church of the week
Vineyard Community Church: A Place to Be Free
By Amy Turner
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– It’s a big hangout for kids -- a place they can feel right at home. Vineyard Community Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is reaching out to its community through their youth group.
“I like coming to this youth group because it’s fun,” says one teen.
That’s what draws these kids to the group. Before and after the service, kids get to hang out with their friends and enjoy different activities.
“[It] offers skating for skaters,” says pastor’s wife Natalie McDermott. “We offer karaoke for those who like to sing. They can be involved in worship team.”
Youth Pastor Michael McDermott says being able to relate to the kids is one of the reasons they’ve been so successful.
He says, “It’s very important to spend time with kids, get to know them, learn their culture. What attracts them, what draws them to church.”
Intragenerate, the name of their youth group, means to produce a change from within -- a change that is taking place in these kids’ lives.
Youth group goer Rachel says, “I love the way God moves here. I see so many kids’ lives changing. God changed my life. I just want to be apart of that.”
Teen Minde concurs. “I like coming to this youth group because it’s a way we young kids can express ourselves and how we feel about the Lord. We can be free -- not all uptight like other churches. This church is different.”
Senior Pastor Andy Meade says he believes the youth group gives kids today what they are searching for.
“I think kids have a spiritual vacuum -- looking for a purpose and a focus and we give them that,” says Pastor Andy. “We not only give them community but community with focus, which the Bible calls fellowship, where they can come together with a purpose.”
For thinking outside the box when it comes to reaching your community, The 700 Club salutes you, Vineyard Community Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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