Declining church attendance among younger generations has left pastors and church leaders searching for answers on how to encourage young people’s continued involvement in the church after high school. This topic, including what to do about a shortage of young ministry leaders, is a conversation among U.S. Mennonite Brethren.
The feature articles in this issue focus on young adults and the church. Writers suggest that youth are not the future of the church; they are the church. Fostering active participation and a sense of belonging are vital. Our youth must not be relegated to the sidelines.
In this issue, we did not just want to write about youth, we wanted to hear from them. We asked youth pastors for help in identifying students who participated in church mission trips, and we received the following seven responses. You will read reflections by students who stepped out of their comfort zones and onto the streets of Nashville and into the jungles of Peru. You’ll read in students’ own words how they sensed God’s presence, grew in their desire to serve their church community, experienced God’s provision and developed hearts for those who don’t yet know Jesus.
Students like these are continuing to not only engage in the church but also be transformed to be more like Jesus. We hope these stories encourage young and older generations alike as we follow Jesus together as members of the USMB family.
Jay Darling, 12th grade
Bethesda Church, Huron, South Dakota
Mission trip to: Redemption Church in Owatonna, Minnesota, June 22-29
Group size: 11 students and 4 leaders
Purpose: To help Redemption host their first vacation Bible school and equip them for similar events in the future.
Working with the kids and youth at Redemption was a blessing. People opened their homes and welcomed us with open arms. Throughout the week, I saw friendships bloom and seeds of God planted.
Before we left home, I had prayed for good communication in order to spread the gospel and make connections. When we arrived in Owatonna, we made friends with everyone and effectively communicated the gospel with the kids that came to VBS.
One memory I have is the kids jumping to the front of the church to dance along. We sensed God’s presence in the church and its members. I pray that anyone who walks into Redemption Church will see this.
I was so sad to leave. Owatonna is truly a beautiful place, and we will continue to pray for opportunities to spread the gospel.
Mary LePage, 12th grade
Community Bible Church, Olathe, Kansas
Mission trip to: Lakeview Church, Stansbury Park, Utah, July 24-30
Group size: 15 of all ages
Purpose: To encourage this 5-year-old church plant and continue in building relationships that persist.
Before our trip we did some research as a group about the LDS church. Because of that I had facts and information in my head and kept thinking, “How can people be so crazy as to believe these ideas?”
Getting a tour of the LDS conference center by two young women changed how I was thinking. I saw them so passionately talking about what they put their faith in. I no longer thought they were crazy but instead found myself praying, “God, please show yourself to them so that they can know and worship the one true God.”
Through meeting and hearing the stories of LDS members and former LDS members, God has given me a new heart and perspective for those who are deceived and misled.
Quinlyn Funk, 11th grade
Hillsboro (Kansas) MB Church
Mission trip to: Camp Barnabas, Purdy, Missouri, July 27-Aug. 2
Group size: 24
Purpose: To spend a week walking hand-in-hand with campers with cognitive and physical disabilities to provide a camp experience that would not be possible otherwise.
What a great summer to serve the Lord! Camp Barnabas is a special place. It’s filled with joy and enthusiasm from the campers and the staff. It really is a glimpse of heaven on earth.
Before the trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect even though I had been before. There were a lot of unknowns going into it, but it turned out great! After I got home, I realized how different it was from the last time. Both years were great in their own way, but this year was especially awesome for me.
It’s really incredible seeing campers celebrated for exactly who they are, and all the staff do a great job. I finished the week with a fire for the Lord lit inside me, and I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities I had this summer.
Amelia Villareal, 2024 graduate and NLC intern
New Life Community, Dinuba, Calif.
Mission trip to: California’s Central Valley, June 10-15
Group size: 13 youth among 70 total SOAR Central Valley participants
Purpose: To bring together English and Spanish church teams to be equipped and to serve with local ministry partners in the Central Valley.
Before my journey with SOAR, I didn’t have many people who shared my faith or a deep connection with God. SOAR helped me open my heart to the Lord. Throughout this experience, I felt God’s presence more strongly in my life. Having people by my side who were also seeking God’s love was incredibly uplifting.
My experience with SOAR will forever impact my relationship with the Lord and with people in my community. I gained more understanding of what it means to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Throughout SOAR, I felt an overwhelming amount of love from everyone. SOAR has helped open my eyes to view the world with a ‘kingdom lens.’
After my trip, I feel more connected to God and feel a greater need to serve in my church community.
(SOAR is a three-to-eight-day mission training program for people of all ages and is a program of Multiply, the mission agency of North American MB churches.)
Calvin Kohs, 8th grade
Redemption Church, Owatonna, Minnesota
Mission trip to: Nashville, Tennessee, Aug. 11-15
Group size: 8 of all ages
Purpose:: To do street evangelism with YWAM and distribute gift bags to people experiencing homelessness.
Before the trip, I viewed homeless people as people who didn’t have homes. But during the trip I realized that they are so much more than that. They are children of God who are suffering from many different things, including addiction, poverty, sickness, hunger and most importantly, a lack of knowing the good news of how Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died on the cross for their sins. But now that I am back home, I pray that they listened to what we said and accepted Jesus into their hearts.
I’m used to all the comforts and luxuries of living in a house, but during the trip I had to really step out of my comfort zone. That was hard for me. Now when I go to sleep every night, I thank God for having me do all that to worship and glorify him.
Nicole Loewen, 10th grade
Reedley (California) MB Church
Mission trip to: Lakeview Church, Utah, June 24-July 2
Group size: 46 of all ages
Purpose: To partner with the Lakeview congregation by serving in various work projects and building lasting relationships with church members and host families.
Something surprising for me on this trip was the evidence of God’s provision. Almost every day of the trip, we were waking up early, working hard and then going to bed much later than I was used to. On any normal day I would have been exhausted physically and mentally, but during the whole trip, I never felt the way I would have expected to.
God’s provision was clearly seen in how he gave me the energy to do his work. It was wonderful confirmation that we were doing his will. I have learned that when God calls us and we respond in obedience, he will be faithful. God provides us with the tools we need to accomplish the work he has asked us to do.
Kayden Scheer, 12th grade
Ridgepoint Church, Wichita, Kansas
Mission trip to: Peru with Praying Pelican Missions, March 8-15
Group size: 29 students and seven adult leaders
Purpose: To work with local churches and pastors to reach people living on the Amazon River near Iquitos, Peru. Activities included door-to-door evangelism, vacation Bible school, food distribution and worship services.
Something that surprised me about the trip was how gracious and happy the Peruvians were. When we asked for prayer requests, all they asked for was good health for them and their families. None of them ‘wanted more,’ even though they were in what we consider extreme poverty.
I was kind of scared at first that we, rich Americans coming into their homes, wouldn’t receive the warmest of welcomes, but that fear disappeared almost as soon as we entered the village. They told us we were always welcome as part of Christ’s family, which was incredibly sweet.
Living in an American culture, we are very focused on material value and individualism, and when we encounter cultures like that of the Peru villages, we are way more caught off-guard than we should be.
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
