Are you ready for some football worship?! The Triniteens are proud to present the first ever Welch’s Grape Juice Worship Bowl, featuring some excellent play-by-play commentary on the game of worship, as well as rising stars and excellent coaches. What pushes us to victory? Scripture does –particularly 1 Timothy 4:12.

Paul writes to encourage Timothy to not let his youth get in the way of his ministry. In a world where we can tend to infantilize teenagers, in a world where no realistic, meaningful full-time employment is offered to teenagers, in a world where young people are made to stay inside a room for eight hours a day, in a world where teenagers are seen as objects to manipulate and to persuade, the church can be a breath of fresh air. The church can provide a place where youth can join as equal members before they can drive, vote, or drink. The church can provide a place where their voice is heard – where their voice is valued – where their time and talents can be put to the task of glorifying God. The church can provide a place where they can be told they are leaders of the church today, not leaders of some ambiguous future time.

Regardless of whether you currently have kids or grandkids in the youth group, you have a responsibility to the Triniteens. You are part of a church that made them a promise when many of them didn’t even know their own names. You promised that you would encourage and nurture them in their Christian walk. You promised that you would not discount their voices and their opinions because they are young. Paul goes beyond our typical roles for youth today; Paul, in fact, goes on to instruct young Timothy (and young people today) to “teach believers with their lives” – as the Message paraphrase reads - by their words, by their demeanor, by their love, by their faith, by their integrity. The youth are to be examples of faith and to lead us in our faith journeys. Of course, it comes full circle – for the youth develop their words, their demeanor, their love, their faith, their integrity by watching our words, our demeanor, our love, our faith, our integrity. They learn how to lead Christian lives from our Sunday School teachers, our pastors, parents, mentors. You have a part to play in that.

And our great Coach is calling you to come play your part on Sunday, by worshipping with Trinity as the youth lead us to victory in the Welch’s Worship Bowl.

Grace and peace, Pastor Kate