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A Youth and Young Adult Ministry Update

2022-9-27 | Pastor Chuck Potts

Greetings,


Since I began on August 8th, I have been praying for the students in this church, their families, and the many other young adults in college and beyond. I’ve also been praying for guidance, as I’ve taken the past two months to learn about where the High School and Young Adult Ministries have been, where they’re at currently, and where God is calling for us to go in the future. I’ve sat with parents; I’ve chatted with students; I’ve learned about some of the storied history of how God has been at work in the lives of students and young adults here at ECC. And I’ll emphasize THAT… God truly has been at work, as He has done amazing things because of the faithfulness and love of this church in this community. It is such a blessing to have joined such a legacy.


In looking forward, it is plain for me to see the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic, and all that has happened since, has had on these ministry areas. I’m grateful for the Fusion ministry and those leaders, both from ECC and from area churches, that have continued caring for students and kept youth ministry moving in this community for the past couple years. Our commitment to this collaboration is one I plan on keeping and supporting for the immediate future, as we have already begun the school year together. However, I also have seen a deep desire and need to renew the community of High School Students as a youth group here at ECC. 


Therefore, we are beginning these new High School Youth Group Nights in October, planning them for the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month from 6:30-8:00pm. My hope and focus with these nights is purely on inviting students to come together and begin carving a new path forward for us to journey on together. I look forward to building these friendships and walking alongside these students as they grow as individuals and as a community, into what God is calling them to be. If you are a student, I hope you give this a try and come on our first H.S. Youth Group night on Wednesday, October 5th.  And I encourage you to use this opportunity to bring a friend, as it’ll be new for all of us together! Parents: don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know if you have questions, concerns, ideas, etc. And if anyone is interested in joining our team of volunteer leaders for these nights, please let me know!


As for the Young Adult Ministry, I’m excited to announce and invite all young adults (roughly 19 to 35 years old) to join me for a lunch after church on Sunday, November 6th (childcare will be provided). This will be a great opportunity for me to meet more of you and get to know you all better, and I hope the same will be for many of you. As we eat, we will be taking some time to share ideas and our hopes for ministry opportunities for us to do together as well. This is a sort of new area of ministry focus and the best people to form and shape where it goes will be all of us young adults together (Yep, I’m 35, so I still technically count! 😉). Thus, in addition to inviting you to put this date on your calendar and plan to be there, I hope you will be praying and discerning both what we can do together as a ministry, AND ways I can be supporting you, your families, and more. Also, please plan on signing up for the lunch when sign-ups become available in October.


As a church, I ask that we all continue praying for these ministries and for the students and young adults in our ECC community. Pray for me as I discern how to lead and care for them well. And if there are ways you would like to help or be a part of these ministries, please let me know right away! 


--Pastor Chuck Potts