Great Quotes from Urban Youth Workers

Yesterday was the first day of our Urban Youth Ministry Certificate program. We have 40 youth workers here – sharp, passionate, and strategic leaders from all over the country.

In one of the courses, students shared about what they were experiencing “back home”. The depth of uncertainty, pain, struggles – and yet faith – was quite inspirational. Lots of us were fighting, or sometimes giving in to, tears.

Lina Thompson from World Vision is one of our faculty members, along with Kris Rocke (no, not the comedian) from the Center for Transforming Mission. Kris said something powerful as we were processing our pain: “Most of the time we learn not from our successes, but our failures”.

Here’s another great quote from Lina and Kris: “The first condition of healing is to bring voice to pain.”

Or: “The greatest deficiency in the North American church is the inability to suffer.”

Or a great quote from one of our students: “I remember the day I found out that Christianity doesn’t mean meadows and flowers and bunny rabbits.”

May we as leaders and parents listen, and help others bring voice to pain.

©2009 Fuller Youth Institute