Traditionally, October is a fairly quiet time at WSCC. We settle into the familiar rhythms of worship and service and take some time to appreciate the changing of the seasons. This year, however, we have a little extra excitement coming.
Toward the middle of the month, we will be starting a junior high youth group. (We’re still working on finding the most convenient day and time).
Our kids are busy, I know that. Sometimes I wonder how they manage to fit everything into their schedules. Between school, sports and homework, it might seem a little crazy to suggest adding one more thing. But perhaps what the youth group offers is different enough that it is worth making room for.
So much of a young person’s world is about measuring up. How well did you do on the test? Did you make the team? Where do you fit in? What do other people think of you? Church has the opportunity to offer something very different. Here, we can tell our young people that before they accomplish anything, before they prove anything, before they figure out exactly who they are, they are already known and loved by God.
That is really what Christian fellowship is about. It is learning to see one another through the eyes of Christ.
It is discovering that the person who thinks differently from me, looks differently from me, or has experiences I don’t understand is still my neighbor. It is learning not simply to tolerate our differences, but to recognize that each of us carries gifts, struggles, hopes, fears and a story worth hearing.
Certainly, we are planning on games and laughter and probably more noise than we are accustomed to around here. I certainly hope so.
But underneath all of that, our hope is that we will be creating a place where our young people know they belong.
A place where they can ask questions, be themselves, make mistakes, laugh together, and discover something about what it means to follow Jesus.
We often talk about young people as “the future of the church.” I’ve never particularly liked that expression. They are not the future of the church. They are the church, right now. And perhaps one of the most important things we can do is give them a place where they can discover that for themselves.
Blessings on your day.