By Rylan Kamerman, Children and Youth Pastor
I am Rylan Kamerman. My walk with God began when I accepted Jesus at the early age of 6. I was born in Cobourg, Ontario and lived there until my family got called into ministry when I was 9. This led us to move across the province to Thorold, Ontario. It was here, in my teenage years that I realized how much I needed God and I absolutely fell in love with Jesus! During this stage in my life, I received my calling into ministry. God has since opened many doors for me including my current position at Living Water Community Church where I have spent 2 years serving as the Children and Youth Pastor. The Holy Spirit has used this time to teach me so much about God, myself and others that it’s almost difficult to put into words. One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to learn is that some of the youth nights that are planned will go really, really well and others will feel… well… like the Twilight Zone. What the Holy Spirit has taught me is that on the best nights and the worst nights, God is still at work.
Another lesson that I continue to learn is the value of walking beside a youth wherever they might be on their journey and understanding that each of them may come from very different walks of life. My advice to anyone considering going into youth ministry would be to hold on to who God has called YOU to be above all else. We sometimes try to conform to who we think we ‘should be’, not realizing that God wants to use the most authentic YOU! If He called you to ministry, He wants to use your heart, and your faith, to build the next generation of disciples, so always be confident in who you are called to be!
Good for you Rylan. The authentic you is who God wants for sure. I am at the other end of the sage scale fromyou ,but the truth is the same. Be who you are,not who you think you should be .
I am glad to pass the torch on to someone like you. good to know you are out there.