Covenant Young Adults,
In case you missed our exciting announcement last month, take a moment and learn about a new shift in the young adults ministry of Covenant Church.
When Pastor Stephen and I started Venue in July of 2014, we created this particular ministry with one goal: create community for young adults at Covenant Church. I had no idea what that would look like or who would be a part of making that a reality. At that time, in 2014, there were 8 small groups across all campuses for young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.
We began to have services that summer and cast vision of what life could look like if young adults didn’t do life alone. I’ll never forget the first girls to come to us with an idea for a fitness small group. They even created a mission and vision statement for the group. (Was this going to be a business or a small group? Lol.) Nevertheless, their enthusiasm inspired myself and others as we watched them invite young women to be a part of a community where they could encourage one another to live healthier lifestyles.
Naturally, the next thought we had was for us to start a guy’s fitness small group. Our marketing wasn’t exactly clear on that one because that male leader’s first fitness group was him and 4 other women. Maybe it was his lucky day. 😊
From those days until now, we are proud to see that there are now 75 small groups for young adults across all campuses because of the vision of Pastor Stephen. That may come as a shock to you, but I encourage you to CLICK HERE and see for yourself! In fact, if you’re not in a small group, we encourage you to join one or even pray about starting one! In fact, I’ll be starting a Zoom Call Mentoring Small Group in July for men, where I’ll be taking questions throughout the month and inviting men to join a call once a month to hear some of the answers.
There are now more opportunities for young adults to find community at our church than ever before. As a result of this growth in our young adult small groups, all young adult events and services will now be small group based. Small groups leaders will be able to join forces to have future volleyball outings, Thanksgiving potlucks, and more.
As our church has grown younger, and as the opportunity has increased for young professionals to find community, the need for a dedicated young adults ministry and specialized service is no longer the best strategy for us moving forward.
Therefore, on Thursday, July 11th, we will be having one last Venue Young Adult celebration service at 7pm. I’m inviting you to come celebrate all that God has done in this ministry over the past 5 years. This is a bittersweet moment for my wife and me. Venue has been a major part of our story, but we know the time is right for it to grow beyond what it has been. We’ve watched, like joyful parents, as so many young professionals have stepped up to create opportunities for others to grow in their relationship with God in their gyms, living rooms, and coffee shops. We’ve seen young adults come to faith, discover greater purpose and even meet their future spouse!
This last service is not a goodbye service by any means! Amanda and I have no plans of going anywhere. This has been a fun season for us and as many of you know, we’ve just added a new member to our family two months ago. We’ve been blessed to be in a position to minister all over the country while being planted here at Covenant. We’re grateful for all the generosity and favor the Hayes Family and Covenant Church has extended to us over the past 5 years and I will remain on staff here as a part of the Executive Teaching Team.
I hope to see you on July 11th at 7pm!
Ryan Leak
Young Adults Director
Covenant Church
In case you missed our exciting announcement last month, take a moment and learn about a new shift in the young adults ministry of Covenant Church.
When Pastor Stephen and I started Venue in July of 2014, we created this particular ministry with one goal: create community for young adults at Covenant Church. I had no idea what that would look like or who would be a part of making that a reality. At that time, in 2014, there were 8 small groups across all campuses for young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.
We began to have services that summer and cast vision of what life could look like if young adults didn’t do life alone. I’ll never forget the first girls to come to us with an idea for a fitness small group. They even created a mission and vision statement for the group. (Was this going to be a business or a small group? Lol.) Nevertheless, their enthusiasm inspired myself and others as we watched them invite young women to be a part of a community where they could encourage one another to live healthier lifestyles.
Naturally, the next thought we had was for us to start a guy’s fitness small group. Our marketing wasn’t exactly clear on that one because that male leader’s first fitness group was him and 4 other women. Maybe it was his lucky day. 😊
From those days until now, we are proud to see that there are now 75 small groups for young adults across all campuses because of the vision of Pastor Stephen. That may come as a shock to you, but I encourage you to CLICK HERE and see for yourself! In fact, if you’re not in a small group, we encourage you to join one or even pray about starting one! In fact, I’ll be starting a Zoom Call Mentoring Small Group in July for men, where I’ll be taking questions throughout the month and inviting men to join a call once a month to hear some of the answers.
There are now more opportunities for young adults to find community at our church than ever before. As a result of this growth in our young adult small groups, all young adult events and services will now be small group based. Small groups leaders will be able to join forces to have future volleyball outings, Thanksgiving potlucks, and more.
As our church has grown younger, and as the opportunity has increased for young professionals to find community, the need for a dedicated young adults ministry and specialized service is no longer the best strategy for us moving forward.
Therefore, on Thursday, July 11th, we will be having one last Venue Young Adult celebration service at 7pm. I’m inviting you to come celebrate all that God has done in this ministry over the past 5 years. This is a bittersweet moment for my wife and me. Venue has been a major part of our story, but we know the time is right for it to grow beyond what it has been. We’ve watched, like joyful parents, as so many young professionals have stepped up to create opportunities for others to grow in their relationship with God in their gyms, living rooms, and coffee shops. We’ve seen young adults come to faith, discover greater purpose and even meet their future spouse!
This last service is not a goodbye service by any means! Amanda and I have no plans of going anywhere. This has been a fun season for us and as many of you know, we’ve just added a new member to our family two months ago. We’ve been blessed to be in a position to minister all over the country while being planted here at Covenant. We’re grateful for all the generosity and favor the Hayes Family and Covenant Church has extended to us over the past 5 years and I will remain on staff here as a part of the Executive Teaching Team.
I hope to see you on July 11th at 7pm!
Ryan Leak
Young Adults Director
Covenant Church