Progression and Reconstruction, Part II

While serving as a connectional officer responsible solely for my region and as a daughter of the King, my responsibilities are clear. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to express my hopes to make a positive impact within Zion’s youth by way of this letter.”

Constructing strong youth councils holds vital significance in ensuring that the church flourishes. There are a plethora of reasons that youth councils are just as much of a need as they are a want within Zion. Beyond the church, the presentation of sturdy youth councils sends a message to the youth that they are heard and there is a space for them to be influential. Youth feeling as if they have no voice or representation in the church plays a leading role in keeping the youth away from the church. I believe that seeing the evolution of councils that stand for and with them will aid in changing that. Having the experience of a youth council, both local and district areas, will serve as motivation for youth to become and remain active within the church. This is possible because access to positive images of surrounding role models, who are both within the same age range and facing many of the same worldly struggles and frustrations, shows youth that there is always a place for them. Successful and developing youth councils, within Zion, allow youth platforms to proudly represent Christ and express their faith outwardly. The biggest reward of being a part of any Zion youth council is having like-minded friends who devote themselves to growing in Christ and will willingly hold their colleagues accountable for doing the same. For each of the prior listed details, it is a goal of mine to establish both local and district cabinets within my region. Next, I will discuss the thoughts I have in mind to see to it that this plan comes to fruition.

Locally, my strategies for youth council construction include but are not limited to interactive social outreach, in-person workshops surrounding youth and their importance to the church, workshops expounding on spiritual growth and having pride in knowing God as a young person, and service projects. Each of these ideas not only creates room for councils to form, but they also will assist in waging the gap between the youth of Zion and Zion’s elders. On a district level, ways in which I will foster the growth in councils include traveling to churches, traveling to different conferences, and hosting routine Bible study sessions that will be catered to youth while remaining intergenerational. In these councils, I find it essential that the youth-serving on them are dedicated to much bigger objectives than doing work for the church or making a statement to the youth to keep eyes on them. I believe that the first step to accepting a responsibility as sacred as serving on a youth council is establishing the fact that you want to grow as an individual and within Christ so that your time serving Him on Earth prepares you for the harvest you will reap following your time on Earth. It is my belief that each of my ideas for working toward proficient local and district cabinets will show to be effective because each idea caters to youth in a way that will allow them to flourish and expand creatively. Each idea also incorporates the involvement of the adults and elders of Zion, minimizing the gap between the current and future leaders of Zion so that we may bring out the best in one another for the general betterment both of and in our work for Christ. The coming together of the Youth of Zion and the Elders of Zion introduces a platform for innovation and the opportunity for Youth and Elders to learn from one another, and I wholeheartedly have faith that my approach will make that happen.

There is a familiar Bible verse in Luke 12:48 that so eloquently states: “To whom much is given, much is required.” As God has placed me in the position to serve as a regional VICYC V.P., I learn daily that this is a statement that holds true. That very quote, as it relates to my position held within VICYC, tells me, “Enveloped in a great title and anointing lies an even greater responsibility.” While serving as a connectional officer responsible solely for my region and as a daughter of the King, my responsibilities are clear. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to express my hopes to make a positive impact on Zion’s youth by way of this letter. May God bless each eye that reads, each ear that hears, and each heart that feels. Amen.