Resignation

This previous Sunday I announced my resignation as leader of the Emo Youth Group.  Here is what I said:

Emo Youth is a ministry of CBC.   It’s a group of anywhere from 10 to 25 teens
that meets each Thursday for two hours to build relationships and grow
spiritually.  On the 1^st, 3^rd
and (if there is one) 5^th Thursdays of the month we have a study of
some kind.  This fall we went through the
‘Quest’ video series put out by YWAM Vancouver. 
Right now we’re wrapping up the Passion video series by Louis
Giglio.  To finish off the year we’ll be
doing a study in Judges.  On the 2^nd
and 4^th Thursdays of the month we have an activity night: games at
the church, sleigh ride, guy/girls nights… 
On those evenings we aim to have a short God-talk.  And of course we include food!  On occasion we do special events such as a
Just Because We Can! Party, camping in the summer and we’re hoping to do a
weekend mission trip to Thunder Bay this spring. 

The inception of Emo Youth dates back to the winter of
1997-98.  It was spear headed by Ben
Rempel and Norma Sullivan in connection with the Evangelical Fellowship Church
in Fort Frances.  The very first one
there were 6 of us teens with the two leaders watching a Mark Lowry comedy
video in the basement of the EFC.  Over
time the group grew, we moved out of the church and started meeting in homes,
Norma left and in the winter of 2003-04 when Ben moved away Clemens Lehmann
started leading the group. 

It was the fall of 2004 that I started on as assistant
leader beginning my almost 6 years leading Emo Youth.  The first and third year I was assistant to
Clem.  The second year I lead with Kathryn
Goodman as my assistant and my fourth year I lead alone. 

By this point the group was almost exclusively from Emo with
no teens from Fort Frances.  I had almost
no accountability about how I was leading or what I was teaching.  The only church we had ties to was the EFC
and even those were pretty loose.

Insert Calvary Baptist Church here.  In the spring of 2008 discussion started
about having Emo Youth come under the umbrella of CBC.  Since most of the teens came from this church
it seemed silly to be under a different church and as I was really in need of
some assistance and accountability we made an agreement.  Starting in the fall of 2008 Emo Youth
officially became part of CBC and Peter and Stacey Fuhrer came on as
leaders.  At the same time work started
to develop a youth group in Fort Frances to focus on the needs there.  That group is now known as FYG or F.Y.G.  Today our team of Emo Youth leaders includes
myself, Pete & Stacey and two teen leaders, Bob and Dirk.

I cannot tell you how big of a blessing it has been to have
CBC embrace Emo Youth as a ministry.  As
a leader it has been huge!  To go from
leading a group of up to 25 teens all by myself to working with a team, knowing
we’re part of a bigger whole, that there is a supportive (in finances and
prayer) church family behind us is awesome!   

So,
it is with mixed feelings I make this announcement.  After months of thought and prayer and after
discussing it with friends and leaders I am ready to announce my resignation as
leader of Emo Youth starting this summer. 
Nothing bad has happened and I’m not moving!  The youth group is as healthy as it has ever
been and I have really enjoyed working with Pete and Stacey.  I am letting go of my responsibilities in
this group only because I feel that God is calling me to focus more on other
ministries I am involved in as well, specifically outreach and discipleship
with teens in Fort Frances.

Please pray that God would raise up new leaders to help Pete & Stacey with the group!