The Battle For Belonging Part 1

As you build your ministry, what do you pin your hopes on for group cohesion? What is your plan for students to find a place of friendship and acceptance:  

• Your events; programs and activities that will expose kids to one another, give them opportunity to work side by side in service projects designed to build cohesion and ministry. Will you have some events that are just plain fun and bring out the “everybody wants to belong”, laugh and have a good time?
• Maybe you plan to have great teaching (behavior modification); training students to follow a code of conduct not their own; refereeing, hoping they will mature and get it? 

Only Christ can span the chasm of race, economics and social position. Students who find themselves classed in a certain group, with difficulty gaining entrance into other social circles will never cross those boundaries and others will never let them, apart from the work of the Spirit of God.  The real answer is other worldly, accomplished by a divine act, through the power of the Spirit. 


"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Now you are the body of Christ, each one of you os part of it.  I Corinthians 12:13,27

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then….”  You belong to each other  Galatians 3:26-29a

  

Do you need to adjust your plan? I get an inkling many do!