As of last week… all of my students are back on their respective campuses for the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.

The challeges facing many of my students are daunting.

I have between fifteen and twenty 6th graders who are being forced to adjust to all of the pressures of teenage life while many are still only ten or eleven years old. I have between four and seven 12th graders who are on the other end of the teen-life-cycle as they are trying to decide what to do with the rest of their lives. I have between twelve and eighteen students who are beginning the tough adjustment from junior high into high school. I have many students with many questions who need to ignore the doubts, fears, and distractions in order to find God’s Answers.

I also have students spread out over sixeen (yes… I said SIXTEEN) public and private schools (not counting my three homeschool families) on the Eastern Shore of Delmarva and greater Salisbury community. This creates a unique (but not uncharted) challenge for me as I love and pastor and encourage and lead each of these students closer to Christ… and to one another in a Christ-centered community… while being stretched over a wide mission-field. This unique challenge will lead to the creation of a unique Christ-centered community.

In the past eight years that I have been serving in Student Ministry… and the past eight months that we have been serving among these students at Allen… I have NEVER felt more passionately than I do NOW about the following four things:

.: ONE…

This generation of students is desperately seeking a community where they are loved, accepted, and understood. (see Matthew 7:o7)

.: TWO…

The heart of Christ is for every student to find this community among those who are Christ-searchers and Christ-finders. (see Matthew 7:o8)

.: THREE… 

The leadership of the emerging church must begin spending less time and energy focusing on our “crowd programs” and “covered dish dinners”… and begin spending more time and energy investing in the unique needs of those in this generation.

.: FOUR…

The greatest mission-field in North America can be discovered on the high school and junior high campuses of our students across the nation.

———- 

AM/SM Students…
WELCOME TO YOUR MISSION-FIELD:

-Bennett Middle School
-Bennett High School
-Delmar Middle School
-Delmar High School
-Faith Baptist School
-Holly Grove Christian School
-Mardela Middle School
-Mardela High School
-Parkside High School
-Salisbury Baptist Academy
-Salisbury Christian School
-Salisbury Middle School
-The Salisbury School
-Washington High School
-Wicomico Middle School
-Wicomico High School

———- 

As of last week… all of my students are back on their respective campuses for the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year… the return to their MISSION-FIELD.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav