It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is less than eight weeks away. The holiday season and final stretch of the year is within viewing distance!

While this realization may have snuck up on some people, for Youth of His Message, Cadillac’s youth group for ages 12-18+, it has been on their mind for some time. Every year, the group sponsors Christmas gifts for almost 50 people in the community who otherwise would not have Christmas gifts. This year, they are hoping to make a similar impact as in past years.

Lots of planning takes place to accomplish this endeavor. After certain financial goals are set, the group contacts local community organizations such as the District Health Department and Habitat for Humanity regarding information on families they can sponsor. Later, after shopping and preparation, the presents are delivered to the families before Christmas.

This year, the group has decided to sponsor multiple families for Christmas. They are also hoping to plan other Christmas related initiatives and events for the church family. More information about those will be available soon.

Another opportunity that is being researched and prepared is online ministry and content cre- ation. Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram and other digital resources have gained increasing popularity with the younger generations. Initiatives and content creation related to religion has benefitted from interest. Pastor Ariel Roldan has been leading out in this effort. He is excited to work with the youth on a project like this. Please continue to pray for this ministry’s evangelistic initiatives.

Digital evangelism’s relevance has increased exponentially over the past five years. During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Hope Awakens, a popular and successful online evangelistic series, spread throughout North America and beyond through a partnership with It Is Written. More recently, short-form evangelism through Instagram Reels or “TikToks” has become especially popular among youth. The youth group is hoping they can tap into this medium and continue to help fulfill Jesus’ call to “Go and make disciples of all nations”.