Every week we have an exciting and different programme, running on a monthly cycle. The first week of each month we Focus on the Fundamentals of being a Christian, the second week a Guest Speaker is invited to take the programme, the third week is devoted to praising God through Worship, and in the fourth week we have a Life Talk.
Description of each Week:
Focus on Fundamentals: During this programme we focus on the fundamental aspects of being a Christian. We discuss different topics such as witnessing, our devotional lives, and reading and understanding our Bibles.
Guest Speaker: Here a guest speaker leads out in a programme where we tackle issues relevant to our lives. We investigate topics such as peer pressure, depression, relationships, etc.
Worship: This programme of the month is dedicated to worshipping God through music and song. After we have worshipped together, we like to share testimonies of how God is working in our lives.
Life Talk: Teenagers have LOTS of questions about LOTS of things and this segment is focused on providing a platform for us to ask these questions and seek biblical counsel.
Mission:
You may be the only Jesus that someone may see. As we grow together spiritually, our mission this year is to HELP CHANGE LIVES just as Jesus helped change our lives!
Vision:
To be a group of teens who are not only motivated for Christ, but also motivated to be of service to others.
Socials & Outreach:
Not only do we study the Bible hard, but we also play hard! Some of our social events have included games evenings, hiking, go-karting, and sports days.
At 3:6Teen we also recognise the importance of caring for our community. We schedule a community outreach event once a month.
Mission trips
Since 2017, each year we plan a mission trip within the Cape Conference territory during the June School holidays. We as young people of Silverleaf SDA Church have had training in setting up community food gardens, Health Expos, and also various children’s programming. Our main area of focus is usually to keep the children busy during the school holidays with various activities. During these programmes between 80 and 120 children participate each day. Besides running our children’s programmes and giving out meals, we also do community clean-ups, visiting and ministering to the sick in hospital. During these mission trips thousands of meals have been given out with the help of Meals On Wheels.
The responses from the community and children are very encouraging. The main purpose is to keep the children occupied during school holidays with various activities, physical exercise programmes, arts and crafts, biblical life lessons, and study skills, etc. The focus is to reach the primary school-age children ranging from ages 4-15 years, but not excluding the older ones. There are different “stations” where the children are divided into groups of 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years, and 13-15 years. A biblical theme is chosen for each day and a lesson is given in accordance with the theme. The older group of children (15 years+) form part of the mentorship programme, where they are encouraged to be role models and to play a greater positive role in their communities.
So what do the Teens say? (Testimonials from members)
Below is feedback from some learners on what the mission trip outreach programme means to them.
“It was a wonderful experience and opportunity to help others in need, especially since we are so privileged and blessed. It was really fulfilling to give back to the community.”- Yale Smith
“It was an amazing experience and I would like to do it again next year.”- Triston Calvert
“We realise our efforts on having a positive impact would be greater still if we have more people supporting us financially or any other means.”- Myles Sharp
“A chance to be selfless and experience a different side of life. A chance to make a small difference in not only others’ lives, but my own too.”- Courtney Samson
“It has taught me to be grateful for what I have and that I am very blessed to have two parents that take good care of me, and I go to a good school. It just made me realise how fortunate I am and I should complain less.” -Adumise Songwiqi