Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
March Happenings
Hard to believe that March is already here. Here are the things happening in the next month:
Friday, March 6 - Dinner for Parents at Tim & Charity's Home. This is for parents of teens only, your teen has to find something else to do that night.
Saturday, March 7 - Fundraiser for Nicaragua Mission Trip. Every summer, members of the Summerville Church head to Jinotega, Nicaragua to open doors of opportunity for the Church in that community. As a youth ministry, the teens - even the ones not personally going on the trip - want to be involved in this great endeavor, so we will be helping raise funds to cover expenses. For more information on this particular fund raising effort, please contact Melissa Lester.
March 20-22 - Carolina Salt University
This is a trip that is organized by the Carolina Teen board to train and support those who are actively involved in leadership in their ministries. If your teen (grade 9-12) is interested in being involved as a leader in our ministry and going on this trip, then please have him/her come see me about it.
March 25 - Deadline to Sign Up for Junior and Senior Impact
I know it is crazy to already be talking about a trip in June - but Impact is such a great week that it fills up extremely quickly. There are already sign up sheets in the back of the youth room. In order to be signed up, I need a release form, an Impact application (both of these will be available on the table outside the youth room very soon) and a $50 deposit (or some other arrangement about payment).
The dates for Junior Impact (7th-8th grade) are June 18-22) and the price is $115
The dates for Senior Impact (9th-12th grade) are June 22-27) and the price is $200
Friday, March 6 - Dinner for Parents at Tim & Charity's Home. This is for parents of teens only, your teen has to find something else to do that night.
Saturday, March 7 - Fundraiser for Nicaragua Mission Trip. Every summer, members of the Summerville Church head to Jinotega, Nicaragua to open doors of opportunity for the Church in that community. As a youth ministry, the teens - even the ones not personally going on the trip - want to be involved in this great endeavor, so we will be helping raise funds to cover expenses. For more information on this particular fund raising effort, please contact Melissa Lester.
March 20-22 - Carolina Salt University
This is a trip that is organized by the Carolina Teen board to train and support those who are actively involved in leadership in their ministries. If your teen (grade 9-12) is interested in being involved as a leader in our ministry and going on this trip, then please have him/her come see me about it.
March 25 - Deadline to Sign Up for Junior and Senior Impact
I know it is crazy to already be talking about a trip in June - but Impact is such a great week that it fills up extremely quickly. There are already sign up sheets in the back of the youth room. In order to be signed up, I need a release form, an Impact application (both of these will be available on the table outside the youth room very soon) and a $50 deposit (or some other arrangement about payment).
The dates for Junior Impact (7th-8th grade) are June 18-22) and the price is $115
The dates for Senior Impact (9th-12th grade) are June 22-27) and the price is $200
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Resources
I thought I would pass along a few of interesting stories from Newsweek I came across a while ago about youth culture. They are each a little lengthy, but I think they are very worthwhile reads for parents, particularly if you have girls. What struck me most about all 3 stories was the sense of belonging that all these kids are searching so desperately for. In the "No One to Blame" I thought it was interesting that despite the disagreements over causes and treatment, the one undeniable fact was what an important role supportive families play for success in the battle against anorexia. In the article on cutting, I find it interesting how many of those interviewed described themselves as lonely. "Out of the Shadows" was a sobering reminder to me about the importance of creating a healthy base of support for our kids. I think social networking sites like facebook are in general a great development in our society, but they obviously come with a risk. I know as a teenager, I felt like I was the only one around me trying to live a Christian life. I think groups like "100,00,000 Christians Worship God" could have really encouraged me to stay strong in the faith. On the downside, I think there are many kids out there finding the opposite true as well - that they can find someone on facebook who will condone just about any bad behavior that they may be caught up in. This is particularly troubling with things like eating disorders, self harm and drug abuse.
No One to Blame
Why She Cuts
Out of the Shadows
There are 2 basic reasons I posted these:
1 - To let you be aware of these issues. Hopefully, you will never have to deal with these issues as parents, but if you do, it is good to know a little about them beforehand.
2 - To remind us as we build on this youth ministry together the importance of creating a distinct community (a possible translation of the Greek word, ecclesia that we translate 'church') where teens who are confused or lonely can find love, patience and understanding.
