Senior, Madison Most - High School Reflection

Guest blog by Madison Most who is doing a senior internship at Fellowship shares her thoughts on high school.

 Everyone has always told me to enjoy the time I have in high school because it will be over before I know it. I remember hearing those words over and over every time I would complain about having to keep up with grades, practices, clubs, various commitments…but they never truly sank in until two weeks ago when I stood on my high school stage for the very last time. Those unforgettable bright shining lights twinkling off our eyes as we sang our senior song for our spring concert…and that’s when those words…those exhausted words of “high school surely does fly by,” came rushing into the forefront of my mind. I thought back to when I was a mere freshman making my debut on the good old AHS stage during the musical of “Annie Get Your Gun.” I had always looked up to the AHS players and dreamed of the day when I would get to perform in that grand auditorium, the orchestra pit below, and the seats filled with every citizen of our small town. And finally, I was there! I was there, on stage, and it was just the beginning of the four years of performances ahead…only fourteen years of age, senior year seemed like a lifetime away. Well that “lifetime,” came and went more quickly than I could have ever imagined!

       

I am not going to say that high school is always fun, loving laughs, and amazing memories. It has its times of frustration, heart breaks, drama, fights, poor grades, disappointment…but reflecting, many of those difficult trials are washed away by the times of fun, Friday night football games, Homecoming weekend, skipping class, staying up all night with best friends watching Disney movies, sneaking out on dark summer nights to paint the rock…and these are just a few of every high school kid’s amazing memories. Though these memories would not have been complete without the guidance and knowledge I gained through my church family.

       

Mission trips, house group, and simply being involved in Sunday morning youth group has helped me in overcoming the difficulties of high school, and has given me a heart of gratitude for all the amazing memories and relationships I have made throughout the past four years. My youth group leaders, more specifically my house group leaders are the people who truly shaped my high school years. Taking those awesome times of public school fun and teaching me how to keep my faith and act in accordance to the Lord is exactly what my leaders guided me to do. They taught me that it is ok to live a life of being involved and having a lot of friends providing I take those opportunities and use them all for the Glory of His kingdom.

       

I believe a common misconception our generation often holds to be true is when one devotes their life to Christ they instantly become more quiet or more “geeky,” or just simply not the person they were before, but as I journeyed through these past years, I learned that God gives each of us unique qualities and devoting your life to Him does not mean stealing those qualities away from yourself, but using your unique gifts to serve Him. Naturally the Lord has blessed me with a super outgoing personality, which has lead me into joining everything I was a part of and having friends in all different groups in school, and entering high school I was uncertain about how those qualities would interact with my faith. Would I be a “Christian,” at church and then be the fun, outgoing girl at school, or would I be the “nerdy Christian girl,” at school and live that life across the board?

Diving head first into high school immediately joining three clubs, auditioning for the musical and choir, and trying out for highlights, but at the same time getting involved with house group and youth group, I learned that I didn’t have to change anything about myself moving forward, but rather live the same at school as I do at church…be conscientious of my words, my actions, my beliefs…and I could continue being the person God created me to be!

Everyone will have a different high school experience because of their different qualities, but using those qualities to find where you fit in and not changing them because you are a Christian, but rather enhancing them because that is what the Lord has blessed you with, I can promise you, the Lord will bless you and your short four years!

As tears began to roll down our faces and black streaks of makeup stained our rosy, blush covered cheeks, the piano faded, our hands interlocked, and we took our final bow. Not just our final bow of choir, but our final bow of our lives for the past four years. The next day we would no longer be walking down the halls and sitting in the same classrooms we had sat in all year, but each venturing our own separate ways out into the real working world of internships. Scared and excited we spent our last high school night crying and laughing over milkshakes at our regular spot, Stake ‘n’ Shake. As we shared stories and tweeted thousands of #highschoolmemories, stayed out way too late and simply embraced our last high school night, I knew it was all coming to an end. Sure, we have yet to graduate, experience senior prom, and have our entire summer ahead of us to make memories, things just wouldn’t be quite the same as they were. Though reliving all of our best memories, I can say with confidence, I am so incredibly grateful for the time I had in high school, and even more grateful for my faith that lead me through each and every one of these unforgettable experiences!

