Hanging around Young Adult Methodists

Last night, I met with a young adult couple during our Wednesday Common Cup program. They will be getting married later this year. Like many young adults I encounter, they are open to growing in their faith and they offer important perspectives about faith and life.

One of the ways that our church is opening itself up to hearing from our young adults is by having one of our own young adult members, Adam Leopard, (Asbury College) come to serve as a student ministry intern in partnership with us this summer. Adam has a passion for graphic designs, youth ministry, media, and discipleship formation.

Several of our young adults are students in colleges where they are active in campus ministries and growing in their faith. They are learning what it means to be involved in intentional faith-sharing small groups and several of them are being trained to become leaders of ministry groups.

Because young adults are such an important part of our congregation, I want to dedicate articles on this web blog to what our young adults can teach us and to hear what the United Methodist Church is doing to reach out to our young adults.

I've asked some of our young adults to participate in an e-mail forum with me on a weekly basis. If you are a young adult and want to be part of this e-mail discussion group, send your e-mail address to PastorRobert@fcum.org.

One of the ways that young adults are visible in our congregation is through our Sunday morning contemporary worship service. Almost all of the praise team members are young adults. I've been to a number of contemporary worship services in difference churches and many of their praise teams are middle-age with only a few young adults. I'm proud that our church has such a visible ministry of young adults. This is just one example.

Last night, the young adult couple I was with shared that one of their favorite scriptures is Ephesians 4:14-21 (great passage by the way!) which was written by the Apostle Paul. As I think about the importance of hearing from our young adults, I am reminded how the Apostle Paul stayed in touch with young adults like Timothy and how they grew together as disciples of Jesus Christ.

And so, to all our young adults out there...know that the church cares about you and wants to learn from you in what it means to be growing disciples of Jesus Christ. You have a lot to offer 40 plus year olds like myself!