Youth Ministry

St. Paul is known to have been one of the greatest leaders of the Early Church. The title attributed to him as the “Apostle to the Gentiles” was attained through much evidences of his work in winning those that were considered as outsiders – the so called Gentiles - to the Sheepfold of Jesus Christ. So evident was his fulfillment of his calling, in that, fourteen of the twenty-seven writings of the New Testament are authored by him, with nine of these addressed to the various churches he established from the known Gentile world. Indeed St. Paul was a forerunner of the life of Jesus Christ. He was a leader by example, leading not by instructions alone but by the very life he lived as a servant. He is also considered to be the greatest theologian of the Church, having had great influence to many of the next generation of Church Fathers such as St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom to name a few. St. Paul was also a martyr among martyrs. Shipwrecked, imprisoned, received multiple lashes, betrayed, and eventually beheaded for the sake of Christ.

Yet the one virtue that perhaps provided the most lasting effect in the life of the Church was his commitment in preparing the next generation who will carry on the work that he, along with the other first generation Apostles, had started. Among the many co-workers that St. Paul has shared his labors with, none was as special as St. Timothy, a young man whom Paul saw as having the potential of carrying the work of Jesus Christ on earth, even until after he himself could be gone to be with the Lord. Indeed, Paul did not choose someone of the same level of maturity and experience as he had. He chose Timothy, a youth, to continue the role of a Shepherd to the Church he helped nurture.

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul writes to his disciple and encourages him with these words - “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” St. Timothy lived at a time that perhaps is not much different than the modern world we live in today, where the youth are often looked down on. It was a common error of society in St. Timothy’s time and one which St. Paul bravely fought against, and is seemingly getting even more rampant in this day and age, where the youth are not given the proper training to equip them to carry on the work that has been started by their fathers.

Indeed, the task of preparing the next generation to continue in leading the world to Christ is primarily the Church’s responsibility, and one which the Holy Society of St. Timothy aims to share the load with. Part of our mission is “being the Primate’s arm in equipping the youth to be the next pillars of the Church.” That said, the ministry sets its directions according to the one set by God through the Primate.  It’s important that we help the youth understand that it is God’s Kingdom that we are building and not our own.

Currently, the Holy Society of St. Timothy’s task of equipping our youth is mainly put into action through the Youth Fellowship, held the Friday following the 3^rd Sunday of each month at 7 in the evening.  Here, through carefully selected themes in line with the teachings of the Primate, the youth are not only given the opportunity to fellowship with each other but are also fed with God’s Word, brought to a level that they can understand and apply as young Christians, taking on different roles in life as sons and daughters, as brothers and sisters, as students, as young professionals, as young spouses and parents, and, as young workers in God’s vineyard.

For the past year, one of the major focuses of the teachings is establishing the Youth’s Identity: that they are God’s children, with the God-given ability to be responsible and to rise up as leaders in the Church.  We aim to change their concept of how the world portrays them and restore the image of Christ in their understanding of who they are.

The avenue of teaching is not only imparted through conventional lectures but also through youth-oriented, character-forming and relationship-building activities.  From the Ice Breaker to the Praise and Worship music to the Audio-Visual Presentations and Group Dynamics, all parts of the Youth Fellowship are planned and designed to allow the youth to experience God’s principles in a more meaningful, personal and practical light.

Beyond the monthly Youth Fellowship, we also incorporate other areas of interest to the youth such as sports and outdoor activities.  We held our 1^st Youth Camp last May the Lopez Farm in Cavite and Youth Olympics last August 2011 in a clubhouse near Cathedral of the King.  These activities were all organized to firmly establish the Youth in manifesting God’s excellencies wherever they go, in whatever they do.

Whether inside the Church or elsewhere, we aim to help the Church to train our youth to carry the torch of faith with their whole heart, body and soul, and pass this on to the next generation.

If you want to know more about the Youth and the Youth Ministry activities, please contact Dcn. Dex Udarbe or Gino Danan at 7477283.  You can also find us on Facebook “Cathedral of the King Youth”.

Youth Fellowship Schedule: Friday following the 3^rd Sunday of the Month, 7pm onwards.  The youth are asked to bring their Bible, notebook and pen.