At Harbor of Hope, we exist to empower youth to rise and lead through Christ, but we recognize that sometimes the church can seem perfect, and it can be daunting to approach, let alone be involved in the church, as a young person. The fear of failure and challenging the church culture can permeate the subconscious and make us feel frozen, incapable, and often powerless to be active participants in the church family, and for good reason. 

Many have felt the burden or sense of rejection that can leave a permanent mark on one’s faith journey. However, when we, as a church, have a deeper understanding of the gospel, we can recognize and, hopefully, internalize the reality that we are all in need of a Savior. When Christ expresses, “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17, ESV), we understand that we are all in need of the physician; naturally painting the picture that the church serves as a hospital, not a gallery for perfected saints. 

This year, we are dedicating our time at Harbor of Hope to take a deeper look at our roots and inner workings as a church. We are asking ourselves the difficult questions of our identity and challenging ourselves to grow closer in unity, vulnerability, and authenticity. Acknowledging that each of us has a pivotal part to play in our church family and supporting each other as we continue to build the Lord’s house together; the same way that the Lord was with His people when they were called to rebuild His temple in Haggai, He will also be with us as we deepen our understanding and intimacy at Harbor of Hope and through the Seventh-day Adventist Church at large.  

In this season, we will be highlighting key themes in the new vision to empower the youth to rise and lead through Christ. Using the “7 Circles for Saints” (SCS) model, adapted from Drew Boa’s 5 Circles of Freedom, this model is designed to help each of us move from brokenness to a purpose-filled identity in Christ. It will help us to identify key areas in which we have trauma or are in pain, and give us a community to empower us to heal and to help others heal, as we navigate into a deeper relationship with Christ. And as we continue in this vision, we want to encourage all those who are looking to empower youth, the future of our church, to consider creating safe spaces for our young ones to feel empowered. 

“And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.” (Haggai 1:14-15, NIV)

*In the images above: Pastor Jonathan Garcia, Youth Director Jharony Gibbs, and Harbor of Hope Church