The ongoing ministry I’ve been called to for this portion of my life is Dynamos. Dynamos is a weekend run by youth, for youth. The weekend is divided into team (high-school-age workers and adult chaperones), and candidates (essentially the campers for the weekend). The weekend is centered around a series of talks given by the team members and breakout sessions in small groups. We also have several surprises for the candidates to make an impactful experience for them. There are many candidates who have made a return to the faith at Dynamos, and even some who’ve made a first time commitment to Christ.
Right now, I’m the rector of Dynamos, which means I am in charge of details such as the schedule for the team meeting, inviting adults, sending out informational emails to the team, etc. This is my 7th time working team on Dynamos, and my 8th Dynamos overall. Dynamos has had a HUGE impact on me. Before Dynamos, the only two major youth events I had to look forward to were Camp Araminta in the summer and the All Souls ski retreat in the winter. Dynamos gave me two more opportunities every school year to get closer to God, which is huge because school can be monotonous and drag the spirit down. Dynamos gave me a sense of direction and purpose in my spiritual life. Through it I’ve learned how to become a better leader and discipler. The Spirit has revealed Himself to me at Dynamos several times, with the best story being from Dynamos 20.
On Dynamos 20 I was a group leader (a step out of my comfort zone), and I had a phenomenal group. I had the only group that year with mixed genders, with two 9th grade boys and two 12th grade girls. It was a group that shouldn’t have worked, but we got along really well. At the end of the weekend I got to pray for one of the members of my group, and she asked me to pray for her to have a return to faith. I recall praying that she would be “surrounded by Christians who would support her in her walk with Christ.” After I prayed for her, we sat at the fire pit with everyone else. Not too long after that she started crying. Quickly, the rest of the group and I laid hands on her to pray for her. Soon after that, other people came over to pray silently. Eventually, everyone at the fire pit were laying hands on each other, therefore “surrounding” her in supportive Christians. That was the first time that I saw an instant, tangible response to prayer.
Having a ministry like this does amazing things to one’s faith. For some people it may be hard to find a good ministry, but never give up hope! A few weeks ago Father James went over a long list of commitment needs in His sermon, so I know that there are always ministry opportunities out there. It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy or impressive. You may be called to build good relationships with people at your workplace, who knows? We can be ministering to people in everything we do. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Kieran Caspian Kirby
Kieran is a senior at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School. This coming fall he will join the gap year program Agape Year where he will live in Pittsburgh, learning, training and preparing to travel for ministry to Thailand and other places. Look out for an opportunity coming in March to meet his team leaders and hear more about the ministry that’s already happening. He’s an actor, too, and you can see him this week in Pippin.