<typohead type="2">National Youth Co-Ordinator</typohead>

Want to read a story about a boy who knew what it felt like to truly belong? Try ‘The Prodigal Son.’ For me it’s the ultimate story of belonging. I reckon as youth leaders we often like to cast ourselves in the role of the Father, offering unconditional love to our wayward or belligerent young people. Too often though, I think we end up behaving like the two sons – running off following our own needs and desires, or staying put and grumbling at the state of things.

You belong. One of the things I’ve noticed since I started in this job 3ish years ago, is that while youth leaders all seem to have a deep sense of wanting to belong to something ‘bigger’, even when the opportunity is put in front of them, some youth leaders don’t want to. Too often we’re prone to separating believing from belonging - and in the long run we just end up feeling isolated and discouraged.

I had a coffee with a youth worker who didn’t know if he wanted to belong the other day. I have coffees with him quite often. Don’t know what came over me, but out of the blue I said to him ‘you know you belong don’t you. Even when you don’t know if you want to. It’s a two way thing, and even when you’re somewhere else on your own track, we’re just gonna keep on ‘belonging’ you ok?’ (sometimes I astound even myself with my grammatical choice of words) …cos that’s what love does and that’s what belonging gives. It loves unconditionally, celebrates your achievements, misses you when you’re gone, prays for you when you’re not there, and is glad when you return - as the Father does in the story of the prodigal son.

To be honest I find it as hard as the next youth leader. But when I read the prodigal son, I know whose example I’m meant to follow. And I know that life doesn’t really make sense - and there’s no way I’m going to be able to make Jesus Christ known - unless I’m journeying with others, I feel like I belong, and I let myself be ‘belonged’ by the people I’m with.

You belong. Connect is a time to get together with the people you belong to. If you haven’t been before, you can rest assured that we’ve been praying for you to come. The PYM crew are a pretty spesh tribe, and they can’t wait to meet you. I look forward to spending some quality time with y’all being inspired, refreshed and refuelled, and chewing the fat over what it means to believe and belong.

See you at Otaki…

Arohanui