YCALL stands for, “Youth Christians about Living and Learning”. This is the name of the youth ministry that the Lord has given me. The purpose of this ministry is to bring youths to Christ, equip them for daily living and to let them know that a life in Christ is not boring, but rather, an exciting experience.

Who are we trying to draw to this ministry? We are trying to draw all types of youths—black, white, gay, straight, bisexual and transgender. We want to let the youths know that the love of Christ knows no bounds. Jesus loves them and so do we! Youths have enough issues to deal with—peer pressure, education, tragedies and the like. We want to provide a safe place for youths to worship and fellowship together.

How do we go about doing this? One thing comes to mind: Outreach, outreach, outreach! We can reach the youths by: word of mouth, advertisement, posting up bulletins in places where youths may frequent. One means of outreach is the bulletin board at Stonewall. A group of interest is “Kaleidoscope”. We want to let the youths know that there is a place that they can go to worship without any regard to who they are. Isaiah 56: 7 states: “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon my altar; for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” God’s house is for ALL people.

What do we use to teach the youths? First and foremost, we use the Bible, which is the Word of God. The youths will learn principles for daily living, encouragement for times of struggle and a foundation to build their faith. We will also use teaching materials as needed, to supplement the lessons for each class.

What else will the youths do? They will have activities to promote the “living” aspect of YCALL. They will have opportunities to interact with other youths, while having fun. Socialization is important for youths for their development. Some activities that are being considered are: movie nights, a lock in (where youths spend the night at church or other designated place for fellowship, prayer and worship), a “picnic on the pavement”, zoo days, a water park day, participation in Pride and an end of the school year fellowship. All of these events are subject to the approval of the pastor and church board.

Above all, no program can be successful without participation and assistance. Anyone who is interested in helping out with the youth program is encouraged to do so. Again, assistance may be subject to the approval of the pastor and church board. Thank you.

signed
Youth Minister Yvette