What is the one thing young people long for the most? Thats a question I have been pondering recently as I have been considering the format our youthwork should take. And one of the key things I feel matters most to young people, and indeed all of us if we are honest, is a sense of acceptance and belonging. The peer-group influence is one of the most influential in the lives of our young people. And with that comes alot of pressures : the need to conform, wear the right clothes, go to the right places, listen to the right music, socialise in the right scene. As Linkin Park put it "I wanna find something I've wanted all along, Somewhere I Belong"
An article I was reading by Bill Cummings entitled "The Church On Monday" expresses this need to belong as follows:
Even in a culture of individualism, independence, humanism and self-gratification, the foundational need of human beings to connect to other human beings still exists deep in the heart of every person. We long to belong. We are in desperate need to love others and be loved by others. We need to know we are part of something bigger than ourselves. God not did create us to be independent or alone. Even He is not alone.

So how does church fit into this, how do we as a church address this need and provide a positive environment where young people are accepted and belong. Our readings of the Early Church certainly suggest that this relational atmosphere of caring and belonging was central in its ethos.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)


Surely this should be what we must strive towards again if we are to see a fresh revival of the Church of Jesus Christ on these shores again.

Yet again realising I haven't updated this in a while, will have to make an effort to get into the habit of updating more frequently. Anyway, what am I up to at the minute, well a few things of note are coming up.
Youth activities in church have taken abit of a break over the summer, but we hope to use the time as leaders to re-think and re-structure what we are doing with the youth in an attempt to be effective, real and relevant as we seek to pass our faith onto the next generation in Boardmills. We hope to get some events going for the older teen age-group as this is often where the drop-out from church occurs, and also wish to become more involved in reaching out to the community around us.
Also i'm going to be involved in Ballycrochan CSSM, a week-long mission in the Bangor area. I will be working with the teen age-group as we delve into the theme of "Where is the love". I'm quite excited about what God's going to do during this week, and trust that He will amaze us agian as He works out our programmes and works in the lives of the teens we seek to reach. So for this theres a couple of talks to organise, a church service to plan, and general bits and pieces to plan in advance of the weeks mission (17th-23rd July).
Finally i've started the "Big Read - Bible in a Year Challenge". Has been interesting reading through Genesis from creation, through the "Fall of man", the story of Noah and now looking at the faith of Abraham. In my readings it has struck me that since the fall, the depravity of sin has been evident throughout history, and without men and women of faith in God, the world is on a slippery downward spiral. As we look at society today evidence of the fall is visible all around, and yet again Godly men and women of faith are need to listen to and obey God's callling in their lives in order to prevent further decay.

Realise I haven't updated this thing in a while, one week just seems to roll into another these days. So what have I been up to for the past while. Well last weekend was our youth service in the morning, it wen't really well, and God got me through taking another sermon through which I hope his voice and message was heard by both young and old.
This weekend myself and a number of youth leaders from church attended the National Youth Leaders Convention at church house. Yet again it was a tremendous day: challenging, insightful and resourceful are 3 words that spring to mind.
Saturday night was a mate from schools stag do which was great craic, and a good chance to catch up with old school friends. Interesting to see people's expressions who knew me at school when I tell them of my involvement with youthwork in the church, seeing how my lifes pretty much turned 360 since my wayward youth. Praise God for his "Amazing Grace" that has "saved a wretch like me".
Whats coming up now: a few youth leaders meetings as we seek God's guidance in re-vamping and re-viving the youth ministry in our church, and Ballycrochan CSSM in a few weeks working with the teens there.
The book-a-month challenge is kinda getting there, I'm about 3/4 of the way through "Whats so Amazing about Grace" by Philip Yancey, although I feel somehow that it may have to be re-read to take it all in, theres just so much in it.
Also hope to start the "bible-in-a-year" study that a few members of the church are hoping to begin from July. This is something i'm quite excited about, as there are many books of the bible I have never read, and my bible-knowledge is sketchy in parts to say the least. I think the word DISCIPLINE is going to have to be at the fore-front of my mind if I am to complete it, and keep up-to-date wit the readings, but i'm sure it will be of tremendous blessing to all who take part in it as we delve into the truths of Gods Word together.

So nice to have a Bank Holiday off yesterday, not only is it a day off, but it means you go back to work, and its a 4 day week. So how did I spend my day off...........
Firstly I spent abit of time with Sam before he heads off to the States, and on to South Africa with his puppet ministry. Had a good chat, catching up with eachother and whats going on in our lives. With both of us leading pretty hectic lives, our wee chats don't happen so often, so its always nice to catch up with him.
Next I wen't into Lisburn to get a couple of gifts for some things that are coming up in the coming weeks, as I know i won't get the chance to get them in the coming weeks. On my journies I stumbled across a 2nd hand bookshop which was pretty neat, and discovered a substantial section of christain books, all in good nick, at a much discounted rate. So that was my bargain for the day : 7 books for £14, can't say bad to that. Now my next challenge is to make the time to read them, and the many other books I have sitting on my bookshelf. I'm gonna set myself a challenge of 1 book a month until I get through them, thats the intention anyway.
There are so many great Christian writers throughout history, and indeed of recent days, that I feel it necessary to tap into this vast knowledge and guidance, with due care mind you, as we strive to grow in our faith. These readings should however only complement our daily devotions on Gods Word, and it should be Gods Word that we ultimately should strive to get to grips with. This is another thing i'm going to strive toward in future months.

I've just tried to update this blog with the ability to comment, not sure if it has worked, but feel free to comment on its content, and we'll see what happens, if anything!!