How Young Adults Are Finding Community
Michael and Carol have called Canyon Ridge home for 8 years. While Michael has been faithfully serving high school students for all 8 years and Carol has been an integral part of Women of the Word (WOW) for over 6 years, they felt God inviting them to find a way to serve together. A need they saw was for young adults to find continual guidance, spiritual formation, and community, and in Oct. 2, 2022, they launched their young adults group. Over a year later, they have 23 young adults who have found their way to Las Vegas from all over, all stages of life, all walks with Jesus, in search of community.
When Michael and Carol opened their home, stories flourished. There’s Leah, a young adult in the Air Force, who went from assuming the 20s and 30s can handle independence and isolation to experiencing “that there are so many people who are able to contribute to your journey with God so that you don’t have to do it alone.” There’s Joe, who before Bible study, was “just a whisper in the wind, just out there, trying to figure things out on [his] own,” and by no coincidence found Michael and Carol’s open door. For Jessica, her return to Las Vegas to pursue her masters took her out of her deep involvement with different Christian communities. Worried she wasn’t going to find her people, she warmly reflects on the good she’s found with the young adult group, “It’s a real privilege to have you guys circle around me when I’m going through things.” For John, also in the Air Force, he has found a family where he had none in Las Vegas - people he can see every Sunday night for food and fellowship, laughter and discovery, prayer and deep relationships.
For so many young adults struggling with who they are and who they want to be, Michael and Carol find it a joy and an honor to study God’s Word together, discover what it means to live like Jesus in this world, and find what God has for each person. “One of the things that’s fun for me is sometimes, I step way back and I just observe. Because at first, we shared we wanted [them] to build community with one another, and then, [we watch] it happen.” For Michael, he says, “It’s exciting just to see who’s coming through the door. [They] have already taken ownership,” whether it’s making sure everyone has a seat in the family room, or sharing how Scripture impacts your life, or the discovery and vulnerability that happens as the night goes on. “When it’s all over, some people say, ‘Are you tired?’ I say, ‘No, I’m energized. Let’s keep going.’”