Our church adopted a local middle school about 5 years ago. We have been able to serve a plethora of needs at that campus, but more recently we have really promoted a mentoring effort. I had my first mentoring session with a seventh grader last Monday.

I ordered a medium sized pizza and brought it to school. I ate one piece, and he consumed the rest. That is precisely what I expected.  I would have been disappointed if there were leftovers.

We had a very pleasant conversation. We talked about school, music, and family. When he asked me about the kind of music I liked, he looked at me like I was explaining the Pythagorean theory when I named rock bands from the 1970’s.

I told him that I was in the seventh grade in 1975. You would have thought I told him that I fought in the Civil War. It was like he had discovered an ancient relic. He immediately said: “You didn’t have phones back then.” I said: “Sure we did! We had pay phones.”  He of course had never heard of a pay phone. I showed him an image on Google of a pay phone that resembled the ones mounted on the wall in the hallway of the junior high I attended in seventh grade. The look on his face was priceless. In his estimation it was an extraordinary contraption from the dark ages.

As I stated, we had a very pleasant conversation. My seventh grader is polite and engaging. There are things regarding his life experience that did not mirror my seventh-grade existence. At all. There is a generational chasm between us. I am determined that such a difference will not hinder the growth of our mentoring relationship.

I need to keep the following things in mind:

• This is not 1975.
• The challenges he faces are unique to the time and place he lives.
• Kids do not forget the people who really care.

I am eager to cultivate this friendship. It serves as a solid reminder that generational differences are not relational deal killer. I am the mentor, but we will learn from each other. Who can you reach out today of a different generation? Don’t miss out on such a rich opportunity!