| The Youth Ministry Comparison Game |
From YouthMinistry.com on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 @ 6:02 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Have you ever said or thought any of these? (That's rhetorical; we know the answer.)
I could do great ministry if I had those resources, too.
I'm in the shadow of the megachurch in my city.
I hate ___________________ (insert name of camp, speaker, parachurch ministry, etc here).
That youth pastor's wife is so much more supportive than mine!
I'm just not as good a speaker as he/she is.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Download "I Want To Be More Like" By The Skit Guys For More Tips
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I wish I could find a husband like that who gets youth ministry.
I wish I had better ideas, like her.
Did you see their youth room? Even Jesus would think it was a little over-the-top.
She's a youth pastor rock star; I'm not even qualified to be a roadie on her tour.
Our friend Doug Fields burned this phrase into our noggins: "When you compare, you lose." Right now you're nodding your head in agreement because you've felt the pain of the comparison game.
Here are some responses for when you find yourself playing this little game:read more |
| Six Reflections From My Trip Back To England |
From YouthWorkTalk.com on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 @ 5:00 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Yesterday, I returned from a twelve day trip back to England to visit my family and friends. We took the whole family to see my mom who is failing in health with stage 5 Alzheimer's. (Maybe I will blog about this trip another time...) To be honest, I did not think too much about ministry [...]You just finished reading Six Reflections From My Trip Back To England! |
| Trending: types of people needed in a leader's life, what drowning actually looks like & more |
From Youth Specialties on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 11:44 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
This week's links include types of people needed in a leader's life, what drowning actually looks like, students and the desire to be "in the know," ways to make summer experiences stick, and gallup poll results on Americans and religion.
Links:
4 Ways to Make Summer Experiences Stick (CYMT)
Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning (Slate)
Leader: Do You Have These People in Your Life? (Doug Fields)
From YOLO to FOMO (Jonathan McKee)
Most Americans Say Religion is Losing Influence in U.S. (But 75% say American society would be better off if more Americans were religious)
|
| Trending: |
From Youth Specialties on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 11:44 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
This week's links include types of people needed in a leader's life, what drowning actually looks like, students and the desire to be "in the know," ways to make summer experiences stick, and gallup poll results on Americans and religion.
Links:
4 Ways to Make Summer Experiences Stick (CYMT)
Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning (Slate)
Leader: Do You Have These People in Your Life? (Doug Fields)
From YOLO to FOMO (Jonathan McKee)
Most Americans Say Religion is Losing Influence in U.S. (But 75% say American society would be better off if more Americans were religious)
|
| The ym360 Trends And Culture Update (Vol. 33) |
From youthministry360 on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 8:36 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Here's the latest edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture Update, a twice monthly look at research and articles designed to keep youth ministers, adult volunteers, and parents in the loop on what's happening in youth culture. (Read why we think it's important here.) We Want To Equip You And Those You ServeConsider using this article to equip your community in the following ways:Use the PRINT and/or EMAIL buttons at the top and bottom of the page to share this content with your ministry team and especially your students' parents. (For a real-life example of what this looks like, check out this post from ym360 Contributor Aaron Kirkpatrick.) Repost it on your blog or church websiteSHARE IT with your youth ministry networks. This is a great way to help your peeps!Without further ado, here are some relevant links we think you should know about. Social Media & TechnologyPipe App Finally Brings File Transfer to FacebookTumblr's Porn Can Stay, Suggests Yahoo CEO Marissa MayerStudy: Teens favor Twitter, share more infoTumblr Brings More Ads To Users' Dashboards, Rearranges Buttons & Teens Freak OutFour in ten teens and college students said they've played a game on Facebook. Culture & EntertainmentOh, This Is Fattening? Teens Ignore Fast-Food Calorie CountsReligion Is Losing InfluenceInteresting first-person perspective on millennials and entitlement.Insurance companies give parents ability to track teens driving.The Truth About Millennials (in Boomer Eyes) Is USA finally kicking its sugar habit?FCC proposing to allow more sex and profanity during kids' television viewing hours Three Things Girls Must Know About Their Sexuality Teens and Abortion. . . There's An App For That. What movies are your students and/or their friends watching? Click here to check out which movies won the weekend. Stay in touch with what your students and/or their friends are listening to. The Billboard Hot 100 tracks songs across all mediums. By clicking here you can listen to and watch the videos for the most popular songs in the country right now. (NOTE: Use discernment when previewing this content as, sadly, much of it is objectionable.) A Glance At Recent ResearchInfographic on suicide statistics. Sleep-Deprived Teens Make Poor Food ChoicesWhat's Behind The Drop in U.S. Teen Birth Rates. How Does Internet Porn Affect Teens? New Study Says: We Have No Idea!Latest Pew Research on Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. That's it for this edition of the ym360 Trends & Culture report. Look for another one the week of June 17. [**Note: By nature, some of the articles and subject matter we deal with in Trends & Culture often conflicts with our beliefs and ethics as Christ-followers. Our purpose in linking to this type of material is to simply give you the option of knowing the culture your students are surrounded by. Use discretion to determine which links to click on.] Want more ym360 Trends & Culture? Sign up for a ym360 User Account and receive Trends & Culture Updates in our bi-weekly ym30 Newsletter. |
| Transitioning Your 8th Graders: You Say Goodbye and They Say Hello! |
From YouthMinistry.com on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 7:16 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Over the years, our ministry has developed a fairly effective strategy for transitioning our 8th graders into the high school group. The overriding philosophy is simple: A healthy transition takes effort from BOTH departments.
