Scott Elliott and Sophia Nelson
TEC or Teens Encounter Christ is similar to Via de Christo but for youth 13-18. You will learn more about TEC throughout the weekend. Pastor Scott Elliott reminded us that “the gospel is always telling our story.” We just have to study and be open to what it is saying. We have to share the gospel with all. Especially with the young people. They are not the church of the future, they are the church of today. As adults we need to engage, equip, and empower the young people to let scripture change them.
Sophia Nelson, a rising high school junior, recently gave a talk at TEC called “Sacred Scripture.” She shared her talk with us. The Bible is God’s letter to us and we need to carve out time to read it every day. When you read the whole Bible, you learn that salvation is promised from Genesis. As we learn through scripture, following God is not easy, but he is always there for us. TEC helped Sophia’s faith and she started reading the Bible regularly. She discovered that the Holy Spirit changes stories to apply to her life, brings scripture that she needs, and helps her focus on scripture throughout the day.
She shared a tool she uses called SOAP – scripture, observation, application, prayer. But always pray while in the scripture. Programs like TEC helped ground our youth in scripture.
By: Chris French Kramer
