“Growing up, I attended a very conservative church and was baptized at the age of ten. I “knew” about God and His love, but never truly knew its full extent. I did not learn about the “real” love and grace of God until I was nineteen when His love and grace was present- ed to me in a new light. Since then, I have been constantly amazed by the depth of God’s love for me and strive to remind others of how much He loves us. YG provides a nurturing environment that allows me to grow spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. I am not the same person I was when I first came to YG. I have learned that there is nothing I can do that will make God love me any less. He will pull me through difficult situations just as He did in the past. The love of God has redefined every part of my life.”

“Many people perceive church as a place where you need to have your act together and act a certain way to be accepted by its members. I don’t want anyone to feel that I have it all together, to think that I always love my family, friends, and fellow church members as perfectly as God loves me. While I strive to love perfectly, I still fall short. My community at YG and Arlington Adventist Church has shown me, “That’s okay, we’re going to try our best, together.”
Loving others as God does, or maybe even learning what that actually means, cannot be done alone or in the dark; it requires a community. It requires a place that welcomes you exactly how you are, at this very moment. If that isn’t where you are, then keep searching. Fortunately, I found that community here. In my early high school years, I found YG to be place that fostered the love of Jesus and welcomed me to do the same. Today, in my mid-twenties, I find that YG is still that place for me.
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