A Little About Sr. High Youth Group… This is a ministry about belonging and empowerment. I have been lucky to have the dedication and commitment of the Sr. High youth who are a part of this group. I do spend many hours planning cutting-edge meetings with cool games and meaningful topics for discussion. Yet that doesn't seem to be as important to the youth as just being able to chill out and be themselves for a bit. Sure, I wish they stayed a bit more focused, and even sometimes followed the agenda (yeah right!), but there's a strange and wonderful joy in that fact that even though it's 8:30pm and the meeting ended a half-hour ago, none of them want to leave.

I make sure that the youth know that I'm most interested in them discovering the spiritual side of themselves and becoming proactive in using that awareness to go out and make the world a better place. And I constantly remind myself that even though they won't often say it, Sr. High teens are desperate for a comfortable place to be spiritual and explore their spirituality. It is rewarding to know that we have this place where we can relax, take a break from our hectic lives, sit on yucky couches, yuk it up a bit, and wonder if the pizza will ever arrive. In many ways, it will be years before we can measure what kind of effect this ministry has had on the youth. But when these kids are in their thirties and forties, I want to hear all about it.

Thanks be to God for our many blessings,
Kelly