Ministry Highlight: Junior Youth
Towards the end of last year, I was asked if I wanted to be part of the leadership team of a Lifegroup I had never thought about before. At the time, I had no idea what I could contribute if I agreed, but part of me felt like God was urging me to just say yes, despite my worries, and He assured me that everything would be all right. Surprise—He was right.
God was leading me to serve the Jr Youth Life Group.
For some time, all Jr Youth related things were put on hold, but at the beginning of 2018, the Lifegroup finally started again. Every two weeks, we hold a jr youth session during the Sunday service- our very first one was held on January 21, 2018. That was a very special session for me personally because that is when I first met most of the jr youths and had the privilege to teach them and learn more about them.
It’s been such a blessing to teach these young people, they have such beautiful minds, and can offer insights on things that I’ve never thought about before; they are the generation that will rise after the current youth, but that doesn’t mean that they have to stay idle until they become members of the youth. Our goal for this Lifegroup is to create a bridge between the Kids’ Ministry and the Youth Lifegroup—for those who are ages 11 to 13 facing similar struggles, where they can learn about Christ and grow together in fellowship.
I began serving this life group because God called me, but as time passed I gained a clearer motivation, and I found that the other teachers in this life group share the same sentiment. When I truly fell in love with the Lord and His Word, I was overcome with a desire to share and instill those same feelings to others. God filled me with so much joy, gave me so much love- how could I keep quiet about that?
As I spend time with the Jr. Youth, I find myself loving them more, and I wonder what they could accomplish when they decide to serve the Lord.
My hope for the future of this life group is that they will continue to learn more about God, and fall in love with Him on their own, so that when they graduate into the Youth Ministry, their fire for the Lord will only ignite and spread to others in their spheres of influence.
As a growing life group, we do have our own struggles – one of them being a lack of passionate teachers to lead and serve these bright, young people. My prayer for this growing ministry is that more people see the jr youth as an opportunity to raise disciples and be part of the movement towards a Godly next-generation.
If you or someone you know is interested in ministering to these young people, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or Ryle Garcia for further information.
– Cali Mendoza