We ask the junior high department to joyfully "push up" and we ask the high school department to aggressively "reach down".
"PUSH UP": Beginning in early May (we don't promote until late June) the junior high department starts to consistently brag to 8th graders about how awesome the high school department is. They introduce them to high school leaders, encourage them to sneak into a high school service and start promoting all the amazing plans the high school ministry has for the upcoming summer. Our high school team works hard to make sure 8th graders are familiar with our high school ministry, and its leaders, far before promotion Sunday arrives. If they wait to care about students until they are officially "theirs", they've waited too long and the chance of kids falling through the cracks increases dramatically.
"REACH DOWN": Around the same time, the high school team begins it's assault on the 8th graders! They purposely interrupt announcements to promote a summer high school event, they guest speak in our weekend program, and they seek out 8th graders before and after the services.
Because our junior high ministry only has their students for two years, it would be understandable that they would try to hold onto them as long as possible. But because they have a "long view" and believe that their success is largely determined by how many of their former students stay involve in high school it's shockingly easy to begin to hand them off to the high school team a few months early.
Transitioning from junior high to high school is often an intimidating and awkward time for students. Sadly, many youth groups make it tougher than it needs to be by not having a strategy in place. |
| Transition Through Connection |
From YouthMinistry.com on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 7:11 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Too often, our goal is to transition our kids into a church service, rather than the life and body of the Church (with a capital C). High school grads' biggest need is remaining connected to the body of Christ, not necessarily our local congregation or ministry (although that would be great, as well).
Whether or not your students leave for school, intentionally fostering a connection in your ministry (and/or a church near their campus) beyond just you and their parents is vital. Far too often we fail to recognize that truly loving our students requires us to help them connect beyond us individually. Here are some practical ways you might do this:
1. Have a dinner/barbeque for your graduates, but invite a couple or two from the church as well. This couple is there just to hang out and talk. Nothing more. Age doesn't matter, but this couple needs to be relational, down to earth, and mature in faith. This can provide an opportunity for your students to connect with people they never would've otherwise. Simply introduce them as your friends and let your students know they wanted to be there because they were going to be praying for them as they transition into the next phase of life. (I'd recommend telling your students individually, keeping it authentic and relational; if articulated in a group setting it could create awkwardness, with the perception of being forced.) Emails and phone numbers may be exchanged, but this should happen naturally rather than institutionally.
2. Host a weekend retreat for your graduates where you invite some older, more mature adults. Again, age doesn't matter but they should have the same qualities as the folks you invite to the barbeque. Have a lot of down time just to hang out, but have these people share their testimonies at some point. It's important that they articulate their personal story and are careful not to give the typical "I want to tell you all the things you should not do," teacher-to-pupil type of testimony. They are real people with real stories. Graduates can apply their stories to themselves. They need to see these peoples' hearts (besides, they already know what not to do).
3. Meeting with our students one-on-one is vital, but sometimes it's better if we're not the ones they meet with. There are times when another leader in the church can help them just as much as we can, possibly even more. As much as possible, connect your students to these other people. When an issue comes up in a conversation with a student, talk to her about it—but at some point let her know there's someone you want them to talk to who's dealt with the same thing. If your student trusts you, she'll meet with this person.
