Teen Group Update

Things have been busy but very good since I last posted here! While Pastor was away in California, he had time to develop a myriad of ideas. We spent the last two weeks developing some of those things, the biggest development for me was stepping up the Youth Ministry and finally naming our group! We are now called the Rebels!!! (allow me to elaborate!)

• Firstly, for those of you who don't know, Cork is nicknamed "The Rebel County", as a result of the support of the townsmen (incl. the Lord Mayor!) of Cork in 1491 for Perkin Warbeck, a pretender/impostor to the throne of England during the Wars of the Roses. Also, the name has referred to the prominent role Cork played in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and its position as an anti-treaty stronghold during the Irish Civil War (1922-23). Today, our hurling team carries the nickname, the rebels!

• The TEEN years are often associated with rebellion, as you might already know! Some teens embrace rebellion as what they’re supposed to do, or some teens get frustrated that everything they do is expected to be worthless, and rebel!

• Unfortunately, parents have the same views! They just expect the worst from them and the world is teaching parents to just get used to it. That is not encouraging for a teen at all. Listen to this quote about the mindset of some parents. (If you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last.) That’s encouraging! Just because they made mistakes, doesn't mean their teens should go and do the same!!

• SO, as teens are following the wrong things, and the world, they ought to rebel against the world’s idea of who they should be and what they should do! And do it the BIBLE WAY …

We looked at Moses, denying the pleasure of sin for a season to suffer affliction with the other Hebrews. A little with God is better than anything this temporal world can offer!

Later in May we had a Hawaiian Luau Party! We played coconut bowling and had a BBQ! It was great fun, and the teens learned about letting their rebellion shine! That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Phil 2:15
We looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's rebellion against King Nebuchadnezzar. They fought the right enemy by not conforming, had the right God, and had a right heart before all.

At the end of May, we went down to Tralee, Co. Kerry for Paintballing! However, all the girls went shopping while we warred and battled as mighty men of paintballing valour!!
Just last Saturday, we celebrated "Everyone's Birthday" in one night! We bought each other presents and recorded a video-time capsule message that we will watch this time next year and laugh at our immaturity! This was great fun!
We also learned about Solomon's pursuit of wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes, and I exhorted the teens to learn from him, rather than make the same personal mistakes themselves. We found out that the pursuit of happiness in worldly things leads to emptiness, depression, disappointment, consequences, and judgment both in this life, and the next.
Fulness of joy is in walking with Jesus Christ personally and daily, through reading and learning from God's Word, talking with Him in prayer, and yielding and living to please Him.

Next Saturday, we hope to go out on the streets with video cameras and conduct a "Good Person" survey a la Way of the Master! Unlike Ray Comfort found in America, you'll find a lot of people in Catholic Ireland will actually accept the fact that they aren't that good! Our aim is to prove that according the Bible:

1. Good works will in no way offset our bad works (it doesn't matter how many old lady's you help to get across the road!)
2. That we need to get saved now, as it is judgment time THE MOMENT we die! (Catholics seem to want to cross that bridge when they come to it)
   
3. That we can know for sure in this life that we have a home in Heaven!
4. That Jesus is the only way!

There are many many issues that we could deal with but these seem to be most common, foundational, and most important to deal with.

Brethren, pray for us ...