What is your ministry?
Our youth ministry aims to bring God’s word and Love to the new generation. We want to see a fundamental change in the hearts of Polish youth. Our group comprises around 20 teenagers ages 12 to 19 and 7 seven leaders and volunteers. We meet weekly for Bible study, worship, or game nights. We believe that the best way to bring Jesus to young people is through genuine and honest relationships, by inviting them into our lives so that they can see how He is working in us. We have also organised conferences and camps for people outside our group.
When did you trust Christ?
I gave my life to Jesus at age 15. I went to winter camp when I didn’t feel like there was anything for me in the world. During one Bible study group, my leader talked about the Holy Spirit and how He works in her life. She said we can all have Him and invited us to surrender our lives. I was so hopeless. I prayed that I would want Him to change things if He were real because I didn’t see a way forward. In the coming months, my life changed in almost all aspects. I started attending youth group meetings and got baptized in November 2014.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
God put many people in my life who encouraged or pushed me to answer His calling. One of them was my first youth leader, who, despite my shyness, saw that God had a plan for me in this ministry. He has been leading me, teaching me how to bring His Good News to the young generation, and encouraging and leading my ministry team in their work with teenagers. I recently started working for my church’s language school as an English teacher, and I believe this is the next step of faith to bring His word to young people in my city. God has proven to me countless times that He is faithful and good.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I hope to be inspired and learn how to better reach young people in our city- how to expand the number of people my ministry can serve, but even more so, how to support the ones we already have in our group in their walk towards/with Jesus. I also want to learn how to help my leaders better and not let them experience burnout.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I’ve been in youth ministry for over seven years - I started at 17, leading small discussion groups and organising street evangelisations through drama skits and testimony sharing. My friend was the main leader of the ministry, and I started helping her out more- not only working with teenagers but also learning how to work with and encourage other leaders. Apart from the youth group, I was also a part of a missionary team to Georgia.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I want to serve my God, my church, and my teenagers as best as possible, which has been my priority in the past couple of years. I’m not sure where God will put me, but I’m sure He Is calling for me. He changed my life through youth ministry, and I believe in His will for my life to change the new generations.
