It was my senior year of college, and I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, or even if I really wanted to get a serious job after graduation. So after a few months of looking at different programs, I decided to go with the Radical Journey program to Bradford, England.

My teammate, Rachel, and I were involved in a variety of activities, ranging from being a teacher’s assistant at a local primary school to assisting with a bimonthly luncheon for asylum seeking women from Africa. For myself, though, the biggest struggle and joy I had was working with the local Methodist youth group that met every Sunday evening. It seemed so different from my youth group experience. The teens would race off in different directions the moment they arrived, to play soccer or use the church’s WiFi or sit and talk with friends. It provided us with a social outlet and I enjoyed interacting with the teens, but it confused me that there was such an absence of spiritual formation at a church youth group gathering.

Rachel and I knew that these teens had to have more going on in their lives than just wanting to play soccer. So we opened up our flat to them several nights a month for them to come over to hang out. Sometimes we talked about the differences between the United States and England. Sometimes we asked them what English things we should do before heading back to the States. And sometimes we talked about the struggles each of us were facing in our own lives. We would share, laugh and have fun over tea and baked treats. It was during these times when I loved working with the youth and was able to get to know them more and understand their worlds better.

Upon arrival back home in Oregon, I found myself called to serve as the youth coordinator at church and found myself on the other side of the coin. This time, I was the one trying to plan events. This time, I was the one trying to encourage the youth in their faith through devotionals and small-group times. This time, I saw the difficulties in youth ministry. This time, I was the one that needed grace extended to me as I learned how to work as a youth coordinator.

I have often wondered about my two experiences of youth ministry and how they are intertwined. Some of the most meaningful conversations I have had with my current youth group kids have taken place in the car while I have been driving them to various events. Some of my most cherished times in England were when we had youth over to our flat. We laughed, we opened up to each other, and we shared in each other’s lives. So that is how I see youth ministry: taking the time to invest in young people’s lives and getting to know them. It does not matter whether it happens in a church building, on the road, or in a simple little flat. It only matters that we are creating lasting relationships with them, which hopefully encourage them in their relationship with Christ.

Kristen Liechty was a member of the 2009-2010 Radical Journey team in Bradford, England. She is currently serving as the youth coordinator at Albany (Ore.) Mennonite Church.