by Josh Liu
The leaders at Lighthouse Bible Church continually strive to carry out the mission, vision, and passion of our church in all of our ministries – to make disciples of Christ through the vehicle of the church out of a love for God and people. In doing so, they are constantly examining how to best minister to the members and how to best equip and disciple young leaders. As a result, the youth ministry has undergone major changes in the past. Several years ago, Pastor JR Cuevas oversaw the youth ministry until he was called and sent to church plant in San Jose. Then, Roger Alcaraz oversaw the youth ministry for a couple years until joining College Life staff. Now, I have come to oversee the youth ministry. While these changes are significant and seemingly turbulent, the biblical principles governing LBC’s youth ministry remain the same. The staff and I are still committed to a gospel-centered, Scripture-based ministry that will evangelize and disciple these young men and women to deeper a knowledge and understanding of God and His Word.
The staff and I are extremely excited to serve the youth and their families! During the summer, we were able to have several informal gatherings that allowed the youth, their families, and prospective staff fellowship together. For the 2012-2013 academic year, Lumos will be hosting Friday night Bible studies at the church; we will join the college ministry’s praise time, then divide for teaching. Cesar Vigil-Ruiz and I will be teaching on 1 John and Romans respectively. On Sundays for second hour, youth small groups will use sermon reflection worksheets to review and think of applications of that Sunday morning message. We hope to host Saturday seminars on topics such as comparative religions, home economics, auto care, apologetics, and so on. The staff is also planning on hosting gospel nights and games nights to provide opportunities for invitation, evangelism, and further discipleship. I hope as you read this you are getting as excited as I am! The ministry would love to see the whole church body participating in the life the youth (and vice versa) through these events (e.g. Car Care Ministry leading a Saturday seminar).
Please prayerfully support us as we continue through this season of transitions. Pray for the staff who have sacrificed much and are persevering through their own personal trials. Pray that we remain faithful to Scripture and exalt Christ in our ministry. Pray for the youth and their families as we minister the gospel of God to them. And pray for the salvation and spiritual maturation of these young souls.