Young Adult - Making connections with young adults in the Church …
Let
no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech
and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. - 1 Timothy 4:12
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*Travel expenses are the responsibility of the participant. Transportation will be provided from the airport to Mt. Morris, back to the airport.
Young Adult Retreat 08 Was A Lot Of Fun!
A varied group of about 18 young adults (not counting the old people who cooked) gathered on the weekend of April 25 for fellowship, spiritual inventories, food, worship and fun. The weather was great, only one dead deer was found in the lake, and we all went to the Mountain Laurel Moravian Fellowship for worship Sunday morning. Here are some pictures of the event!
Young Adult Retreat 07 Great Fun!
Even though the numbers were small, the Sabbath weekend April 2-22 at Laurel Ridge was just that – relaxed, enjoyable, great friends, engaging devotions, community worship, great fun. Here
are some pictures of the weekend. Hope you will consider coming next year!
Ideas For Making Connections With Young Adults In The Church
The following suggestions are just that - suggestions, as young adults are a very diverse group of people. Young adults (who are 18-30ish years in age) can be in school, single, married, having children, building a career, living at home with their parents, living in an apartment, buying a house. Some words that might describe this group are: mobile, multi-task oriented, explorers, action-oriented, casual, technologically literate, high expectations and high maintenance, relational.
Treat them as adults. If they grew up at your church, make sure you treat them now as adults and not the children/youth that they were a few short years ago.
Offer short-term commitment opportunities. This group generally does not respond well to lengthy program commitments. Short-term programs (month or two), one-time events, day or weeklong projects are more likely to draw young adults than long term commitments like teaching a year in Sunday School, etc.
Provide a place for them. Make sure there is a place for them in virtually every aspect of church life. Offer invitations for ushering, being a deiner, playing in the band, helping serve a dinner, leading in worship, etc. That doesn’t mean they’ll always come through, but being included is important.
Doing instead of talking. Often, young adults are more interested in doing a project or something active than sitting around and talking about it. Many young adults are very mission oriented.
Give them choices, choices, choices. This generation has grown up with a multitude of choices. Offering lots of choices in activities, studies, etc. may be more difficult to provide in smaller congregations, but having some kind of choice appeals.
Offering variety in worship. Change seems to be a constant with this generation. Worship that utilizes different and interactive styles of music, liturgy, order, sermon/reflection, prayer, etc. is attractive. The “contemporary” vs. “traditional” music conflicts are less of an issue than many think. It’s the variety that matters.
Expect and be accepting of informality. The traditional suit and dress for Sunday mornings are not high priorities. Such an expectation will be met with little enthusiasm and possibly an exit.
YAMS - Young Adult Moravians
The YAMs were formed in 2003 to provide a Bible study and fellowship group for individuals out of college but not quite “grown up”. We come together to support each other through prayer, fellowship, bible study and fun as we all try to find our place in the world as young adults. We invite Moravians and non-Moravians to join us!
This flyer answers these questions:
- Who Are The YAMS?
- What Do We Do?
- Contact Information
Brad Bennett
bbennett@mcsp.org (IM -
bradb53)
336-722-8126
