Youth Minister's Update

Church Family,

Hot Hearts is happening this Saturday! This one-day conference will give our students the opportunity to step away from distractions and intentionally focus on God, His Word, and how He is at work in the world around them. My prayer is that this time will encourage them, strengthen their faith, and remind them that following Christ is worth pursuing with their whole hearts. Thank you for continuing to pray for our students and leaders as we prepare.

Our students are also continuing a seven-week series on evangelism designed specifically to engage their generation. Emoji-vangelism is a practical tool that helps students learn how to share Christ in a way that is both clear and approachable. Please pray that our students would be receptive to this training and attentive to the opportunities God places before them to share their faith.

BK’s sermon this past Sunday deeply resonated with me on a personal level. I was adopted at just one week old, and I often reflect on how differently my life could have turned out had my birth mother not valued life as she did. Her choice has shaped my life in countless ways, including how I understand and proclaim the Gospel. Scripture reminds us that “God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4–5), and that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As we rightly emphasize the sanctity and importance of life, we must also remember those who are still dead in their sins and trespasses—those who desperately need the new life that we have received in Christ.

Please continue to pray that God would use these moments—through conferences, training, preaching, and personal testimony—to awaken hearts and draw students and families closer to Him. May we be faithful stewards of the life and hope we have been given, boldly and compassionately sharing the Gospel so that others may experience the transforming grace of Christ.

In Christ,
Cody Dowden