CPC 1997 Annual Report:
Youth Ministries
Christopher C. Ritchie

---

I am continually intrigued by the way in which the Lord brings about all things in His perfect timing. In His time he brought Ed Olson to Central to serve as an Interim Youth Director while the youth search committee continued its work of finding a permanent Youth Director for the church. In God's timing and guidance Kathy and I were led here to Baltimore to join Central in its mission of impacting the lives of teenagers. In the perfect timing of the Lord our young people are being molded into the image of Jesus Christ. That is what this youth ministry is all about.

We are experiencing a time of healthy growth, both spiritually as well as numerically, in the middle and high school programs. Friday Nite Live and Powerhouse, the weekly fellowship groups for middle and high school students, respectively, encourage our youth and challenge them to explore issues that they face from a biblical perspective. The youth Sunday school program, which has a typical combined attendance of nearly fifty students, continues to give our teens a solid foundation in the Word of God.

This past July nine of our youth and three adults ventured to Mandeville, Jamaica to assist in building a deaf village with the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf. Our teens worked very hard during the eleven-day trip, and they learned much about what it means to be servants of Christ. The students at Central have also been involved in several local mission projects this year such as Our Daily Bread, Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Community Center. These ministries not only teach our young people how to serve and love others, but they also give students an opportunity to put their faith into action.

In the new year we are expectantly looking forward to further growth and development both in the lives of our young people as well as in the youth ministries at Central. In 1998 we are preparing to launch a new mentorship ministry which will pair teens with spiritually mature adults who will help to nurture them in their Christian walk. This summer we are planning a missions trip to Chicago with the Center for Student Missions which will give our students a hands-on experience of ministry in the inner city.

I am genuinely thankful to be part of a congregation which has shown so much support for ministry with young people and their families. I would like to express my appreciation to the parents of our youth, to the very dedicated staff of volunteer advisors and teachers as well as to the members of the youth committee who continue to give me discerning support as we build this house called youth ministry.