Cambridge Church of Seventh-day Adventists, Medford MA

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Mar 19th
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You're here,> Home Adventist Youth Society

Leader: Joshua de Souza

Adventist Youth Society (AYS) is a program geared towards the youth and young at heart. The Cambridge youth have been witnessing and getting souls ready for Christ's coming. Our activities include Saturday evening programs as well as out door functions with other churches and the community. The committee works hard ensuring that God's children are nurtured on a day-to-day basis. Our doors and our hearts always welcome more young people to share the wonderful experience of being part of the Cambridge Church of Seventh-day Adventist Youth Ministry. Come share your ideas and grow with us.

Mission Statement: The primary focus of youth ministry is the salvation of youth through Jesus Christ.

Objectives: The Youth Department gives leadership training for the Adventist Youth in the Cambridge Church of Seventh-day Adventists.

Set Apart

Set Apart

Set Apart

What makes you feel confident about yourself? Is it your friends – your clothing – your popularity? As teens, we find it easy to rely on these things. I’m as vulnerable as anyone! We constantly wonder, “Am I wearing the right clothes, listening to the right music, and hanging out with the right people?” In exchange for our efforts, our confidence fluctuates, depending on the response we receive. If we really think about it, it’s not the happiest way to live. But there is another way.
My friend Michael* has chosen this separate way. When asked how he faces peer pressure in public school, he finds it hard to see the attraction of typical peer-dependent high school life. His peers may think he’s odd and different, but he truly doesn’t care. Michael knows that as a Christ-follower, he has all the assurance he needs from a different source – Christ Himself. He’s outside of the usual high school peer groups. He loves math and astronomy, reads authors like C.S. Lewis, has friendships with people of all ages and spends summers working with kids at a computer science summer camp. His worldview is tremendously larger than most teens!
I see this difference in my friend Kristin* as well. She, unlike Michael, attends a private Christian school. But like him, she has stepped outside of the typical peer influence. She looks to her Lord and Prince for all the confidence she needs. There’s a happy light about her that always inspires me. Kristin’s life reflects the confidence without fitting into the mold followed by many teens. She avoids frivolous dating relationships, recognizing that she isn’t ready for a serious relationship. She longs to deepen her passion for God.
I want this confidence. I don’t want my security to depend on my friends and peers, but on the God Who saved me and is working in my life to make me more like Him. I believe Jesus is calling us teens to a set apart life, different from the typical world most high schoolers are living in. It’s not easy. Everything in our culture is pulling us away from this calling. But when we choose it, God will do incredible things in our lives. A British young man caught the vision of what this can look like in our lives as young people and here’s what he saw. Do you want to be a part of this army?

The Vision is an Army of Young People

You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism…
They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence…They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"…
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs. Who can stop them? Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? …
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive…inside.
On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide…
Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension…And this vision will be…because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God.**
*Not their real names.
**Excerpted from “The Vision"
By Danae Rittenour. Copyright © 2009 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.
 

 

2009 Theme Song - Finish

 

 

VERSE I
God is calling me to surrender my heart
He has the master plan, but I must do my part
Now's the time to get on track
I'll move forward and never turn back
 
CHORUS
So I'll run till I finish
I'll keep on pressing on till victory is won
So I'll walk and not grow weary
I shall run and never faint
By God's grace, I'm gonna finish the race
 
VERSE II
God has given me the ability to go
He has chosen me to spread the word so all would know
Lord has given me a sign
So today I will make up my mind
To cross the finish line
 
VAMP:
The race not given to swift
 
  • Finish

    Finish Sound Track

Two are Better

Two are Better

Two are Better

Growing up is hard enough without experiencing loss.  Yet it happens: the death of a family member or friend, the separation or divorce of parents, the breakup of a dating relationship or the end of a close friendship.  Losses are tough because you can feel so alone. No one knows exactly how you feel because they’re not you.  Yet you teens can really be there for each other because you know what it’s like to be a teen.

