Welcome to the Pastors’ Pen – an update for life at Southern Cross…
Our youth program returns tomorrow (Friday) night at LHS from 7pm!
What a vital ministry this is, and how exciting to have Cam now leading the ministry he has had such a long connection to. Like our ministry to kids on a Sunday, our youth join us on our journey in God’s word, so they will be exploring the opening of John’s gospel this week. We pray some youth might even join in the #lightuplismore challenge, looking to memorise John 1:9-14. By the way, how are you going with it?
Then Friday week, the 12th of May, the youth team is hosting a parents and carers pizza night so the youth team can outline what is coming up this term and get the youth primed for Safari 2023. Safari is our annual, week-long youth camp. It has a long history of over twenty years and has seen hundreds and hundreds of youth involved! Many of our ministry apprentices at SCPC will note the influence Safari had on their spiritual formation. I have said this before, but evangelical giants like the late John Stott had very strong connection to movements like this. John himself was converted through a five-day youth camp in Britain. He says nothing beats five days to get God’s word into tough and resistant human hearts!
These weeks are so excellent to allow God’s word to seep deep into growing hearts. This year the youth will be looking at the book of Daniel. However, week-long camps come at a cost, and with reductions Safari is $280 per camper. If a family has three youthies that sure adds up! If you have youth in your GC, why not sponsor them!? Or do you have a teenage neighbour? Can you speak to their parents or carers and suggest you’d like to help contribute to the cost? I remember challenging one of our senior high at SCPC to get a friend along to Safari. I said if they are keen and want to come tell them “I’ll pay half” – they came!
But please, please if finances are a problem speak to Cam and the youth team – we certainly don’t want to see some youth not attend due to cost because who knows, your neighbour or nephew may be the next Daniel or Shadrach! We desperately need young, bold and courageous leaders to take the gospel forward to the next generation.
Be encouraged by the heart of these young leaders from the book of Daniel:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18
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