Young Adulthood Ministry

We are privileged to have at Central some fine young adults (age 18-30). We have many more away at College.

The Young Adult Ministry (YAM) was (re-) started in 2006. It meets on Wednesday evenings at Peter Colvin's home for fellowship, prayer and a study relevant to the needs of young adults. YAM now also has its own Sunday School class which meets in the old College and Career classroom (enter by the stairs located near the church's kitchen entrance).

YAM is not just yet another ministry. It is critical to the spiritual health of our young adults and to the future of Central. Why is that?

1. The age range 18-30 is one of the most formative periods of life. Central's young adults really have to decide, as they branch out from the safety of home and their parents' authority, whether they love the Lord and are fully committed to Him; that is, whether their Christianity is 'Churchianity' or the real thing. A young adult who is but a convert to Christianity (i.e. has made a profession of faith), but has not gone on to become a fully-fledged disciple of the Lord Jesus is ill equipped, from a spiritual standpoint, to face 'the real world'. YAM serves (actually and potentially) to help young adults make the transition from adolescence, by encouraging them to make important upcoming decisions in life in such a way as pleases the Lord and brings joy to their lives. Besides the fundamental decision as to whether to submit to the Lordship of Christ (with all that that means about laying down godly habits), our young adults are faced with decisions about their careers and life partners. YAM provides young adults with a haven to think through these issues biblically among friends who are peers.

2. One decision that faces young adults is how they will serve the church. It is imperative that they at least consider whether they have the calling and gifts to serve in an ordained capacity. YAM can help them to discover this. This does not mean to say that our young adults are taught that it is a sin for them not to go into the ministry or to the mission field, but they are encouraged to have open minds towards the idea. The needs of Christ's church must come before concerns for salary and social position. That said, if a young adult has come to the conclusion that the gifts and calling are not there to pursue ordained ministry, then YAM is ideally suited to help support them in the career of their choice. Whatever our young adults end up doing with their lives, we encourage them to be committed disciples of Jesus Christ ~ folk who know what they believe and why they believe it, and have the lives to match their talk.

3. YAM is critical because it balances out Central's ministry. One of Central's great strengths has been its ministry to her sick and elderly. While there is always room for improvement, it was good to hear a community chaplain say recently that if a member of Central is sick or dying he could rest assured they would receive good care. We wish to continue this; indeed, we need to. It is said that by 2050 the average life span will be 87. By the same token, we ought to even out the attention we pay our younger adults. I say 'even out' for we do not wish to be guilty of any sort of ageism. We are a family, and that means we care for all our members. As YAM develops, we certainly hope and pray that the rest of the church will feel the benefit of this ministry. Already we have certain members of YAM serving faithfully as senior high advisors. One member of YAM who recently became acquainted with the church is thinking of applying for membership of Central. He has also begun to usher. There is much more that we hope YAM can accomplish in years to come.

For YAM to develop we ask that you take our young adults under your wings and to your hearts.

1. Please pray for them. Ask the Lord to make them strong in their faith, informed in their knowledge of God and His Word, and bold in their witness. Pray especially for those you hear of who decide to engage and 'tie the knot'. Young couples need the example of older couples ~ those who have experience the joy of marriage, but also those who have ridden out the difficult years by 'leaning on the arms of Jesus'. Pray also for those who are single. This may be a temporary or permanent situation, as the Lord wills.

2. Please show an interest in them. Some are new to the church. Come alongside them. Learn what they are doing, build relationships with them, and share as appropriate your experiences of the ways of the Lord and His dealings with you. YAM certainly encourages them to honor their elders and to learn from them. Let's work towards two-way relationships that cross the generation gap and demonstrate the love of Christ to a culture that has created it.

3. Do help make YAM known to those young adults on the fringe of the church. Naturally, the young adults are best suited to advertise the ministry, but you can help too. The first Sunday we began the young adult SS class in the old College and Career classroom was like stepping back in time to a former era. By God's grace and with your help YAM, this time, is here to stay! May He bless it for all our sakes, but above all for His glory! Young adults are not simply the church of the future, they are the church of the present.