Youth
ASYLUM YOUTH EXPLAINED
a|sy ‘ lum. n. A sanctuary or place of refuge and protection, where criminals or debtors can find shelter, and from which they cannot be forcibly taken.
Teenagers are bombarded constantly with lying voices from the media, culture and peers. These voices tempt them to pursue pleasure, popularity, sex, compromise and material things. Following these lies leads them to a purposeless, meaningless existence.
“Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.” — Psalm 31:2
Asylum youth ministry counters these lies with the truth. Here they hear the voices of hope, forgiveness and wisdom - the voice of Jesus Christ. Asylum is a place where all teenagers can come for encouragement, protection, love and truth. In a world of loneliness and competition, we provide authentic love relationships.
“Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.” — Psalm 31:3,4
Journeys
We are all on a journey, a pilgrimage in life. We try to connect students so they travel together the journey of faith. We use “Journey’s” and Small Groups to help this happen.
A student begins in our “Journey’s” ministry. Here we provide sound, interesting and relevant Biblical teaching, huddle groups, skits, worship and fellowship.
We work hard to ensure that Journey’s is a non-threatening, comfortable, and dynamic environment. This tears down walls and makes it easier for students to take personal ownership and responsibility for their faith and lives.
Because of the number of students in a Journey’s group, it is hard to build personal relationships with them and care for their individual needs. So, Journey’s is a stepping stone into Small Groups.
Small Groups
We provide an atmosphere where students are free to reveal and live out who they really are in Christ. No masks, no walls, just absolute honesty about their struggles, their dreams, and their faith. We believe this setting is the best way for believers to nurture their relationships with Jesus.
A Small Group is led by an adult leader who meets with 6-8 students once a week for Bible study, accountability, prayer and fellowship. The leader becomes a friend, mentor, and pastor to the student. They are the ones who get the privilege of walking on a weekly basis with our students, building a lifetime of trust.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to build relationships with students and provide opportunities for them to begin and deepen their relationship with Christ.
OUR HISTORY
Asylum came out of a longing to see a place for teenagers to come and find encouragement and strength. Regardless of where they are in their faith, we wanted to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance, as well as, a place to have fun and enjoy life with other teenagers. As we thought about what we wanted the youth ministry here at Grace to be, an image from a movie came to mind. There is an American man running from the Chinese police towards the U.S. Embassy and he is screaming out: “I seek asylum!” The officers at the embassy opened the bar gates and let him in and then quickly closed the gates on his Chinese pursuers.
That kind of atmosphere is what we hope to create for students. That they would have a place to retreat from a world that can be very dark, cold, and at times ruthless, and they would find the youth ministry at Grace to be a place of comfort, support, and protection.
This is not the end however. One does not stay at the embassy forever; he or she must leave and go back into the world. We hope the same will be true for our students at Grace. Our desire is for them to be people who will, because of all that Christ has done for them, have a desire to share Christ with others outside of the embassy — or what we call “Asylum.”
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