For example, last week a Jr. High student at our school brought a letter for me to read. She’d written it to another student—her younger “Secret Sister” whose sibling had died. “Does this sound all right?” She asked me. Not only did it sound all right, it was beautiful because it came from the heart of one teen to another. It read:


Dear Little Sis,

I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry about your sister. I wish I could help you but I don’t have any idea what it’s like. I do know how it feels to hurt, though. My parents are divorcing and I know how much that hurts. I want you to know that I love you. If I had a magic wand I would wave it and make every thing better. But I can’t and I’m sorry. I totally admire your courage and I want you to know I’m praying for you. You’re awesome.

Love,

Your Big Sis

Sometimes it’s more comfortable to just ignore the fact that someone your age is hurting, so you wind up not saying anything at all.  And they wonder if anyone cares.

Maybe you feel inadequate, not knowing what to say.  Maybe you’re afraid you’ll say

the wrong thing and somehow make their pain worse.  Maybe you’re

embarrassed to be so personal with someone.  When you don’t know what to say to a friend who’s experiencing a loss, you can always simply say, “I’m really sorry.  I’m praying for you every day.”  Or maybe you don’t have to say anything.

Here are some ways to show you care without saying a word:

  • Send a card signed by you and a group of friends
  • Give your cell phone number or e-mail address with the note: “If you ever need someone to talk to….”
  • Make sure they’re not sitting alone at lunch or in church
  • Give a huggable stuffed animal
  • Share an encouraging worship CD
  • Bake them a batch of homemade cookies
  • Send a bouquet of flowers from a group of friends
  • Encourage your parents to invite their family over for dinner on the weekend

These are simple ideas, but they will show that you took time to care. You never know… your acts of caring might be just what someone needs to feel they can make it. “Two are better than one…If one falls down, his friend can help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10).

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Duties of Youth Sabbath School Leader

Youth Sabbath School Leader's Duties

God asks the church to be a community of people sharing a common purpose and fellowship, continually growing in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. Paul describes the church as Christ's "body." (Eph. 1:22)
God calls us into His body for the purpose of establishing a saving relationship with Him and community with one another. The Holy Spirit convicts our minds, leads us to repentance, and plants us within the church. Thus, the church is a creation of the Spirit and is the vital life force of the church.
You experience the presence of Jesus Christ in the world within your church; the world experiences the living presence of Jesus Christ as it witnesses your church. When a local church serves the world it is an expression of the love of Christ to the world.
Thus the church is a servant body. Created for service, it serves the Lord in praise, serves one another in love, and serves the world in humility. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)
God calls every member of the church into ministry. The church is "a kingdom of priests." (I Peter 2:9) Our priesthood is to each other within the church and to the world. A youth leader, like any other church officer, is a ministering servant of God.
As a youth ministry leader it is important that you see teens as an important part of the present church, not just the church to come.

Duties of the Youth Sabbath School Leader

Although the program varies from church to church, the ministry to which a person is called when she becomes the leader of the youth division of the Sabbath School can best be described in the following ways:
  1. Planning. You will provide leadership for the youth Sabbath School by bringing together a team of assistants and teenagers who will help plan and implement the group's activities. This includes overseeing the schedule of leadership, special programs, and teaching. It is vital that this group meet together at least once a quarter to brainstorm, make decisions, and create the calendar for the next few months. Learn to delegate.
  2. Spiritual Helper. Teenagers whose trust you have won will come to you with questions and personal problems. This may occasionally require that you act as bridge between troubled teenagers and their parents. If you really care, they will be able to see it. Often people at this age are very shy and you will want to preserve their dignity. Listening skills are important!
  3. Teaching. Unless you are in a very large church, it will often be your job to teach the Sabbath School lesson. On occasion you should schedule others to teach so that there is more participation. Skills in group process and learning styles are essential to this task. And it takes adequate preparation time. You cannot expect to minister effectively to the needs of teenagers if you simply glance over the teaching materials at the last minute. The North American Division Sabbath School curriculum for teens is quite demanding because it deal with the difficult issues of life; sexuality, occupations, the meaning of life, death and dying, ethics, etc. You cannot teach it with casual preparation. You cannot significantly touch the lives of your teens by finding an "easier" set of materials to use.
  4. Building a Sense of Community. It will be your work to create an atmosphere that is friendly, comfortable and safe; where God is praised, but where no question need remain unasked. The goal of the youth Sabbath School leader is to bring together a cluster of awkward teenagers and help them become real friends. Relational skills are key in this process. Smiles and expressions of caring are very important! Even the most shy person warms to a smile. Some of the more gregarious ones benefit from a hug. In most situations, a warm handshake or touch to the shoulder to accompany the warm smile shows you care. You must not be afraid to be vulnerable. Teenagers can be intimidating because of their directness and often rebellious behavior. Unless you are open and accepting in your manner, you will not be able to lead this age group.
  5. Commitment. Next to your commitment to have God's presence in every aspect of your life, your commitment to serve your church is perhaps the most important one you will make. It is just as important as your vocational and relational commitments. Group members need to know that they can depend on you and that your attendance and participation will be regular.