I would love to know what some of you thought about these articles.
I also want to pass along one more resource to you. Homeword.com is a website that gives parents good information about how to talk to teens about issues and has some good insights into what's going on in the world of our kids. They have a free newsletter that you can sign up for that sometimes has some really good stuff.
No One to Blame
Why She Cuts
Out of the Shadows
There are 2 basic reasons I posted these:
1 - To let you be aware of these issues. Hopefully, you will never have to deal with these issues as parents, but if you do, it is good to know a little about them beforehand.
2 - To remind us as we build on this youth ministry together the importance of creating a distinct community (a possible translation of the Greek word, ecclesia that we translate 'church') where teens who are confused or lonely can find love, patience and understanding.
I would love to know what some of you thought about these articles.
I also want to pass along one more resource to you. Homeword.com is a website that gives parents good information about how to talk to teens about issues and has some good insights into what's going on in the world of our kids. They have a free newsletter that you can sign up for that sometimes has some really good stuff.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A Day Late
Since I switched posting upcoming events to the last Thursday in the month, I thought I would just move the other topics up a week. Which means that I am due for a blog on the philosophy of youth ministry.
Recently, I had a conversation with a group of friends about "vision" in youth ministry and what that means. I think it is an all too-important question to ask when involved in any kind of ministry. It is far too easy in any kind of ministry, but I think especially youth ministry, to get caught up in the day to day incidentals that come with the job. There's enough to keep you busy without having to sit back and wonder, "What am I really trying to do?"
However, I think it is vital that everyone involved in the youth ministry - from the youth minister, to the volunteers, to the parents, and especially the kids have the purpose and vision of ministry in mind. Otherwise, it tends to be a place where kids just show up - and when kids just show up not knowing what to expect, everybody forms their own expectations. One girl may show up expecting everyone to be nice to her, and when someone isn't nice to her, she writes the church off as a waste of time. One guy may show up with the notion that as long as he's there, he gets credit as a good person. When someone calls him out because his behavior doesn't match what's being taught - he feels wronged or slighted because no one acknowledged his effort to show up. A parent may expect that their child will be given a program that excites the child's desire to participate. When the child expresses apathy or ambivalence for certain aspects of the ministry - the parent may feel like the youth ministry has failed them.
To be sure, none of those expectations are exactly wrong - in fact, I should hope that a youth ministry is a place of safety where kids have people act kindly toward them, a place where people do acknowledge the efforts to do right instead of just focusing on the wrong, and is a place where kids actually like to be. But.... none of those should be the end all desire of the youth ministry. Those are products of being focused on the true vision for youth ministry and the church.
Youth ministry begins and ends with one thing - the loving desire to bring a community's youth into relationship with Christ. If we aren't doing that, then I believe that we are, to borrow language from Paul, nothing more than a clanging symbol. It's a sobering reality for someone like me who has spent all of my adult life dedicated to youth ministry that if I fail at that one thing, then I have failed in ministry. Everything that we do in this ministry, whether its Winterfest, Cell Groups, Bible Study, or just hanging out, must come back to the central question of "are we leading kids to know and love Jesus Christ." That's my vision, that's my passion.
I promised that on these philosophical blogs, I would include a part about how you as parents can help - so here's just a few I can think of:
1 - Hold me accountable. Parents, if you think that our ministry is not challenging the teens enough to go deep with their commitment to Christ, then please (gently please:)) let me know. I try to be very open to constructive criticism.
2 - When conflict arises among the kids (oh, and it will arise), challenge your child(ren) to pursue the most Christ-like path to reconciliation. It usually is not met with great enthusiasm by the students, but from my experience, nothing teaches better than teens seeing the power of forgiveness and humility in the midst of a conflict.
3 - Talk about spiritual matters frequently with your teens. It doesn't always have to be a formal "family devotional". Instead, I like the parenting advice given in Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Whenever you get the opportunity, let your kids know how scripture and your dedication to living by the Spirit has informed your way of life. Also, be open with things in your past that you regret and why you don't want to see them make the same mistakes.
4 - Have the same vision for your family. Don't see your family as just a group of people living under the same roof who happen to be related. Have a desire to see your family be an active force for the Kingdom of Heaven. Look for ways to do things as a family that serves others, both in the church and in the community.
