Adventures in Student Ministry

For THP Students Night, we kicked off the night by playing TETRIS Effect. It was pretty funny watching them navigate the game. The stress of making pieces line up correctly or accidentally putting a piece in the wrong place led to some interesting conversation and moments of cheering.

After the game we started our lesson!

The Lesson

Ask: What was the hardest part of playing Tetris?

For many of our students, the hardest part was figuring out how things fit together. If they weren’t careful in making pieces fit together they would create gaps and obstacles that kept them from finishing the game

Ask: Who’s student group is this?

The fact is, this student group is the students. If you’re not present, there’s no Student Group. The way you interact with each other and the way you serve each other are all part of how you help to make this student group.  

Tetris itself is a game comprised of 6 shapes built out of 4 blocks. At their core, they are the same, but they are also all very different. In our student ministry and in our church, at the core we are all the same. We are all human beings who have been saved by grace.  But while we may essentially be the same, we are also all very different. We each have different personalities that the Lord has given us, different skills, different talents, and anointings. All of those things have to work together as we work to build a community together.

In the early church, the Apostle Peter helped the community understand how they work together to continue to grow and build their own community in 1 Peter 4:7-10

V7 – The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 

Here we see that as we come closer to the time of Jesus returning, our focus needs to be on certain essential things. The first thing is that we need be intentional about spending time in Prayer.  Prayer is how we commune with God, it’s how he speaks to us and helps us to grow. If we aren’t doing that, individually and as a group, then we can’t have clarity as to what he wants us to do.

V8 – Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Here we see that we need to have love for each other. But what does the fact that Love covers a multitude of sins mean? Jesus boiled all of the Old Testament teachings on Love God and Love People as we love ourselves.  In a community, if we sin against each other, be it on purpose or accident, then out of love, we humble ourselves and repent, while at the same time, we find ourselves being willing to forgive those who sin against us. This is often easier said than done, but we work through this together in a loving community.

Each of us needs to know that we love each other. Each student needs to know that no matter what, the others are there to encourage them and help them to grow and take their next step.

V9 – Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 

Here we see that we must be intentional about showing care for each other, even if it sometimes makes us uncomfortable. There will be moments when people come into our church that may look different, sound different, or think differently than us and make us uncomfortable.  However, as we show hospitality to these individuals, it opens doors for them to hear the Gospel and come to know Jesus as Lord. At the same time, within our community, when we are intentional about showing hospitality towards each other, we help to foster the fact that we genuinely care for each other, which leads to creating a safe place for us to share our burdens and grow together.

In a few months, we will have the opportunity to serve kids during our Kids Camp, Hero Academy. During that camp, we will need to show hospitality to the children we minister to to help them experience God’s presence. At the same time, we will need to show hospitality to each other as we serve close to each other for those 4 days. Why? Because as we serve together, It’s very possible for some of us to become tired and need the extra encouragement to keep going so that we can finish strong together.

V10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 

Each person in our student ministry has their own gifting and talent. We need each other to accomplish what has been given to us as a church.  Like in Tetris, takes some patience, care, and planning as we learn to fit together to accomplish what God has for us. We may not always be sure as to what the next piece is that’s coming down the pipe, but if we show love, hospitality, and prayerfully keep our focus on God, then we can do great things together!