During this pandemic, I have been fascinated to watch how people deal with their various challenges. When life throws an obstacle at one’s plans, there are several ways to deal with it: give up, adapt, or plow on ahead. Not every situation calls for the same approach, but I admire those who, at the very least, persist in the spirit of their plans even when the plans themselves are no longer viable. One day I couldn’t get out of my townhouse complex because there was this fabulous parade of cars festooned with balloons, streamers, and signs saying, “Happy 6th Birthday!” In the driveway to my right, I saw the six-year-old in question looking at all of this with really big, astonished eyes as each car deposited a gift in front of him. His mother (I assume) was filming the whole thing on her phone, grinning ear to ear. They couldn’t give this kid a traditional birthday party, but they managed to persist in showing him love on his special day. Persistence is all about knowing what matters to you and fighting for it. There’s a group of pastors I work with who decided about ten years ago that young adults are worth fighting for. They began with little to no money to speak of and very little formal organization. At the time I joined their ranks, there were three different committees—One House, Pheron, and SYYA (Senior Youth/Young Adult)—with a number of overlapping members trying to figure out how to do ministry for young adults despite the chaotic lack of resources and structure. Eventually, those three committees consolidated into something called One House: Senior Youth/Young Adult and managed to secure a small office at the Southern California Conference headquarters in Glendale. This small office was our beachhead. We had no dedicated staff, but persisted despite the difficulties. Several years later, we successfully managed to petition to become a fully recognized department of the Conference. When the pandemic hit, One House was just gearing up to do its yearly massive gathering of young adults in the conference. The theme was chosen (Persist), the venue was secured (Los Angeles Adventist Academy), and the speaker was reserved (Sam Leonor). Posters were made. Like everyone else, we mourned these canceled plans when social distancing came into effect. But we did not give up. Our leader, Iki Taimi, poured his energy and creativity into reaching out to our young adults online. Despite our stress and shock over all of the changes in the world, we decided not to give up, but to hold an extended online gathering anyway and to maintain a weekly online presence as well. This gathering, which began on Sunday night and runs through this Sabbath, is all about persistence. The workshop topics include relationships, finances, ableism, digital evangelism, and even an inside perspective from a nurse working in a COVID-19 unit. It will all be rounded off with an artistic celebration of persistent faith on Friday night and a special service at noon on Sabbath. It may not be the same as the wonderfully life-affirming large gatherings we’ve grown so used to doing, but at least we are able to say that young adults matter to us and that we will fight for them. I don’t know what value you are tempted to give up on because of the strangeness of the times, but I would like to encourage you to persist. If something is important to you, it’s worth fighting for even if it’s difficult, different, or not as great as what you could have done under the usual circumstances. A course of persistent action based on values will go much farther than living in fear based on performance.
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AuthorJillian Lutes is the youth pastor at West Covina Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church. Archives
May 2020
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