As I reflect on this past year, I ought to begin and end with gratefulness to God. He alone is worthy of all the accolades for any of the good things that happened this past year and He alone will be worthy of the same into the future. I write with overwhelming gratitude and an eager excitement for what God will do in the coming days. I believe we are on a trajectory that aligns with God’s heart and His mission – to bring glory to Him alone by making disciples of Jesus (cf. Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45; Acts 1:8).
Moving to Red Deer from America this past July, I had a vague idea of what my job would consist of, but God has shown me so much more than I could have ever prepared for. I was welcomed to the Student Ministries team by an amazing staff here at CrossRoads. The youth leaders I serve with every week have been an incredible encouragement to me and have been so easy to lead. Their enthusiasm and commitment to what God is doing in our youth group is unmistakable. Their passion for God, His Word, and our youth, motivates our youth to deepen their relationship with God and follow in Jesus’ way of life. Additionally, our students and our student’s parents have been so kind and generous to be open to me as the new youth pastor.
Throughout this year, we have seen a substantial growth in engagement across all aspects of our Senior High Youth. Not merely a numerical increase in attendance or participation, but a qualitative shift in our community, promoting a culture of discipleship. One of the significant ways we have seen growth is through prioritizing small groups, or “Houses,” as a hub of meaningful relationships that help spiritual formation. These “Houses” meet after we have had a time for games, singing, and a sermon. Within these groups, our students come together to share in authentic fellowship, sharing the highs and lows of their week, discussing how to apply Scripture to their lives, and shouldering each others needs through prayer. It’s encouraging for me to see students and youth leaders progressively go deeper in relationships throughout this year as they encourage one another to “love and good deeds” (cf. Heb. 10:24-25).
Additionally, we have seen an increase in personal engagement with the Bible itself. More and more of our students are bringing a physical copy of Scripture to church services and to youth since we don’t allow our students to use their phones during our talks. We have seen an exponential increase in our student’s participation in our WhatsApp group dedicated to reading and studying the book we are teaching through called ‘Scripture’.
So, so many other things could be mentioned (let’s grab coffee or a bite to eat if you’d like to hear more), but I believe God has been gracious to both increase the quantity of students involved in our youth group as well as the quality of the discipleship experience they are receiving.
Looking forward to the future, I cannot appropriately express my excitement for what God may have for us. The last few months, I have begun to work on a long-term plan of fostering a culture, model, and strategy for holistic discipleship. We aim to promote health in all areas of life – not merely spiritually, but also emotionally, theologically, relationally, and missionally.
As we celebrate what God has done this past year, we recognize that our pursuit of His mission and the building up of His Kingdom in our homes, youth group, church, Central Alberta, and “to the ends of the earth” is far from over. Let us press on in faith for His image to be more clearly seen in and through us. May we learn to be eager and humble apprentices of Jesus for the glory of God.
In Christ,
Pastor Chad
