In his sermon last Sunday, Alistair challenged us to consider what role the teenages in our church can play in our lives together. This week, we asked graduating senior Kelley MacArthur to talk with some of the graduating seniors who participate in the high school ministry at Parkside to get their thoughts on high school, the church, and what's next in their lives.
High school is a time of love and hate, exploration and confusion. As teenagers, we begin to decide what we will accept as truth. We're often deceptively tempted by the media and magazines, tabloids and advertisements that we see everyday around the towns and cities in which we live to pursue false "truths" that seek to distract us. Peer pressure becomes a reality rather than simply warnings we read in D.A.R.E. booklets, and the stresses of homework, social lives, and our family circumstances occasionally get the best of us.
Adults often scoff at teenagers, possibly because they believe that we are simply dramatic and naïve, and while that may sometimes (and often) be the truth throughout this stage of life, it's often forgetten that these four years are ones that will begin to shape the path we will take for the
rest of our lives.
Thankfully, God graciously loves all people -- including those of us who are 13-18 years old. He has given teenagers throughout the Solon and Bainbridge area (and beyond) Parkside's Student Impact--a place teens can go every week on Thursdays to meet with fellow believers in Christ, to worship, and to learn more about the all-powerful, awesome love of God. Through this group, we were also invited to explore other opportunities, such as small groups, retreats, or service projects through the service team. No matter what the occasion, it always seemed that the love of God radiated, creating connections and bond between students and the leaders, students and the world, and students and their God.
"I have gotten so much out of SI these last four years and sometimes I think I forget about what a blessing it really is to have a group of other Christian believers to spend time with and to grow with," states senior Hillary Wilson. "I am also so grateful for the relationships I have built with other teen believers, and I know that it has helped strengthen my faith. I definitely think that I have grown spiritually in these last four years, but I know that I still have a very long road ahead of me and a lot more growing to do."
Chase Jones, also a senior, explains, "Having been involved with the youth group since 6th grade, it is really cool to see the spiritual metamorphoses my friends and I have undergone since then. Sadly, many people fell off along the way, but we joyfully welcomed other students as well. It has just been incredible to see the way that Christ has worked in all of our lives--transforming us from small silly little kids into committed followers of Christ."
As most of us are dispersing to various places around the globe, I can only pray for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who I have come to know over these four years that they will keep the love of Jesus in sight and will follow the path He has marked for them, for "wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matt. 7:13-14)."
The most important thing we can do is remember: remember the friendships that have enabled us to grow over the years; remember the truths taught to us from God's word, rather than the deceptions of the world; and remember the exotic, incredible, and soul-saving path revealed to us through the blood Jesus Christ lovingly shed for us upon the cross. It has been a pleasure knowing these wise, wonderful, loving individuals over the past four years, and I am incredibly excited to see how they will spread the love of God throughout the world.
