A Washington State youth minister got fed up feeling sad every time another one of his church members quit because of other activities and frequent use of smartphones, so he decided to do something about it.
Matt Overton, who has been serving the Columbia Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, Canada for the past several years, said that most students would be absent from church because they have other activities to attend to. Sometimes, they cite reasons such as living too far away to attend church.
Many students still attend on a weekly basis, but they are so preoccupied by their smartphones that Overton said they weren't really present.
"My kids were busier and busier and more geographically separated, so I was competing for their time," he said, according to Baptist News. "And with the rise of electronics, they were in the room but engaged elsewhere — kids just socialise differently."
Overton was troubled by this because kids are being deprived of fellowship and much-needed spiritual guidance from adults. So he came up with a plan: Pay them.
"I decided to pay them to compete with soccer and robotics tournaments," he said. Overton launched the Mowtown Teen Lawn Care in 2015, and it provides not just a good income for the youth, but a chance for them to bond with adults over life and faith.
Pretty soon, Overton added the Columbia Future Forge to the enterprise. It is a ministry that provides personalise mentoring for the 12 youths who work for Mowtown. They discuss faith and professionalism, among many other things.
Even people who have their lawns mowed by Mowtown are helping out in bringing the youth closer to God and shaping them up to be better members of society. "Some know they are not just getting their lawns mowed, that something bigger is going on," Overton said.
Meanwhile, Africa's newly appointed Youth and Sports Minister Henry Gomez stressed the importance of providing guidance and support to today's youth. Just like Overton, he wants to equip the youth with livelihood skills so that they can earn a decent income and learn how to be responsible.
"There are so many youths out there who feel they have been left alone and they need our support. We have to fight for them as a matter of must and in this we cannot fail," he told The Point.
