|
 Dear
Saints:
We're
now entering the month of August. Much
of our planning for the coming months occurs in August.
There's
so much to consider as we anticipate the new Sunday School year. There
will be a class for inquirers and non-Lutherans who wish to join St.
Matthew (or, for anyone interested in reviewing their Lutheran Faith)
called The Lutheran Way. In our Adult Forum Class,
we'll study the ELCA statement on sexuality in preparation for a
more specific study on the sensitive issue of the ordination of
practicing homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex relationships in
our denomination. We
have many young singles and married in our congregation and with
this in mind the possibility of a Young Adult Class is being contemplated.
We're
also thinking about our youth—those
girls and boys, and young men and women who help to make our Sunday
services so very rich with their contributions as acolytes,
crucifers, element bearers, readers, etc. Where
would we be without them? Where,
indeed! St.
Matthew is blessed to have many youth, but we won't if we do not
take the time to consider them. We
have some dedicated people who are considering them. They
are the ones who support our Super Sunday program, and who teach
during the Sunday School hour. They
are the ones who work with our Scout troops, who teach and serve
during Vacation Bible School, and who lead the Children's Time in
Sunday worship.
Yet,
we lack one thing that is essential to keeping our youth actively
involved and excited about church—a
regularly held Youth Group with food, fellowship, recreation, and
Bible Study.
When
I was interviewing with St. Matthew a few months ago, someone asked
me if I could put into a word my goal for ministry. My
response was "discipleship." At
the conclusion of Matthew's Gospel Jesus leaves his disciples with
the task of making disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:18-20). The
apostle Paul understood his call to be the same in his letter to the
Romans (1:5). Then,
in 1 Timothy we see him carrying out his call as he works with young
Timothy to make him into a faithful disciple of Christ. Furthermore,
he admonishes his young understudy to do the same with others. "Let
no one despise your youth," he says, "but be an example to
the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till
I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (4:12-13).
Now,
I'll be encouraging these things with our confirmands this coming
year. To be sure, young people need a pastor who will
spend time teaching and encouraging them in the Faith. But
more than this (much more than this!) they need fathers and mothers
and other members of the body of Christ to disciple them. I'll
be getting together soon with a few people to talk about the future
of our youth program, but our number is low. Will
you prayerfully consider our young people and how you might be able
to help build them into faithful disciples of Jesus? Then,
will you call our secretary, Sue—or
myself—and
say, "Sign me up? I want to make a difference in the lives of
our young people."
No
doubt, you've heard some of the stories from VBS and Lutherock. How
much better would these events be if our young people had a regular,
consistent youth group to come back to, where after having such
mountaintop experiences their enthusiasm for following Jesus could be
nurtured into a solid, active life of discipleship!
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
