Grace Youth Vision Casting July 2025
Hello everyone,
This term, our Youth Leadership Team set aside time from our usual busy routines to come together to pray and seek God as we refocus our purpose and vision as a youth group. It was an inspiring and refreshing time together, and I’m excited to share some of the outcomes with you.
Why review our purpose?
We want to be an intentional, purpose-driven, and united group making a meaningful impact for Jesus. To do that well, we felt it was important to pause and ask ourselves some key questions to help define our purpose, align our goals and values, strengthen our unity as a team, and provide direction as we shape our programme for the year ahead.
What did we do?
We met on a Saturday morning and spent some extended time together. We kicked off with some yummy Reeves pastries (seriously, the best!), strong coffee, and most importantly, prayer. We prayed over our young people and invited the Holy Spirit to guide our time together.
Then, we reflected on what is great about Grace Youth - there was a lot to celebrate! We took time to thank God for all He has done and continues to do in the lives of our young people. Next, we went post-it note crazy! Each of us wrote down what we believed the purposes of youth work are and then we grouped our ideas together into themes. As we reflected, it became clear that youth work is rich and diverse and has many different purposes.
Some of the key purposes we identified were:
Jesus: Pointing our young people to Jesus, sharing the gospel, and helping them develop a personal relationship with Him.
Life: Supporting young people as they navigate life’s challenges through a gospel perspective.
Church Family: Helping them feel a true sense of belonging and participation in the wider church.
Discipleship: Encouraging spiritual growth and maturity.
Higher Calling: Helping them discover their identity in Christ and pursue their God-given purpose.
Mission & Evangelism: Equipping them to share their faith and engage in outreach, both locally and afar.
Fun: Creating space for joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories during their teenage years.
Worship: Creating opportunities to worship and praise God together.
God’s Word: Nurturing a love for the Bible.
Spiritual Gifts: Helping young people explore their spiritual gifts and creating a safe space to grow and practice using them.
Prayer: Emphasizing the importance of prayer in their daily lives.
Community: Strengthening connections within the group.
Engaging with other Youth Groups: Building relationships with other local church youth groups.
We then spent time evaluating how well our current programme reflect these purposes. It was encouraging to see that much of what we do already aligns with our vision. We also identified areas for growth and opportunity, which was helpful as we begin shaping the next term.
Involving the Young People
It wouldn’t be a good review without involving some of the key people, our youth! So a few weeks later, we hosted a focus group with a small, diverse group of young people. They represented different ages, backgrounds, and experiences within Grace Youth. We asked similar questions to the ones we explored as leaders, seeking their thoughts and ideas. It was such a joy to listen to them, and we were encouraged to see that their reflections aligned with the themes we identified as a leadership team. They also gave us thoughtful feedback, helpful pointers and ideas for the year ahead.
Our privilege
Recently we had the joy of seeing five of our young people get baptised and hear their testimonies. Watching them grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with God is a blessing and a privilege to be part of.
As we look ahead to the next year, we are full of expectation for what God will do. We’re committed to seeking Him more, growing more, and glorifying Him in everything we do.
Stay tuned, there’s so much more to come!
Rosie Donohue, Youth Leader