It is with much joy and gratitude to God for you that we write you.
The last 12 months have been unique, unprecedented, unusual (whatever you want to call it) for just about everyone and we hope you are thriving 12 months on.
It was in June 2020, as the world began to settle into a new way of life, that our Pastors signed off on Ignite meeting over Zoom. We all found it awkward at first, but as the months have gone by, we have settled into it such that some can’t imagine going back to physical meetings. Hate to burst your bubble, but we will at some point go back to physical meetings 😉.
Nevertheless, we are grateful to God for His grace that has allowed us fellowship with each other and to learn from Him, even via electronic platforms. We have loved seeing you online and we trust you have also loved seeing your friends on these calls.
So, what we have we done over the last 12 months?
Well, we began going through the Impact Teen Devotional, Volume 1. This is the first part of a three-part book written by Pastor Deji and which seeks to help teenagers develop their walk with God.
As members of Impact Gospel Centre, you know we are church passionate about helping its members build and grow their relationship with God. There is no greater investment we can make since investing in your relationship with God brings benefits both for earth and heaven.
We began by considering what it means to Stand Out for God. We studied the stories of Daniel, Peter and John, the Good Samaritan, David, Joseph and Elijah; considering how each of these greats took a stand for God in their generation.
One point which we can take away from these individuals is that they all stood out for God in different ways- some by honouring parents, others by showing kindness, others by refusing to fall into sin. We can all choose to stand out for God by doing small intentional things for Him which might be unique to you.
How are you standing out for God today? How would you want to describe your walk with God to your children? We encourage you to think about this and make a decision to standout for God today.
We also considered what it means to please God. We all acknowledge that in the current God-hostile world we live in, it is often easier to hide our relationship with God, let alone show the world that we live to please Him. Yet, we considered the importance, and benefit, of such a decision.
Enoch did so and did not see death; Dorcas did so much good deeds that when she died, the people whose lives she had touched implored the apostles who prayed and she was restored to life; Noah obeyed God and built a boat even though there was no rain and his decision would have been derided. It is never easy to live to please God, but it always pays in the end.
As we come to the anniversary of ‘Online Ignite’, we hope you are thinking on these things- how can I stand out for God? How can I please Him? A heart set on these thoughts will never be far from God and will always enjoy uncommon blessings from the all-good Father.
As we enter the next 12 months, we will be considering how and why we should be close to God; and How we can maximise our time here on earth. Your teenage years are one of the best phases of life. It is a phase when you can truly explore freely and give yourself away to God’s causes.
You are incredibly loved and God wants you to live free in His commands and will. Keep loving God, honouring your parents and impacting your world.
Love,
The Pastors and Ignite Teachers
Ignite over the last 12 months
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In Christmas, we had a Zoom party. Without the food ☹
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For Easter, we got pancake flipping.
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And for Mother’s Day, she showed just how much they mean to us
Goal Getter
The theme for the year at IGC is ‘Harvest of Blessing’. We all need God’s blessings in our lives. However, to walk into those blessings, we need to have goals or plans in place. At Ignite, we identified 5 areas where we need to have goals in order to enjoy the Harvest of God’s Blessing.
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Faith
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School
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Physical Health
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Mental health
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Relationships
Please set goals in each of these areas. And don’t quit until you accomplish them. Remember Galatians 9:6- So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Ignite Teachers Corner – Tips for Sticking to your Goals
We started 2021 with a bang by setting SMART goals. Just as the Word states in Habakkuk 2:2, we not only WRITE the vision down but we need to RUN with it as well. Now, it’s time to run with our goals and boost our chances for success at achieving each one of our goals.
1. Make a Commitment
Goals require commitment and dedication. There’s no other way around it. If you are struggling with committing to a specific goal, pray, ask God for help and wisdom, go back and start the process over.
2. Break It Down
A set of five smaller goals that will get you to your ambitious goal can be a lot more manageable and a lot less overwhelming.
3. Be Willing to Revisit and Revise
It’s okay to make changes and modifications to goals, as long as they support what you set out to do.
4. Be Consistent
Consistency and routine can play an important role in reaching your goals. If you fail one day, start again the next day.
5. Celebrate Every Success
You can’t expect yourself to work steadily toward a goal without any type of reward along the way.
