Teens4Christ, a ministry at Vallejo Drive church where teenagers can safely hang out, have fun, and make connections in a Christian environment, has become an integral part of the church since beginning in 2018.
The ministry met the need for an Earliteen Sabbath School class at the time. Initially there was hesitancy; members saw the need but didn’t know how to engage with this age group. Audrey Zorek, who had just taken over as the lower division Sabbath School superintendent, rose to the challenge. “This is a group that’s easily forgotten in the church,” Audrey said.
“This is the time when they start making decisions, start questioning God, and asking why.”
He quickly went to task creating a space that would be welcoming. Aesthetic changes to the designated room, such as bringing in comfortable furniture and updating the decor, brought new energy into the space. He also broke away from the traditional “Earliteen” nomenclature, opting for the catchy Teens4Christ. At that time, the group grew from four to 15 kids.
Then the kids started to outgrow the Teens4Christ age group. Concurrently, a new need emerged: children’s ministry. Zorek switched gears, and for the next several years, he focused on Kids Connection, Vallejo Drive’s program for children ages three to 10. The cycle continued, and those children were growing up.
“My daughter,” Audrey remembered, “who was 12 at the time, said to me, ‘So, Dad, you know how you did that great thing with the teens? When are you going to start that back now that I’m a teen?’”
Since Zorek was still helping with Kids Connection on Sabbath, he revamped Teens4Christ to create a space for teens to hang out on Friday afternoons after school with games and activities, dinner, and vespers. Word quickly spread.
“Kids started inviting their friends from school, their neighborhood—all over,” Audrey said. “They were just pouring in on Friday because there’s this cool place where kids get to hang out with their friends. In one year, we were able to bring that program from five kids to 35 kids.”
“When we get together and show them the importance of church family—how we support each other and can trust each other—feeling that they’re a part of a church is helping them to see Jesus as a friend and someone they can trust,” Audrey said. “My goal is to help them get a little closer to Jesus.”
The group is currently growing from inreach to outreach. As Zorek helps them to see how Jesus was service-oriented, he sees the next step as helping the kids get involved in community service. “That’s what Jesus did,” Audrey said, “that’s what we’ll do.”
