DAY 21

Laura Campbell | Re:Hope West End

I recently looked back at one of my old vision documents from 2022, and noticed I’d recorded a prayer and hope that someday we would have twenty teenagers in church on a Sunday.

Not long ago, as one of our teenage girls was baptised, I looked up to the balcony and noticed rows of teenagers. Some who were Christians, some friends who had been invited, some curious, some in church for the very first time — but definitely more than twenty. I am praying that God would FILL our church with teenagers, but I do want to recognise that He has been doing something wonderful over these last few years. We usually have teens at all three of our services on a Sunday. We have some teens who sometimes come to all three – because they love church! 😂 I don’t want to take that for granted. Thank you, Jesus. 

I remember, long before 2022, being one of the youth pastors here and sitting in the Sunday morning service with just a handful of amazing teenagers every week, praying God would bring more to discover and fall in love with Jesus. Now I have the joy of working alongside some of those amazing teenagers, and seeing others follow Jesus elsewhere. I remember when we had one boy in the youth group, praying for more to come along. Now there are many! And even just this last year - God has brought in several new families with teenage kids, helping grow a wonderful community for them to enjoy and friends to run alongside. 

God has been so faithful and He has answered so many prayers!