Community & Business
22 February, 2024
Youth group creates a safe place for our young people
When it started over ten years ago, the aim of the local Life Support Youth Group was to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of young people in the community - and this remains their aim today.
The Life Support Youth Group is a safe place for young adults to experience unconditional love and acceptance.
Between 25 and 30 young people are in regular attendance at the meetings each week, depending on student schedules and the clash with Friday night sport.
The evening begins with dinner at 6.30pm, with the home cooked meals supplied by the youth co-ordinator Emily Hobbs.
Donations are always welcome.
Dinner is followed by games, songs of praise and worship, and ends with small group discussions or a message.
Sometimes a guest speaker is invited to share their own experiences and testimony.
With last week being Valentine’s Day, the theme for Friday’s get together was love.
Students were encouraged to wear pink or red, and discussion topics for the night were about relationships.
The youth leaders performed multiple skits and many found the biblical pick-up lines quite hilarious.
Over the years, there have been multiple youth programs in Pittsworth with varying degrees of success.
Yet, most of them have eventually faded out.
People like Peter Garratt, Steve and Sharlene Von Hoff, Pastor Lionel Rohrlach and Pastor Brett Dolley, who have volunteered their time across many years, have helped transform Life Support Youth Group into what it is today.
For a long time, the group was being run from the Harvest New Life church in Short Street.
However, Pastor Dolley always preferred the meeting place be both central and neutral.
Last year, Pastor Dolley approached the Pittsworth State School P&C, and later Principal Carol Coonan, about the possibility of utilising the facilities at Bottle Tree Hall (BTH).
After getting all the green lights, the youth sessions moved from Harvest New Life and into BTH.
When asked about the youth group, Pastor Dolley said it’s a gathering of local kids, who probably don’t go to church, or have any affiliation with church, but are opening themselves up to experiencing Jesus.
“It’s all about providing an opportunity for children in town to experience a safe place of acceptance, and unconditional love, with no judgement,” he said.
“It’s [Pittsworth] a great little town, and the people in it.
“Seeing these guys show up every Friday night is amazing.”
Emily Hobbs and Jack Larkham organise and run the sessions each week, with the help of numerous junior leaders.
Life Support Youth Group is for high school students and runs every Friday during school terms.
You can meet for dinner at Bottle Tree Hall, in Murray Street from 6.30pm.
The night’s official session begins at 7pm.
Photos, Hobbstography
