Imagine a church where the oldest member is 18 or 19 years old; now imagine a church that meets for a rollicking, Hip Hop worship service on Saturday evening; then imagine a church where the lay leaders are “Life Warriors” who go through an intense eight-week training in scripture, leadership, and community service just to be allowed to lead—and they are standing in line to join the program; and, finally, just imagine a church that is changing lives, daily, right before your eyes.
It’s not your imagination. The church is Saving Station Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, Tenn. A church founded with the help of the Disciples New Church Ministry, this unique congregation serves inner city and disadvantaged youth. It’s the brainchild of Carolyn Bibbs, whose CLP (Creative Life Preparatory) school serves at-risk children and youth in the city.
The worship service is unlike a typical worship service. As the worshipers gather in their converted warehouse space, a rotating PowerPoint slide show gives hints of what is to come, including the rules for The Hook Up, which happens to be the name of the worship service. The first slide appears: “The Hook Up Gots Rules”. These rules include separating boys and girls on opposite sides of the worship space, so that attention can be kept focused on the service, and warnings against gum chewing, or getting up and wandering off during the service. (The slide said, “The Hook Up is rated PB4. Go to the restroom before the service, don’t get up and go during it.”) Talking, shouting, laughing, jumping for joy, and other expressions of happiness and worship, are encouraged.
During a service that included computer-projected photos and tales from a group just returned from Camp Penuel in Missouri, and a skit on the dangers of even touching Sin, along with liturgical dance, videos, and pulsating, youth-oriented music, one young man stood up to give a brief, but moving, testimony about receiving the first paycheck of his life. It was $140, and he stated he was giving $15 to the church. As he said, “The $14 is my tithe, and the $1 is my offering.”
In addition to connecting, guiding, teaching, and mentoring these youth, and training them in supporting and mentoring one another, Pastor Bibbs helps them, and many other youth in the community, in life and career planning, giving aid in the form of college counseling—including high school course selection, and filling out scholarship, grant and loan forms for college. It’s a service many of them don’t get in their regular schools, as parts of the system seem to automatically write off these youngsters. At Saving Station, they aren’t written off. They’re valued and respected, and taught to respect each other in ways only the Holy Spirit could have imagined.
The congregation of 6- to 19-year- olds at Saving Station is one of the brilliant examples of starting “1,000 churches in 1,000 ways” that is the 20/20 vision of New Church Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Every year, Disciples collect a special offering on Pentecost. This offering is dedicated to the support of the New Church Ministry movement. When you and your congregation support the annual Pentecost Offering, you make exciting church starts like Saving Station possible.
