Dear TVLC Congregation,
I have been blessed to be a part of middle and high school ministries at TVLC for 27 years. The time has come for me to step aside and make way for something and someone new. My last day on staff and as a volunteer with student ministries will be May 31, 2023.
Our student ministries have ebbed and flowed over the years. Right now, we have a wonderful group of students yearning for the opportunity to understand and deepen their faith. They want to learn from adults at TVLC; we can learn from them too. These students face unique challenges in their lives. “Youth Group” as we used to understand, know, and love it, is vastly different in 2023. Yet one thing remains steady: the desire and need for students to have relationships with at least 5 adults besides their parents who know them and are invested in them. They also need to rebuild the peer friendships they had before the pandemic.
I appeal to all the people of TVLC to step up to work with our young people. You may think they don’t want their parents, or “old people” involved in their youth programming. I say they do. Young people build their faith by watching and talking with adults about their faith journeys. Volunteer to help once a month or accompany them on a big trip to experience the wider church. Always pray for them. Talk with them after worship. Make a concerted effort to get to know 2 of our young people and tell them you will pray for them and keep up with their activities.
Listen to where God is nudging you to participate. Be a part of nurturing the future of TVLC and God’s church. Make student ministry a priority in all that you do at/for/with TVLC. Offer ideas, pray, and most of all, participate. It’s the participation that makes it all so energizing, so life-giving, and so fulfilling.
TVLC is a strong and thriving congregation. I know God will continue to work in and through our students and families to Share Jesus’ Love.
Blessings,
~ Erin
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