Encounter. This is the word that describes the vision of the Youth Ministry at Tabernacle Baptist Church. With Mark 1:16-20 as our guiding image of what Christian discipleship looks like, the Youth Ministry seeks to promote encounters with Christ.
We strive to be an integral part of the larger Tabernacle body. We make participation in worship services a priority, and we encourage active participation in worship leadership. Our youth and parents play key roles in Tabernacle’s Praise Team and Hand Bells. In this way we hope to, along with the larger Tabernacle body, encounter our risen Lord in worship.
Because of our belief in the inspired and authoritative nature of the Bible, we also make Bible-based teaching a priority. We believe that the same God who was in Christ reconciling the world to himself speaks to us through the words of Scripture. Currently we are seeking to encounter Christ through the pages of the Gospel of Mark.
We further believe that we encounter Christ through fellowship. We hope to promote wholesome ways for youth to have fun and form bonds of friendship. On November 12-13, we have a lock-in scheduled and in January 2011 we’re planning a ski trip. But along with this close bond of friendship comes a desire to care for the members of our group. When a member of our group rejoices, we want to rejoice with that individual. And when a member of our group is hurting, we want to hurt with that individual (1 Corinthians 12:26).
We understand Matthew 25:34-40 as a key verse in discerning how we should minister to others’ needs. Christ has given us a mandate to encounter him in “the least of these,” and one of the ways we carry out this mandate is by ministering to patients at Litchford Falls Nursing Home.
Finally, we believe that we should treat the Gospel for what it is, good news. Good news deserves to be proclaimed. Therefore, we seek to be intentional in giving verbal witness to the Gospel.
