Graduation season is upon us, and it’s an exciting time for high school seniors because it marks one of the capstones of their eighteen years around the sun. The CPC graduating class of 2022 is finishing up the final stretch of their high school career and their time in the Youth Ministry. The spring semester is a flurry of activity for them: going to prom, taking senior pictures, end-of-year parties, finishing exams, and, not least of all, making plans for life after high school. For some this means starting college; for others, it means entering the workforce and beginning a career. Whatever their plans may be, graduation marks one of life’s biggest changes - the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
This is also a special time in the life of our church, as the covenant children (or better yet “covenant teenagers”) that we have shepherded and cared for over the years close a chapter of their lives and begin a new and exciting one. In our Youth Ministry, we have several events to celebrate our CPC seniors and what they have accomplished. On Sunday, May 22, we will recognize and pray for the senior class during our worship service. Another event for the graduating class is a Senior Q&A session which took place several weeks ago. During this time, the younger students in our Youth got to ask the seniors questions and glean wisdom from the graduating class about what they have learned over their time in the Youth Ministry. The seniors shared lessons about navigating high school social groups, time management, valuing friendship, working hard in the classroom, and the importance of serving others, among other things. Another reflection the seniors mentioned both during the Q&A session, as well as at other times throughout this year, was how important CPC has been in their life. Recently, I asked a few seniors to summarize their thoughts for this article. Here are some quotes from the seniors (used with their permission) on what CPC has meant to them:
- Drew Johnson: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13.20). The time I have spent here at CPC has been incredible thanks to the friends I made along the way.
- Will Sotelo: Growing up at CPC has been a blessing and has formed who I am over the years! Thank you to everyone in the congregation.
- Maggie Middleton: The CPC youth has always been a place to make friends and learn. I will definitely miss these people and community when I leave for college in the fall, but I am comforted to know that when I come home, I can visit the youth and I am in their prayers.
- Will Horton: Growing up in the youth has been a huge blessing as a homeschooler to grow in Christ with my friends and in the wisdom imparted by the Covenant family.
- Caleb Lloyd: Covenant has meant a lot to me and has really helped to make me feel at home in this area. I moved here in 2020 and the transition into a new church family was really smooth. Thank you, CPC, for being so welcome, encouraging, and genuinely interested in my life.
A consistent theme among all the seniors, both in the quotes above and in other conversations I’ve had with them throughout the year, has been the importance of the relationships they have developed during their time at CPC and the ways in which they have been encouraged and cared for by the church body. I hope this testimony of what the ministry of CPC has meant to the senior class is an encouragement to you as it is to me.
You might be wondering how you can continue to care for these students after graduation. I would encourage you to continue to pray for all our seniors in the coming months as they embark on a new stage of their journey. Pray that God would give them guidance on the big decisions regarding future careers. For those going to college, you can pray that God would watch over them as they adjust to life as a college student. For those entering the workforce, you can pray that God would provide career opportunities that fit their gifts and calling. For those moving away from home, pray that God would provide a new church home and Christian community in their new location. Above all, pray that our seniors will continue to trust in the Lord amid the life changes that lie ahead. Pray that they would know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13.8) - that the same Jesus that they have trusted throughout their years in the Youth Ministry is the same Jesus who will guide them through the important transition ahead.
