
The Bible outlines the early church modeling deep community through shared meals. Time after time the table became a place where God was present with His people, and His people were present with each other. This is what we strive for each week during our Wednesday night youth group. On the surface a “snack time” doesn’t seem profound, but I believe we are impressing something deeper upon these youth. Each week they know they are going to have 15 mins to eat and converse with their peers. They’re taking this time to catch up, unwind, and bond. Watching these interactions has become one of my favorite parts of youth group. It’s not a secret kids like to eat, and of course there is a physical component to offering a snack or a meal; research continually proves a fed child is more apt to pay attention and retain information. But that is not the main reason we carve out this time each week. We are engraining the importance of dedicated time with community into these kids. And that is exactly what we’ve become, a community. For the majority of our youth, they are continually looking forward to Wednesday nights. They know it will be a time where they can take the load of the world off their shoulders and just ‘be’. They know there will be a time of biblical instruction, games, and food. All of it important. All of it needed. At the end of each month we share a full meal together, and for several of our youth that is the only home cooked meal they will have that week. How awesome that it was had at church, surrounded by their peers and adults that love them, pointing it all back to Jesus. Even Jesus chose to use food as an avenue to remember Him.
None of this is possible without our church. Every snack and meal our youth have enjoyed has come from someone in our church. I am so proud of our church community. The kids know the members of our church sign-up to provide the snack and meals. That means something to them. Trust me on that. If you are looking for a way to support our youth, consider signing up to provide a snack or meal during youth group. You can view the available dates on the following link: https://mealtrain.com/n126e6