Student ministries was in week four 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 me, there are 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.

The high school students focused on evangelism with a lesson by Melissa M called “Reaching Out to Your Friends.” The lesson focused on helping students understand that we are created in God’s image and have the ability to reflect God’s love. Our prayer is that each teenager will commit to a life of representing God’s love to all people, regardless of their race, sex, skill level, or popularity status.  Sometime this week, maybe around the dinner table or in the car, consider asking these questions to generate some discussion with your teenager about reaching others:

• How active are we as a family in reaching out to others? Do we as a family embrace God’s purposes for life, or is it something we need to work on?
• What are some ways you have tried to reach out to your friends?
• How can we as parents help you to reach out to your friends (prayer, use the house for gatherings, rides, and so on)?

The middle school students focused on service and were taught by me! I gave the lesson entitled “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. Our hope is that students will have realized they are gifted to serve and will begin serving others today! Sometime this week, ask some questions to generate discussion with your teenager about serving others in ministry. Here are some possible questions to ask:

• Share with your teenager how you believe God has gifted you to serve others. What are some ways that you serve others individually?
• As a family, how much do we value the importance of serving? What are some ways that we as a family could serve others in our neighborhood, in our church, and in our community?
• How does serving others in ministry help us grow in our faith?

Thanks for keeping plugged in to what we’re doing with the teens!  Let me know if there are specific ways I can pray for your family or for your teenager.  Have a blessed week!