Often when I tell people what my job is, being the Youth Director at St Andrew’s, the response is something along the lines of “Wow, you must have a lot of patience”. They are mostly right but thanks be to God for the joy that St.And Youth is!
St.And Youth is the youth ministry here at St Andrew’s, we meet almost every Sunday morning and Friday evening with a whole bunch of youth between the ages of 11 and 18. We do this because we believe that Jesus loves young people and is calling them to himself. We also believe that young people are more than capable of deciding to follow Jesus and live for him.
Adolescence is such a key phase of life where young people are starting to form their views on the world, their sense of identity, and are figuring out what type of influence they want to be on others and the type of influences they want to receive. And so at St.And Youth we aim to provide a space where fun can be had, questions can be asked, life can be shared, and the Word of God can be taught and explored. Overall, our main focuses are spending time in the Bible (through Bible studies and sermons) and spending time as a community (through playing games, having socials, and chatting in discussion groups).
we believe that Jesus loves young people and is calling them to himself
It has been great to recently have been teaching through the Book of Acts on Sunday morning alongside the main services, it has been such an encouragement to see families learning together. Another great joy has been being able to run events and socials such as the Summer Retreat we had during the summer school holidays, as well as more recently a Lasertag Social event. They have been an excellent way for us to enjoy each other’s company and grow together as a community.
A vital part of the ministry is the volunteers who lead, look after, and disciple the youth – without them St.And Youth wouldn’t be possible. I am so thankful to God for them. It is with the leaders that the youth are able to share their worries and struggles, and it is the leaders who are able to point them towards God week in and week out. We always need more leaders, so please prayerfully consider if helping out at St.And Youth could be a way for you to serve the kingdom of God and help these young people grow in faith and maturity.
We would also always love your prayers as well so please be keeping St.And Youth in your prayers and be praying particularly for the recruitment of a new Youth Director, for the empowering and sustaining of our volunteer leaders, and that seeds of faith will be planted and grown in the hearts of the youth.
