Lifeline CYF August 2004

Mountain Vista United Methodist Church
West Jordan, Utah

Lifeline
College and Young Adult Fellowship

August 2004

For the past year that I've lived in Salt Lake City I've noticed the lack of ministry opportunities for young adults on the west side of the valley and I wanted to do something about it. So I began to put together a master plan on how to minister effectively to the college and young adults in the Salt Lake City area. Little did I know that God was about to give me a place to put it into practice. This past June I came to Mountain Vita just to visit—not wanting to be a part of the church in any way. But after meeting with Pastor Steve and sharing with him the vision that God had given me to start a ministry for college and young adults, I knew that Mountain Vista was going to be my new church home.

I came up with the name Lifeline because statistics show that college and young adults struggle with their faith in Jesus. This happens mainly because of what they learn in college and from the world. College and young adults need a lifeline to Jesus, someone that they can hold on to when living in the real world gets tough.

The Mission and Vision of Lifeline College and Young Adult Fellowship:

The mission of Lifeline CYF is to lead young adults to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ with a vision to know God's purposes for our lives through living out the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Core Practices of Lifeline CYF

Connectedness: Lifeline is a place where young adults from all over the Salt Lake Valley can come and meet and build relationships with other young adults in a safe, fun and spiritual environment.
Bible Based Teaching: Lifeline is committed to presenting the Bible in a way that is practical, relevant, and understandable for everyday living.
Individual Worth: Lifeline is a ministry just for those who are 18-35 years of age. Regardless if the young adult is married, single, a single parent, male or female, black or white, churched or un-churched, all are welcome to be part of Lifeline CYF.

In Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" he talks about the 5 purposes that each believer should base his or her life upon. I have applied those 5 purposes for the reason that Lifeline CYF exists:

Worship: Expressing our love to God. It's my desire that we gather weekly for worship, prayer, to connect, and to study the Bible. Each week we will be discussing a different topic from a Biblical point of view.
Fellowship: Loving God's people. Throughout the weeks and months to come I will be planning time for us to come together outside of church just to have fun. That includes retreats, movie nights, and going out to dinner, just to name a few. We also have an opportunity to fellowship with other Methodist churches in the area.
Discipleship: Becoming spiritually mature. Aside from our weekly Bible study there will be a time on Sunday during our Sunday School time to come together for a more in-depth study of the Bible.
Ministry: Meeting needs with love. Lifeline Council and Lifeline Servant Leaders is an awesome opportunity for those who want to get involved in the work of Lifeline CYF without a huge commitment.
Evangelism: Sharing the Good News. Just a few blocks away from our church is Salt Lake Community College Jordan Campus. We have an open door to get on this campus and to spread the love of Christ to the students on this campus.

It's my desire that Lifeline College and Young Adult Fellowship at Mountain Vista become an active group. I would like to extend an invitation to all the college and young adults who are 18 to 35 years of age to come and be a part. On Sunday, September 12th, following the 11:00 a.m. service will be our first meeting. This will be a time when we can all come together for a time of fellowship and discussing some upcoming events. There will also be some young adults from Hilltop UMC and Centenary UMC joining us as well. Lunch will be served!!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me anytime or email me at:
lifelinecyf_mtvista@yahoo.com. I look forward to serving the college age and young adults of Mountain Vista UMC.

In His Service,
Phillip Harris