Every so often, I think it's a good idea to take a look at how you are doing your youth ministry. We did that this year with the premise that our vision is good; however, are we doing ministry in way that is in line with our vision? Then we approached it with the mindset that not only is this a new year, but how would we do this ministry if it was a brand new ministry. After a good discussion and tossing out quite a few ideas (some wild) we ended up making some significant changes while keeping parts that were effective and will help the students feel continuity from last year.
It was scary, as a leader, to ask my team these questions, but I'm glad I did as it not only gets us closer to our vision but also gives ownership to the rest of the volunteer team.
Last year we changed things up because there wasn't enought time in the two hours to do justice to both the serious side and the fun/social side. We meet weekly, with middle school meeting on Wednesday evening and high school meeting on Sunday evening. They both follow the same basic format.
On the 1st and 3rd weekly meetings of the month, we dedicate this meeting to our study on WDJD - What DID Jesus Do? We have a meal together, have our "Yeah God" sharing, worship time (usually 3 songs), then on to the lesson overview as a large group, small group time as a more intimate discussion of the topic, and close in prayer and blessing.
The 2nd weekly meeting is our game night. We start off with the meal, "Yeah God" time, a shorter worship time, play at least an hours worth of games, and close in prayer and blessing.
The 4th weekly meeting is our service night. We will eat, have a "Yeah God" time, might have a worship time depending on what the activity is, and then we leave the church to do some type of service in the community. Some things we've done this year is: rake leaves, hand out water on a trail, made and handed out "tie" blankets, and prepared and participated in a meal for one of our local ministries.
We've kept this format for this year because we noticed that doing service nights helped keep the students attention during our lesson nights. And having just a night for games gave everyone a chance for fun and catching up while also providing a non-threatening event to bring friends to.
There have been several times where I've called out students (usually in a private message) about the language they used on facebook. When I call them out, I basically ask them if the language they just used fit in with religious status or prior posts. I remind them that their non-Christian friends are constantly judging their relationship with Christ by their actions and words. And yes, we all slip; however, as their youth leader (or former leader), it's my duty as a brother-in-Christ to hold them accountable just like I hope they hold me accountable.
A couple students actually publicly apologized on facebook, stating that being mad was no excuse for the foul language. Two former students dropped me as a friend after I called them out. Others apologized privately and told me what was gonig on which led to very good discussions.
Wholeheartedly agree with the "hands on" gospel. The leaders of our tudent ministry watched a webinar by Greg Steir from Dare2Share which emphasized getting out there. How to keep the "mission trip high" for Christ has always been an issue that we've dealt with. So, we've decided that both our middle and high school student ministries will take one meeting a month to go out and be Christ's hands, feet, ears, etc. to the world - mini mission trips. It's been proven that students draw closer to Christ through prayer and studying His word when on mission trips, so we're praying that these mini-trips will help draw them to a better and stronger relationship with Christ. The students can't wait until the service meetings when they get to leave the building and be Christ's church in action.
Thought I'd give you an update on our monthly service projects. Our first project for our high school students fell through as it was a bad weekend for illness and students being out of town. Instead, my family and one other student and her family went out for dinner - which was a great way to get a better insight into the life of this student.
Our middle school group hosted a Trunk or Treat event on halloween night. They were joined by some of the high school students and all of them did a good job setting up, making the neighborhood guests feel welcome, guiding them through the church (moved it inside because of the weather), and helped clean up. Not sure if students were that impacted by this event but it was a fun, non-threatening way to get them started on the idea.
Last Sunday evening, I bought some Little Caesar's $5 gift cards, made up a note stating why were doing this and identifying our church, and took the high school students to a strip mall to hand them out to whomever was leaving one of the stores. All the students were required to go up to person and say something like "Hi, I'm Ken from Southern Heights and I just want to give you this Little Caersar's gift card. Merry Christmas." Even the super shy student managed to do this and enjoyed it! Afterward, we went to Steak N Shake and discussed the night. They were surprised that about 1/3 of the people turned them down. We also had a great discussion about how just about everyone who took the card couldn't believe they were getting something with no strings attached or that we refused any type of donation. They're now looking forward to our next service projects.
