By Joe Melhem
Being a Youth Minister is such a joy, even during times that are uncertain and strange, God always seems to work all things to his good! Over these past few months, it has been an absolute adventure, a whirl wind of emotions and changes! There has not been a dull moment.
When coronavirus restrictions were first legislated, it was with a heavy heart that I had to put a pause on all the youth groups for four months, I must admit I was absolutely gutted to have to do it, but I understood that it was necessary and knew that God had something different planned.
After weeks of not having any youth group, I was convicted that hosting the youth group online was a great way to connect with the students who may be feeling isolated or alone, or even just plain old bored! Thank God for zoom. Zoom with all its imperfections obviously was not the same as our in-person meetings, however it is what we had, and we made it work! Believe it or not, we were able to play games on zoom! From scavenger hunt in their own homes, to animal charades and the whisper challenge inspired by Jimmy Fallon, there were many great alternatives for games that worked well. Sure, we did not have much, but we made do with what we had, and it ended up being fun and enjoyable. For our content, we looked at the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. How our Faith can overcome even the biggest obstacles and lead us out of fear. The hope that God provides us in times of need. And charity, or love – to love our neighbours and to love our God.
And finally, ladies and gents, we are back in person! It has been so good having everybody back and is evident in the amount of joy I see on the students faces. We have obviously had to make a few adjustments to the youth group, implementing safety and sanitary measures to help create a safe environment for our students. Helping to create a community of young people, with faith at their centre has always been my dream and it is coming to fruition.
We are currently finishing up the Alpha course and moving on into a different season for youth group, the leadership team and I are devising and planning in what direction we are going to take the content. Please keep us in your prayers during this time!
Summit youth group is for student’s in year ten, eleven and twelve! If you are interested in getting involved, email me for further details! - Mountwaverley.youth@cam.org.au
Details for Summit:
God bless,
Joe Melhem
Youth Minster