Are you reaching the next generation for Christ?

    The United Methodist Women held their 28th annual luncheon this past Saturday to raise money for a scholarship for a senior at Watauga High School, and to help raise money to build a playground here at Deerfield, so we can better serve the children of our community. The women of the church thank the Peddler Restaurant for the donation of our fabulous meal that they catered for the event. Included in our events for the day on Saturday was a fashion show from local clothing stores, and an auction of several baskets of goodies like picnic items, or gardening items, all fixed up in a beautiful basket, just in time for Mother's Day. We fed about 130 people for the dinner and it was a huge success as far as funding our scholarship and raising funds for the playground. It was a long standing tradition with the goal for providing hope for the future generation.
   The emphasis of that event was for the benefit of children and a teenager from our community. In a recent post from our D.S.  Rev. Fred Jordan, he gave us a link to watch a short video clip by Dr. Lovett Weems. After watching that video, it talks about the huge need in the life of the United Methodist Church to reach young families before we lose vast numbers of United Methodist Churches because their members are dying out. On this very day, I have met with a young mother who is asking our church to provide some kind of ministry to young families with Bible Study and the opportunity to grow in their faith together. She worships here regularly and attends Sunday School here regularly, yet there is a spiritual hunger for more. Praise God for that hunger and for the courage to ask for more!  The great challenge for our church is to address the spiritual needs of young people. Weems says we have failed miserably as a United Methodist Church to do that. If Deerfield UMC is going to be any different from the current trend in our denomination, we have to figure out how to meet the spiritual needs of young people, and young families and train them up to be disciples of Jesus Christ. It is our scriptural mandate to pass on this good news to the next generation. We don't know yet how we will meet this need, but at least there is a spiritual hunger there on the part of the young people. Church, that puts the ball in our court to help disciple them so they can grow in their walk with Christ. Let's get busy and figure out how will be the best way to bring our church into a ministry filled with vibrance, youth and hope for the future. That is a huge task, but God is with us, and God will lead us.  Here is the link to the short video clip by Lovett Weems. I hope you will take the time to watch it. It is worth the time. http://vimeo.com/22392014