T4 Friday Night Youth

Continuing our series looking at different areas of midweek ministry, Erin Kennedy, writes about our Friday Night Youth group, which runs fortnightly:

Hello! We are the Kennedys and we run Trinity@4’s new Youth Group for students in Years 7-9. We had a really clear idea what we wanted the group to be like when Sam and Lucy first approached us with the idea last summer. We were both fortunate to be a part of similar groups growing up and they played a huge part in the friendships we still maintain now, the love we have for the church and the foundations of our faith today.

We wanted the group to meet at our house, where we can all sit around a table and eat a home-cooked meal together, and also be where the Youth can feel relaxed and comfortable. It was essential too that the group was fun and a place they can be themselves. Secondary school can be a tough place to be a Christian, and we wanted the group to be somewhere that they could learn about Jesus and also spend time socially with other Christians.

We have around nine regular members and amazingly they all come from different schools – this fact only serves to reinforce the importance of the group and highlights how isolated they may be as young Christians at school.

In all honesty, the group has exceeded our expectations and been more fun, hilarious and fulfilling than we could have ever foreseen. We are so blessed with such bright, interesting young people and it has been so wonderful watching them form friendships and grow in confidence in our discussions about faith. They have absolutely made themselves at home at ours, which we love and we all feel very fortunate to have Kryssie Steiger, our Ministry Trainee, supporting us with the group – bringing with her some brilliant games and fantastic insight into the Bible.

We feel so supported by the church family, and we really appreciate everyone’s prayers. Prayers for the future would be for the Youth to continue enjoying their Fridays with us, especially as we get into the warmer months where there may diary conflicts. Prayers too that they grow in their faith and that the Youth Group would be a place where they can ask questions and explore the Bible together.