Blessed by Youth Leaders

This weekend, I spent Friday night and most of Saturday at a leadership development retreat with 19 teenagers between the ages of 11 and 20.  All of them will be camp counsellors at our summer day camps this year at St. Paul's, the church where I minister.  Every year, when young people gather to do this leadership development retreat, I feel grateful for their willingness to serve and inspired by their eagerness to be with the children of our community, supporting them throughout the week, nurturing them in their faith, and learning what it means to be a leader and mentor.

On the first night of our retreat, we explored the gospel story from Matthew where Jesus calls a few fishermen to follow him and tells them they he will teach them how to fish for people.  We talked about the risk that was involved, leaving their work and their families, dropping everything, to follow Jesus.  We also talked about how these disciples would have been around 15-20 years of age, around the same age as the young people in the room.  We talked about what might inspire them to drop everything.  We wondered how our families might feel if we went in a direction that was less certain and a bit scary.  Our summer camp theme is about the ride of a lifetime and adventures with God.  The curriculum puts a fun spin on these adventures, but taking these risks and adventures can also be difficult and scary.

These 19 youth (23, including the four who couldn't make the retreat) will be on a ride of a lifetime this summer as they put their leadership skills to the test.  They will be working long days, some children will test their patience, and others will pull at their heart strings.  Working as a team will help, but will also test their teamwork skills.  I feel very honoured to be working with them this summer and I know that without them, I wouldn't be able to run these camps.  I'm grateful for their time, their passion, their eagerness, and their energy. 

In the first letter of Timothy, we read, "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (4:12)  Sometimes young people in our culture get a lot of criticism and judgement from those that are older than them.  People dismiss the wisdom of young people because of their lack of years or don't put their trust in youth because of their lack of experience.  If only they could see what I see every summer.  Let no one despise these youth and their care and compassion of the children our community, their willingness to work more than forty hours for a church during their summer vacation, their ability to mentor one another as they work together, and their own growth in their faith and willingness to share God's love.  May I and the church be forever blessed by their presence.  Amen.