Start of a New Year!

The 2008-2009 school year is well under way. The excitement of comparing class schedules, meeting new teachers, seeing old friends and making new ones will soon fade and the realization of the day-to-day routine will soon set in. The question that concerns me is, “what will the youth of Lebanon look for to restore the feelings of excitement?” What options do they have? Cruising town on the weekend and going to parties where they may encounter drugs, alcohol or other tribulations are a couple of frequent activities Lebanon’s youth find to do.

What are we doing at SHCC to help equip our youth to make the right choices in their own lives AND positively influence the lives of their peers? We have assembled a team of sponsors that are dedicated to providing a place where our youth can find the true excitement of life. Chris Brown, Mary Fox, Ryan & Danielle Shoemaker, Daniel Peregoy and myself are passionate about this ministry and the opportunity to serve.

As profound, relevant, and funny as we think we may be . . . teenagers still listen to each other more than a youth sponsor. This is a fact that we can’t deny--students talking to each other usually means more to them than adults talking to them. For this reason, we have chosen a curriculum for Wednesday nights that will help equip our youth for leading their peers and taking charge of as much of the ministry as they want or are able—including: helping and evangelizing their peers and planning and executing their own youth ministry activities.

Our lessons for discipling student leaders start in the Bible and reach into teenagers’ experiences to prepare them for leadership roles. In our first lesson we discussed how Moses was an unlikely leader, but God used him to do great things! We discussed the qualities of true leadership and how it is easy to question God’s plan for us. A good lesson for ALL of us is to learn how to step out of our comfort zone and discover how to allow God to work through each of us as a leader. Have faith in God, believe in yourself and remember Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"