Last night, I bought about 180 candy canes at the dollar store, attached a note that said "Merry Christmas from Southern Heights", and brought our middle school group to the same strip mall. We divided into teams of 2 or 3 and went to various stores where the students greeted people with a simple "Hi, I'm Ken from Southern Heights. Merry Christmas!" as they handed them a candy cane. We had talked in advance that some people might not take one, and that helped the students as about 1/4 of the people turned them down. Once they got into the groove, they were so excited to see the smiles on people's faces and hear their surprised "Thank You". Some people immediately reached into their pocket for a donation, but the kids were quick to let them know that this was their gift to them and they expected nothing in return. One clerk from the bookstore we were standing at apparently had made a quick errand to another store and was heading back into the store when one of our young men approached her and said his piece and gave her the candy cane. The look of pure joy on her face was priceless - and then she gave him a big hug while she thanked him. I was interested in what his reaction would be to that and when he came back to the group his reaction was "She smells nice!" Just as we were finishing handing out our candy canes, this clerk came back out with a cup of hot chocolate for this student and told him she was so touched because that was the first time in her life a non-family member had wished her a "Merry Christmas" just because - wanting nothing in return. Other groups had stories of people who were so touched they also gave them hugs (all hugs were appropriate and leaders were right there for protection). When we got back to church and shared our stories, I could tell the kids really got the concept of giving of themselves without expecting nothing in return. We talked about how this student gave 5 seconds of his time and a gift that cost less than a dime, and how that impacted this person's life. This group is now pumped to do more service projects.
I was amazed at how God used these simple ideas in such a great way. He is so amazing in what He can do!
Our next project will be joint projects as our youth groups join our community in a community food drive. We will drag boxes on carts around an "assembly line" where others will pack the boxes. After we make a few rounds on the assembly line, we will then take several names and bring the food to families. Seeing a community work together impacts the students, as well as the gratitude of the recipients.
Posted in: New Resource! CRCNA Youth Ministry Newsletter
How was this sent? I don't recall seeing it yet.
Posted in: Why Ask Why?
Every so often, I think it's a good idea to take a look at how you are doing your youth ministry. We did that this year with the premise that our vision is good; however, are we doing ministry in way that is in line with our vision? Then we approached it with the mindset that not only is this a new year, but how would we do this ministry if it was a brand new ministry. After a good discussion and tossing out quite a few ideas (some wild) we ended up making some significant changes while keeping parts that were effective and will help the students feel continuity from last year.
It was scary, as a leader, to ask my team these questions, but I'm glad I did as it not only gets us closer to our vision but also gives ownership to the rest of the volunteer team.
Posted in: Youth Group: Serious Study or Fun and Games?
Last year we changed things up because there wasn't enought time in the two hours to do justice to both the serious side and the fun/social side. We meet weekly, with middle school meeting on Wednesday evening and high school meeting on Sunday evening. They both follow the same basic format.
On the 1st and 3rd weekly meetings of the month, we dedicate this meeting to our study on WDJD - What DID Jesus Do? We have a meal together, have our "Yeah God" sharing, worship time (usually 3 songs), then on to the lesson overview as a large group, small group time as a more intimate discussion of the topic, and close in prayer and blessing.
The 2nd weekly meeting is our game night. We start off with the meal, "Yeah God" time, a shorter worship time, play at least an hours worth of games, and close in prayer and blessing.
The 4th weekly meeting is our service night. We will eat, have a "Yeah God" time, might have a worship time depending on what the activity is, and then we leave the church to do some type of service in the community. Some things we've done this year is: rake leaves, hand out water on a trail, made and handed out "tie" blankets, and prepared and participated in a meal for one of our local ministries.
We've kept this format for this year because we noticed that doing service nights helped keep the students attention during our lesson nights. And having just a night for games gave everyone a chance for fun and catching up while also providing a non-threatening event to bring friends to.
Posted in: The Hungry Facebook
There have been several times where I've called out students (usually in a private message) about the language they used on facebook. When I call them out, I basically ask them if the language they just used fit in with religious status or prior posts. I remind them that their non-Christian friends are constantly judging their relationship with Christ by their actions and words. And yes, we all slip; however, as their youth leader (or former leader), it's my duty as a brother-in-Christ to hold them accountable just like I hope they hold me accountable.
