We all belong to a community, whether it’s folks on the other side of town or folks in the next block.

Community interests impact us because we all use the same roads, department stores, police department, grocery stores, etc. We benefit or suffer together depending on the conditions of the community.

Just as healthy bodies need exercise, a healthy community needs our youth because they are our future leaders.

Our children are a gift from God, and we adults have a responsibility to demonstrate of our love to them by training and nourishing them in positive ways.

The Committee for Community Churches Partnership is an outreach ministry to our youth with the ongoing intention of nurturing the talents and gifts of our younger generation. This committee realizes that we shape tomorrow’s world by what is taught our children today.

In a world where wrong is glamorized and the sensation is presented as appealing, we seldom hear of the good things that happen. The 2014 Cantata arranged and directed by Alvin Shelby, however, is a good thing, for it is another way to encourage our youth’s appreciation for culture. It is likewise a significant investment in the future. The Cantata scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Greater Mt. Bethel Baptist Church located at 14 Parkway Drive in Stanton, where the Reverend Johnny Elery is pastor is anticipated to be an awesome experience.

We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines and permit Satan to manage the details of our young people’s lives. We, as adults, must take a stand.

Our youth have gifts and talents that can overwhelmingly be developed, and helping them to develop into people that will bring God’s glory is not just a calling for some of us — it’s an honor.

My prayer this glorious holiday season is that God will show this committee the way to let our lights shine as an example of good to our youth that they may take notice of our lives under the influence of positive power that will show the world that Christ lives in us.

It is significant for our youth to know that living for God’s approval is better than living for man’s applause.

 

Bertha Gilmore is chairwoman of Community Churches Partnership.