Over 200 of Victoriaòòò½ÊÓƵ™s youth attended a spiritual rekindling hosted by Faith Family Church on Saturday. Serving to relight faith and purpose in teens going into 2025 and the second half of the school year, the Faith Family teen conference was a two day retreat for any who wished to reopen their hearts and minds to the Word of God.
òòò½ÊÓƵœThe people and the kids we reach donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t always come from the best homes, or the best housing, or donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t have a lot of support but [they] can find that here,òòò½ÊÓƵ Cory Cann, one of Faith Familyòòò½ÊÓƵ™s youth pastors, said. Cann grew up in the Victoria area and has been attending Faith Family since he was 2 years old. òòò½ÊÓƵœJesus says that heòòò½ÊÓƵ™s come for the broken-hearted or those who are poor in spirit, and I believe that a lot of the students who feel they have nothing for them come here and get to find a new home and a new life and they get to thrive here.òòò½ÊÓƵ
Cann took over the youth pastor role at the student ministry for Faith Family Church four years ago and his drive to be a reliable and understanding adult on these kidsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ lives stems from his own upbringing with Faith Family church.
òòò½ÊÓƵœI have to make it really relatable,òòò½ÊÓƵ Cann said on how he strives to reach the kids who come to him. òòò½ÊÓƵœNot because they are bad kids or they canòòò½ÊÓƵ™t listen, but because they just go through different things. We try to become their friend first before a teacher and we try to just get in their world and say we grew up in similar worlds, let me help you out.òòò½ÊÓƵ
Outreach events like the teen conference is just one of many ways Faith Family pushes to connect with their communityòòò½ÊÓƵ™s youth. At the beginning of every summer, Faith Family hosts a week-long retreat to give kids and teens the opportunity to experience different activities and make connections with new friends and peers.
òòò½ÊÓƵœThe cool thing about retreats like this or rekindles like this is it breaks down those walls these kids have put up over the years,òòò½ÊÓƵ Cann said. òòò½ÊÓƵœWe want to ignite a burning passion for these kids to have Godly relationships and Godly foundations. The whole point is to think of it like a fire and how it takes a lot of work and consistency to keep that fire going.òòò½ÊÓƵ
The first step to tending that fire is to have a solid foundation at home, and Cann tries to get the kidsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ parents involved with these retreats after the COVID pandemic forced a lot of people to stop going.
òòò½ÊÓƵœWeòòò½ÊÓƵ™re rebuilding this culture of investing in the kidsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ life and that starts at home,òòò½ÊÓƵ Cann said. òòò½ÊÓƵœI think there is no better spiritual leader than your parents. If we can create this culture where we have a parent whoòòò½ÊÓƵ™s leading by example, and yeah they may not have everything right, but they are trying to invest in their kids, it would create a lot more healthy families.òòò½ÊÓƵ
A pesky pandemic isnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t the only challenge met by Faith Family, and youth pastors like Cann, to continue to strive for more spiritual health in their community, but the changing times is a factor as well.
òòò½ÊÓƵœWhat it is, I think sadly, is the divorce rate is high, and the world is changing. Generations are just different now than it was before and more than ever, I believe, kids donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t realize how much they need God,òòò½ÊÓƵ Cann said. òòò½ÊÓƵœThey think that Iòòò½ÊÓƵ™m a good person, I donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t do this, and I donòòò½ÊÓƵ™t do that, but the sad reality is a lot of kids raise themselves now and they think they have it all figured out. The truth is we all need God.òòò½ÊÓƵ
Spiritual retreats such as the Faith Family teen conference does more than give the youth something to do during school breaks or keep them from doing more harmful activities, it also serves to provide an example and be a reminder of how and why spiritual health is just as important as physical and mental health.
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