I began guiding High School Bible Study two years ago at Our Savior Lutheran Church, in Fair Lawn, NJ.
I remember feeling this was a daunting task, that I prayed about for months, and really wanted to do a great job imparting wisdom and guidance to our High Schoolers, through the study of God’s Word. Thanks be to God, we were off to a great start! Often, the youth taught me more than I would teach them, and each week the Holy Spirit led us in a beautiful study of His word. During my second year of leading our weekly High School Bible Study, a few weeks into the Fall, our High Schoolers began to have many, many questions. They wondered and inquired about sharing their faith with friends, they prayed for their teachers who were struggling with health or family concerns. They wondered aloud about how they would ever pick a college, or how they would pick their major in college. Some wondered whether college was the right path for them. I immediately began to pray for their needs, and asked God to help me answer all of their questions, or at the very least, guide them as best I could. A few weeks passed, and God presented a solution! What if I asked the congregation to stop by High School Bible Study, during the last 30 minutes of our study each week, and perhaps share their own personal journey through High School and either college or the work force, and how God had guided them? I submitted a little blurb to our weekly bulletin, asking for volunteers to come share with our High Schoolers. Within weeks, we had so many volunteers come forward, that each week for the remainder of Winter and Spring was filled with excited OSLC church members, ready to share their own personal journey with our High Schoolers, and how their faith guided them. Praise God! What I didn’t anticipate was how much wisdom, honesty, and diverse stories our church members had to share, and how much thought our High Schoolers would put into preparing the best questions to ask their guest speakers each week. So many faith stories touched on high school and college or trade school years. Our guest speakers were open and honest to include regrets, successes, failures (no true failures, we learn from all of our decisions), determination, joys, and mental health struggles. Throughout all of these topics, God’s love weaved through their journey’s and their faith strengthened with each challenge. Thank you to our guest speakers, which included many educators (including President Gewecke’s daughter Amy), NBA management, mental health clinicians, tradesmen, guidance counselors, a high school vice principal, and sports announcers to name a few! Thanks be to God for sharing your faith story with our youth! Perhaps your congregation will offer the same program? Or perhaps your congregation has already done a similar sharing of faith stories! Please email me if you are willing to share! Psalm 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. In His joy, Colleen Bottcher RN, BSN, FCN NJ District LCMS Parish Nurse [email protected]
1 Comment
Robert Holsten
8/24/2023 10:07:44 am
Sounds like a neat experience with the members and your high school students!
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