As the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle, I found myself rejoicing in one of those special times that grace the lives of those of us who minister to and with youth. I looked through misty eyes at the bride, her attendants, and her church friends. My mind traveled back ten years to a time when many of them were part of a group of excited Jr. Highs who willingly signed on to be in my first youth covenant group.

What adventures that first year brought! There was the day I arrived a couple of minutes late to discover the kids had decided to play hide 'n' seek. Since I was the last to arrive, I was "it." There was a constant high energy level; the boys were forever tossing things to or at one another. There were many days when my agenda was not their agenda.

The phrase "moving right along" became the group mantra as I tried patiently to draw their attention back to their covenant when their conversation wandered.

The covenant underwent changes during the next few years, as did the group. New clauses were added; a couple of new members were added. Friendships were strengthened and strained. Dating relationships were forged and broken. Some meetings were silly, some teary, some angry. Some youth came every week; some took "vacations" from the covenant group. But no matter what, the group continued, and everyone eventually came back. They kept "moving right along."

But were they moving in the right direction? I sometimes struggled with whether they were growing spiritually. "Yes, I read the scriptures this week. The Bible was a category on Jeopardy." "Sure, Mandy recycled this week. She recycled her old boyfriend!" "Thank you, Lord, for our blessings and let Bethel Park stomp Upper St. Clair at the game this Friday."

I loved the kids, but did they really understand the level of faithfulness to which their involvement in a youth covenant group was calling them? I sometimes wondered, but I remained hopeful and committed to the process, and we kept "moving right along."

My concerns were laid to rest as they became juniors and seniors. While some became too busy for church, the covenant group members stayed involved. There was still a lot of levity at meetings, but they were more willing to think seriously and to try to relate faith to life issues. While many teens devoted summer to jobs and vacations, these youth helped conduct an inner-city Vacation Bible School, went on Choir Tour, and worked hard on mission trips. Though they sometimes had to be reminded that they should be "moving right along," they were very different kids from the 7th graders who began their group six years earlier.

My mind came back to the wedding. Is it possible that "my kids" are now adults? I looked at a special education teacher, a preschool teacher, and twenty-somethings who are now singing in our church choir. I thought of two absent ones who are serving in Americorps and in the Peace Corps. I remembered a struggling teen who was loved and supported by group members and who, despite serious odds, graduated from high school and is now working and doing well. I felt the warmth of God's blessing as I reflected on the directions in which those young adult lives are now going. I had to believe that God used covenant discipleship in forming both their spirituality and their goals. God taught me that the important thing is to remain faithful to the kids and to the process. In the end it's God's faithfulness that counts.

Peggy Osborne is Minister to Youth at Christ United Methodist Church, Bethel Park, PA, and a member of a Covenant Discipleship group.