“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20
To commune with God in fellowship is practically commanded of us in the Scriptures. Time and time again we see the disciples gathering together to share stories and challenge each other’s faiths. It should be no different for us in our personal journey with God and one another, including our young people.
In 2024 we kicked off our Youth Small Group to give our young people who have dedicated their lives to God to delve deeper into the Bible and their faith.
So what’s our Youth Small Group all about, and how does it help them in their faith and everyday lives?
What is Youth Small Group?
Much like an adult small group, our Youth Small Group is a space twice a month for our youth to gather, play a game or two and then head into a topic exploring God, christian faith or practising ministry.
In 2023 we were blessed to have so many youth being baptised, which gave us the opportunity to evaluate how we support our young people in their personal faith journeys.
Youth Small Group has been created as a space for youth to delve deeper into their faith in a meaningful way, crucial at their development stage. We want to equip our young people with a fuller understanding of doing the Christian journey together and help shape their experience of church which will prepare them for when they are adult believers and out in God’s kingdom.
Like the wider church, there is so much power in personal invitation. This new small group gives our Youth Pastor Hannah Raden a space to invite young people ready to dive deeper together, whilst having plenty of fun along the way!
Why is togetherness so important for young people?
Young people have to process all manner of life experiences; bullying, university choices, peer pressure, exams…
Add a constant stream of information from social media, and it doesn’t make for a promising environment for faith development.
Youth Small Group helps young people take a step back and be with real people in a real space, helping them to solidify their identity as beloved believers and to go out to every corner of society for the gospel.
Small group offers our young people the opportunity for perspectives to be challenged and personal journey’s to be encouraged.
It allows them to grow together.
One of the fundamental values of youth work is participation.
At the core of what we do is the youth voice.
Although we have kicked started the life of the Small Group with a programme looking at creative prayer, we are really looking forward to jumping into some of the topics and books of the Bible that interest our young people.
By letting their voices be heard, it allows young people and adults alike to hear more of the ways God is moving in our lives.
More information on Youth Small Group
Our Youth Small Group is aimed at older Youth who have been baptised, committed their lives to God or are ready to delve deeper into scripture.
For more information on Youth Small Group email Hannah Raden at hannah.raden@suttonvineyard.org or speak to us on Sunday!
Want to help young people develop in their faith and relationship with God? Serve on the Sutton Vineyard Youth team! Email hannah.raden@suttonvineyard.org or speak to one of our team on Sunday about how you can get involved.