A couple students actually publicly apologized on facebook, stating that being mad was no excuse for the foul language. Two former students dropped me as a friend after I called them out. Others apologized privately and told me what was gonig on which led to very good discussions.
Posted in: Hands On Over Handout
Wholeheartedly agree with the "hands on" gospel. The leaders of our tudent ministry watched a webinar by Greg Steir from Dare2Share which emphasized getting out there. How to keep the "mission trip high" for Christ has always been an issue that we've dealt with. So, we've decided that both our middle and high school student ministries will take one meeting a month to go out and be Christ's hands, feet, ears, etc. to the world - mini mission trips. It's been proven that students draw closer to Christ through prayer and studying His word when on mission trips, so we're praying that these mini-trips will help draw them to a better and stronger relationship with Christ. The students can't wait until the service meetings when they get to leave the building and be Christ's church in action.
Ken VanderLugt
Posted in: Hands On Over Handout
Thought I'd give you an update on our monthly service projects. Our first project for our high school students fell through as it was a bad weekend for illness and students being out of town. Instead, my family and one other student and her family went out for dinner - which was a great way to get a better insight into the life of this student.
Our middle school group hosted a Trunk or Treat event on halloween night. They were joined by some of the high school students and all of them did a good job setting up, making the neighborhood guests feel welcome, guiding them through the church (moved it inside because of the weather), and helped clean up. Not sure if students were that impacted by this event but it was a fun, non-threatening way to get them started on the idea.
Last Sunday evening, I bought some Little Caesar's $5 gift cards, made up a note stating why were doing this and identifying our church, and took the high school students to a strip mall to hand them out to whomever was leaving one of the stores. All the students were required to go up to person and say something like "Hi, I'm Ken from Southern Heights and I just want to give you this Little Caersar's gift card. Merry Christmas." Even the super shy student managed to do this and enjoyed it! Afterward, we went to Steak N Shake and discussed the night. They were surprised that about 1/3 of the people turned them down. We also had a great discussion about how just about everyone who took the card couldn't believe they were getting something with no strings attached or that we refused any type of donation. They're now looking forward to our next service projects.
Last night, I bought about 180 candy canes at the dollar store, attached a note that said "Merry Christmas from Southern Heights", and brought our middle school group to the same strip mall. We divided into teams of 2 or 3 and went to various stores where the students greeted people with a simple "Hi, I'm Ken from Southern Heights. Merry Christmas!" as they handed them a candy cane. We had talked in advance that some people might not take one, and that helped the students as about 1/4 of the people turned them down. Once they got into the groove, they were so excited to see the smiles on people's faces and hear their surprised "Thank You". Some people immediately reached into their pocket for a donation, but the kids were quick to let them know that this was their gift to them and they expected nothing in return. One clerk from the bookstore we were standing at apparently had made a quick errand to another store and was heading back into the store when one of our young men approached her and said his piece and gave her the candy cane. The look of pure joy on her face was priceless - and then she gave him a big hug while she thanked him. I was interested in what his reaction would be to that and when he came back to the group his reaction was "She smells nice!" Just as we were finishing handing out our candy canes, this clerk came back out with a cup of hot chocolate for this student and told him she was so touched because that was the first time in her life a non-family member had wished her a "Merry Christmas" just because - wanting nothing in return. Other groups had stories of people who were so touched they also gave them hugs (all hugs were appropriate and leaders were right there for protection). When we got back to church and shared our stories, I could tell the kids really got the concept of giving of themselves without expecting nothing in return. We talked about how this student gave 5 seconds of his time and a gift that cost less than a dime, and how that impacted this person's life. This group is now pumped to do more service projects.
I was amazed at how God used these simple ideas in such a great way. He is so amazing in what He can do!
Our next project will be joint projects as our youth groups join our community in a community food drive. We will drag boxes on carts around an "assembly line" where others will pack the boxes. After we make a few rounds on the assembly line, we will then take several names and bring the food to families. Seeing a community work together impacts the students, as well as the gratitude of the recipients.
I'll keep you posted on how our events go.