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Hopeful Story, March 9, 2014

  Many teenagers lead busy lives. They’re involved in organized sports. They have homework. They have part-time jobs. And they’re involved in family and church activities, like everybody else. These realities have made it difficult for some of our teens to come out to the Wednesday night youth group meetings.
  Tabletalks For Teens was created to provide an additional time and venue for teens to meet. On February 2 and March 2, teens and youth leaders came to our home after the morning services for a lunch and some free-wheeling conversation and socializing. Thirteen kids showed up for the first one; eight teens came out last Sunday.
  For Marja and me, Tabletalks For Teens is an excellent opportunity to connect with our young people. I have been looking for a way to interact with our youth in a comfortable setting, and this seems like a really good fit. For us, it’s not a new idea. We used a similar format during our campus ministry years in London when we regularly hosted 40-70 University students in our home every Wednesday night. In our previous church, we welcomed our youth once a month on a Sunday night.
  I love the relaxed setting. The meal. The socializing. Especially the conversation based on a topic or issue suggested by the teens themselves. My only role is to facilitate the conversation and bring some Christian perspective to the subject at hand. From what I’ve been told, the kids and leaders who show up have enjoyed our time together. I’m just glad for the opportunity to better understand and know our church’s young people.
  When I thanked one of the parents for picking up their child at 3 pm and offering to drive some others home, she said, “I’m happy to be a chauffeur so that my kids can experience things like this.” I appreciated her attitude and encourage every other parent to get behind HSM (weekly on Wednesdays) and Tabletalks For Teens (the first Sunday every month). With your support, we can strengthen your child’s relationships with their peers, their pastor and youth leaders, and with the Lord.
- Pastor Peter

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