75 students at the Rising last night.
20 students regularly attending Bible Study
12 students hiking a longer-than-expected hike (thank you Seth) on Sunday
5 staff members taking joy in every moment
If you wanted to review our ministry by the numbers you could see that we are doing pretty well. Any youth ministry would be glad to have 75 students at a youth night and 20 students coming to study the Bible every week. By the numbers, we would probably be considered successful and making progress.
But in a ministry like ours, we don't find the numbers to be the most significant. In truth, "success" is not really a word that applies to us. A more appropriate word would be "faithfulness." After all, we aren't called to be successful, but we are called to be faithful.
I am pleased to say that each staff member at AYM has been faithful to the call they have received. I watch as my fellow teammates laugh with students, pull them aside for serious conversations, beat kids at chess, and have the ever impromptu dance party in the Kennel kitchen. In terms of faithfulness, our team excels, and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of.
We certainly have deep spiritual and emotional challenges when it comes to working with our students but one thing I always go back to is the joy that emerges when our team and our students collide. It is a joy that is unmistakable and beautiful.
It is the joy that comes when God enters a place and transformation begins. And that, I believe, is more significant than anything else we could hope for.
20 students regularly attending Bible Study
12 students hiking a longer-than-expected hike (thank you Seth) on Sunday
5 staff members taking joy in every moment
If you wanted to review our ministry by the numbers you could see that we are doing pretty well. Any youth ministry would be glad to have 75 students at a youth night and 20 students coming to study the Bible every week. By the numbers, we would probably be considered successful and making progress.
But in a ministry like ours, we don't find the numbers to be the most significant. In truth, "success" is not really a word that applies to us. A more appropriate word would be "faithfulness." After all, we aren't called to be successful, but we are called to be faithful.
I am pleased to say that each staff member at AYM has been faithful to the call they have received. I watch as my fellow teammates laugh with students, pull them aside for serious conversations, beat kids at chess, and have the ever impromptu dance party in the Kennel kitchen. In terms of faithfulness, our team excels, and it is a beautiful thing to be a part of.
We certainly have deep spiritual and emotional challenges when it comes to working with our students but one thing I always go back to is the joy that emerges when our team and our students collide. It is a joy that is unmistakable and beautiful.
It is the joy that comes when God enters a place and transformation begins. And that, I believe, is more significant than anything else we could hope for.
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