Let's hear from the people most affected by this project: Radiant's youth! Check back every day as we post a new interview with one of our amazing junior and senior high students about their future youth center.
Student Interview
Keturah
I think this will be really cool and bring a lot of new students to Radiant!
What do you think about this plan for a new youth center, Keturah?
I think this will be really cool and bring a lot of new students to Radiant! The building will be an attraction—with all the cool features—it will definitely be the buzz at school.
So you think it will be easy to get your friends to come visit?
Oh yeah! A lot of them say “Church is boring—I don’t want to go!” and now we’ll have an easy way to attract them—and once they’re here, they’ll get to hear the messages and hear about God. I’d say only 10% of my friends are Christians, so there are a lot of people who need to come to Radiant!
What else are you excited about?
Well, I love hanging out after school with friends, so I know we’ll be at the new building all the time to do homework and just chill and be cool.
What does your family think about this project?
They love the idea—it will be easier for all of us to go to church since they won’t have to drop me and my little brother off on different campuses!
Student Interview
Elijah
I can’t wait until we have our own place.
How long have you been at Radiant, Elijah?
I have been going to Radiant since we moved to Surprise in 2004... wow — I guess it’s been a long time!
Over those four years, the youth group has been moved around a lot on campus. What’s that been like?
It’s been very... weird. We’ve never really had a place to call our own. It’s great that we still find a way to have church — I love having church every week no matter where it is — but I can’t wait until we have our own place. It will definitely be better than having church in the school gym.
The new building will have a lot of cool features — which one are you excited about the most?
I love basketball, so the outdoor hoops. I’ll bring a bunch of friends!
Student Interview
Kayla
If they feel like Radiant cares about them, they’ll come.
Kayla! You seem so excited about this project! What’s up?
I AM so excited! We need a place to call our own, you know?! We really do! I have been here for 7 years — since before we had Easter in tents across the street. This will be a first in Radiant’s history.
For someone who hasn’t been here 7 years, why do you think this is important?
Well, for one thing, it will be much easier to bring friends from school — it won’t be like “we meet in the school across the street” but instead more like “our church cares so much about teens that we have our own building!” If they feel like Radiant cares about them, they’ll come. It will be cool to say “let’s go to the Garage”... yeah, that’s cool.
Anything else you want to say, Kayla?
Yeah! This is the best way we can help kids stay out of trouble. If we have a youth center that’s open after schools, kids will have a cool place to go. We aren’t allowed to stay at school, we can’t come to church when it’s not open, and we can’t just wander around town all the time. I have 2 little sisters, and it’s important to me that they stay out of trouble — away from drugs and stuff. This way, with the new youth center, they won’t have to go through what we go through now — trying to find a place to belong and hang out. That’s really cool.
Student Interview
Kalebh
I love that we’ll have updated technology for the worship part of service.
So, Kalebh—what are your thoughts on this new project?
I think it’s really cool that we’ll have our own place—that we won’t have to share with a school, or another age group—it will be brand new.
What’s the feature of the new building you’re most excited about?
Well, I play guitar, so the music is really important to me. I love that we’ll have updated technology for the worship part of service—stuff like a new sound board.
Didn’t I see you with a skate board earlier?
Yeah—I skate too. It will be cool to have a place to be allowed to do that. I have a bunch of skater friends that would probably come hang out here if they knew they could skate on campus. It would be a cool way to reach them.
What will you tell your friends at school?
I’ll tell them that we have a NEW building—some of my friends have come to church with me before but didn’t really like the old building. So this time, it will be really different. And now they can bring their skateboards!
Student Interview
Aaron
...this project will make Radiant history.
Aaron, it seems like you’ve been at Radiant forever! How long has it been?
Nine years! I can definitely say that this project will make Radiant history. For us to finally have a place for youth—especially a building. It will be awesome to walk in and not have to set up and tear down all the equipment weekly, too.
What’s it like to have service across the street right now?
Well, it doesn’t feel like we’re at “home”—doesn’t feel like we’re really a part of the church—we’re just the “youth group”. I can’t wait to be on Radiant’s campus—in our own building.
What do you think would help teens?
Teens are looking for somewhere to just hang out—it would be awesome if that hangout place could be a church where they’d learn about God too. Right now, it’s really hard to find somewhere to go. It will be amazing to be able to come here after school, instead of going to parties, or being bored at home. And I think this is a place that parents will accept as an after school hang-out. It will be good to always have a place to go, and a person to talk to.
Student Interview
Juliana
...everyone knows that teens need their own space!
What do you think about the current set up—sharing space with an Elementary School?
Really, I know that sharing isn’t a bad thing. And I used to go to this school, so I don’t mind being here. But we are TEENAGERS now—and everyone knows that teens need their own space! The teen years are kind of our time to become more independent, and to find a place to belong.
Since the building will be just for youth, it can be open anytime—weekends or even during the week. What do you think about that?
