YouthLead (formerly Lutheran Youth Fellowship) recently assembled dozens of teenagers from around the country to develop as leaders and to share their faith. That gathering included five youth from the Pacific Southwest District: Adam Beadle, Ella Brinkman, and Makayla Martin from Risen Savior, Chandler, as well as Madelyn Binnie and Nathaniel Powell, from St. Paul’s, San Diego.
Participants learned how to craft and lead devotions, discovered their own leadership strengths (utilizing the Clifton StrenghtsFinder), and engaged the best ways to handle conflict resolution. Ella Brinkman commented that “YouthLead has helped me grow in my faith so much over the past three years. I’m so thankful for the experience to meet other high schoolers from around the country who are just as eager and excited to learn about Christ and who He calls us to be. I have grown as a leader both in my personal and spiritual life and have met some of my closest friends through this experience. It’s something I encourage anyone to do.”
Attendees also made friends from all over during this weekend retreat outside of St. Louis. They worshipped and prayed, sang and laughed around the campfire, and enjoyed meaningful conversations each day. Adam Beadle, who serves on the executive team, shared that “YouthLead is one of the best parts of my year. I love being able to help encourage others to make an impact in their church, and it’s always so great to meet so many new faces!”
Each of the participants is praying about God’s plan for their lives and their future vocations. Many are contemplating church work; all will be witnesses and influencers however God leads. To learn more visit lcms.org/youth-ministry.
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Untold thousands are still in darkness, lost like “sheep that have gone astray”. But this is exactly the mission our Lord has created His Church for – reaching the lost for Jesus’ sake in as many ways as necessary. This is the purpose for which our 300 churches and 150 schools were founded in their many contexts. And “the fields are ripe for the harvest” right now!
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