Youth Vision - Growing Faith in our Young People

Can you remember the people you journeyed with as you first grew your faith? Those early conversations are often vital to building a solid faith in the future. With our young people, we feel that discipleship, or growing in faith, is something that God wants us to develop at this time. But how can we do this biblically, whilst also    acknowledging the new post-pandemic culture that teenagers are growing up in?

 Allow me to introduce huddles. A huddle is made up of 1 adult with between 2 and 4 young people. These young people are of a similar age, and will probably share quite a few things in common. This huddle is formed by the time the young people start Year 10 (14-years-old), and they commit to the huddle up until the end of Year 13. The goal is to stay in touch regularly, and every half term they catch up in person in a café, on a walk, or something else they all enjoy. Jesus often focussed on just a small group of his disciples!

Every fortnight, all the huddles will meet in one place, each one pairing with another to explore an area of the Bible together. Moving away from meeting the same way every week will better fit with busy schedules and create space for other opportunities.

 We’re not just thinking of our older teenagers. For our Year 7 – Year 9s (11-14s) we want to invite them into church midweek to hang out, in a setting where they feel comfortable inviting their friends. Our time together will end with a chance to explore the Bible and how it relates to our daily lives.

We’re encouraged by a strong return after the pandemic, with almost 30 young people gathering    every Sunday evening, out of over 50 who join us at least once a month. We want to build on how we worship together, and how we serve each other and our community.

 This is our vision for SGSG Youth: young people who are passionate about their relationship with God, reading the Bible, meeting together, praying and worshipping. Being alongside young people as they discover and rediscover God is an absolute privilege, and we’d love you to be a part of it,    whether this is leading a huddle or hanging out midweek.

Chat to me, or visit sgsgashtead.org.uk/youth