What Can I do For My Church?

What can I do?

That’s a question that I have been asking myself for the last month or so, knowing that the pastor of our church was about to resign. I have had my plate full at church for some time and don’t really have time to take on anything else. I have been working with the students at church for the last 8-9 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. As the youth director of the church, it is my responsibility to plan events and activities for our youth, as well as make sure I have enough male and female sponsors for the event…..and to make sure I have a person who can drive our bus. It is also my responsibility to minister to these students.

Now, I loved working behind the scenes and making sure everything runs smoothly during the worship service, but I felt it was time for me to step down from “behind the scenes” and be available for the students that needed ministered to during the invitation. The last two Sundays, I have been able to be downstairs with the students. It has been wonderful to be able to sit and listen to a message and to also be involved in the singing part of the worship service. I can sit, relax, enjoy being ministered to during the service and then be ready to minister to the students at invitation. I just have to learn to relax and not worry if a mistake is made on the sound or power point. We all make mistakes….that’s how we learn.

When a church loses a pastor, there are so many areas of ministry that need to be covered. Many of our deacons are trying to cover those areas, but they can’t do it alone. It is time for some of the men and women of our church to step out of their comfort zones and help. I am going to do the best I can to see that more students attend on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Unfortunately, many of these students don’t have roots. In other words, when things get tough for their families, many times their families will move to a different house. We have several students right now that get shuffled from one house to another. The problem is, many times when they are shuffled to another house, they are too far away for our bus to pick them up, so they are unable to come.

I can only do so much in the transportation department. As a rule, I do not pick up teenage girls by myself. That is also a rule that I make the other leaders abide by. The female leaders can’t take males home by themselves. If the girls need a ride, they have to contact a female sponsor…no exceptions. Anytime we have a youth event or function to attend, I must have at least one female sponsor go with us. Otherwise, we can’t go. We have many troubled students right now that are dealing with some serious issues. All I can do is be a sounding block for them, especially for the boys. The girls must talk to a female sponsor. There are times when myself and a female sponsor must talk to a female teenager.

Right now, many of our students still do not understand why our pastor left. I have tried to explain it to them a couple of times, so they will understand, however, some are still heartbroken over the fact that he is gone. They have all these problems in their lives and now the pastor that many of them depended on being there for them, has left. That’s one reason why I want to be more involved in ministering to the students. They need to know someone loves and cares for them because many don’t get the attention they deserve at home.

May God continually bless me as I continue to work with the students in our student ministry

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