BELONG

Just wanted to get some things worthy of celebration out there, and give you the opportunity to share in my joy! I've been keeping a journal which I've deemed my "Collide Celebration Journal" (very original I know, you can slow clap for me if you wish) and wanted to give you an update on what's been happening in our Collide Youth Ministry this summer.

Our Collide Leadership team started the summer with a singular focus, and the singular theme of "Belong". We truly believed that if we could create an atmosphere where teens felt like they had a place; had a voice, then we would see continued spiritual breakthrough and growth. We set out to create this culture by giving each of our adult leaders a chance to share their stories during our Wednesday night Collide services. Each adult has shared from their heart times when they felt they belonged, times when they felt left out, times when they felt they'd helped a peer belong. What a great God we serve who weaves our pain, joys and life experiences into a beautiful tapestry for His name and His glory! These stories have begun a bond between adults and students that in this age would take months if not years to accomplish.

We also kicked off our Collide Student Leadership team which is at the time of this writing at 20 students and growing!

We've given the students a charge to focus on being inclusive, rather than exclusive with newcomers. Often times in youth ministry we see a group which is content to stick with who and what they know with very little chance for new students to break into the "circle of friends." We pushed them to seek out visiting students with the mindset that this is no "youth group" but a "youth ministry", and a youth ministry that they play a vital role in! A youth group is a gathering of people but a youth ministry is not just a gathering, but a gathering in motion, on the move, in action for Christ! Not only should our established students feel they belong here but so should anyone who visits or just stops by to check it out.

Our continued emphasis on family, and shared experience with events like our annual MEGA Relay, Collide Family Dinners on 5th Wednesdays, and Care Groups has also been a point of emphasis to the tune of the largest attendance we've ever had at a Collide meeting for MEGA Relay. We've also had over 60% of our students plug into a Care Group since February this year!

We have begun prepping our leadership students to share their testimonies during Collide services, stretch beyond what they'd be comfortable doing in going on a mission trip to Haiti in July, (of which we had 10 respond to the call) and attend an attempt to do Youth Camp in a way we've never done before at "Element Camp" in August. Each week it is our goal to give away more and more of the weekly ministry to the students. We believe success isn't based on numbers of students around, but numbers of students bought into the vision that they are a crucial part of any ministry that takes place. As a peer they will have opportunities in their schools, sports teams, band, drama team, etc. that we adults never will and we must equip them for the Lord's call!

Well, the results are in, and with a great kick off to the summer with MEGA Relay and our Student Haiti Mission trip, we've seen a momentum like never before begin stirring. The Lord is up to something, and it's not just an emotional response soon to fade, but a fire that He has continued to stoke in each of our hearts with each new week. Students are hungry for God's word, going out of their way to participate in prayer services at the church and other churches, proclaiming the name of Jesus at the mall, on Facebook, and at the beach! This is just the beginning!

At our "Element Youth Camp" last week we had students take a stand and respond to the call to leave comfortable Christianity behind, knowing that is not the Lord's design for our lives. They have begun to rise to the challenge to live a radical, sold out for Jesus faith that isn't content with our plans, and our goals with Jesus tacked on at the end. It's all in for Jesus! With that being said, we had a student who'd been attending Wednesday night Collide for a few months give her life over to Jesus for the first time at camp! Not only that, but it was my honor to baptize her the last night of camp along with 6 others who chose to rededicate their lives to Christ and His call. We also prayed over at least 10 of our students who felt the calling of the Lord on their life to pursue full time vocational ministry! Can you feel the power of the Holy Spirit all over these words as you read them?!

God is stirring, students and adults alike are responding. We are slowly waking from our slumber and allowing the fire our the gospel of Jesus Christ to fuel our every waking moment. Our schools will NOT look the same, our workplaces will NOT look the same, our sports teams will NOT look the same...God is ready to so something HUGE, something only He could orchestrate, and we are placing ourselves under the waterfall of His mighty grace to receive from Him the very love that the world needs us to pour out on them.

We are choosing to join the Lord Jesus in what He is up to...will you join us? Because in Christ you Belong here!