A couple of weeks ago, a few of the youth leaders and I met up with a youth pastor from another church to network and understand how other youth ministries are run. We agreed that relationship-building and mentoring are the keys to retain passionate youths and by extension, people in the church. We note that Jesus exemplifies this in his ministry, by sitting with sinners (Mark 2:13-17) and by showing genuine love and compassion to those around him.
Furthermore, church events act as touchpoints with the local community, allowing for church members to meet and connect with people outside the church walls. Indeed, such events are opportunities for us to shine as a light in Kembangan and share the Good News with the community.
The recent Bethesda Chapel Kindergarten Outreach “The Gift of Christmas” was the Youth Ministry’s effort to do just that. In the first part of the event, the church community helped to fulfill almost 80 gifts to the children, adding their personal touch in the form of a note to each child. Following that, at the Christmas party for the children and their parents, we were able to spread the true reason we give Christmas gifts and the Christmas story to all who came. Our heartfelt thanks go to the church members for their generosity to the children, our youths, all the volunteers, and most importantly, God, for making this event a smooth and fruitful one.
As Christmas is just round the corner, let us not forget to share the Good News of Christmas with others. Let us love the people around us and be the living sacrifices and testimonies that Jesus Christ called us to be.
Deacon Amos Ghui