© Cambridge SDA Church, Massachusetts USA

Duties of Youth Coordinator

Youth Coordinator's Duties

Jesus gave us clear instruction as to the importance of our young people when He said, "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me . . . Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:5, 10)
When His disciples would have sent the young people away, thinking that they were interrupting the important work of the Master, Christ said "Let them come . . . for such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14) Teenagers form a precious, most important part of God's church. They are not only the "church of the future," but also the church of the present.
Christ created the church to be a fellowship where people share in a common purpose and help one another grow in faith. The New Testament describes the church as ". . . his body, the fullness of him who filleth every thing in every way." (Ephesians 1:22) God calls us into His body for the purpose of establishing a saving relationship with Him and supportive community with one another.
God calls every member of the church into ministry. The church is "a kingdom of priests." (1 Peter 2:9) Our priesthood is to each other within the church and to the world. Each Christian is called to ministry, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and in baptism ordained for ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
As youth coordinator, you are a minister called by God to a particular and vital ministry within your congregation and in your community. God supplies each person in the church with the resources for ministry-scripture, spiritual power, God's character, and spiritual gifts. He will supply your needs as you assume this important responsibility!

Duties of the Youth Coordinator

The following duties are included in your responsibilities:

  1. Chair the Youth Ministries Committee. You will want to meet with those who nurture youth in Sabbath School, the Adventist Youth Society and any other youth ministries of the church, such as choir and summer camp. The agenda at these meetings should include the scheduling of all activities, fund raisers and trips for the year and a discussion of the Bible curriculum in Sabbath School. Together you can reduce overlap, look for gaps in programs, and coordinate efforts. Your leadership should encourage a cooperative spirit in which all of the leaders of the various programs work together.
  2. Planning and Ideas. In consultation with individual leaders and in the meetings of the youth ministries committee, you have a wonderful opportunity to spark new ideas. It is your responsibility to work with the program leaders and to draw together an overall plan and budget for a comprehensive program of youth ministries for your church.
  3. Program Administration. You will represent the interests of youth ministries to: the Church Board, the Pastor, the Church Ministries Council, the Youth Sabbath School Leader, Leaders of Youth Groups, and Church Treasurer.
  4. Information. You are the primary source of information about youth ministries to the congregation. You should put together a calendar listing all youth activities and events for the local church and see that these events get advertised in the church bulletin and newsletter. Keep an up-to-date, permanent record of all the youth in grades 9-12 who are members in the church and those of non-members who have attended outreach programs or visited Sabbath School. Also, provide information to your leaders about training events and new resources.
  5. Age Level Specialist. Because spiritual development is linked to intellectual and physical development, people are divided into developmental levels when their spiritual nurture is planned. This is related to chronological age. So these developmental levels are often called "age levels" or "grade levels." You can help teachers and leaders understand how to organize activities for this specific age level. You are responsible for conducting a needs assessment among the teens in the congregation and the community, and helping the leaders of youth activities understand these needs. You will want to support church leaders, while at the same time safeguarding the enthusiasm of the youth for whom you are responsible.

© Cambridge SDA Church, Massachusetts USA
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