For all of you eighth graders moving up into high school this year, lock your seat belt and get ready for one amazing ride! Through the hectic busy schedule and trivial trials, remember to use your God given qualities to lead a life after Him. Take advantage of these four years, because believe me, they surely will fly by! By getting involved and meeting tons of friends and doing all of that under His guidance, you will have an awesome four years and leave a legacy wherever you are!

For all of you underclassmen, keep on keepin on in middle school. These are your years to truly confirm the person you want to be in high school, so when you reach that point, you will enter in with strength and ready to take on God’s great plan for your lives!

Thank you for letting me share a little bit of my high school journey and what I have learned through these past four years. I am so grateful to have been in ministry with you guys this past year and can’t wait to see what the Lord leads you guys to do in the upcoming years! Please keep in touch with me while I am in college!! MUCH LOVE <3 span="">

~Maddy Most

Murder in the Dark...

This Friday we'll be playing Murder in the Dark at the church from 
8:30pm-11:30pm. Meet in the youth room.

Guest Post by Kyle Baldwin - Reflections of his time at Fellowship

Hello middle schoolers and middle school families! My name is Kyle Baldwin, and I am currently a senior at Aurora High School. I will be attending Cedarville University in the fall to pursue a higher education. Cedarville University is a Christian school, whose main focus is to provide students with a quality education, without compromising our beliefs in Christ. They do this by starting each class with prayer, having daily chapel, etc. It took much debate for me to decide which college I wanted to attend, but in the end, I knew this is where the Lord was calling me. I guess I trace this decision all the way back to the time when I first got involved in the church’s youth group and middle school ministries. If it weren’t for my involvement within Fellowship’s youth program, who knows where I’d be today?

            My family has always been deeply committed to their faith and I have gone to church ever since I was a baby. I knew all of the basics of Christianity and participated in all of the events that the church held, but outside of church, I lived a relatively apathetic and normal life. I always felt like nobody was there with me, and like I had no friends. As a child, I was an outcast, struggling to find friends or fit in, even at the churches I would go to. It wasn’t until my family started going to Fellowship Bible Church that I first began to see the importance of my faith.

            Because of my involvement in the church’s youth ministry, my life has been radically changed. I have established Christ as my everlasting foundation, I’ve learned of his teachings, and implemented them into my own life, and I’ve dedicated my life to him. My favorite memory I have from my time at Fellowship was during my eighth grade mission trip to Cincinnati. On our last night of worship, I felt something tugging at my soul, and I burst into tears crying. My leader, Jim Kristoff, took me outside and we began talking about faith and who Jesus was. It felt as if every bad thing I had ever felt was bursting at the seams, clawing its way out. Jim referred to this as a “gush”. Essentially, God was entering my body, cleansing me of everything I’d ever done or felt, and replacing it with him.  I can’t describe just how amazing it was to know that Christ was, and always is, my eternal savior. All I knew was that from then on, all I wanted to do was live for him.

The moment that I committed my life to Christ, my life was made new. I became a new person. As my life progresses, my relationship with God has grown stronger and I have begun to see changes in my life. I began to evaluate some of the decisions I was making and realized that they weren’t beneficial for me. I began to see myself as a role model among my friends who weren’t Christians. I generally became a better person after God came into my life. When God came into my life, he became a refuge that I could turn to when there was nothing else. Now, he is the first option for me whenever I struggle with temptations. I have come to learn that the troubles of this world come to an end with God at the center of my life. I know that God will never leave me, and he will always be with me. God tells us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 3:16.

            Through Fellowship’s youth program, I was able to create a foundation in my faith that would prosper and grow into an incredible relationship with Christ. I have also built strong, lifelong relationships with friends, who will always continually build me up in my faith, and support me in all that I do. Fellowship is where I discovered what my life truly meant and where I was headed in my life. In all honesty, the night I committed my life to living for Christ is the night my real life began. And without Fellowship’s youth ministry to guide me and build up my faith, I would be lost, afraid, and a completely different man than the one I am today.