A Message From Pastor Mike, Associate Pastor in Youth

This week I’ve asked Mike Irby, our Associate Pastor in Youth to share with us. Mike is a godly leader, with a great passion to love people for the Lord. His infectious joy is evident to all and he has a key member of our pastoral staff and we are thankful to have him as a part of the team at CIBC.

From Pastor Mike Irby, Associate Pastor to Youth at Cayman Islands Baptist Church:

Greetings, Church Family, and thank you for your continued support as we reach this younger generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

In this Covid-19 Pandemic, I believe that our Youth and Youth Ministry Team have adjusted well considering all of the challenges. In ministering to youth, the team has to be "fluid" and not just flexible. The life of a teen, especially with social media and cell phones, can change in a moment -- and so we must be ready to adapt.

Social media, Zoom, and texting have become an important means of communicating with our young people. Since this past July, we have regathered with great success and have led our youth through an intense series on the "Armor of God" based on Ephesians 6:10-20.

This study on the Armor of God was perfect for this time as we were reminded that Christ came into this world with the armor of God. This same armor has been offered to us. Isaiah prophesied, "The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice... so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak." (Isaiah 59:14-21)

Our youth were taught the important truth of God's divine and powerful presence with us in times like these. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God..." God's mighty power is at work within us from our head and the helmet of salvation, to our toes with the shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of peace! No matter what challenges come our way, our God is with us!

The Armor of God study began in our Sunday Night JAM experience every Sunday evening and in our weekend Youth Retreats through the month of October. The Youth were not only encouraged to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of the evil one, but to use the armor and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to reach out to their friends.

We are living in days where many young people are leaving the church. It is imperative that we do everything possible to reach these young people and encourage them to cultivate a growing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research recently was quoted saying,“The reality is that Protestant churches continue to see the new generation walk away as young adults. Regardless of any external factors, the Protestant church is slowly shrinking from within.”

https://lifewayresearch.com/2019/01/15/most-teenagers-drop-out-of-church-as-young-adults/

We have recently had two of our youth step up to sense a Call to ministry in their lives, and we are following up with eight youth that have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior! I thank God for the amazing team of adults that minister to our youth! We have committed Youth Ministry Team members who make themselves available to our teens. Thank you for your continued prayer and support!

Blessings,

Pastor Mike