A Much Needed Ministry For Girls And Teenagers.

What is Precious Hearts to me? - by Christabel Opara,16yrs

You, God, Secure in Christ. As a teenager I believe that keeping your focus on the Lord can be difficult nowadays as the plethora of every kind of distraction is being thrown our way. Because of this Precious Hearts was and still remains a vital part of my walk with God as it allowed me to focus on Jesus and not the world around me. It encouraged me in my walk with Christ and also provided a community where I was able to not only interact with other people, but it also provided an avenue to worship and fellowship in the presence of God. Precious Hearts is truly a group like none other.

What do we do?

Precious Hearts strive to aid every young girl in their own individual walk with Christ and guide them in the correct path. In addition to this, we also discuss important issues that affect the younger generation. Such as our identity in Christ, self-acceptance, knife crime, peer pressure, bullying and most importantly knowing God for ourselves. Precious Hearts aims to make the environment as uplifting and as comfortable as possible, to ensure that every girl is free to express who she is, as well as share their opinions and struggles. This helps to create a stronger bond and community may be established.

What are the benefits of getting invoved?

Through beginning to know your identity in Christ, you don’t feel tempted to fall into the surrounding pressures/temptations
Gain empowerment by establishing a bound between other like-minded girls who are also pursuing the Lord
Guidance and wisdom for the future
Meet new people and interact with others!
Able to gain further knowledge of God and His Word = a much stronger relationship with God
A lot of fun and food!

Hangouts:

This could be considered one of my favourite aspects of Precious Hearts. These hangouts are constituted of prayer, worship, discussions and general social interactions between all the girls that are of all ages. The atmosphere is truly as it is described - a hangout. The hangouts do not have an uptight, strict atmosphere around them but instead adopt a much more relaxed and comfortable environment that really allows everyone there to feel at ease in the presence of God.

Meetings/Events:

Precious Hearts events are very enjoyable! Often times they constitute of prayer, worship, reading The Word and discussions are usually led by a teen team leader and an adult speaker. In these events the Holy Spirit is welcomed to do as He pleases and due to this, no event is ever the same and so you can anticipate something new in each event!

The Team and Our Activities

The Precious Hearts Team includes teenagers who are passionate about their relationship with the Lord and have a desire to impact their generation positively. They are led and Mentored by Rev. Valerie Elliot.

OUR ACTIVITIES:

Prayer Call: Weekly prayer calls take place via Zoom. These times of prayer are led by the teenagers in the team. It helps to build them up and addresses their personal challenges.
Daily Devotionals: Daily devotionals are written by various teenagers, in a WhatsApp group.
Events: We occasionally host events and hang outs, which are fun times of connecting with others, interactive teaching sessions, prayer, worship and inspiring discussions.
Mentoring: The older girls mentor the younger girls, giving them the opportunity to develop in godly character and responsibility. The younger girls benefit from having someone to talk to, pray with and be encouraged by.

*The mentoring relationship is overseen by an adult.

*All Adults involved are DBS checked.

*Parental Consent is required for joining.

Zoe, 16yrs

Precious Hearts provides a platform for girls to come together, fellowship and collectively spend time in God’s presence. It gives us the opportunity to share our problems, get advice and guidance as well as learn how to stay firm and grounded in our faith whilst overcoming and facing the challenges our generation is constantly bombarded with. It’s taught us that hearing from God is normal and not something we should be afraid of and ultimately, the importance of knowing that our identity comes from no one else but Him.

Abigail, 14yrs

Precious hearts is a group of young teenagers who spend time together in God’s presence. It’s our time to share, interact and have fun while understanding and discovering more about God. I really enjoy being a part of Precious hearts because I am around other young people who can relate to me and also understand the challenges I face as a young teenager living as part of this world. I think people should join because its time to have fun in God’s presence and find solutions to the challenges we face as young people today.

Kaima, 11yrs

Precious hearts is a nurturing environment and Rev. Valerie Elliot provides the guidance a young Christian girl needs in the world we live in. I haven’t been in the group for long but I’ve already received so much help from it. I’m the youngest in the group and receive mentorship from Christabel, one of the older girls, weekly. This provides an opportunity for us to pray together and receive advice over the phone and it’s helpful my mentor is someone closer to my age as she would have gone through the same experiences I am.

Bibiana, 16yrs

Precious hearts is a Christian Youth Ministry. I joined when I was about 12 and have immensely enjoyed being a part of something so life changing. I would say the ministry is about finding and deepening our relationship with God by seeking him out of our own choice. As young people it may be hard to stay focused on God with all the pressures of the World. However with the help of Rev. Valerie Elliot , the founder of the group, and the Holy Spirit I feel I have grown in that area.

Aanu, 14yrs

To me, Precious Hearts is a youth ministry for young girls to help them develop a better relationship with God. This is done in many ways but you also have the opportunity to speak to other girls about your problems in a safe space and pray with them.

Things you should know...

Age: From 10 years old.

Venues: Our activities take place at a hired venue, restaurants, parks or online.

Refreshments: Food is a big part of the events! There is always more than enough. These girls can eat!!!

Parents: Parents are encouraged to keep updated with their daughter(s)'s involvement. We will endeavour to provide as much information and updates as possible.