Praise The Lord :
Committed to Growing in Christ
Praise The Lord :
Hey ! I just finished reading an article titled “ Ten Reasons Kids Leave The Church ”, written by Jim Daly . It was an interesting read to say the least … you can check it out HERE !
According to Daly , reason number nine is “ they got into church , but the church never got into them ”… the implication was that most young people have been taken to church but the church and following Christ wasn ’ t integrated into their daily life . Going to church or doing church things was just something that was done on Sunday or Wednesday but that was it . It wasn ’ t seen as something that impacted them on an everyday basis .
Reason number five is “ they exchange one community for another ”… meaning that sometimes the church places more emphasis on the church community than they do on God and our relationship with Him . Because of this many teenagers see other people ( parents , friends , teachers , adult leaders , etc .) as the answer for their problems instead of God . When they leave home they search for a group to replace what they had experienced in church but they don ’ t necessarily search for God .
The month of May is a time when we celebrate some major milestones in the lives of our kids around here ( Confirmation – when 8 th graders join the church and high school graduations ). I ’ m so glad to be part of a church that is working hard to help children and teenagers understand that God is their answer and that having a relationship with Him is a daily connection and it continues to grow for a lifetime . I ’ m also glad that we are working to help encourage and equip parents to be the spiritual leaders for their children and we have plans to do even more of this in the future .
Finally , I ’ m thrilled to be part of a church that not only allows children and youth to be involved and help lead us but actually encourages it !! This is evidenced by things like Youth Sunday ( which we experienced on April 28 th ), MGM Spring Musical ( May 1 st and 8 th ), His Hands Puppet ministry , chimes and bells , UC Kids Family Fellowship / Service Events , FUSION Christmas Store , FISH Day , Children ’ s Nativity Service , WinShape Camp , VBS and many , many more !!
I ’ m not saying that we always get it right , but I firmly believe in my heart that we desire to help our children and teenagers understand that God loves them , that He wants to be in relationship with them daily and that He has a purpose and plan for their lives that includes growing in Him , serving others and helping others to also know Him . Now that ’ s something worth celebrating !!
Have a great month ,
Bert Giles , Director of Discipleship Ministries
Back to top
Bert Giles , Director of Discipleship bgiles @ ucumc . org , 704-369-8020