“I come to see my friends.”
It was a tentative answer preceded by silence and knowing glances. I had just asked our students, “Why do you come to Youth Fellowship?” I think they all wondered if Christian friendship was a sufficient answer.
Even if it’s not everything, it’s a perfect start.
Christian friendship in no way falls short of God’s desires for us. It is at the heart of the gospel. While we were still sinners, Christ died to reconcile us to God. Friendship is one of the graces of faith. Friendship with God was accorded to Abraham, the father of our faith, and it was the name Jesus gave to his disciples before he went to the cross when he said they they were no longer called servants but friends (John 15:15).
I am so grateful that friendship marks the experience of our students within our ministry because we also lead with it.
This picture tells a wonderful story of Christian friendship that God has been working in for years through the fellowship of Redeemer Anglican Church. It is our Youth Fellowship team celebrating the wedding of Natalie Gillisse and Jake Davis.
Four years ago, we were largely strangers to one another who began serving the students of Redeemer. Now we are friends – good friends. The kind of friends that make up your wedding party. The kind of friends that you ask to be godparents after the birth of your child. The kind of friends that you hold in mind as you begin to plan your life. The kind of friends you pray and fast for as they are job hunting in Richmond.
Two of our leaders, Kate Ramsdell and Emily Murray, stood with Natalie as her bridesmaids. I (Christian) got to pray the blessing after Natalie and Jake made their vows. Our former worship leaders, Spencer and Meg Mamo, flew in from Colorado. Jake will also hold the honor of becoming the first leader we’ve ever recruited to our team through marriage!
We highlight these stories because we are always teaching our kids, even when we’re not trying. And one of the beautiful things that our Youth Fellowship team is modeling for your sons and daughters is the goodness and the potential for friendship in the Church as they become adults.
We want our kids to see the joy of serving Christ together as we serve his Body. We want our kids to see that coming together even after a long day at the office or the hospital or law school classes brings us life.
God has made us friends.
And so when you catch glimpses of the friendships that your sons and daughters are forging in our fellowship together, pray that the roots of these friendships will grow deep.
With Peace,
RETREAT TESTIMONY
It’s 3:55pm on Friday, October 18. Retreat weekend is finally here. Students begin to gather at the Parish House with duffle bags, backpacks, pillows (or pillow pets) and all those extra items that didn’t quite make it into the first round of packing. The energy of students greeting their friends and saying final goodbyes to parents bubbles to the surface. After circling the block twice and repacking to make more room in the van, we set off to Smith Mountain Lake. I hear the dull hum of conversation and laughter emanating from the backseat.
While the students look forward to a weekend to relax, fellowship with friends, and connect with their faith on a deeper level, I’m anticipating how God might use these relationships to draw us closer to one another and, in turn, to learn a bit more about His goodness. I’ve experienced a taste of His unfailing love in the mutual bonds of friendship developed with my co-leaders and I hoped to model Christ-like friendship to our students.
One of the joys of leading in this Fellowship is witnessing relationships formed in real-time. I had the opportunity to catch up with one of our 10th grade students, Riley Helms, to recap the weekend. She described the dynamic of that van ride to Smith Mountain Lake. She shared that being an “older” student on the retreat meant that younger students wanted her perspective and opinions. She said, “They were very much wanting all the details on [my life], but, at the end of the day, you have to know God before understanding how to love others.” She described her experience in Youth Fellowship like this, “It has strengthened friendships and helped me remember and relate to [these] girls a lot better. You are human and you feel these same emotions I feel.”
I’m struck by Riley’s wisdom. As I was focusing on what lessons I could impart on the students in our Fellowship, she was doing the work of the Gospel in the backseat of the van. She faithfully listened to younger students and pointed them to Christ – to have a relationship with Him as the ultimate priority. Wow! Riley spoke about the retreat as a “moment to relax” and yet she’s loving others through mere presence in our Fellowship as an image-bearer of Christ’s love for the least of these and the youngest in our Youth Fellowship.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
