It is a Thursday night in Tiger, Georgia at a Life Teen Summer Camp named Covecrest. Where teenagers come to be given rest in the name of Jesus. They come to be rebuilt, all in the name of Jesus. They come to Covecrest, all to meet Jesus. The men and women are in their respective small groups scattered across the camp, and the most beautiful thing that any one person can see at Covecrest, is a youth minister praying over his or her teens.
There has never been a time where the Catholic Church has needed an influx of youth to join its heartbeat. It has been said that the youth are the future of the world and that is completely true, and maybe in some ways that gives you a little anxiety. These teenagers and children are brought up and exposed to so many things, some of them respectively good and some bad. Many of the times it seems as though we are only being covered by the stuff that harms us, drugs, bullying, alcohol, abortion, and that’s only to name a few. But if you look hard enough and get away from the distraction, there are people fighting for the good in the world. Fighting for the Church, fighting in the name of Christ. These people many a time, can be found in Youth Ministry. As a Church, and as disciples of Christ we are called to lead people to Heaven and in the process as well to mimic Christ, and hoping that while we do so we can make the world a better place. Make no mistake, this is not an easy path. We are fighting for a causes that is widely regarded as unpopular, but that’s no matter because the world needs to know salvation. In my opinion that starts with young people, to show those who will have souls that will burn to show others the saving grace that Jesus offers. Although these teenagers and children won’t be able to do that without help and guidance, and that’s where Youth Ministry makes its impact. Someone must bear the weight of transforming generations, and that is why Youth Ministry is so important. All those that are involved in Youth Ministry are helping me realize the depth of the saying that Jesus does not call the equipped but equips the called. I never knew as a teen that I would even qualify to do relational ministry missionary work at a Life Teen camp in the middle of Georgia for six weeks. I would have never have gotten there either, if my youth ministers never showed me what life could be like with Jesus, if they never showed me what type of person I wanted to be. Youth Ministry transforms hearts, hearts that learn of the yearning inside of them for Jesus. They transform teenagers into men and women of Christ that want to fight for a better world. I know that youth ministry continues to do that, and it makes the world a better place and not only that, it helps combat all those things that plague our world; it helps Jesus shine his light in the darkest of places. It is a humble thing, youth ministry, to sometimes never even see the fruit of your labor. All who have been in ministry have eventually come to understand that they have not much to offer to these teenagers, but praise God that he humbly takes what we have and exponentially makes it so much better. Just as the boy, who remains unnamed in scripture in John 6, offers the food he has, as little as it may be and has it multiplied. But the teenagers as well receive this grace, I have come to know many people that say, they would never have come to be the person they are without all that their youth minister and ministry program had done for them. God worked in their lives, and in my life, to make us in to something greater, to make what we do all to bring Him glory. The importance of youth ministry has never been more paramount, the world needs salvation; and we need a generation whose soul is burning to show the world what that means. Youth ministry is bringing us near that, and personally I can’t wait to see how it changes the world.
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Tyler DiBernardoTyler DiBernardo is a an alumni of the University of Oregon and of Holy Trinity Life Teen. Tyler dedicated six weeks serving as a missionary at Camp Covecrest for Life Teen.Tyler is a CORE member at Holy Trinity! Pray for him and his ministry! ArchivesCategories |