To me, that’s the best part—I love that it will be open during the week—it will be a great place to escape. Sometimes teens just need a place where they can “get away” from everything, and this will be a great place that our parents will feel good about too.
What feature of the new youth center are you most excited about?
Definitely the gaming systems!! I love to play video games. skating games, guitar games. I can’t wait to play the new games we’ll have in the new building! I’m really excited!
Aren’t you home-schooled too? How does this project affect home-schooled kids?
Yes, I am homeschooled. I really like it, but it would be really great to have somewhere to go after school where I can hang out with a lot of other teens (I mean, I love my parents and all, but sometimes it’s just nice to be with kids my age!)
Student Interview
Nick
It will be awesome to feel “at home” at church...
Nick, try to summarize for me why this is an important project.
We NEED that new building! It will be awesome to feel “at home” at church... to be able to praise Jesus in our own space—I can’t wait. And even more than just on weekends, I’m looking forward to being able to come to the youth center during the week to hang out with friends, but also to pray with our youth leaders any time we want when we’re going through tough stuff at school.
What’s one of the things you’ve learned at Radiant that has changed your life?
One of the coolest things J-Rahn taught us is that Jesus gave his life for every single one of us—and he forgives us every single day if we want him to. That has helped me a lot, and I want other kids to learn the same thing—more teens need to hear that, and this building will help bring them to church.
OK, so what do you think will draw teenagers to “The Garage”?
Teens love “new stuff”—anything new, especially technology. It’s good that the youth center will have lots of that because it really will draw more teens—word will spread at school about this project. Even now, some kids come just to play the video games and then leave before church. But that’s not a bad thing—I see it as a first step—whatever it takes to get them here, and they’ll slowly meet more Christians and hear about God. It’s cool!
Student Interview
Kerry
It would be a great way to get them to see that church can be cool and fun.
Kerry, all the students we’ve interviewed keep saying that teens need their own space. Why is that?
OK, well, think of it like having your own room. It’s ok to share with your brother or sister when you’re younger, but when you become a teenager you need to be more independent, and have a space of your own. I think the same thing happens for a youth group. Does that make sense?
Totally. Thanks for that explanation. So what else about this project is exciting to you?
Hearing that we’ll have a basketball hoop in the back! I’m on the school team, and I have loads of friends who don’t have their own hoop at home who would come to church to play. It would be a great way to get them to see that church can be cool and fun.
You said something earlier about the money—does it bother you that Radiant rents the school for the youth group?
Yes! I know it probably sounds weird coming from a teenager, but I wish we weren’t costing the church money every week. I’m only 13, so I don’t have lots of money to give to help. I’m broke! But it’s so cool that the adults are helping build the youth center for us, so we can save the church money every week. That’s important to me.
Student Interview
Amber
...everyone needs a place where they can hang out with people who will be good influences on them.
Amber, you’ve been here for a few years—what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned here at Radiant?
Pastor Travis and Josh Rahn have taught me so much about friends—I was having some hard times at school, hanging out with some not so great people—but I learned at Radiant about how bad company corrupts good character. It’s true—hanging out with the wrong people really can mess you up. The new youth center is important for that reason—everyone needs a place where they can hang out with people who will be good influences on them.
Do you have a lot of friends at school that aren’t Christian? Do you think they’ll come to “The Garage”?
Oh yeah—no question. With all the cool features it will be easy for us to convince them to visit—and once they’ve been once, they’ll come back. Having all that cool stuff is kind of like our way of being sneaky—like spirit day at school. Kids will be having lots of fun, doing fun stuff, and they won’t even realize that they’re learning important things. Very sneaky...
What about after school? Is there a need for a place for kids to hang out?
Yeah—lots of them hang out by the Safeway with nothing to do. So they end up getting into trouble. And lots of other kids end up bored at home. It would be great to have a cool hang out after school if we needed some time away from our parents or brothers and sisters.
You were at that service where all the kids wrote on the walls, right? What was that like?
It was AWESOME! They asked us to write all our friends’ names on the walls who we want to come to The Garage... it really showed how much us kids care about our friends and helping them get closer to God.
Student Interview
Justin
...this will give us all a sense of ownership.
Justin, in your opinion, is this building an important project for Radiant? What good will it do?
This is so necessary. The set-up and tear-down every weekend is inconvenient. This will make it so much easier and the best part is that this will give us all a sense of ownership.
Of all the cool new features, what are you looking forward to the most?
The technology and gaming equipment is something I’m looking forward to. It will give me more of a chance to stay awhile and hang out with other teens who are into this stuff too.
How long have you been at Radiant? What have you learned from being in youth every weekend?
I have been coming to Radiant since we moved here from LA in 2003. One thing I think is cool about youth is how we learn about the Bible, like, parables and Bible stories and how they relate to everyday life, even for teenagers.
Ok, Justin, you’re the last teenager to be interviewed for this webpage... what do you want to say to the people at Radiant?
We really need this! It will be cool when it’s ready!
Thank you, students, for sharing your thoughts about Radiant Student Ministries’ new venue!