OUR VISION

Jesus began to pursue his life's purpose when he was only twelve years old. After a trip to Jerusalem, Jesus' parents couldn't find him. They finally discovered him in the temple, listening to the rabbis, asking them questions, and even explaining important spiritual ideas to them. In other words, even at twelve years old, Jesus was already beginning to develop his gifts and abilities for his future mission.

Twelve years old is a pivotal age in the life of young people. It's the age when many young people begin to emerge from childhood and start the process of growing into adults. It's the age when young people leave elementary school and enter middle school. It's the age when many young people begin to form their identity and make extremely important choices that will impact their lives for years to come.

Unfortunately, our culture does not provide many meaningful rites of passage for young people during this important period in their lives. As a result, many young people seek affirmation and identity wherever they can find it. Many look to friends, social media, television and popular culture for clues about who or what they should become. While there are certainly some good and helpful voices in the culture, there are also many negative and unhelpful voices as well. Consequently, many young people struggle with anxiety, depression, confusion and uncertainty about who they are and why they exist.

At One Family Church, we are passionate about helping middle and high school youth become all that God designed them to be. We are passionate about helping young people discover, develop and deploy their God-given gifts, talents and abilities so that they can flourish in life. We believe that the scriptures can help them form a solid identity and a bright future, and we want to partner with young people to help them grow.

The scriptures teach us that as a young man, Jesus grew in four key areas. It says, he "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." We see this scripture as providing a template of the four key growth areas for young people:

• Intellectually/Emotionally (wisdom): We love to help young people make wise choices, ask deep questions, and make emotionally mature decisions.
  
  
• Physically (stature): Our bodies are the temple of God. We encourage young people to honor their bodies through physical exercise, good nutrition, and wise life choices.
  
  
• Spiritually (favor with God): We encourage young people to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, and develop a deep meaningful relationship with Him.
  
  
• Socially (favor with man): We encourage young people to love their neighbors as themselves, to develop loving friendships and to care passionately about issues of justice in our community.