Temple Baptist Life

Legacy Youth Group is going through some changes right now. We actually started implemented changes within the youth group back in Jan. of this year. Before we share with you some changes that have taken place and that are taken place, Legacy Youth Group want to acknowledge and gratefully thank Tim and Cindy Smith for their 4-5 years of service to Legacy Youth Group. They have given numerous hours of work and dedication to our youth group and provided spiritual training and growth to and for our youth group. Words cannot express how much we love and appreciate their devotion to our youth group and to us. We know that they were doing this because God called them to be the leaders for this period of time for our youth group and we thank to them so much. We also know that God is calling them to leave and go forward with him to do his will and his work so that God will be glorified. Like Tim shared with the youth group he and Cindy are not leaving us or the church they are being led in a different direction. They will be greatly missed by all of us.

Now back to changes that have taken places! In January, we leaders felt led of God to implement changes within the youth group and instill godly changes in the kids. As we prayed and started compiling these changes we felt led to ask a younger persons advice so we called upon Kyle Clark to help us come up with these changes. I won’t go through the list of changes we wanted to implement but I will give you a few examples. We felt the youth needed to be taught to respect and show honor to each other. We felt the youth needed to be taught to respect the leaders and those in authority over them. We felt the youth needed to be taught to respect Gods property which is the Youth House where we meet. Kyle was very gracious to help us leaders implement these changes to the kids, but he also told us leaders “be prepared for opposition” from the kids. Nobody likes change, not even young people. When the youth were presented with the changes that need to take place within the youth group and within themselves, all I can say is they were not happy campers. We shared with them that this would change them into the young men and ladies of God, and that God would want them to be. Needless to say, Kyle left and went to IHOP (not the pancake place) and left us leaders with the challenge to pray for God to change our hearts towards the kids and for us to pray daily for the kids. We started praying every day for every youth in our youth group and for each other. I will tell you we had many trials that came against our youth group but we continued to pray and pray we did. We gradually started to see changes take place and before we knew it the kids went from having the head knowledge to having the heart knowledge of what God was wanting from them. Today all the changes that we put before them at the first of the year is habit to them now. God has brought all of us a long way from the beginning of the year. The respect that the kids have for each other and for the leaders and for the youth house has come from God changing them and changing us the leaders. God has so blessed our youth group in so many ways!

Another change we always welcome is having Kyle Clark home from IHOP (not the pancake place). He has been with our youth group for a month now. He has been teaching us new praise and worship songs, which we have so richly enjoyed. He has brought a new freshness to scriptures and his lessons have been so encouraging to all of us. We have learned a lot from Kyle and we are always so blessed when he comes back to our youth group. Here again change has taken place within our hearts. God brought Kyle back to us for a short period of time for refreshing and renewing our spirits. Thank you so much Kyle. We love you so much! We are so amazed at how Kyle is allowing God to use him and grow him in many areas and then come back and share with us.

In closing this is change for me since this is my first article that I have ever written for the Temple Trumpet. I am thankful for all the changes God has brought into my life and Legacy Youth Group in the last seven months. We as leaders share with the youth, Legacy Youth Group is not our youth group but it belongs to them but most important it belongs to God. As long as we put God first he will bless our youth group. One thing we also share with the youth is even though as people we will go through changes in our life. Some we might like and some we might not like but one thing is for certain God never changes. The bible says in Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not. Praise God he never changes!!”

Lastly we have new leadership positions in Legacy Youth Group and I want to acknowledge them now. Ron McCarty Assistant Youth Director, and Roxanne McCarty Youth Leader.

In Christ Service,
Vickie Kilmer
Youth Director