Sunday, November 29, 2009

Youth Ministry Lite

I want to start by apologizing for just now being able to upload my latest post. I had a death in the family and have been traveling. Now I am back on track and here to provide you with more great resources!
Our first resource is the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. From february 26-March 1, 2010, youth leaders will meet together to join hosts Doug Fields and Rick Lawrence to "Fuel Their Calling". The conference will make the attendees more effective leaders and provide encouragement. The get together was created for youth leaders by youth leaders who share the same passion and drive as you. The conference will feature over 100 classes led by respected veteran youth leaders. Training youth leaders is sadly not on the "must do" list of many churches. However, that must change if we are to reach our personal potential and effectively reach the teens in our community. Talk with your fellow leaders then go to your youth pastor and pastor with information on conferences you are interested in, the cost, and what you as a group are willing to do to partially off set the cost. Let them know how important on-going training is for all youth leaders, whether your paid or volunteer, as well as what the benefits of sending you will be.
Our second resource is www.praisepictures.com, a website dedicated to providing film reviews, trailers, and articles. Kyle Prohaska and Kevin Michael started Praise Pictures with the intent of reaching others for Christ through film. The two are currently working on their first feature film Standing Firm, which tells the story of a widower who is working himself to death and whose Christian sons helps lead his father in the right direction. This is a website that should be in your favorites.
Christmas is just around the corner and it is easy for your teens to be focused on gifts they want instead of the birth of Christ and gift of salvation. Spend this month holding a discussions on different aspects of why we (Christians) celebrate Christmas. Allow the teens to voice their opinions and comments so you can know what you need to focus on. Make sure you read the account of Christ's birth on one of the Wednesdays. Be creative and use various tools to reach your group. For instance, you could talk about shopping for Chrsitmas and the way many people act just to get a particular material possesion and then lead into how this is a form of greed and that no material possesion can fulfill the hole each of us have that only God can fill. See you next week and look for me on Word Press from now on!