Engaging with Youth in a Post-Pandemic World
A focus on young people is at the heart of all our Network churches. Here, we explore how six churches are engaging with the emerging generation in a post-pandemic world.
Being back in person at St Nicks Bristol
At St Nicks, we’ve loved having our young people return to in-person meetings. We’ve seen a real hunger and excitement to come to Church, to be involved with the Youth program and to make new friends. This has impacted our Church community and the personal lives of our youth as our young people are pushing their parents to bring them and their friends. They’re genuinely excited to know more and invest in their relationships with God and to introduce new people to this as well.
Youth hang outs & no more knives at St Luke's Blackburn
Living out our vision as ‘family on a mission’ has seen us building fantastic links with local schools, particularly the C of E school next door to where we’ve run a Youth Alpha course, led lunch time clubs, assemblies and RE lessons. Being situated right next to several estates, we have reached out to our community through ‘love bags’ and ran youth hangouts. We’ve seen several young people attend on Sunday, and even bring their families.
'No more Knives' gig ...saw over 500 young people attend
The Message Trust held a huge ‘No more Knives’ gig that we partnered with in Blackburn Cathedral which saw over 500 young people attend, and we followed this up with a really successful youth outreach event of our own with one of the bands and an evangelistic message later that week. We’re very thankful for all God is doing through St Luke’s in the lives of the young people of Blackburn.
Links with local colleges at Saint Mary's Southampton
At Saint’s Youth Church, we have had such a great welcome and blessing from our local college and their pastoral team. We run a cafe weekly and welcome their students for food, chats, games consoles – the classics. The young people run up the drive weekly and shout at others to come for hot chocolate. We are so grateful to be able to open our doors again following Covid and are so blessed by the team at the college.
Pantos & Dramas at St John's Bilborough
We run a weekly drama group for young people, and they recently performed a panto of The Wizard of Oz. For many of them this was their first time performing and they did a great job! It was a proper community event with lots attending. Our weekly hot chocolates, football, and schools‘ ministries continue to grow in number, and we have seen teenagers starting to grasp Jesus and building community with one another.
Our weekly hot chocolates, football, and school's ministries continue to grow in number
Baptisms & Youth Alpha at Pattern Church, Swindon
At Pattern Church, we’ve loved seeing young people deciding to get baptised, inviting their friends along to our first Youth Alpha course in person since the pandemic and seeing the youth group get closer than ever before, such a family vibe!
Youth Online at Woven Youth, Nottingham
We started an online Youth Church, alongside our regular meetings in-person; we post 10-minute videos with the structure of 1 song, 1 prayer and 1 thought and have seen God heal and minster to over 30 of our young people. We have also been creating Youth Alpha videos specifically for our context and have been delivering these sessions at Youth Church in person as well. We are excited to see God continue to move in a powerful and freeing way and are looking forward to our first youth baptism next month.
...and have seen God heal and minister to over 30 of our young people
Read more about how churches are engaging with teenagers in The Youth Edit in Edition 5 of REVITALISE.