In all of these situations, constantly pray that mentoring relationships are being formed with young people beyond just you. |
| Introducing...Freshman |
From YouthMinistry.com on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 6:15 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Your 9th graders need help. The beginning of the school year moves so fast. If you don't provide them with a road map and tools to navigate this season, they will struggle. There are so many new things coming at them that they have a hard time filtering out what they should be doing. I've heard well-intentioned freshman and their parents say how important their faith is but also watched everything else crowd into their lives.
In the youth ministry world we're pretty savvy. We recognize that the beginning of the 9th-grade year is a particularly important time to build relationships. We connect with students and we provide a lot of activities and events to facilitate meeting new people. But they need more resources and tools. There are just too many variables. What do we do with kids who can't come to youth group because of sports? What about kids who don't feel comfortable in a small group? How we reach all students with similar content has always been difficult.
As a youth pastor I welcome any sort of tools and resource that I can provide my students and their families that will allow them to stay on the same page and connect with others even when they are unable to attend the group. That's the reason I wrote these devotionals. I wanted incoming 9th graders to have a similar foundation of knowledge and to all wrestle with the same questions.
Having a solid foundation of events, relationships, volunteer leaders, small groups, retreats, prayer, bible studies and more will give your incoming 9th graders the best chance to have an exceptional year.
Lars is the pastor of family ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Washington. He's written a new series of devotionals for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. |
| The Youth Ministry Numb3rs Game |
From YouthMinistry.com on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 @ 6:02 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
As youth pastors we don't like to talk about numbers, or if we do, it's with wailing and gnashing of teeth as we imagine the elders shaking their heads in frustration at the job we're doing to reach the students in the community. Or we laugh at the image of the same elders shaking their heads with concern because the numbers are up, but the students you're reaching are causing problems…serious problems like an occasional swear word, and wearing ear-buds on church property.
Here's the truth: Numbers matter.
Try as we might to help leadership see the student ministry discipleship process as more than a head count, it remains one of the universally accepted currencies of "health" in youth ministry. Here are a few numbers to keep an eye on.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dealing With, Responding To, And Learning From Your Critics
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Youth group attendance
We use a simple head count to track this metric. It matters, especially to see trends in the year, trends by series/topics, and shifts in big picture participation. This measurement is often weighted too much in many church cultures (ours included), but it can still be a helpful number to watch because people do vote with their feet. A growing number reflects a strong ideal entry-point for our student ministry; students are entering the ministry through the top of the funnel. To some degree, this reflects the health of friendship evangelism in our ministry.
Small group signups
There is an additional level of commitment to join a small group, which causes participation to decrease, so we expect this number to be less than the youth group number. Knowing how many students are signed up and/or actually attending can be helpful to make sure students are entering and flourishing at the next step in the discipleship process. This number should grow in proportion to the weekend number; if we had 60%+ active in a small group we would be thrilled.read more |
| Three Tips for Youth Workers who are Parents |
From Youth Specialties on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 12:27 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
“I am better with other people’s kids than I am my own.”
We’ll never forget the first time we heard this honest, gut-wrenching confession from a successful youth pastor. This sharp, thoughtful leader was honestly sharing his own struggles with being a parent in ministry. When he articulated the words above, you could hear a collective resonance in the room as leaders from around the country agreed: Yes, this is an issue for us too.
Maybe you can relate. It’s one thing to have conversations with students in our ministries about everything from scripture to school to sex. It’s quite another thing to have those same conversations with our own kids. Especially during seasons when they are beginning to stretch the boundaries of our relationships beyond the limits we imagined we’d be stretched. Especially when we have to talk about curfew, math homework, and violin rehearsal in the same space and time. Especially when we walk past the bedroom we’ve asked them to clean up at least twelve times in the past two days.
Yeah, those young people who live under our roofs can be hard to talk with about faith.
They’re also the same young people, by the way, who see all of our inconsistencies, failures, and flaws. Not only do they see them, but they also feel personally impacted by them in ways the rest of the youth ministry never will.
So what about those kids?
Here are three practical tips for youth workers who double as parents of teenagers:
1. Admit your own struggles. We leaders often struggle with handling the tension between being models to others while being fully aware of our own struggles, flaws, and sin. Imagine being a youth leader’s kid and seeing that tension played out every day in your parent! Use your struggles as an opportunity to talk about how much you need Jesus’ grace to rescue and strengthen you every day. If your struggle affected your own child, apologize and ask for their forgiveness.
