Thursday • September 02 • 2010

By Youth Workers for Youth Workers

Back to School...

By Mike King

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:31:00 -0500

Let's Go Back to School! For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 It's hard to believe the sounds of summer, days at the pool, and trips to camp are already replaced by...

GREAT YOUTH MINISTRY IDEA: Using Kid Lit

By Brian

2010-09-02T15:18:00.001-05:00

Have you ever tried sharing a picture book with your youth as a way to illustrate a discussion topic or Bible study? Believe it or not, we never grow out enjoying the experience of hearing someone read to us. Union Presbyterian Seminary hosts an excellent website called Story Path, with ideas for using children's literature in ministry. There are many thoughtful resources and reviews on the site, including lesson plans for incorporating childrens literature into your confirmation class curriculum.
StoryPath also has a companion site entitled Theology and Film with reviews and resources for utilizing all sorts of movies in your ministry.

Adventure in Gloucester...

By Mike King

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:44:36 -0500

The night before Greenbelt started we arrived late into Cheltenham and decided to find a place to eat. We ended up wandering until we found ourselves next to the majestic and mysterious Gloucester Cathedral. Gloucester Cathedral is nearly 1,000 years...

Be nice to kids…………………………………..Tom Schwolert

By exemplarym

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:56:13 +0000

Ok adults, think way back to your middle or high school years. I know for some of us it is a reach, but think back for a moment. Do you remember having any adults in your life that were very significant to you, particularly in your faith journey? I remember one in particular. She was

Joining 5,000 pilgrims in Taize

By Mike King

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:37:00 -0500

Our time in Taize was very good. I was thrilled to see the community continuing to prosper after the death of the community founder Brother Roger. It was wonderful to see 5,000 plus 16 to 24 year olds engaging in...

encouraging an old youth pastor’s heart

By marko

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:27:29 +0000

in about 1990, 20 years ago, i had two dudes in my middle school ministry in omaha, nebraska. mark arant was a short kid, fairly quiet (at least at church), and not interested in much other than skating. jeff thune was also small, not as quiet as mark, but just starting to individuate himself from [...]

Youth Ministry Resource: Coloring Outside the Lines

By Deech

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:30:55 +0000

Have each student color a picture. Give your group plenty of time to color and complete their picture. Allow them to sit and talk with others while they color.

Talking with John and Maruchi

By Scott

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 +0000

We are starting a series of Thursday podcasts, all in support of the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry to be held in New Orleans on December 9-12. First up are John Smestad and Maruchi Palomo from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. In part, they discuss the impact of the generosity of the Catholic Youth [...]

purple

By jonny

2010-09-02T07:19:19+01:00

500 people wearing coloured glasses, originally uploaded by Dean Ayres. thanks to everyone who came to the grace service at greenbelt. it was based on the february grace with half the people wearing glasses with red filters and half with...

Quote of the Day

By Matt Kelley

2010-09-01T16:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think John the Revelator might have been a crazy old man whose creative writing assignment for the Patmos learning annex accidentally made it into the Bible.
from Rachel Held Evans' Evolving in Monkey Town: How A Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions
Evans' book is one of the many excellent spiritual memoirs that have come out in the last few years. I didn't grow up a small town evangelical like she did, but I found a lot that I could relate to in this book. Check this book out.

More Free Hugs!

By Brian

2010-09-01T16:04:00.000-05:00

Yet another free hugs video! Every youth group should make this a regular part of their outreach ministry together. Get out of the youth room and go hug some strangers! (HT Jeremy Zach via Facebook)

5 Signs of Youth Ministry #1: Detour

By Brian

2010-09-01T10:59:00.001-05:00

Part one of a mini-series about directional signs that can help move our youth ministries to become less programmed and more missional.
Fall is almost upon us! That means that many of our fellow youth ministry colleague have the next few months if not the entire school year planned, scheduled, and on the church calendar. Every Bible study topic is selected, deposits have already been made at a retreat center for the fall trip, leadership is in place and knows exactly what they will be doing on any given Sunday, and the location of the summer mission trip is already decided. Oh, and somewhere in the mix of all that are some teens who are hoping to be part of this crazy calendar of events which we have planned so meticulously for them.
As a minister who feels that youth ministry is way too over-programmed, my initial instinct is to tell all of us to throw out those carefully planned calendars! They might look great when we hand them out to parents, but they also communicate the idea that our ministry is just the sum total of the events we have planned to keep our teens busy (and, if we are honest, they are also a way to justify to our churches that "Yes, I am doing something to earn my salary! Just look at all the stuff on the youth group calendar!").
But, maybe throwing out the calendar is too drastic. Instead, what if we see that calendar as a suggestion -- not the road map for the way forward? Rather than seeing our journey with the youth this school year as a turn-by-turn set of Google map directions, what if it was more like a wandering in the desert, in which we were open to being led by the spirit, by the ever-changing needs of our teens, and by strange, perhaps dangerous, or exciting opportunities that may spring up in our path along the way? What if we let go of control over the calendar and allowed the needs of the day to drive what we do in youth ministry? What if we let current events in the world provide the focus for our Bible study? What if we let the immediate needs of our community drive our mission? What if instead of seeing possible detours to our programming as a distraction, we saw them as opportunities?

