We were in week two of a five week series entitled ‘Living out God’s purposes’ in Student Quest this week. It’s actually centered around our student ministry purpose statement, ‘We are real people, in love with a real God, making a real difference in the world.’ That statement contains five values, or purposes:

• Real People: Fellowship
• Real God: Worship, Discipleship
• Real Difference: Evangelism, Service

We’re using a study called ‘Living out God’s purposes’ from the Live Curriculum as our launching point. This week Jen B taught the middle school students while George F taught the high school students. The series is actually looking at the story of Mary and how she lived out God’s purposes in her life.

This week, we looked at the comfort and support Mary found from her relative Elizabeth—an example of the value of connecting with others through deep, meaningful community. We used the example of Mary in Luke 1:39-45, 56 to see how all we have a need for community, no matter what we may be going through right at this moment. We discussed the value of connecting with like-minded people, encouraging one another, and creating genuine community time.

If you’re a parent/guardian with a teen that was present, I’d encourage you to find a few moments this week to talk with your teenager about the importance of community—being connected with other Christians. Here are some questions you could use during your conversation:

• How would you define the word “community”? What does that word mean to you?
• When you feel lonely or tired or depressed, what people do you turn to for encouragement? Why are these people so encouraging?
• How do we balance our need for community—being around like-minded people who support and encourage us—with our need for solitude—times of being alone that help us connect with God?
• How are you helping to create community?

One of the greatest places to encounter community is in our church’s small group ministry – we have groups for children through adults. Check ’em out if you’re not involved!