we are the Zombie Initiative, a church youth group that doesn't sound like a church youth group...
the zombie initiative. what does it mean?
well, for one thing, we didn't want something uber-spiritual like, "God's Chosen Army" or "Sainthood" or "Youth Engaging Soul Saving In Reality" or, "YESSIR" for short. it's simply not our style.
we could've easily taken any word at all and made it sound noble and spiritual.
for instance:
"ELEVATE," because as Christians we are to "rise above" the world and "soar on the wings of eagles." it could also speak of the transition from childhood into young adulthood; this is a youth group after all.
or how about "THE ALARM" because we need to WAKE UP and tell the world that end is near!
"THE BRIDGE" because on one side of where we are is the earth where the unsaved dwell. and on the other is heaven and all of it's glory filled with our King who sits on His throne for us to worship for eternity. and again, we're the bridge from childhood to young adulthood.
what about a portmanteau, like "MAXIMEYEZ" like we're trying to get the most out of our time here now that we can see the world for what it truly is. filled with the lost and darkness.
what about something quirkier, like "SALMON," because as Christians we proverbially "swim upstream" from the rest of the world.
You see, it doesn't really matter WHAT we call it if we just spiritualize the title in the end, does it. It all just becomes a big metaphor anyways. we could be called "the ONIONS" because there are so many layers. (big-ups to Shrek) we could be called "ALGAE" because we grow where others are stagnant... and we grow via photosynthesis aka "the Light."
in a a way, arbitrarily assigning a spiritual meaning to an unspiritual word is essentially pointless. you can assign all the meanings you want to a group but in the end, how deep into God's word have you delved? how real is your relationship with your creator? how real are your relationships with one another? how strong is your faith and how uncompromising is your integrity?
as Christians we are to DIE before we can RISE AGAIN as the Saints that God has created us to be. our old selves have to pass away so that we can be new creations with new life. we are essentially reanimated into the beings God intended us to be.
So what does "the Zombie Initiative" mean?
nothing. we just thought that it sounded cool.
To connect with youth and teach them what it means to have a deep meaningful relationship with Christ.
To create quality believers with a faith that can stand up against the world around them.
To lead youth to thoughtfully engage the world around them and contribute in the ways that generations before them could not.
OUTBREAK - 7pm-830pm - midweek youth group event on wednesday evenings.