Multi-part Sunday School Lessons

By k

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:41:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I did a lesson about Spiritual Warfare. I had heard that some recently Baptized kids were having trouble sleeping and others had shared their worries with their parents. As I was teaching the lesson they kept bring up Spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6). They were pleased with themselves for at least knowing this Spiritual Armor existed and exhibited an interest in knowing more. I determined that that would make a good follow-up lesson and spent many hours preparing over the next week.

The next Sunday I walked into the kids room all set, with a matching activity, great snack, the works. However, instead of the fifteen girls and one boy I had the week before the class now consisted of six boys and only one girl who attended the week before. I felt like I was in a completely different church. Where was my class?

This had happened about a year ago too. I taught a lesson on Spiritual gifts one week and had them fill out a Spiritual Gifts Questionnaire the next week. Unfortunately the kids that got the questionnaire were completely different kids, unprepared and not interested. But that was the only plan I had for that weeks class. It was a bust.

As memories of that miserable day flowed through my mind I remembered that I had two other Sunday school lesson plans in my bag. One lesson plan was tailored more for boys, and the other more for girls. I put away my lesson on Spiritual armor and taught a different lesson. As jarring as that unexpected change in direction was to me, the class was not a disaster. The boys were engaged in learning and the lessons goals were successfully realized. The next week the girls returned. The original lesson was taught to the audience it was intended for with success.

Dan Folgelberg warned in a song, "Changing horses in the middle of a stream gets you wet and sometimes cold." Luckily he wasn't talking about a Sunday school class. I'd rather be wet from sweat than drowned by disaster any day. From now on I will always come to class with several options ready to go. I write my Sunday school lesson plans clear enough so I can teach them even if my old brain locks up half way through. I fear "brain freeze" in front of an expectant group of middle schoolers. It happens. These Sunday school lessons can be taught cold. I could even hand one to an untrained parent or volunteer in an emergency and it would work.

Games can be easy too. I always keep a bag of balloons with a list of balloon games. A bag of rubber bands and some paper cups can amuse boys. Grab a couple rolls of toilet paper from the bathroom and have the girls make bridal gowns. Keep candy or "Zany-Bands" for prizes. Cash will always work for a prize in a pinch (actually that was a real hit one day).

I can't fix the inherent problem of uneven, sporadic Sunday school class attendance. But being flexible and prepared for several lessons helps.check out Kevins's website: http://www.sundayschoollessonconnection.com for more youth group resources. Visit http://www.coconutmtn.com for information on parenting, grief & loss and other topics.

What is Happening with Young Adults?

By n

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:29:00 +0000

For those who care about 20-somethings (also called young adults, college and career, post-high), this is a good article on what is happening culturally and developmentally with this demographic. Many in their 20's are "failing to launch" into full responsibility for their lives and are called "boomerang kids" because they are coming back home after college to live. The article says...
...that Sociologists traditionally define "adulthood" by five milestones:
1. completing school (college, trade-school, etc.).
2. leaving home to be on their own (out of mom and dad's house).
3. becoming financially independent (getting a job that provides for them).
4. getting married (as a mark of commitment and responsibility).
5. having a child (traditionally comes with marriage).

Certainly not everyone is to get married (some stay single) or have children (many choose not to) and many are unable to have children for many reasons. Many are not getting married (or are doing so much later) but the article says 66% will have lived with a romantic partner in their 20's. Others are not married, but adopting children. So, the traditional developmental markers for transitioning into adulthood are up-for-grabs today. One thing is clear: What we would call "adulthood" is taking longer and longer for most 20-somethings to enter. This has deep implications for youth ministry, young adult ministry and the whole church.

Grab a cup of coffee and click to take in this long article from the New York Times.

After reading the article, come back and answer some questions. What do you think of the article? What do you think is happening in the lives of 20-somethings today? What are your observations? What difference does it make in ministry to teens and 20-somethings?

