General Conference 2012: Spark12

Spark12 is looking for creative, innovative projects that push the boundaries of what
we think of when we consider ministry at work in the world. Spark12 supports justice
oriented, community-based projects proposed by young people who are actively looking
for a way to move that dream into reality. If you are a young adult (18-35) who has
been looking for a way to get your idea off the proverbial ground, you may want to see
if Spark12 is for you. If you are no longer a young adult, please consider sharing this
possibility with those you know.

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USA Today would have you believe that teenagers are staying away from church and youth group because they’re too busy.

Not so.

I don’t buy the excuse that youth are busier now than they were ten years ago. Sure, there are technological distractions that didn’t exist then, but does anyone honestly think facebook is the real reason kids aren’t going to church? Give me a break. If that were so, what does that say about how weak youth group has become?

The truth is, no one is ever too busy to go to church. Everyone on earth, rich or poor, gets the same 24 hours each day. Time is an equalizer– it doesn’t discriminate. People generally find the time to do what is important to them, and if they aren’t going to church, that just means church is not a top priority. So the idea of teens being too busy for church is mostly balderdash– they simply have other places they’d rather be. The truth hurts, doesn’t it?

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