Student ministries finished week three of a five week series centered on our student ministry purpose statement; ‘we are a real people, in love with a real God, who make a real difference in the world.’  To do that, we’ve been focusing on the five core elements in that phrase that sum up why we get together, why we have church, why we meet and why this is all important.  They are:

• “We are a real people” connects to our need for fellowship.
• “In love with a real God” connects to discipleship (we want to learn more about Him) and worship (we want to show our love to Him)
• “Who make a real difference in the world” connects to service and evangelism.

For five weeks, using the series ‘Life has a purpose’ from the Live Curriculum as a launching point, we’re taking a closer look at each of those core elements, or reasons, for why we do what we do.  Even though senior high and middle school will both be taking a look at the same topics, we’ll be split up for the lesson time to keep it a little more age specific.

This week’s lesson, called “Growing in Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God. This relationship without God grows as we spend time with him.  The element of our purpose statement that this ties to is discipleship; Jeff M taught the high school group while Sean and Raven M taught the middle school group.

If you are a parent/guardian of one of the students, you play an important role in helping your teenager grow spiritually, which is why each week I suggest some questions you can ask your student to generate conversation:

• Share with your teenager how you spend time with God. What helps you grow in your relationship with God? What are the things that hinder your relationship?
• How is talking with God similar to talking with your friends? How is it different?
• What might your faith look like a year from now if you made a decision to spend time with God each day? How might your life be different?

Thanks for your prayers for our student ministry! I’m praying for you and your family, too!