I have written two books in this area. Check them out below:
Following Jesus into College and Beyond
Together: Adults and Teenagers Transforming the Church

4 Minutes Wisely Invested

By Array

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:53:03 PDT

1 September 2010

posted by Scott Rubin

Some of your churches are like mine, and you encourage some of your volunteers to “take a breath” during the summer months. We push the pause button on our small groups in June & July so that our faithful volunteers can vacation, rest, and be ready to jump back into investing in junior highers once the school year begins. Honestly, our ministry is less effective during those months, and I miss those volunteers like crazy, but for us it’s the best choice in the long run. (and, it probably explains why so many of our volunteers have stuck around for years & years!)

So last week, I was anticipating the “re-arrival” of our school year volunteers. I said to our staff team, “Who’s one person that you’re really really looking forward to serving alongside of this year?” It was fun to hear people’s answers… and look forward to this fun we’re going to have together this year, as we point middle schoolers towards Jesus.

Later that day, I decided to take 4 minutes & jot a note to one of those volunteers… and tell them how much they’re valued around here – and why.
It’s a habit I’m trying to “re-create” – because honestly, I’ve gotten a little sloppy with it! (Which is crazy, because when I get an encouragement note, sometimes I’ll carry it around with me for a few days!) Thoughtful words are really meaningful to me — and in about 4 minutes, I can put some fuel in someone’s tank just by jotting them a snail-mail note. In a mailbox full of credit card offers and cable-tv-advertisements, a card from you would be a welcome site!

an idiot's do it yourself guide to turning your congregation upside down and inside out

By jonny

2010-09-01T14:50:02+01:00

i am sitting listening to dave andrews - the description of him by martin wroe made me smile - I like to think of Dave Andrews as a... weirdy, beardy, proverbially wise-old, kind-old, be-slippered, fire-sided, snoozy, fearless, story-telling, grand-fatherly, rugged,...

Youth Ministry Game: Frozen T-shirts

By Deech

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:30:01 +0000

This has to be one of my all time favorite games and can be a great use for the old leftover retreat t-shirts that you don't know what to do with or for the 30 t-shirts you collected in the YS convention exhibit hall.

Professional Youth Ministry: A Changing Landscape

By Deech

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:00:05 +0000

So, the question remains: What makes a professional youth minister? A seminary degree? Ordination? At least 10 years of experience?

Anticipation

By Scott

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:00:00 +0000

There was an old Heinz Ketchup commercial that offer Carly Simon’s “Anticipation” as a soundtrack to the thick red sauce coming out of the bottle. We just wrapped up a virtual blogcation and will be returning soon from a real vacation… And I struggled with planning a vacation this time around. Where to go? What [...]

Early Bird Deadline for NYWC San Diego!

By Adam Walker Cleaveland

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:24:31 +0000

Today is the early bird deadline for the National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego. It’s been a couple years since I’ve been able to be one, but whenever I used to go – they were amazing events that were fun, forming and a great time to be ministered to by tons of other people [...]

Podcast Episode 12- The Jesus Question

By Matt Kelley

2010-08-31T10:00:00.006-05:00

A new episode of The Truth As Best I Know It Podcast is now live.

We're continue our journey through Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions that Are Transforming the Faith with “The Jesus Question”.
We talk about differing conceptions of Jesus, casting Jesus in our own image, the variety of things the New Testament says about Jesus, and how the way we answer the question “who is Jesus” tells us a lot about our theology and about who we are.

You can listen to the episode on Podbean (the gracious hosts of our podcast), or download it on iTunes. If you're an iTunes subscriber, please take a few minutes to rate our show and write a review!

For those that may not have seen it, here is the scene from Talladega Nights we reference in this episode:

Keeping Juniors and Seniors Involved

By Deech

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:00:56 +0000

I've got a secret. I've learned how to keep Juniors and Seniors, but I don't want it to be a secret anymore.

2010 world yo-yo champ

By marko

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:00:15 +0000

this dude’s yo-yo skills are just insane. he’s canadian jensen kimmitt.

go to gloucester

By jonny

2010-08-31T08:35:56+01:00

the most astonishing exhibition of sculpture opens tomorrow for the next two months in gloucester cathedral. the web site bandwith is exceeded which is a little unfortunate but you can read about it here. called crucible, it contains work by...

CYM News 08-31-10

By Scott

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:00:00 +0000

CHARLESTON, SC — Top 20 Blogger Alison Griswold recently wrote in her local newspaper about Honoring Our Bodies and Our World. It’s a great article and worth the read. She comments: Yesterday I was listening to one of those internet radio accounts that links to your Facebook and reads your mind to deliver relevant advertising, [...]