Thursday, April 06, 2006

Remember your Youngers

Above are the guys I took for Bible Study from 1998-2000 at Christchurch St Ives in Sydney. The picture was taken at my final Sunday at St Ives on December 4, 2005.

For the record, here are the leaders who led the whole Year group from Years 10-12:

The guys were in Year 10 when we started our Friday night Bible Studies together. Jimmy Cooper and Nathan Tasker had led the guys from Year 7-9, and Simon Chaplin and I led them from Years 10-12. We finished in the Whitsunday Islands in North Queensland in December 2000.

I wish now to remember my youngers. We have a lot of ‘remember your elders’, but not a lot of ‘remember your youngers’.

These guys are faithful guys. Almost all still trust Jesus. Many of them serve in Sunday Schools and church youth groups. It was my privilege to lead with some of them at 645 Church at Christchurch.

Is there anyone who is younger than you [whom you may have lead], but you wish to honour? Comment away.

Love, Justin.

PS Love the beard on Hughesi...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had the privellege of leading the equally, actually more so, lovely girls of the same year and i constantly reflect back on the many things they taught me even at their young age. many of them are also now leading others (and also now married, which i'm still getting used to) and are such faithful, honest and humble women. I've recently been helping lead a youth group in canada, who remind me so much of my old girls but they don't have the same kind of older or younger kids around with good bible knowledge and commitment, to be lead and encouraged by, as their youth group is still in the early stages of development. all of us who have come through Christ church are so lucky, and there are so many other great churches and kids out there who would be blessed to have christ church 'graduates' to go amongst them and demonstrate to other youth groups just how great worshipping and following God can be. to all you out there in service at CC or elsewhere, rock on!
i miss you justin! (and kylie and emma and simon and clarky and deb!)
xxx helen

Justin said...

Hello my friend Helen.

I see that you clicked on Evsnow’s blog and got to mine. Is that right?

Thanks for your comment. I wonder if I ought to post a picture or two of our 4WD debacle on Stockton Beach in 1998/9...

Anyone else wish to remember their youngers?

Rory Shiner said...

Hi Justin. Thought I'd just pop over to say hello. Will be dropping in regularly.
Love (and love from Susan) to Laurel, the boy and the girl.
Rory

Anonymous said...

Well, my boys (mostly ranging from Years 8-10) are a constant encouragement to me. It is really humbling to see a level of Christian maturity displayed in their lives that took you to your twenties to achieve.

What a blessing to see 14 year old kids asking the big questions & making Christ centred decisions in their lives!

Justin said...

Might try and find a pic of the Pajero being swept out into the Pacific....

Anonymous said...

Well, like goldy, I am constantly encouraged by the gilrs (yr9) i lead! It is absolutely amazing seeing them grow and change over these past few years! Praise God for the way he works in them!
Last bible study was absolutely psycho in the manner that only yr9 girls can manage, yet at the end, after studying the resurrection of Christ, these girls had great things to say and were very challenged! Awesome! I would like to honour them!

And I am also with Em - i thought of your post last night at Merroo as half those guys ran the activity - what a good group of guys they are!

Justin said...

Indeed.

Scott said...

Well done everyone! For the record, I also led these guys in grade 7 before we split BS. So I also am buzzed by all of this (even if i did miss stuff like their formals and first kiss . . .)

Camel said...

Oh and you comment on Bob's beardage in the pic. I reckon your one (well almost one) in the Whit pic is a pearler too.

Camel said...

Let's try this again...

Wow what a surprise. I just slipped into J man (and Simon's) Bible Study
half way through year 12. The last thing i would have imagined then was that
i'd be leading TC this year (and last). Last year was a truly difficult year
in youth ministry. Taught me lots and i felt it grew me in my faith greatly. And this year i am back to yr 7 with a new group of guys. It's so exciting
to see these guys (even though pretty young and childish) with such
knowledge of Christ. There are a few challenges that i am as yet not sure
how to deal with but am keeping it in prayers. Nothing more exciting than to
see God's word click with children (actually, to see it click with anyone is
exciting).

Oh and the nearly disappearing Pajero pic is needed.

Megs said...

disappearing pajeros and remembering of youngers...
I am the oldest of six children, and each of my younger siblings do I now honour...
Thomas for his determination
Rachel for her honesty
Sylvia for her gentle compassion
Sam for his deep love
Stephen for his utter trust

Mr Tiedt said...

I'm not going to post a list, but more than 10 names of people who have been in the two 645 bible studies I have lead are worthy of great honour. Legends. Good onya guys.

And just to prove you don't have to have lead people to see their worth, I can think of another 5 or 10 youngers who I've come to know over the past few years who are amazing. I'd post a list, but if i do I'll forget people ;-)

I remember the Pajero that almost wasn't... gave me a good chuckle at work, did that memory...

Justin said...

Pajero Story is now here:

Redemption from the Bosom of the Pacific

Anonymous said...

Chels - if you think your girls are psycho in Year 9, you should remember back to having 20 of you in DBS in Year 8 and Year 9! God certainly does owrk miracles through weak vessels!!!

Love you, love your work Justin.

Dani xox