Jr. High Update
Many of you who know me have heard that I was a bit disenchanted with how our Jr. High group, gsO, was going forth as of a couple months ago. While it has been an extended period of time since you might have heard anything, let me tell you, no news was so much more than good news. I wanted to take a few minutes this morning to share what has been transpiring at 6:30 every Wednesday night for the past several weeks.
1) We have been blessed with a tremendous amount of growth. So often, we in ministry concentrate all of our efforts on numerical growth. While we at grace.church.youth have experienced some growth in our numbers, the growth that continually blows me away is the spiritual growth we're seeing in the students that show up every week. Week in and week out we're seeing students take steps of growth in spiritual disciplines, in their prayer lives, in their relational lives, in their leadership roles, and in their schools! Praise God for reaching the hearts of these young students and guiding them to a life lived to the contrary of the world's pop culture.
2) We have met with an increased number of public school students. The hardest part of my job is laziness. I have a small Christian school right next door to my office, and most of the students in youth group attend. In the interest of efficiency, it is far too easy for me to head next door for lunch, talk to the students, and call it a day of ministry. God has truly woken me up to the needs in public schools as our gsO student body has suddenly (in the course of 2 weeks) shifted much closer to 50/50, GCS to non-GCS, than it's ever been before. We have students seeking to serve in Edwardsburg Middle School, Clay Middle School, Grisham Middle School, Discovery Middle School, LaSalle Academy, Stanley Clark, and Oak Manor. Even furthermore, our GCS (Granger Christian School) students are more fully understanding their role in building relationships and shining their light now that more students are attending who they've never met before.
3) We have a rising number of students wanting to serve in ministry. It's always difficult sharing a Wednesday night with AWANA, because it is one of the few activities Jr. Highers can really help with. I have been so blessed to see individuals splitting time between gsO and AWANA service. In addition, we have seen a flow of students wanting to accept the responsibility of playing in the worship band on a rotating basis, and our participation in group service projects is inspiring. The servant's heart that I see from our youth group, and our church as a whole, is such that I have not seen before.
4) I am blessed with an amazing, uplifting, encouraging set of leaders. I am not very good at recruiting leadership, so I'm glad the Lord helps me. In the past couple months, a team of leaders has been assembled around me, not so much by me, that makes what I do possible. From young adults, to working moms, we have a group of people committed to the lives of these students and their families. I am so thankful for the work they do on Wednesday nights and in my life.
There are so many other things I could spend my time writing about, but I promised a brief overview. To say the least, I am far more encouraged than I've ever been before about working where I am working. I do not know what the future holds, but I love my family at Grace Church and in Michana.
Love ya,
Bobby
1) We have been blessed with a tremendous amount of growth. So often, we in ministry concentrate all of our efforts on numerical growth. While we at grace.church.youth have experienced some growth in our numbers, the growth that continually blows me away is the spiritual growth we're seeing in the students that show up every week. Week in and week out we're seeing students take steps of growth in spiritual disciplines, in their prayer lives, in their relational lives, in their leadership roles, and in their schools! Praise God for reaching the hearts of these young students and guiding them to a life lived to the contrary of the world's pop culture.
2) We have met with an increased number of public school students. The hardest part of my job is laziness. I have a small Christian school right next door to my office, and most of the students in youth group attend. In the interest of efficiency, it is far too easy for me to head next door for lunch, talk to the students, and call it a day of ministry. God has truly woken me up to the needs in public schools as our gsO student body has suddenly (in the course of 2 weeks) shifted much closer to 50/50, GCS to non-GCS, than it's ever been before. We have students seeking to serve in Edwardsburg Middle School, Clay Middle School, Grisham Middle School, Discovery Middle School, LaSalle Academy, Stanley Clark, and Oak Manor. Even furthermore, our GCS (Granger Christian School) students are more fully understanding their role in building relationships and shining their light now that more students are attending who they've never met before.
3) We have a rising number of students wanting to serve in ministry. It's always difficult sharing a Wednesday night with AWANA, because it is one of the few activities Jr. Highers can really help with. I have been so blessed to see individuals splitting time between gsO and AWANA service. In addition, we have seen a flow of students wanting to accept the responsibility of playing in the worship band on a rotating basis, and our participation in group service projects is inspiring. The servant's heart that I see from our youth group, and our church as a whole, is such that I have not seen before.
4) I am blessed with an amazing, uplifting, encouraging set of leaders. I am not very good at recruiting leadership, so I'm glad the Lord helps me. In the past couple months, a team of leaders has been assembled around me, not so much by me, that makes what I do possible. From young adults, to working moms, we have a group of people committed to the lives of these students and their families. I am so thankful for the work they do on Wednesday nights and in my life.
There are so many other things I could spend my time writing about, but I promised a brief overview. To say the least, I am far more encouraged than I've ever been before about working where I am working. I do not know what the future holds, but I love my family at Grace Church and in Michana.
Love ya,
Bobby
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