2. Share your own faith. According to our Sticky Faith research, not only does it matter for parents to ask their kids questions about the kids’ faith, but it also matters when parents share stories and insights about their own faith. In other words, rather than just interrogating your kids about what they learned in youth group or Bible study, we can take little and big opportunities to share what we’ve been learning in our small group, what we’ve been praying about lately, or how we’ve seen God showing up in our lives.
3. Share your testimony. One youth pastor friend asked twenty different students—all of whose parents were actively involved in the congregation—if they knew their parents’ testimony. Want to guess how many students knew their parents’ story of faith? Zero. Even if your testimony involves a less-than-ideal past, if you have a teenager in your home it’s likely time they knew more about Christ’s work in you across the seasons of life so far. And not only your testimony, but also that of your spouse, other relatives, and trusted adult friends. Start sharing stories and you might be surprised how much teenagers want to hear.
We’d love to hear the ways you’ve tried to foster faith conversations in your own family, and what other structures or boundaries you’ve put in place to nurture faith in your home, not just your youth ministry. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
We also invite you to check out our new series for Sticky Faith Families over at fulleryouthinstitute.org. Specifically, join our free webcast this Tuesday, June 11, at 10am Pacific with Carey Nieuwhof, pastor and author, about this very topic of being a parent in ministry. Want to hear more from a seasoned ministry leader about engaging faith in your own family? Tune in free next Tuesday.
|
| Three Tips for Youth Workers who are Parents |
From Youth Specialties on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 12:27 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
“I am better with other people’s kids than I am my own.”
We’ll never forget the first time we heard this honest, gut-wrenching confession from a successful youth pastor. This sharp, thoughtful leader was honestly sharing his own struggles with being a parent in ministry. When he articulated the words above, you could hear a collective resonance in the room as leaders from around the country agreed: Yes, this is an issue for us too.
Maybe you can relate. It’s one thing to have conversations with students in our ministries about everything from scripture to school to sex. It’s quite another thing to have those same conversations with our own kids. Especially during seasons when they are beginning to stretch the boundaries of our relationships beyond the limits we imagined we’d be stretched. Especially when we have to talk about curfew, math homework, and violin rehearsal in the same space and time. Especially when we walk past the bedroom we’ve asked them to clean up at least twelve times in the past two days.
Yeah, those young people who live under our roofs can be hard to talk with about faith.
They’re also the same young people, by the way, who see all of our inconsistencies, failures, and flaws. Not only do they see them, but they also feel personally impacted by them in ways the rest of the youth ministry never will.
So what about those kids?
Here are three practical tips for youth workers who double as parents of teenagers:
1. Admit your own struggles. We leaders often struggle with handling the tension between being models to others while being fully aware of our own struggles, flaws, and sin. Imagine being a youth leader’s kid and seeing that tension played out every day in your parent! Use your struggles as an opportunity to talk about how much you need Jesus’ grace to rescue and strengthen you every day. If your struggle affected your own child, apologize and ask for their forgiveness.
2. Share your own faith. According to our Sticky Faith research, not only does it matter for parents to ask their kids questions about the kids’ faith, but it also matters when parents share stories and insights about their own faith. In other words, rather than just interrogating your kids about what they learned in youth group or Bible study, we can take little and big opportunities to share what we’ve been learning in our small group, what we’ve been praying about lately, or how we’ve seen God showing up in our lives.
3. Share your testimony. One youth pastor friend asked twenty different students—all of whose parents were actively involved in the congregation—if they knew their parents’ testimony. Want to guess how many students knew their parents’ story of faith? Zero. Even if your testimony involves a less-than-ideal past, if you have a teenager in your home it’s likely time they knew more about Christ’s work in you across the seasons of life so far. And not only your testimony, but also that of your spouse, other relatives, and trusted adult friends. Start sharing stories and you might be surprised how much teenagers want to hear.
We’d love to hear the ways you’ve tried to foster faith conversations in your own family, and what other structures or boundaries you’ve put in place to nurture faith in your home, not just your youth ministry. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
We also invite you to check out our new series for Sticky Faith Families over at fulleryouthinstitute.org. Specifically, join our free webcast this Tuesday, June 11, at 10am Pacific with Carey Nieuwhof, pastor and author, about this very topic of being a parent in ministry. Want to hear more from a seasoned ministry leader about engaging faith in your own family? Tune in free next Tuesday.
|
| Three Tips for Youth Workers who are Parents |
From Youth Specialties on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 12:27 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
“I am better with other people’s kids than I am my own.”
