Yesterday I had the joy of being with the incoming group of college staff at MDUMC, my church ‘alma mater.’ The college staff is a group of about twenty college students who dedicate their summer to hanging out with high-school and middle-school kids. I was asked to share my thoughts on the importance of being vulnerable with youth as a college staff member.
Here’s an abbreviated summary of what I offered to the college staff.
Often when we think about ministry we think about what we do, in your case, “be there” for the youth. However, from my experience meaningful ministry, what I call transformative ministry, cannot just focus on what we give. Transformative ministry, one that changes the way we see ourselves and the way we act in the world comes out of our personal experience of God.
This summer is more than making sure you are ‘there’ for the youth, it is an opportunity for you all to know more fully the love of God – only then do you have something real to offer.
Natalie E. Thomas 