5 - Get involved in the ministry - not just for your kids, but for the others as well. If you are reading this blog, I can pretty safely assume that you are involved in your child's spiritual develeopment. I thank God for parents like you. Understand that there are kids who come across our youth ministry who do not have adults in their lives that care about spiritual matters. Sometimes, we even come across kids whose parents seem downright opposed to their child's involvement in Christianity. These kids need mentors and role models to look up to across all generational lines.
Those are just a few. If you've got suggestions for the other parents that you think would be helpful, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Thanks again for the job you do as a parent, God bless.
Recently, I had a conversation with a group of friends about "vision" in youth ministry and what that means. I think it is an all too-important question to ask when involved in any kind of ministry. It is far too easy in any kind of ministry, but I think especially youth ministry, to get caught up in the day to day incidentals that come with the job. There's enough to keep you busy without having to sit back and wonder, "What am I really trying to do?"
However, I think it is vital that everyone involved in the youth ministry - from the youth minister, to the volunteers, to the parents, and especially the kids have the purpose and vision of ministry in mind. Otherwise, it tends to be a place where kids just show up - and when kids just show up not knowing what to expect, everybody forms their own expectations. One girl may show up expecting everyone to be nice to her, and when someone isn't nice to her, she writes the church off as a waste of time. One guy may show up with the notion that as long as he's there, he gets credit as a good person. When someone calls him out because his behavior doesn't match what's being taught - he feels wronged or slighted because no one acknowledged his effort to show up. A parent may expect that their child will be given a program that excites the child's desire to participate. When the child expresses apathy or ambivalence for certain aspects of the ministry - the parent may feel like the youth ministry has failed them.
To be sure, none of those expectations are exactly wrong - in fact, I should hope that a youth ministry is a place of safety where kids have people act kindly toward them, a place where people do acknowledge the efforts to do right instead of just focusing on the wrong, and is a place where kids actually like to be. But.... none of those should be the end all desire of the youth ministry. Those are products of being focused on the true vision for youth ministry and the church.
Youth ministry begins and ends with one thing - the loving desire to bring a community's youth into relationship with Christ. If we aren't doing that, then I believe that we are, to borrow language from Paul, nothing more than a clanging symbol. It's a sobering reality for someone like me who has spent all of my adult life dedicated to youth ministry that if I fail at that one thing, then I have failed in ministry. Everything that we do in this ministry, whether its Winterfest, Cell Groups, Bible Study, or just hanging out, must come back to the central question of "are we leading kids to know and love Jesus Christ." That's my vision, that's my passion.
I promised that on these philosophical blogs, I would include a part about how you as parents can help - so here's just a few I can think of:
1 - Hold me accountable. Parents, if you think that our ministry is not challenging the teens enough to go deep with their commitment to Christ, then please (gently please:)) let me know. I try to be very open to constructive criticism.
2 - When conflict arises among the kids (oh, and it will arise), challenge your child(ren) to pursue the most Christ-like path to reconciliation. It usually is not met with great enthusiasm by the students, but from my experience, nothing teaches better than teens seeing the power of forgiveness and humility in the midst of a conflict.
3 - Talk about spiritual matters frequently with your teens. It doesn't always have to be a formal "family devotional". Instead, I like the parenting advice given in Deuteronomy 11:18-20
18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Whenever you get the opportunity, let your kids know how scripture and your dedication to living by the Spirit has informed your way of life. Also, be open with things in your past that you regret and why you don't want to see them make the same mistakes.
4 - Have the same vision for your family. Don't see your family as just a group of people living under the same roof who happen to be related. Have a desire to see your family be an active force for the Kingdom of Heaven. Look for ways to do things as a family that serves others, both in the church and in the community.
5 - Get involved in the ministry - not just for your kids, but for the others as well. If you are reading this blog, I can pretty safely assume that you are involved in your child's spiritual develeopment. I thank God for parents like you. Understand that there are kids who come across our youth ministry who do not have adults in their lives that care about spiritual matters. Sometimes, we even come across kids whose parents seem downright opposed to their child's involvement in Christianity. These kids need mentors and role models to look up to across all generational lines.
Those are just a few. If you've got suggestions for the other parents that you think would be helpful, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Thanks again for the job you do as a parent, God bless.
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