Five years ago, I joined the Youth Ministry team as the leader for the 14 and 15-year-old girls at the 9:30am service. Watching that group mature into the university students they now are, has been such a blessing. Since then, I have known many more students and witnessed their growth, not only in stature and vocal range but also in their understanding of the Gospel. Personally, it never fails to be a wonderful experience.
Youth ministry at St. Andrew’s is for those in our community ages 11 to 18. Each week at the 9:30 and 11:30 services, these pre-teens and teens make their way up the hill to the Youth Hall, where we enjoy fellowship, sing, listen to God’s Word and then discuss what we’ve heard. All of this happens in a space where youth can grow with the support of Christian adults who are encouraging them down the path of faith.
Our youth director is Ian Millar, but with sometimes over 60 young people on a Sunday, it takes a team of us to volunteer as youth leaders to facilitate this ministry, to what will hopefully be the next generation of Christian adults.
Many of our youth do not have the opportunity to engage with Christian peers or adults besides their families during the week. As a result, their experience on Sundays is a pivotal time in their journey to deciding whether they will commit to and maintain a life devoted to Christ.
youth can grow with the support of Christian adults who are encouraging them down the path of faith
As an adult leading youth, I can see one clear, distinct advantage that helps me in this ministry; I was a young person too and made it through those years. Even if the youth years of a young person today may look different from our own, most of us can identify with and speak into their lives on the universal experiences of pressures from our circumstances, fears of inadequacy, and making difficult choices.
If you would be interested in sharing your life experiences with our young people and helping guide them in their understanding of the Gospel, please prayerfully consider if this could be a way for you to serve the kingdom of God and get in touch with Ian at youth@standrews.org.hk.
