Leigha, Mark, Abbey and Sara Riley
By Martha Riley
WICHITA, Kansas--Our family appreciates the two years we have experienced being in a cell group.
Because of this experience, we prayed for our Wichita church youths to also experience basic Christian community in a cell group. We prayed they would bond, have fun and develop relationships with one another.
Our 19-year-old son, Mark, immediately showed interest in a teen youth cell and talked to others. A date and time were set for the first Saturday evening teen cell meeting.
Mark was willing to give up his Saturday evenings to lead the cell, which consisted of mostly much younger teenagers.
The teens enjoyed the first cell meeting. Relationships among the teens began to grow. When the cell meeting was scheduled, more teens attended worship services. There was even less sibling rivalry in our family once the youth cell began.
This summer, Mark was offered a job working for his uncle away from home. This fall he will attend the University of Central Oklahoma.
As Mark began packing to leave, tears began flowing. Leigha, Mark's 14-year-old sister, was so sad to see her big brother move away.
That would not have occurred just six months ago, before they were in a teen cell group together.
With mixed emotions, Mark reluctantly left the youth cell environment and home for a new world 300 miles away.
He left with commitments from friends to carry on the youth cell. Thanks to Mark's leadership, one of his spiritual gifts, basic Christian community was built among the WCG teens in Wichita.
In the process not only were the church youths bonded, but a 19-year-old brother and his 14-year-old sister were bonded as well.
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