Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. James 1:22-24
At first thought, when I began writing this installment for the newsletter, I thought it seemed a bit selfish of me. What God placed on my heart was an aspect of ministry that I very much love but seem to have less and less opportunity to engage in. I’m speaking of youth ministry and ministry to children.
Throughout my career as a pastor, I have seen both sides of the coin. In my first call, there were few children, but the church was one with a heart for mission and an outward focus. My second call was much different. There were many children and youth members but the focus of the congregation was more inward than outward. One common factor between the two was that the youth and children enjoyed doing projects for the sake of other people. As pastor and people, we planned outreach mission projects, and the youth of the church naturally gravitated toward the activities along with their pastor, parents, and grandparents. Eventually, many more congregation members joined in and enjoyed the fellowship that went along with activity.
In Charleston, we took field trips to food pantries, gave away sausage biscuits, juice, and coffee to folks who walked by our church on Sunday mornings. We provided a monthly grocery distribution out of our fellowship hall for those who were economically challenged. All the while the children of the church were alongside watching, learning, and doing.
In Salisbury, the children and youth would shop for warm coats, hats, gloves, and backpacks for kids in the elementary and middle schools near our church. They had a lot of fun doing so and learned how to apply Jesus’ teaching about loving our neighbors to their every day lives. Certainly, young Christians love getting involved in the mission of the Gospel.
This evening, following the first night of our VBS, I was reminded of the time when I was the leader of the first Carolinas NALC Campfirmation Cluster. Each summer, nine of our congregations would join together in sending their youth to camp with their pastor. Volunteers from the various congregations provided lunches and other kinds of support. We engaged in all the usual camp activities. Campfire, songs, skits, crafts, hiking, and even cookouts in the national forest. You might think these activities were the highlights for the kids, but you would be mistaken. Each year, we would read the evaluations from the campers in which they said the worship services each day (matins and vespers) were their favorite part of the day. The next favorite camp activity was the service project we did.
Our group had a relationship with a facility for adults with special needs. Each year we would enlist all our youth members and put on a carnival for the clients. We painted bird houses, played musical chairs, had face painting, and all sorts of other games. Oh yes, we also had plenty of music. Singing with the clients was a treat and everyone enjoyed the smiles and laughter.
So why is this on my heart? Well, it’s mainly due to the declining numbers of young people we have within our midst, and the few volunteers within our congregation actively engaged in outreach mission. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very pleased with the response of our church family when it comes to supplying for the needs of others, and our Mercy Bag ministry is a blessing for many. But when is the last time our congregation rolled up our sleeves and pitched in at a local facility that helps others? When is the last time we scheduled an outing or mission project and brought our youth along to help out? Truly, it has been quite a while since St. Jacob’s has engaged in such activities.
Truth be told, young people love getting involved, especially with older members of the congregation. And as they do, they invite their friends. When this happens, the Holy Spirit breathes a fresh breath of life into congregations that are in need of renewing ministries. As I said to one of our young adult members last week,” Please invite your friends to come worship with us, we could use more young people among us.” But even if they come, we will need to have something to keep them here. Serving others provides purpose and meaning to their young lives.
Yes, youth ministry is much more than playing games, watching movies and going bowling. It is teaching the youth how to be disciples of Jesus Christ, by doing the work of the Gospel and inviting them to accompany us as we do it. As older members of congregations sometimes grow content with being hearers of the Word only, and not being doers of the Word, the younger generation falls away because the message from the pulpit is not compatible with the life of the those who gather. Jesus came “as one who serves, not as one to be served.” (Mark 10:45). The key is for able bodied Christians to actively engage the mission of the Church, inviting children and youth to be a part of the activity.
Yes, being hearers and doers of the Word of God is attractive to young people who want to make sense of the message they hear from church. It’s imperative that we give them that chance to become hearers and doers. Those who are hearers only fall away after a time, or at best, become lethargic in their faith. We are all called by Christ to be servants for the sake of others in need. Our response to Jesus’s command makes all the difference.
I am deeply appreciative of the small number of church family members who do regularly volunteer engaging the mission of the church. Thank you also to Lynn and Susan Shealy for taking the youth shopping for Mercy bag items during VBS. That was a wonderful way to get them engaged. Of course, to be even more effective and to become a congregation known as one with a heart for mission, there is plenty of room for more volunteers who would take up their cross and follow our Lord Jesus. Please consider how you might respond to this call to mission.
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
