Holy-Huddles Not an Option

The room sits still.
Messy, yes, but still.
The humming from the heater disturbs the now quiet youth room and it is peaceful.
This room, which was host to 30+ students Sunday night, now sits empty and still.

Light shines in on the table which is catering to two very tired Foosball teams.
Bottles of paint still gather around a large painting which has lies draping across the ping-pong table.
Chairs are out from under the table and in an order which leaves good evidence to the fun which was had the last time the it was used.
Looking around, the stories of some of those youth are speaking loudly and give good testimony to what this room is for.

Community.
Laughter.
Playing.
Praying.
Church.

An incredible evening we had this past Sunday night when all 3 of our children and youth ministries got together for a night of celebration and well, community. Every Sunday for worship all of God's children come together to share life together but rarely, do all the younger children get together to embrace each others stories. But we did and yes, it was quite tight and loud in that upper youth room.

It was incredible to see how we adjusted as the room continued to fill up with faces we know well and faces we are just learning about. As mentioned earlier, there wasn't much room to breathe, but we managed to carry on delightful conversations and share in a few laughs together. In a sense we stared diversity in the face and took on the challenge. Ranging in ages from kindergarten to seniors in high school, we acknowledged our differences and committed to be a part of ministry together.

We began to take a stand against a major issues facing our world, nation, and community these days: hunger. What you guys are doing, what you guys are learning about, what you guys have committed yourselves to do will bring a great hope for a people in our community who may very little at this point. Even in the good fun of 'competition', what you will accomplish with your dedication to bringing awareness of hunger to our congregation is a work which will not go unnoticed. In the end the efforts which you have put into motion will indeed bring good news to those who are in dire need of such news.

Would it be possible though, to accomplish that which we are hopeful for if we did it alone? Instead of working together, we hung out by ourselves, recruiting only those whom we like and worked by ourselves? Perhaps we could accomplish some of the tasks at hand, but would our efforts be completely fruitful? Our intentions would be good yes, though some could say they lacked integrity and purity as they would be flawed with in-authenticity and perhaps, corruption, as limitations were set in order to keep some people out. It would be creating of a system just like the ones we face today which prevent people from experiencing a love that God had intended for all of God's children.

We are not a 'holy-huddle' if you will, rather we are a community committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in participation with each other. Much like the Apostle Paul explains in his first letter to the Corinth Church, we need each other. The nose can't say to the ear, be gone, for what would we hear with? The hand could say to the eye be gone, for what would we see with? Inclusion of one another in the action of our ministry is a must if we are to see the change we have dreamed of. Our efforts by ourselves come with limitations but when we join our causes, we can accomplish more than what we could by ourselves.

Many of us have experienced growing pains in our lives. Our muscles ache and our bones seem to be growing at an obvious rate which brings teeth-gritting pains to our knees and other joints. We know it was inevitable for we all grow. We all can't stay an infant all of our lives and our bodies know this and are designed to grow, so we do. We adjust to our growing pains and take necessary action to make sure we adapt to our growth. Growing makes us weird. Our bodies begin to take on new shapes and sizes and sometimes this is uncomfortable and we don't know what to do. Eventually over time though, we find our 'swag' and we become content in our own skin and we finally enjoy who we have become. It doesn't stop there though for we make adjustments in our eating habits, exercise habits, and daily activity to make sure our bodies stay healthy. For if we don't, serious consequences could occur.

As a youth group of First Presbyterian Church, it is important for us to constantly evaluate our selves, check our growth, and respond to the needs of the community, kind of like we are with the Souper Bowl of Caring. We have to engage in the difficult conversations a community must have in order for peace to occur. We cannot begin to develop 'partners' and detach ourselves from the community at large and turn appears to be whole, into individual fragments. At all costs, we must avoid any sort of segregation and facilitate opportunities for all of us to participate in the life and ministry of the youth group of FPC. It is our nature to for cliques, after all it is quite inevitable in a system which encourages different group of people to participate with their own age groups, but we can find ways to serve and live side by side as a youth ministry. If you cannot and do not believe, perhaps Sunday night can attest to this claim.

Sunday night, all 30+ of you gathered together in our small room, crammed onto couches, and sat peacefully amongst each other. Together as a community we listened to the instructions of the evening and worshiped together. From there we embark on a ministry opportunity which includes all of us, yet we each went at it a different way. The signs and yes even those silly slogans some of you came up with, were brilliant and clearly demonstrate your awareness of the project at hand. This speaks truth to the idea of how we can be church together, despite those things which are obvious, along with the hidden ones too.

Together we can make a difference and we will but we must be attentive to those things which are happening in our community life. Then my prayer for us as I reflect on our time we had together this past Sunday, is that God may gives us eyes to see the injustices in our society and yes even in our own group, that God may grant us ears to hear the cries of those who's voices have been muted by our laughter and fun, even some of our own voices, that God may grant us courage to bring justice and peace to these people in our lives who are in need of God's love. It is my prayer we continue to listen to God in the silent moments that occur in our lives and attentively engage in hopeful, life-giving activities with each other, with the end result being the kingdom of God here and now.

To all of you who are a part of Kids for Christ, junior high, or senior high, I am thankful and grateful for your vow to our community.

Grace and peace to you all.