YOUTH

History

The Youth Ministry of BLD-Newark was informally organized in 1992. As more members of the community brought their children every Friday, it became apparent that the youth group needed to have a more formal structure and its own worship. In 1996, the first batch of youth joined the 4th Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) conducted for the adult. The following year, with the help of a team from Manila, Newark offered Youth Encounter#1 (YE). The first encounter was not sufficient to accommodate all interested youths so YE#1B was conducted the following month. Since then, the YE Weekends have become the initiation and spiritual high point for youths coming to the Lord.

In 1997, the youth organized its own praise ministry. Through this, the Ministry became more cohesive and began to develop its own character. The worships became more meaningful and expressive of the deepening relationship of the youth with Christ. The Youth Ministry adult coordinators were led to empower the youth knowing that this will inspire them to greater participation and involvement in the development of the ministry programs. In 1998, YE#3 & 4 were successfully conducted by the newly empowered Youth Ministry. They ran the weekend, including food preparation, clean up, marshaling and instilling discipline among the ranks, intercessory vigil, and praise coverage. By YE#5, two youths have emerged to serve as weekend facilitators.

In the same year, BLD-Newark youth played a major role in the sponsorship of YE#1 and Family Encounter#1 (FE) weekends in Seattle. The first Newark YLSS in 1998 was a youth-led endeavor, with the youth serving as auxies, shepherds, and sharers.

The youth have proven themselves willing and able to serve the Lord. They have come to know Him as their Guiding Light. They have come to regard the ministry as a sanctuary, a place where they can find and share Christ's love and peace with their brothers and sisters. They have come to recognize that the BLD Youth Ministry is God's gift to them.

 

Ministry Structure:

The Youth Ministry structure is similar to the community's structure with a "slight" difference:

Evangelization (Converting):Evangelize non-BLD parents, develop a youth oriented LSS program, work in coordination with the Singles Ministry to prepare members for adulthood, pastor youth single parents, provide praise/music, coordinate and manage the YE Weekend and Crossing Retreat.
Pastoral (Tending): Assist and serve as witnesses in the FE Weekend, train youth leaders as burden bearers or big brothers/sisters, serve their younger brothers/sisters in Mark 10 as teachers, praise support, etc., serve as Christ's under-shepherds, coordinate the development and training of youth worship leaders, coordinate the YLC retreat.
Formation (Equipping): Coordinate and manage the activities of intercessors/prayer warriors and service ministries, develop and train youth teachers, develop the gift of the youth to proclaim God's Word, coordinate materials submitted to the community newsletter.
Management (Resourcing): Develop sources for logistical needs and management of administrative and financial resources.
Mission (Sending Out): Develop new prayer groups, serve in Lift ‘Em Up and Deanery 20 programs, coordinate youth ministry formation in BLD outreaches, develop relationships with other Christian communities, promote involvement in sports/arts.
The ministry is cognizant of the fact that there is the burning desire in the hearts and minds of the youth to belong, to serve, and to love. When they came to know Christ, they found out that they need not fear the future, and they've come to better understand their parents, siblings, and relatives. In the confusing and sometimes violent world that they live in, they found hope, courage, and peace in being part of a community -- a community such as BLD.

The BLD Youth community's current thrust is to develop a dynamic pastoral ministry that is able to attend to spiritual and personal needs of its members. Older youth members (Bi-ref facilitators) are being trained to "stand in the gap" for those in need of caring individuals willing to share their burden and to lead the groups in seeking God's direction through the Holy Scripture.