Kobe casts for EE at one of our recent youth outings.Some of the important things The Salvation Army does in the communities it serves are youth programs.
One of our spiritually based programs is called Junior Soldiers. It is simply the youth ministry of our Church.
We work hard to teach Bible based ethics and morals to our youth and if they decide to become Junior Soldiers, they sign the Junior Soldier Promise, which reads:
Having asked God for forgiveness, I will trust Him to keep me good.
Because Jesus is my Savior from sin, I will be His loving and obedient child and will try to help others to follow Him.
I promise not to use intoxicating drink, harmful drugs and tobacco.
I promise to pray, to read my Bible and, by His help, to lead a life that is clean in thought, word and deed.
Today, we talked bout the third part of the pledge and our kids learned about the importance of abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs and gambling. Although gambling is not mentioned in the pledge, it is a problem in the CNMI and the consequences of dabbling in it can be as life-destroying as the three listed.
Of course, one should abstain from these things because God has taught us through His word to avoid them. Our kids learned that the things God warns us away from usually have bad consequences that we can avoid, simply by obeying Him.
Our kids learned about some of those consequences, which can be dire. A heavy price may be paid not only by the individuals engaging in these behaviors but also by their families, businesses, coworkers and many, many others.
We encourage our children to abstain from these behaviors and know that if they do, they will live happier, fuller lives.
After the learning portion of the meeting, our kids created hand made Fathers Day cards and birthday cards for one of our younger children in the Church. Our congregation will be celebrating his birthday tomorrow and they are all very excited about it. As always, we ate together at the end of the meeting.
Our youth have a lot of fun in addition to learning. They have regular activities and outings. They also give back to the community and will soon begin a quarterly community service project.
Would you like your children to receive such help and encouragement? If they are aged nine or older, they may get involved in our Junior Soldier program!
Of course, our Salvation Army Church is open to anyone. We have “come as you are” meetings every Sunday and provide a fellowship meal afterwards.
If you are interested in our youth programs, possibly attending our Church services or need assistance, please contact us at: cnmisalvationarmy@saipan.com
May God richly bless you this week!
