youth ministry marker : how we want to see youth

we are starting some new program stuff with our youth ministry at hfumc this week. with that we have a few markers of success. one of them is that our youth are self-feeders. for us that means that they know how to help themselves grow spiritually. this might be using a network of mentors, individual reading/devotion/journaling, or other spiritual practices. we crafted this language after a little story our team heard some time back. my mom actually forwarded an email version of the story, so i share with you.

WHY GO TO CHURCH

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church? A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.(or Saturday)'I've gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all'

This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: 'I've been alive for 30 years now. In that time eaten some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the every menu for those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If I did not eat those meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!'

no need to forward this to all your friends. Jesus still loves you and you have not disclaimed him or God. &:~)