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BEING a teenager means dealing with the many negative
connotations attached to that label.
But for Trevor Cairns and the team behind Velocity
Youth in Kelowna, young people hold a lot of promise. And why
shouldn’t they, when the Bible demonstrates God has been using teens
since the beginning?
 David was only a youngster when he was anointed as king
by the prophet Samuel. Miriam was probably a teen when God used her to
protect the baby Moses. Mary was a young woman when God chose her to be
Jesus’ virgin mother.
“We believe that teenagers can change the world
if given the chance. Their energy, enthusiasm and unbridled passion are
palpable!” said Cairns, Kelowna Christian Reformed Church’s
youth pastor. “We desire to help teenagers to channel these
qualities, both for their personal growth, and for kingdom expansion
throughout Kelowna, Canada and the world. Just look at how often God used
teenagers to do miraculous things in the Bible!
“We believe in teenagers. We believe this is
important today, when a lot of the adult world has written them off, or at
least neglected their collective duty to help them into adulthood. We
desire to see teenagers positioned to have their best life possible, both
now and on into their adult life.
“Obviously, this starts with salvation as the
primary goal; but we also strive to help teenagers in other areas of life
– relationships, school, their future – because these areas
matter, too. Jesus said that he came to give life in the full, and we
try to help teenagers realize and experience that.”
Founded in 2004, Velocity Youth’s vision is to
see teenagers come to Christ through a fun environment, conducive to
building and nurturing good relationships. Cairns, along with churchmates
John Vos, Wayne Marees, and three other leaders make up the team which
manages both this ministry and East Hill Youth in Vernon.
Every Sunday night, the youth group gathers in church
for two hours of games, food, and meaningful discussions, seasoned with a
healthy helping of God’s word.
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One of the original members, Jeremy van Ouden, said
attending these meetings helped him become a leader.
“It helped me become more open and extroverted
with my faith,” he said. The 21 year old is now a youth leader with
Velocity, who enjoys facilitating small group discussions and helping
Cairns to minister to teens.
He said his youth pastor, “a kindhearted guy with
a vast knowledge of the Christian faith,” is a huge influence in his
life.
But it’s not just the teens who learn through
this fellowship. Cairns said working with youth forced him to evaluate his
integrity: “I have grown in my compassion for teenagers and the
struggles that they face . . . There is no room for ego in youth ministry,
as students will pick up on it immediately. While I am clearly
leading, I’ve learned to be more humble and let students see that
we’re in this together, no matter what the struggle may
be.”
It’s this God-given knowledge which helps Cairns
and his six-member team to look past a teen’s exterior and discern
the diamond in the rough that he or she is.
– Lailani Mendoza
October 2008
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