Albert Huizing, IV
Hmmmm...What can I say? I'm an American living in Canada....a Camerican?
I grew up in northern NJ in the states in one of the biggest and oldest Reformed communities in the states. I've been working with youths since I and a few friends started a Christian Singles Ministry in 1986, where I met my wife. She radically changed the way I think and do Christianity (I call her "my muse" and she's a Brit/English Lit. educator). Her inspiration and energy over the past 25 years have spurred me on to be involved in a large church youth group setting of 110 kids to a smaller group setting of 25 kids. My biggest advice is that the world keeps changing and so does the way we do Youth Ministry. One of my biggest blessings is that after all that time I still passionately love doing youth ministry (the statistics say only 20% make it past 3-5 years)....So I'm excited on this new journey God has led me into and am waiting for His mighty hand to do great and wonderful things
Posted in: Engaging Parents in Youth Ministries
Great Treasure chest full of valuable information......Thanks Again, Leslie!!!!
Posted in: Who is the New Youth Ministry Guide?
Welcome Jason! You are no fraud if you are involved in youth ministry in any capacity....Love the passion, the enthusiasm and the excitement....keep your seatbelt on and and strapped in at all times for the YM roller-coaster ride! at times thrilling....at times scary! You might want to look into attending the CYWC conference in Nov/Dec. www.CYWC.ca
.....we're trying to plan a session of Youth Ministry brainstorming with just the CRC YM leaders....might be extremely beneficial as the new "guide"
Glad to have you aboard!
Posted in: Why Ask Why?
JAson: Great way to begin a new Blog.....that is how I began! When I started at my present job (thankfully in the Summer months) my first task was to construct a Mission Statement, a Vision Statement, a Curriculum Overview and then everything and ideas that support it. By doing this I have a birdseye view of where I am going - a road map, per se, of where I'm going with my approach throughout the year. Do I have detours - Sure, Do I have Road blocks - Absolutely, Do I need to plot a different course - Many times, but it allows me to (1) see my feet in front of me, (2) look down the road and not fall off the path (a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path) and (3) Evaluate it more clearly when I've arrived. At the end of each School year we sit down with our yth and evaluate what went well and what didn't. We correspond this with a Parent Survey to see what their parents see valuable/invaluable about the program. If you do this for 3-4 years then down the road you will have a program that you can use over and over again and just tweeking it a little each you use it to stay up with the times. Also, it creates a program for someone new who may step into the youth ministry position down the road. Always make sure that you are picking issues that are relevant to the times and to the kids; that's one of the biggest benefits of a year-end POw-Wow. MAking sure you're on Target!
Posted in: Why Ask Why?
Jason: Great Questions....it is not usually so Black & White because there are so many factors that effect those changes; to stay ahead of the culture trends, over the last 30 yrs, I believe in the 7 year rule; that is it averages out to 7-10 yrs a new generation evolves with different, likes, goals, visions, technology etc. etc. etc. So making a goal of every 7 years keeps you ahead of the average trend. HOWEVER, if you are honestly "tweeking" your program/curriculum, when you get to that seventh year, not only will you very close to the next generation changes, but it won't look like the changes are that drastic. Also, you are not tweeking the moral foundations/fiber that your beliefs are built on, only the presentation that makes it understandable and easier to chew.The bigger question is "How do we keep youth Ministry worker/pastors to stay at any one given location for more than 3 years. That statistic is a true one, and if yth workers are not staying, they can't even come close to successful ministry in these terms. I'd even be thrilled if that statistic doubled. Also training them to create programs that can be passed along to the next one in line. So the answer to some of that is better training for both employed and volunteer yth minitry workers...
Posted in: Facing My Future as a Leader of Today
Thanks for the excitement, passion and desire to continue and bridge the gap that many times as leaders we fail at; Reaching in both directions we will bridge that transitional gap easier....God bless you as you continue to experience what He has laid on your heart to proclaim without shame!!!!!
Posted in: Pamphlet for New Parents on Educating Young Toddlers?
Derek:
Thanks! you're editor at Faith Alive, correct?
