So we go to this amazing church, called Crosspoint Community Church.  It’s been our home church for almost 8 years now.  My kids have grown up with amazing friends!  My closest friends attend the same church.  The church transitioned to a multi campus church several years ago.  In May they added another campus and 99.99999 percent of OUR friends transitioned to the Bellevue Campus.  We DID not!  We are about the same distance to either campus and really feel like we are to stay at the Nashville Campus.  No, we know we are supposed to stay at the Nashville Campus.

We are the “old” people of the Nashville Campus as most people are in their 20′s…The Bellevue Campus has most of the families OUR age!

Why we are at the Nashville Campus?  I don’t know, I just know we are supposed to be.

As much as I love Crosspoint, the youth group has been, a not so, positive thing…It was great when Anya was in 7th and 8th grade, end of 8th grade,  the youth pastor…was dismissed, and another interim was in place, then hired on, again in May, more transition, that youth pastor was dismissed.

Anya is now a junior and those kids 1st two years of high school were, well, less than acceptable.  Jessica Hewett totally impressed me and broke my heart, all at the same time, when she said that they bonded with each other, because they really had no leadership, so they found strength and safety in their strong bonded friendship, through all of the crap of the past 2 years, they all have grown stronger.  That was a huge statement!  I love ALL of these kids!!  I saw that since I had my DSG which really turned into a “Teen/tween” hang, which they have told me is still very important to them.  So I will keep it going!!

The juniors and seniors are frustrated and very non-trusting of the youth program, as are many of the parents.  Which to me, it totally understandable to me.  That trust has to be earned back…And I know Crosspoint knows this and they are trying very hard.  I love my church and I know that NO place is perfect and this is the area that our church has had struggles with.  I am not bashing CP, just voicing MY transition frustrations…

CP has now hired 2 amazing youth leaders, one for the Bellevue Campus, Zach Steiger a very cool guy from Cali!, and one for the Nashville Campus, Ketric Newell, from Oklahoma, as Taylor puts it, he is like Pastor Blake on steroids!! Dickson and North, have youth pastors in place already, and they TOO are AWESOME!!   I have to say, I am totally excited about these 2 amazing pastors!  I am very happy about this all…but,

It leads me to the next “transition”.    Where do the high schoolers go for youth group.  They were told, a few weeks ago, that they can choose since they have been through so much…but the youth pastors need to separate, the youth group,  so they know which student goes to their campus, so they know which students to invest in.  Totally makes sense to me!

This transition is great for the middle schoolers and lower classmates, to make, (same campus as their parents go to)  but what about the older kids, who had a sucky 1st 2 years of high school youth. ( sorry, I just have to be real about this…)

Anya still chooses to stay at the Nashville Campus, I haven’t heard where all of the other kids will go, but I have a feeling it might be the Bellevue Campus.  I have told Anya that she can do what she wants to do, but she wants to stay with the Nashville campus.

Inside I ask myself,  what about the student led worship team I have fought so hard to have for these kids, like Anya, and Cooper, and Lukas, and Taylor C. ?   They barely have been able to lead worship and they really have a passion for worship.  Will she be able to lead worship over the next year and half?  Will the other kids?

I worry about her.   I worry that her latter 2 years of high school youth group will suck as well.  While it will be great for Taylor, (8th grade) and my other younger kids,  Anya’s entire high school youth experience thus far has NOT been great, with moments of fun.

Youth group might not be important to some, but to these kids it is A LOT!  These kids are BONDED, FAMILY!

I know for me, youth group was life changing.  It really helped me find my beliefs, and I loved the other kids and the Chuck and Pat Girton, the youth leaders,  in our youth group.

Wednesday night they had a meeting discussing the transition.  I thought it was a combined meeting.  I had just returned from Florida and texted one of my best friends and asked where the meeting was…Bellevue…so I went.  All of my friends were there, but it was only for the Bellevue campus peeps.  I love them, but I felt out of place.  Confirmation that we are to be at the Nashville Campus.  Major sadness came over me.  I made it to the tail end of the Nashville Campus meeting.  I knew I was in the right place, but I knew only 1 parent.   It made me very sad.  Not only is Anya starting over, but it seems that Tom and I are too.   As I spoke to Blake Bergstrom, the Nashville Campus pastor, about this, I could feel my eyes filling with tears that I somehow did not shed.

I was talking to my Jen, one of my besties, about this, and we had discussed how I really want to be intentional about these friendships.  Of course Jen and I talk or text every day, but I need face time.  I already see that some of my other friends are moving in a different direction too, and in new circles of friends.  I am so excited for them, and me, but at the same time…sad.

What does this mean for my dysfunctional small group?  I will continue it, but different dynamic…different people…

Transition…

I ask, how do you transition in situations like this?  How does one fit in with “younger” people, like at the Nashville Campus and really connect?

Please keep us all in your prayers as we make this transition in our lives…

Transition is difficult.