Youth In Lockdown
As you can imagine, as with the rest our church life, well just life really, Youth Ministry at St John’s has undergone a face-lift in the last few months. Our vision remains the same, to see young people encounter God and equipped to be life-long disciples, but the outworking of that currently needs to look different.
Our seven small groups have all successfully moved onto Zoom and continue to meet weekly. We initially created some resources around Easter but have now returned to our teaching program. Each week Sarah and I are updating resources into a new format that works for a Zoom small group.
Twice a week, on a Tuesday at 7pm and Sunday at 4pm, we are going Live on our Youth Instagram for about 15 minutes. During these times we have had a bunch of the youth team sharing thoughts, testimonies and verses as well as playing games and praying together.
Alongside these new regular weekly activities, we have done some stand alone projects. For seven days we released seven actions on social media to encourage young people to serve and love others during lockdown. During Thy Kingdom come we are releasing a one-minute video every day on Instagram and YouTube to encourage young people to pray for five friends and family members to come to know Jesus. We have also delivered envelopes to every young person containing a note, bible verse, colouring card, chocolate bar, sweets, and a hot chocolate sachet.
The youth team have been incredible, and I am hugely grateful to them. Their adaptability, commitment and love of the young people is a huge blessing. We have worked hard to update our safeguarding guidelines and create new risk assessments to ensure all our work online is safe.
We so appreciate the ongoing prayers of the wider church at this time for the youth ministry, its leaders, and the young people.
• Please pray for the small group leaders that we would have wisdom as we continue to learn, grow, and reflect on doing youth work on this new platform.
• Please pray particularly for those young people who have chosen not to get involved in their zoom groups for whatever reason. That they would not feel isolated and would know God's presence and comfort.
• Please pray for our Socials young people who we have not found ways to connect with online yet. Pray that we would be open to ideas and ways that might work. Pray also for them and their families that something of what they have heard on Fridays might come to mind and they might be prompted to call out to God at this time.
• Pray for the envelopes dropping on young people's doors, that they would bring encouragement and hope.
• Pray for the mental health of our young people. For young people who are struggling feeling isolated, lonely, and anxious. Particularly pray for our year 13s and anxiety around their future.
Thank you
Mark Watson
Youth Pastor