Girls Growing in Grace
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
~ Hebrews 13:7
Every school year, we see students who rise above the rest to become leaders. Students normally find their voice in the classroom or on an athletic team, but Junior Lily Ernst chose a different route.
Last spring, the director of Youth Becoming Leaders (YBL) visited Grace New Hope Church to speak to youth leaders about an opportunity to develop their skills. Lily, already running a middle school small group herself, eagerly applied.
Youth Becoming Leaders (YBL) is a summer program based out of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Their mission is to equip high school students into the leader God has called them to be. Students must meet the criteria of a minimum GPA of 3.3, demonstrate leadership in the local community, proven completion of scripture memorization, and submit reference letters as part of the application process.
After her acceptance, her family flew her to Kentucky for a week of developing her leadership skills and preparation for applying those skills upon her return. “The most impactful thing I learned from Youth Becoming Leaders was something that I thought I already knew but YBL showed me the depths of it, that young people CAN lead…” Lily said, “As long as you are passionate about leading and serving others to grow the kingdom of God, you can be a leader!”
During her time at YBL, she was encouraged to develop her own ministry project to take home and implement. Lily has always had a passion for investing in students who are younger than her, so she combined that passion with her knowledge of leading small groups into a Christian-based girls mentoring program called “Girls Growing in Grace.”
“My idea and hope for this program is to help lead and disciple middle school girls to help them grow into women of God in this crazy world we live in. Middle school is a very shaping time in a girl's life, and all of the voices they are hearing (peers, social media, etc.) don't always shape them in a positive way. So, my hope is to help them learn how to navigate through today's world as women of God.”
Under the leadership of LCA’s Director of Discipleship, Lily and her friends Addie Godfrey, Grace Fleming, and Lilly Santos kicked off their first meeting Monday, August 21 with more than 20 middle school girls in attendance!
