Since April, the Adventist Youth program at my church(Clarksville Seventh-day Adventist Church) has been occurring each Saturday an hour before sunset to close out the sabbath. Last week, my father forwarded me a text that was sent by one of our church members, Joanne Traughber. As a way to inform her Sabbath school students about the ministry, Ms. Joanne asked for a quote on what A.Y. means to me. I was happy to share my input with her, and I felt compelled to share with all of you how I feel about A.Y. as well
A.Y. to me is more than just another church service. It is a blessed opportunity for me to come together with my family in Christ and end the sabbath the right way. Although the name contains the word “youth”, everyone of all ages is welcome to attend. I love brainstorming, prepping, and running activities. I enjoy seeing the other AY committee members(Lulu Alba, Caleb Evans, and David Sael) volunteer, take the lead, come up with ideas, and grow more in Christ.
(Above: Caleb Evans running activity)
(Above: David Sael doing devotion)
(Lulu Alba running activity)
I love seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces as we sing praises from the youth song books or stand up doing less formal praise songs with movement. There is never a dull moment during those engaging yet sometimes challenging, christ centered activities (such as Bible Outburst; Bible Pictionary; Bible Telephone; Bible Sword Game; Bible MadGab; Bible Trivia; and many more). You can always take something from the thought provoking devotionals being presented near the end. This program is a golden opportunity to bond more with church members through activities by working as a team. My prayer is that the youth, as well as the adults will stay engaged in Christ and never feel like He nor church is a boring topic.
Though everything is about glorifying Christ and bringing people closer to him, being a part of the ministry is a blessing for me. It has helped me to grow as person, leader, and a follower. By being being involved in the ministry and being director(which I never intended to be) I’m putting myself more in front of others, which is a little outside my comfort zone because of my speech. I’m learning to trust more in Christ and am reminded to make more time for Him. Also, it has given me an idea of how I may want to minister to my own children, when I have them.
Whether you’re a kid, teen, young adult, or adult, I encourage you to close out your sabbath days with an AY program, with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
God Bless
DavidSpeaks 