CENTRAL YOUTH

The Lord so visibly works in and through (and despite!) Central Youth. The consistent highlight of my week is watching Him grow our community of youth and volunteers in love, truth, and grace. What a blessing to see our students engage, together, with the Gospel. On any given Wednesday night, we’ll go from egg-throwing to singing praise, to bottle-flipping, to learning scripture; truly, this is a ministry in which the joy of the Spirit is present!

- Tate Heisler, Central Youth Volunteer

2021 was an exciting year for Central Youth! Our youth were able to grow closer to one another while participating in the mission of Christ Central–being a youth group for the glory of God and the good of Durham. Despite the pandemic, our youth continued to meet weekly on Wednesday nights for the Jungle and averaged about 40 youth each week! We also welcomed three Central Youth Interns for the summer: Grace, Rose, and Sanha. They did a fantastic job loving, leading, and discipling the youth. From spontaneous slushies to intense ping pong battles, they were the boots on the ground in our mission to reach Durham’s youth. They also helped lead our Central Youth summer small groups alongside our leadership team.

In July, our youth and staff traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the first-ever mission trip from Christ Central. Central Youth had the opportunity to serve a beautiful community in East Chattanooga. Our youth mowed lawns, delivered food, worked on projects for the community center, and hosted a Bible Club for the neighborhood. All of these experiences helped our youth think differently about how we serve our neighbors and our city. Our youth spent lots of time together throughout the year, participating in many outreach events, which are touchpoints for Central Youth where unchurched or non-Christian youth can connect to the body of Christ in a safe and fun space. Our students are so excellent at bringing their friends into the fold! The young men got a weekend away together at Camp Willow Run in October, where they grew closer to one another and heard from camp speaker Carter Rief. We are incredibly thankful for how the Lord used our staff and volunteer teams to continue cultivating a faith-driven life and community for Central Youth.