Thursday, May 07, 2009

I wish...

A couple weeks ago, we did an exercise with our Jr. High and High school students to get them dreaming about 'what could be' in the church.  Each person received an index card with the words "I wish WestWay..." printed across the top (beautifully printed by Missi & a blue marker I might add).  

There were no boundaries - just wishes.

I anticipated some pretty good responses (we have some pretty sharp students) sprinkled with a few less helpful thoughts (they have a sense of humor, too).  We're in the process, over the next couple weeks, of breaking these thoughts down and sifting through to determine some next steps.  Here were the responses of our teens:

I wish WestWay...
-and the community would become one
-would bring more members to the church
-would awaken from her slumber and move to change the world
-could have a heart for God and reach out to the lost instead of waiting for them to find us
-would be able to get our church to go out and speak to the ghetto because the Mexicans are cool in school and if they will be with God then everyone will
-would have some sort of a "good deed group"
-in the future would be able, under some circumstance, convert millions of poeple to God - and may God have it happen
-would grow bigger out to the community
-could travel out of town to minister to other teens in other towns
-would do more mission trips - save the whole world
-could help a person to have a healthy life and we could support that one person for 2 or 3 years
-could stay strong and get more people to fill the seats that are empty on Sunday mornings.  I also wish we could get mroe students to come Wednesdays
-would do something.  I don't think anyone has thought about the Spring Thing message.  I want people to take it to heart
-would have more opportunities to reach out by community service
-would be able to bring people to Christ
-would make more things for teenagers to do
-would get a bowling alley
-would grow more spiritually and closer together, and that we would grow more as a body and not just keep going on through life without stopping and looking at what God is doing
-would make more things for teens to do
-had a pet chimp named Joe
-had a youth ministry on Sunday, not just an adult one and you children
-would only change in a good way
-would have a time where we can connect with others, I used to feel on the outside until I started feeling comfortable in front of everyone here.
-It would be cool if we had a prayer altar where we can go pray humbly in front of Him like in one of the side rooms.  People need to listen and learn
-no hypocrites
-could be more of a free talking place, like discussing personal things
-would expand its members and we would gain more people
-would come with me to college or I could bring some of the rest of the church back when I visit
-would get more one on one with each other
-would have more youth Sundays maybe

The bold answers are the ones that groups of 4 or 5 students selected last night as priorities out of the list.  I love where this is pointing.  God is at work in our student ministry - calling students out of themselves and into Him, where He is shaping a mission oriented work force with more energy than GE could ever imagine!  There's a ton of potential energy that's about to go kinetic!

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