What Are the Youth Learning on Wednesday Nights this Semester?
This semester our youth group is getting a special and unique chance to develop their faith, grow in their skills, and make an impact on others. It is exciting! Let me tell you more about it.
Over the last half of the summer, the youth focused on sharing the truth with others. We looked at Peter’s call to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet 3:15). Every believer is called to share the hope of Christ by sharing the truth about Him with others in loving ways. But this is a skill that needs to be developed. It takes practice.
So we are building on what we studied over the summer with the opportunity for the youth to teach the book of 1 John (which we looked at during Cereal + Scripture over the summer) to the 3rd-5th graders on Wednesday nights. For the first 15 minutes of the lesson time, the youth and their teachers go over the passage and strategize how to best share it with the younger kids. And then, at about 6:35, the 3rd-5th graders come up and the youth get to teach.
When they do this, they are getting needed practice in sharing their faith and teaching the truths of Scripture with the support of the adult teachers. You might think of it like a lab class where they get to put their learning into practice and develop their skills.
In addition to building skills in sharing truth, they are also growing in knowledge without even realizing it. As we all know, people learn most when they teach. When middle and high school get to teach others, they are actually the ones who benefit most. The lesson is for them.
So they get to build skill and they get to build knowledge, but they also get to experience the blessings that come from being contributors rather than consumers. There are few things more rewarding than making a difference, and they are getting opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the younger kids.
(And, of course, we have fun games on Wednesday nights as well!)
This is not a permanent plan and they won’t always have this opportunity, but it is an exciting season for them to learn and grow. And it complements what they are doing in the other two youth environments during each week. The youth get to have great discussions about applying theology to their lives as we study the New City Catechism in Sunday School, and they get to have lessons from the Book of Acts along with games and a meal together during youth-group on Sunday Nights.
As they do these things, I am so glad that as they spend time being sponges soaking up the water of Word in Sunday School and youth-group, they also get to be sponges doing the work of scrubbing during Wednesday nights. After all, that is biblical. James said, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Jas 1:22). I am so glad that our youth are getting this chance to do that on Wednesday nights this Fall.
Over the last half of the summer, the youth focused on sharing the truth with others. We looked at Peter’s call to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet 3:15). Every believer is called to share the hope of Christ by sharing the truth about Him with others in loving ways. But this is a skill that needs to be developed. It takes practice.
So we are building on what we studied over the summer with the opportunity for the youth to teach the book of 1 John (which we looked at during Cereal + Scripture over the summer) to the 3rd-5th graders on Wednesday nights. For the first 15 minutes of the lesson time, the youth and their teachers go over the passage and strategize how to best share it with the younger kids. And then, at about 6:35, the 3rd-5th graders come up and the youth get to teach.
When they do this, they are getting needed practice in sharing their faith and teaching the truths of Scripture with the support of the adult teachers. You might think of it like a lab class where they get to put their learning into practice and develop their skills.
In addition to building skills in sharing truth, they are also growing in knowledge without even realizing it. As we all know, people learn most when they teach. When middle and high school get to teach others, they are actually the ones who benefit most. The lesson is for them.
So they get to build skill and they get to build knowledge, but they also get to experience the blessings that come from being contributors rather than consumers. There are few things more rewarding than making a difference, and they are getting opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the younger kids.
(And, of course, we have fun games on Wednesday nights as well!)
This is not a permanent plan and they won’t always have this opportunity, but it is an exciting season for them to learn and grow. And it complements what they are doing in the other two youth environments during each week. The youth get to have great discussions about applying theology to their lives as we study the New City Catechism in Sunday School, and they get to have lessons from the Book of Acts along with games and a meal together during youth-group on Sunday Nights.
As they do these things, I am so glad that as they spend time being sponges soaking up the water of Word in Sunday School and youth-group, they also get to be sponges doing the work of scrubbing during Wednesday nights. After all, that is biblical. James said, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (Jas 1:22). I am so glad that our youth are getting this chance to do that on Wednesday nights this Fall.
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