We’ll never forget the first time we heard this honest, gut-wrenching confession from a successful youth pastor. This sharp, thoughtful leader was honestly sharing his own struggles with being a parent in ministry. When he articulated the words above, you could hear a collective resonance in the room as leaders from around the country agreed: Yes, this is an issue for us too.
Maybe you can relate. It’s one thing to have conversations with students in our ministries about everything from scripture to school to sex. It’s quite another thing to have those same conversations with our own kids. Especially during seasons when they are beginning to stretch the boundaries of our relationships beyond the limits we imagined we’d be stretched. Especially when we have to talk about curfew, math homework, and violin rehearsal in the same space and time. Especially when we walk past the bedroom we’ve asked them to clean up at least twelve times in the past two days.
Yeah, those young people who live under our roofs can be hard to talk with about faith.
They’re also the same young people, by the way, who see all of our inconsistencies, failures, and flaws. Not only do they see them, but they also feel personally impacted by them in ways the rest of the youth ministry never will.
So what about those kids?
Here are three practical tips for youth workers who double as parents of teenagers:
1. Admit your own struggles. We leaders often struggle with handling the tension between being models to others while being fully aware of our own struggles, flaws, and sin. Imagine being a youth leader’s kid and seeing that tension played out every day in your parent! Use your struggles as an opportunity to talk about how much you need Jesus’ grace to rescue and strengthen you every day. If your struggle affected your own child, apologize and ask for their forgiveness.
2. Share your own faith. According to our Sticky Faith research, not only does it matter for parents to ask their kids questions about the kids’ faith, but it also matters when parents share stories and insights about their own faith. In other words, rather than just interrogating your kids about what they learned in youth group or Bible study, we can take little and big opportunities to share what we’ve been learning in our small group, what we’ve been praying about lately, or how we’ve seen God showing up in our lives.
3. Share your testimony. One youth pastor friend asked twenty different students—all of whose parents were actively involved in the congregation—if they knew their parents’ testimony. Want to guess how many students knew their parents’ story of faith? Zero. Even if your testimony involves a less-than-ideal past, if you have a teenager in your home it’s likely time they knew more about Christ’s work in you across the seasons of life so far. And not only your testimony, but also that of your spouse, other relatives, and trusted adult friends. Start sharing stories and you might be surprised how much teenagers want to hear.
We’d love to hear the ways you’ve tried to foster faith conversations in your own family, and what other structures or boundaries you’ve put in place to nurture faith in your home, not just your youth ministry. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
We also invite you to check out our new series for Sticky Faith Families over at fulleryouthinstitute.org. Specifically, join our free webcast this Tuesday, June 11, at 10am Pacific with Carey Nieuwhof, pastor and author, about this very topic of being a parent in ministry. Want to hear more from a seasoned ministry leader about engaging faith in your own family? Tune in free next Tuesday.
|
| Three Tips for Youth Workers who are Parents |
From Youth Specialties on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 12:26 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
“I am better with other people’s kids than I am my own.”
We’ll never forget the first time we heard this honest, gut-wrenching confession from a successful youth pastor. This sharp, thoughtful leader was honestly sharing his own struggles with being a parent in ministry. When he articulated the words above, you could hear a collective resonance in the room as leaders from around the country agreed: Yes, this is an issue for us too.
Maybe you can relate. It’s one thing to have conversations with students in our ministries about everything from scripture to school to sex. It’s quite another thing to have those same conversations with our own kids. Especially during seasons when they are beginning to stretch the boundaries of our relationships beyond the limits we imagined we’d be stretched. Especially when we have to talk about curfew, math homework, and violin rehearsal in the same space and time. Especially when we walk past the bedroom we’ve asked them to clean up at least twelve times in the past two days.
Yeah, those young people who live under our roofs can be hard to talk with about faith.
They’re also the same young people, by the way, who see all of our inconsistencies, failures, and flaws. Not only do they see them, but they also feel personally impacted by them in ways the rest of the youth ministry never will.
So what about those kids?
