Laurel Youth Fellowship
www.lyf4christ.org

The Youth Ministry at Laurel Church of Christ is designed to help our teens mature as Jesus did. (Luke 2:52) We encourage our teens to be an example for others (I Tim. 4: 12), a light to the world (Matt. 5:14-16), and children of God who shine like stars (Phillip. 2:14-16). Our goals are:

1. To help teens understand that many of the choices they make will produce results which will affect their lives and the lives of others now, in the future and for eternity. We want the teens to be prepared to make choices based on God's word.

2. To encourage the teens to choose to make a lifetime commitment to love, obey, worship and serve God. We want to help them understand that baptism represents the beginning of a lifetime commitment to God.

3. To help the teens understand that Christianity is our lifestyle. We must follow Jesus' example daily. We must allow God's spirit to live in us and guide us daily. We must develop and maintain a close relationship with God through daily prayer and Bible study. We want the teens to understand that they must share God's love and God's word with others.

4. To prepare the teens to deal with the temptations, problems, illness, loss and other "storms of life" by helping them develop a strong faith in God. We want them to develop the habit of asking God for help, comfort, strength, guidance, forgiveness, wisdom, etc.

5. To help teens understand that brothers and sisters in God's family love, accept, support, forgive and encourage each other. We want them to spend time together -- sharing joys and sorrows, working, playing, singing, studying God's word and praying.

6. To help teens discover and develop their spiritual gifts and to help them become involved in the work of the church now.

7. To teach the importance of purity -- physical, mental and spiritual. We want the teens to be a light to the world.

8. To stress that marriage is a lifetime commitment (one man and one woman for life) and to encourage them to marry a Christian if they choose to get married.

In weekly Bible classes we follow a planned curriculum of textual Bible study and Bible studies of subjects such as God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, baptism, love, purity, dating choices, etc.

We also provide a variety of youth activities and ministry projects such as devotionals, retreats, a yearly mission trip to the City of Children in Ensenada, Mexico and Mexican churches, Winterfest Youth Retreat, Impact at Lipscomb University, Workcamp (painting houses for the elderly), Laurel Youth Fellowship (LYF) Intensive Care Activities (visiting families of intensive care patients at local hospitals), community outreach projects at the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission and Ronald McDonald House, visiting Laurel members who are too ill to leave home, stocking and organizing the church food pantry, teaching classes for preschoolers at the building and other activities.