The Future of the Church

When you hear these words, “the future of the church” what comes to your mind? Many would say our young people and rightly so. Our young are to replace us as we grow old and pass from this life by maturing and becoming workers for the Lord.

We were so pleased with the results of our recent Bible Bowl! We had 95 in attendance and 32 young people participating. Three groups never missed a single question and one group only missed one. It was obvious to all; these young men and women had taken the task seriously and studied the Bible hard in preparation of the contest (2 Timothy 2:15).

The Bowl was also a time of fellowship between the various congregations present. Many of the young people are friends and enjoyed seeing each other again. It is an encouragement to them that there are other young people of like mind. In school, our youngsters may feel like a “dinosaur” because they do not believe, talk, or act like their peers. Meetings such as these help our young people to understand there are others seeking to please the Lord and to stay the course.

Summer camps such as Camp Ark La Tex in Minden and Camp Kurios in Eldorado serve vital functions of teaching and encouraging our youth. Many have developed friendships for life and some even have boyfriend/girlfriend relationships as a result.

Let us continue to support our youth and fellowship between congregations of the Lord’s church. I would love to see a Saturday when we could gather to play kickball for fun. Perhaps, we could make teams up by picking members from the various congregations, so it was not a “us versus them” but simply a time to play, have fun, and enjoy the blessings God has given us.

Time is short and we truly are in a war for the hearts and minds of our young. Let us strive to teach ours as Timothy was taught: “And from childhood thou hast known the Hoy Scriptures which are able to make one wise unto salvation though faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

Stay true to the Word,

Brother Travis