Members of the Manning United Methodist Church youth group took responsibility for the congregation’s recent Youth Sunday service, leading each part of worship under the direction of Kelly Gottheiner.
Youth members read Scripture, offered the benediction, sang, played piano, distributed bulletins and filled other roles throughout the service. Ryleigh Maynard, who will begin her freshman year at the University of South Carolina this fall, delivered the sermon.
Maynard’s message focused on finding identity and purpose in God rather than seeking approval from others.
“Before anyone formed an opinion about you, God had already formed a purpose for you,” Maynard said. “That means your identity did not begin when people started talking about you.”
Drawing from the biblical account of the woman at the well in John 4, Maynard said Jesus knew the woman’s complicated past but still saw her as someone worth saving. After meeting Jesus, the woman returned to her community and shared what had happened.
“Her community could define her by where she had been,” Maynard said. “Jesus defined her by where she was going.”
Maynard told the congregation that past mistakes may help explain a person’s story but do not have to determine the future. Citing Ephesians 2:10, she said purpose is not something people invent but something they discover through a relationship with God.
“Don’t spend your life trying to become who the world wants you to be,” Maynard said. “Spend your life becoming who God created you to be.”
The church praised the youth participants and described the service as a reminder that talents such as speaking, singing, playing music and serving behind the scenes can all be offered to God.
