Student led youth ministry teens planned, prayed, and implemented an outdoor service during the 2020 pandemic.
A muddy courtyard waited menacingly. Waiting for my denim colored Chuck Taylors to be engulfed in a brown, wet abyss. No matter! August 29, 2020, the Leaders didn't let clouds deter them from what they'd prepared to do.
What do the Eurythmics, candy, prayer, and chess have in common?
The teens of Young Leaders' Life dreamed up an outdoor service where they used their gifts of teaching, encouragement, mercy, and more to show the Love of Christ to passersby. Each Leader, or group of Leaders, and upcoming leaders demonstrated their devotion to not only the community around them, but their dedication and earnest love for Jesus and it was all student led!
All Hands, Feet, and Candy on Deck
Leaders Kaden, Khalil, and Keilan performed the tasks of hospitality. They created a Talking With God Cafe. They handed out candy and water as they talked to passersby walking the streets of Detroit about the Lord and answered as many questions as they could. When they spotted a tired person walking by, they offered their seat. Khalil did something similar, but added his own stylistic flare to it by inviting passers to play a game of chess with him.
Leaders Layla, Lindsey, and Justice performed a dance to C.C. Winan's, We Pray. Not only did these girls perform this dance, but they also showed the dedication they have for Jesus. Them dancing also showed passers that they could also worship with their movement. When the dance was done, they shared Philippians 4:6-7. "People need to know that they can always pray to God and that He'll always listen and answer their prayers", said Justice.
With the scripture John 1:3 written on a poster board, waving in the wind, attached to her lab table, Leader Kirah created a volcano experiment to share how "Christianity is not anti-Science, but often, Science simply explains what God has done."
When she had completed her experiment, upcoming leaders Lana and Langston handed out flyers to those who walked by but not stopped. As they both handed out flyers they also got to have short conversations with people. They were also really good at it.
Roadblocks and Broken Basses
"My bass is broken!" Adam said with a grimace. The bass sang in low tones, just the the day before to Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics. And after his rendition, he recounted the story of Joseph and his dreams in the book of Genesis. "Dreams are not to be ignored. They can share things about your deep thoughts and sometimes they're just ridiculous and you laugh at them (or that's what I do). They can also cause stress and even be scary, but if they are from God, you don't have to be afraid. Ask God and He'll help you understand them. Just like He did with Joseph." His bass broke right after rehearsal the evening before the outdoor service.
Each Leader chose their own scriptures, their own way to share it, rehearsed on their own, and prayed together. The adults helped set-up chairs and created signs. They plugged in the speakers and held the microphones. But this was truly student-led.
So overall this event was a great success in teaching the leaders how to use their gifts for outreach. They demonstrated their abilities, talents, and bravery through this event and they deserve all the love the can get for it. Great job leaders!!.
For more photos, check them out over the Our Leaders page gallery.