Christ in Jersey?

   Last week, we were unexpectedly quite busy on the bus. With the first of the winter rains starting and the October holidays, I guess I expected that only a couple of our die-harders would come. But by the grace of God I was proven wrong, and we had a pretty full bus with a lot of unexpected people, as well as a good lot of our first years who really enjoyed the basic games and activities. It just goes to show that the influence of the bus in the community of boredom is significant. Older youth come on to escape the rain and to have a place to hang out with their friends, and the younger guys come to be entertained. The opportunities, therefore, are limitless.

   But, then question goes, HOW to make the most of these opportunities? Youth ministry is like a delicate mixture of theology, psychology, physical education, counselling  entertainment, party planning and probably a good amount more of subjects that we don't have degrees in and so at times (read always) it is all a little over-whelming and it's hard to know where to start.

   This week I have been reading about engaging in the culture that you are ministering too, this was mainly to do with several talks that I am doing at a missions conference in a couple of weeks and I am looking at the importance of missionaries to cross over and understand the culture of the people group that they are hoping to serve, and it clicked that in fact this it is the same when working with youth. I will be the first to admit that music is not getting better, it is in fact deteriorating in depth and quality quite rapidly, and television programmes that are being watched by the youth (mainly pseudo-reality tv) is so cheap to make that it has taken over most of the channels on my television, and don't even get me started with fashion. I didn't even realise that shorts could get any tighter or shorter, or that there was such a diverse pallet of colours that trousers could come in, BUT, judging it by the standards of my childhood (which wasn't all that long ago) isn't helpful, nor will it make me a popular person to talk too in our youth community. Thus I have this week taken on a challenge to be more 'relevant'. No, I didn't buy new clothes or cd's, but by trying to understand what our youth enjoy listening too/watching/playing, I am able to find the things in it that point too (and in some ways, away from) God, and in this way we are able too, in a culturally sensitive way, find the most poignant examples of Christ (and common grace) that is already in their own lives, and hopefully this will help them understand the gospel better.

I also stumbled across something that a young person had written to his youth leader, and thought that it was a good idea to copy it in here:

"Students are looking for someone who will accept them for who they are and love them through their struggles. Students in our culture are struggling with addictions, relationships and faith. They need youth leaders who will spend less time judging them and spending more time loving them with Christ-centered love. Don't get me wrong, we don't have to approve of their sin, but we need to hate the sin so much, we need to love them in such a way as to help them overcome whatever it is in their lie. I am always encouraging youth leaders not to be afraid to get down and dirt with their student's struggles. Students need youth leaders who will do just that".

http://www.youthleadersacademy.com/need-youth-leaders/#more-112

Romans 12:8: If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.