Teen Perspectives

This week I’ll be interviewing….

Stella Cordova

She loves music, reading, writing, meeting new
people, and talking with hurting people to bring them comfort.

Let’s see what she has to say:

1. Looking back, what things do you wish your YP focused on?

I wish he had focused more on the hardships that we dealt with. It’s not common to talk about saving sex for marriage, or depression, or drug abuse, but it’s destroying our generation and killing our youth. The church isn’t talking about it even though it’s something we are really struggling with. We need someone to tell us about it and help us fight it.

I also wish that he had been more open and welcoming to us and that he worked harder at building relationships with us. That’s crucial to the youth. If someone is in their youth group for a month or two and all they know is their name, that’s really sad. My YP never really talked to us individually or tried to get to know us. He was kind of a “Wednesday-night” Youth Pastor, he’d show up for his half hour and that was it.

2. Did your YP have any policies on secular music or dating?

No. I wish they did though. Many of the youth leaders would listen to secular music on a daily basis and you could see that in the way they lived. A lot of them ended up being asked to step down because they had become pregnant or had gotten someone pregnant outside of marriage. Our Assistant YP actually had premarital sex and ended up marrying the girl because he got her pregnant. Our treasurer married this guy she didn’t even love because she had a child with him but they ended up getting a divorce.

Dating can be a touchy subject but it needs to be talked about; it can save someone’s life – and their purity.

If the church doesn’t speak up, where else are we going to learn about purity?

3. How did it affect you to have your leaders fall into sexual sin?

It really affected us all. The youth group broke up after that. My YP had a good relationship with Christ and then he fell and it was really hard for all of us to handle. A lot of us thought that if he couldn’t do it then we can’t do it. It made me feel like I had no hope or chance.

4. Did your youth group go on any missions trips? If so, how did it impact you and your youth group?

The youth group specifically didn’t have any missions trips, but the church did and they encouraged the youth to attend. Some of the youth went and it affected their lives dramatically.

There was one guy who was very coldhearted and bitter, but he went on this two week missions trip and the Lord completely moved in his life. Before he didn’t like talking to people but after the trip he would reach out to others and talk to them. He had joy and compassion and you could just tell that God had totally changed
him.

5. How did the youth ministry cause you to grow more in love with God?

The worship. My youth group focused a lot on Christian music and worshipping the Lord. Music is such a big part of my life so the worship really helped to lead me to Christian artists and away from secular ones.

The first ATF I went to was with my Youth Group. That was like the first time I had been exposed to Christian music. Since then I haven’t listened to secular music.

6. If you could tell the YP’s of today something, what is it that you think they need to hear?

I would tell them not to lose hope. Stay encouraged and encourage your youth group. Be involved in our lives and in what we’re struggling in and dealing with. We are looking for direction. Help us by taking your place in leadership and becoming the leader that God has called you to be. Your youth group and this generation as a whole are in desperate need of you. And remember that great things always come from things that take a lot of hard work.