Here are three practical tips for youth workers who double as parents of teenagers:
1. Admit your own struggles. We leaders often struggle with handling the tension between being models to others while being fully aware of our own struggles, flaws, and sin. Imagine being a youth leader’s kid and seeing that tension played out every day in your parent! Use your struggles as an opportunity to talk about how much you need Jesus’ grace to rescue and strengthen you every day. If your struggle affected your own child, apologize and ask for their forgiveness.
2. Share your own faith. According to our Sticky Faith research, not only does it matter for parents to ask their kids questions about the kids’ faith, but it also matters when parents share stories and insights about their own faith. In other words, rather than just interrogating your kids about what they learned in youth group or Bible study, we can take little and big opportunities to share what we’ve been learning in our small group, what we’ve been praying about lately, or how we’ve seen God showing up in our lives.
3. Share your testimony. One youth pastor friend asked twenty different students—all of whose parents were actively involved in the congregation—if they knew their parents’ testimony. Want to guess how many students knew their parents’ story of faith? Zero. Even if your testimony involves a less-than-ideal past, if you have a teenager in your home it’s likely time they knew more about Christ’s work in you across the seasons of life so far. And not only your testimony, but also that of your spouse, other relatives, and trusted adult friends. Start sharing stories and you might be surprised how much teenagers want to hear.
We’d love to hear the ways you’ve tried to foster faith conversations in your own family, and what other structures or boundaries you’ve put in place to nurture faith in your home, not just your youth ministry. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
We also invite you to check out our new series for Sticky Faith Families over at fulleryouthinstitute.org. Specifically, join our free webcast this Tuesday, June 11, at 10am Pacific with Carey Nieuwhof, pastor and author, about this very topic of being a parent in ministry. Want to hear more from a seasoned ministry leader about engaging faith in your own family? Tune in free next Tuesday.
|
| Why I'm Going to Camp this Summer. |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 8:37 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
So I'm going to Oak Hill Christian Service Camp this summer and here are some reasons why:
I. I love Camp. Its that simple. It is a great ministry and ministry tool.
II. I love the church staff and board. They spend lots of hours and time planning and wanting to teach students about Jesus.
III. I love my kids and the other kids going too. I really do. My wife and I are sending our children to camp because we believe in it. There is nothing to it. Seeing kids being transformed for Jesus.
IV. It will be fun. Even in the dullest of days it will be fun. From mud pies to swimming to singing silly songs. Camp is fun.
V. It gives opportunity to model Jesus to others.
VI. It will be life changing for me. I think I get as much out of camp as the students. It reminds me that it isn't so much about programs as it is about relationships and being real. (See #5)
VII. There will be Food. Some of the best food I've ever had has been at camp. Nothing like food and fellowship.
How about you? Volunteering for camp this summer? Which one? Why do you go?http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
| Why Church Camp Matters!! |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Monday, June 3, 2013 @ 8:26 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
In a few weeks camp season will start. So why Church Camp? Why does it matter at all?
I. Camp can be and is an extension of the church and its ministry. It is a vital mission and equipping of the leaders today and the future.
II. It is life changing. It helps kids have that "Light bulb" turn on and the transforming power of Christ. (Romans 12:1-2)
III. It is equipping. Teaches people to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others daily.
IV. Exposes students to other cultures and ministries. Nothing like those mission moments and the Call to "Go."
V. Supports other ministries. The Funds raised for camp to support other missions are the starting point for many young people to giving and what really matters.
VI. Gives a chance to hear God's Word in a different way. The Chapel talks, Vespers, classes etc. A week of Camp is like a year of Bible School wrapped up nicely to point others to well ...Jesus.
VII. Worship. Teaches students to worship. From the AM to PM to around the campfire .....
VIII. Fun.Fellowship and Family. From the silly games to messy games, swimming, the times together in teams building community and just knowing that this is just a glimpse into what the Family of God is suppose to be like.
IX. Food. Camp is nothing without the great food and snacks and canteen. Contests like how fast can you drink that soda .... and great cooks because they know it isn't just about the physical food but the spiritual that the students are getting as well.
X. Memories that will last a life time. Knowing the times when you finally got this "Jesus" thing. Praying. Telling your friends that you decided to put God first .... and then there were all those "Boy-Girl" relationships at camp. Who knew you could have a girlfriend for one day or the ole phrase "let's just be friends" can be said at camp. Camp brings back so many memories for me it was camps like OCA, Camp Selkirk, Elkhorn, Mahoning, Oak Hill, Park Springs, Tri-state etc.
What memories do you have of camp? Any others to add to why church camp matters?!
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
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