens when students are known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their spiritual journey.
These are the purposes and objectives for the Youth Ministry at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. All of our activities will follow these objectives and these purposes will be the yardstick against which all games, events, and functions will be measured. Our focus will not be to entertain, but to train and we will not be happy to maintain the status quo but to gain ground in the Lord. If we can not train our teens, encourage our parents, and guide our leaders with these purposes in mind then we are failing in our ministry, but if we follow these purposes on purpose, for a purpose, God is honored.
We want to continue growing a Youth Ministry, where teens can relate and relax but still maintain an environment that makes Church and service for God fun and fulfilling! We want to give our students a chance to see a real, living God in their everyday lives!