(1) Does Home Grown specifically have a chapter that deals specifically with these concerns with practical ideas to encourage action on the part of parents?
(2) And does the Denomination print any handy pamphlets to pass on to the "non-reader" book crowd of parents...that we can insert in the children's Bibles we give out?
Posted in: Pamphlet for New Parents on Educating Young Toddlers?
Jolanda:
Thanks for your add'l, positive & helpful comments; I'm director of youth ministry built overseeing hospitality by designed default. (equipping parents, families etc makes my job easier too, eh?) We're already handing out the Sarah Loyd-Jones Bible (great resource) and want to include an equipping pamphlet/brochure to be inserted into it for these new parents - church or unchurched bkgrds. I think the Home Grown Book will be a great resource for me to use as a framework for a pamphlet I will write, design, print myself. Maybe, if I'm satisfied with it's results I can send it your way to see if you think it is worthy for your arsenal of resources, as well.....
Posted in: Pamphlet for New Parents on Educating Young Toddlers?
Derek:
I'll just reiterate what I repled to Jolanda, below...I'm director of youth ministry but overseeing hospitality by designed default. (equipping parents, families etc makes my job easier too, eh?) We're already handing out the Sarah Loyd-Jones Bible (great resource) and want to include an equipping pamphlet/brochure to be inserted into it for these new parents - church or unchurched bkgrds. I think the Home Grown Book will be a great resource for me to use as a framework for a pamphlet I will write, design, print myself. Maybe, if I'm satisfied with it's results I can send it your way to see if you think it is worthy for your arsenal of resources, as well.....thank you for responding personally....you were VERY helpful...
Posted in: Pamphlet for New Parents on Educating Young Toddlers?
OK, well keep in touch....I'm finishing up a ministry directory, I've been working on first....so it will probbly be another few weeks yet....
Posted in: Pamphlet for New Parents on Educating Young Toddlers?
Thanks J. for the directional shove :>) ....I've made contact with Mickie and awaiting a response.....
Posted in: How should we train our new small groups ministry coordinator?
Not sure what the make-up of your church is; since I came from a CRC background, 40 yrs ago we were still in isolationist mode....however, the small groups that was started in a small evangelical church I attended after we moved to an area where there was no CRC. (I know, hard to believe, eh?) so the hesitancy was all mine, most likely from my upbringing.....but having married a dynamic non-Dutch CRC person, I was dragged "kicking & screaming" - sort of how God does it to us selfish sinners who love our sin like a pig in the mud - and I am a better person because of it. As an aside, our church grew during those years from 125 members to over 800 members. I'm not saying that it was due to the small groups, but I'm sure it was an critical ingredient to it's success, in how we formulated our relationships amongst a core group of family ties.
Authentic Community is tough, because it takes time and that's the one commodity that we guard. That would be another lengthy conversation and I've been up since 1:30 am PEI time, so I'm signing out.....Ok, I admit it, I'm guarding my time ....LOL wishing you lots of luck with your small groups...jsut curious where the church is located?
Posted in: How should we train our new small groups ministry coordinator?
Yes! Very, Very familiar with Jenison....In fact, I volunteered at Community CRC before coming to Calvin in the late 70's. The pastor there, PAstor Dave Struyk was my roomate at Calvin and we still keep in touch. The small groups definitely works better in a suburb to rural area where there is an extreme amount of disconnect throughout the congregation due to distances.
And now that I'm rested, the authentic community thing is something I don't have to tell you, but it's because 2 things primarily. 1) Due to our fallen nature we daily regress toward our selfishness and wanting to be our own God, meaning we become independent and don't need other and 2) because society as a whole is marketing in a way that continues to drive us to be impersonal beings in relation to others (eg social media, online education, computer marketing) Anything and everything that entices us to not speak, see or relate to other people.
However, the biggest way to combat that (and don't set your goals to high, because it is a slow uphill process) is realizing, accepting and understanding it is happening and consciously and intentionally planning ways that bring people together. OK, there's something to chew on for a while....PS I'm in PEI, Canada....presently at a CRC.