Today, Benedict from the 03 Guys will be sharing about a project he embarked on earlier last year.
Some of you would have recalled playing board games with other DGs after sermons in the Well. This was part of Benedict’s #BondTeenacity initiative where he wanted to facilitate greater bonding between different youths in the ministry!
Here’s what Ben has to say about his interesting way of fellowship and serving God.
-Kevin See Toh (03 Guys)
What does service mean to you?
I think that service to God is something done with the intention of honouring God with the whole of our hearts. Service to God doesn't necessarily need to be done in a service area in the church, but we do acknowledge an inherent importance towards conventional service in the church, as these service areas are made up of what the church needs the most, such as worship, WOAH, CD, etc.
What is your form of service and how is this form of service different from conventional forms?
Bond Teenacity was created to help the youths bond across DGs and to create a community where everyone is not afraid to reach out to one another or are strangers to one another. It's different from other conventional forms of service because it strives to strengthen the community aspect of the youth ministry so that we can achieve the goal of becoming a community that relies on one another both in life, and our spiritual life as well.
Why did you pick this form of service?
I was honestly inspired by someone in the church who I had met way back, and he talked about how he wanted to serve God through his talent in game design. He helped me understand that service was more than just what you do, but the intention behind it.
It was over the years that I saw how people met up in the Well to enjoy games and have real conversations with one another. This also opened my eyes up to the flip side of things, where I saw people glued to their phones, something that we see very often nowadays, and it was then that I realized that if we don't even bother to talk to one another when we meet face-to-face,
Then what is that to say of us in encouraging each other in our spiritual lives?
Would a newcomer feel welcomed if we don't bother to involve them at all?
How did you execute it?
What a session of #BondTeenacity might look like
So that's when Bond Teenacity began to develop. It started as a small group of us who played games after church, and slowly, we invited more and more people to join us. There were newcomers as well, and we made an EXTRA effort to encourage them to join us as well. From then, we decided to implement Bond Teenacity during the break between service and DG time, and the team worked hard to coordinate everything behind the scenes so that we could make Bond Teenacity happen.
How has this form of service impacted others and your walk with God?
Though it's still too early to say if it has had an impact on the youths or discipleship because of COVID, I think that in the long run, it will create a community that is bonded, and one that is accountable for each others' spiritual lives. This service area has encouraged me to make an effort to make Teenacity a bonded community, and one that is welcoming to newcomers on a more personal level as well. It has also helped me to get to know the church community better and through this, I feel that I've been able to make meaningful change for God, growing closer in my walk with him.
Aligning with Vision 2023, how do you think more youths take up discipleship?
I think that the first step in discipleship is really just getting to know the person you want to disciple to first. It’s from that they will develop a reliance on one another in their spiritual journey, encouraging and supporting one another in their walk with God. Though, it will not be easy for the youths to suddenly decide
“hey I wanna disciple someone!”
I do hope to see this happen more often by 2023 :)
If you have any questions or issues regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact me!
