The Youth Group (Grades 7-12) meets on Wednesday nights after the singing and prayer meeting. In 2016 several topics were studied. The year began with a study of J.I. Packer's "Knowing God." Following this, several months were dedicated to learning about various current events and how to think about them in light of Scripture. In the fall, we discussed several topical issues, and we ended the year by taking a look at the Fruits of the Spirit. "Knowing God" taught the importance of theology and the difference between knowing about God and truly knowing God personally. The book also gives self-assessments for determining if we truly know our Lord. We learned about the importance of the incarnation and the Trinity and discussed a few of God's attributes (wisdom, power, majesty, etc.). Everyone gained a deeper understanding of what it means to know God and be known by Him. In the summer, we discussed several current events and learned what Scripture says about these issues. The stock market collapse of 2008 was the backdrop to a lesson on Godly personal finances. Racial tensions taught us about hate and how to love our neighbors. We learned about Christ as King and the role of government during the presidential election. After floods in Louisiana and earthquakes in Italy, we discussed God as Creator and His power over nature. Any time we turn on the news we see the pain that sin brought into the world, but we also yearn for the day that Christ returns and brings us all home! During the fall, the Youth Group learned about a myriad of topics. We discussed hospitality and being friends to the outcasts, how to live a healthy life without idolizing fitness, how to overcome fear and anxiety through Christ, how to grow in relationship with Christ as a teenager (and as an adult), the importance of keeping the Sabbath and honoring the Lord's Day, how to honor the elderly and our parents, among other subjects. We ended the year with lessons on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Scattered throughout the year were lessons on the "basics": the Gospel, prayer, the "Five Points of Calvinism", etc.
2017 will bring more discussion and more growth for the Youth Group. We will begin the year with a study of book of Hebrews that will last 2-3 months. After this, we will conduct lessons on more topical subjects, followed by another study of a book of the Bible. I look forward to seeing how the Lord works in the youth in the year ahead!
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2017/01/congregational-meeting-youth-group.html
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