Contagious Tonight

Tonight we met for our first time, this summer, on the beach for Contagious.

There were a bunch of students and we had several guests.  One boy brought his friend a few weeks ago and tonight that friend brought his friend.  That's what it is all about and that's how to grow.  We had a few "newbies" tonight as 6th graders moved into the youth group.

We did our bible study on grace tonight, students then got into their table groups for prayer (we have to change the name of table groups on the beach since we don't have tables on the beach, perhaps mini pods).  

Tonight we launched Parent Pod, several parents hung out together visiting and I stopped by to talk with them about grace.  Besides the biting flies they seemed to have a good time.

76 Hot Dogs Consumed  (Thanks Seth and Sharon!)

48 Bottles of Water

60 Cans of Soda

Contagious Lesson

Here is the outline of our lesson from Contagious on the Beach tonight (more on that later)

1.  Grace is a gift of Salvation Ephesians 2:9

2.  Grace is a gift of Forgiveness Micah 7:18

3.  Grace is a gift of Life John 15:12-13

Parent/Student Discussion:

Read and Discuss Ephesians 2:4-9

• What is the relationship between grace and faith?
• Why do you think God chose grace rather than works as the basis for salvation?
• Does God's grace cover every sin?
• Is there an area in your own life in which you have a hard time accepting forgiveness?
• How does the fact that God's acceptance of you is not dependent on your actions make a difference to you?

Live Worship at NHC, Sunday 9 and 11AM

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It's Graduation Time

Here is a wrap up of the weekend thus far: (15 years of graduations for me)

Last night's graduation at FFHS:

>Hot and Outdoors

>Fireworks cancelled due to fire danger

>Fun time listening to speakers trying to deal with their own echo (causes slurred and slow speech)

>Fun time watching several of our students walk across the platform and receive their diploma.

Congrats!

This morning graduation at MHS:

>Moved to the gymnasium due to smoke from the wildfires and the high temps

>Nicely air conditioned gym

>Graduates really seemed to enjoy their graduation ceremony

>Trombone player will have a mohawk by tomorrow night

>Fun time watching one of our students walk across the platform and receive her diploma (thanks for the ticket!)

>Congrats!

Tomorrow I will blog about the food I enjoyed at 4 graduation parties, so far I've been to 3, tomorrow afternoon I hit the 4th.

Live from Practice

Chris and I enjoying band practice with Nate back in the saddle.  Giddyup!

Welcome Home Lawrenson Family, Welcome Home.

I can't even imagine the feeling of joy Nate and Tricia are experiencing right now.

I know I'm excited for them and to see them.  I'm excited to get to hold Gwyneth and make faces at her like all good uncles do.  I'm excited to have Nathan around the church again.  I'm excited to hear Tricia laugh.  I'm excited that I don't have to change Gwyneth's diapers.  

This Sunday is going to be a cool worship gathering at NHC as Nate shares with the church.  I'm thinking Kleenex stock may go up.  

Life has brought them all kinds of changes and now a new change, getting used to living at home (and finding a house).

God is a God of miracles.  Don't believe me?  Explain what the doctors can't explain.  Look at Tricia's smiling face and at that teeny tiny little baby girl, if you look at them you are looking at a miracle.  (Not to mention Nate getting the privilege of having  Tricia as his wife, that alone is a miracle)

So as Ty Pennington says, welcome home Lawrenson family.  Welcome home.

What Message Are You Sending?

I've heard some interesting, yet sad, stories recently from other youth leaders.  I can't share them because it may come back to bite someone.  But these stories got me thinking this morning about the post title question.

What message is a church sending to youth when they...

1.   Refer to them as children?

2.  Won't let them paint their sterile looking youth room or remove the 1960 era paneling?

3.  Make their teacher/leader get approval for everything they hang up in their room?

4.  Gear your worship service to tickle the fancy of older adults?  

5.  Won't invest money into their leaders by sending them off for some training?

6.  When students are told that their dress is not fit for church?

7.  Tell them their contemporary Christian music is "of the devil"?

Amazingly enough churches make these statements and then wonder why they don't have youth in their church.

NHC has made a huge investment into reaching students, that makes a fantastic statement to youth.  What message is your church sending to youth?

PS  Feel free to print this and distribute to your deacons ;) 

Ministry Teams

I'm reading Leading the Team-Based Church for my current class, at Rockbridge, Building an Effective Ministry Team.  Here are some good quotes from the book (I suggest anyone connected to a ministry team in their church to get this book and read it, it is very good):

"Effective ministry teams are those that case a vision that unites people around a God-given cause.  Visionary teams are motivated by a strong sense of mission and purpose.  They know where they are going and work to align their energy and effort toward fulfilling their divinely inspired purpose."

"Visionary teams act with passion and purpose."

"But do the people we recruit have a larger vision of how their contribution of work makes a difference in the lives of people?"

This one may be my favorite from this chapter:

"The key ingredient is a leadership team that lives the vision, breathes it, models it, tells its story and chance it gets, sleeps and eats it, and otherwise calls people together around it."

Here is another really good one:

"Churches are not everything to everyone in practice.  Why not be clear what it is we do well as a congregation, or feel called to do well, and celebrate that and let another congregation pick up where we leave off?"

StudentDevo.com Launches Today!

Today Studentdevo.com launched.  Studentdevo.com is a daily devotional site for students in middle and high school.  Each day a student can surf to the site and read a devotion for the day starting with Matthew chapter 1 and then we will go through the book of Matthew going a chapter per day.  As we go we will also add some other tools to the site that students can use in developing the HABITS of spiritual discipline.

I'm joined on this site by my friends and fellow youth ministers, Steve Turrentine of FBC Valliant, Ok., Byron Smith, FBC Hugo, OK., Chip Bagget, Kitty Hawk UMC, Kitty Hawk, NC., Amy Brothers, Duck UMC, Duck, NC.  Hopefully as we go this team will grow.

Pass the word on to your students, other youth leaders.  It is a free resource that can help your students start having a daily quiet time with God.  

Contagious Tonight

Tonight we had our first official Sunday night youth group (since the old days).    We had a few students that don't normally come to our Lord's supper gatherings.  I asked a couple what they thought and they said they really liked it.  Pastor Burnie did a great job tonight and as usual the band did well leading us in worship in song.

Following the fellowship meal (awesome!) we loaded up and went to Rita's Italian Ice.  Our first ever After Affect in the history of the world.  We basically took the place over.  We were all in the store and then out on the walk out front.  I enjoyed the Mango gelati.  I got my picture taken with everyone there from our group and a few innocent bystanders.  (Pictures to come)

Next Sunday night we do our first Contagious on the beach.  Our devo on the beach will follow up a week's worth of reading our students are doing in the One Minute Bible (a daily devotional Bible).  Should be most excellent!

Overcommunicate

I guessed asked every now and then about our communication process.  How we communicate youth ministry events and activities to parents.  I've heard and learned that you have to over-communicate and have discovered that even then you still have some that miss out on what is going on.  

Here is what we do:

1.  Monthly Parent Newsletter with calendar included

2.  Weekly Update e-mail

3.  Reminder shot e-mails when needed

4.  Printed copy of newsletter available at the welcome center

5.  Our web site obxstudents.com on our web site is an events page

6.  Parent page on our web site

7.  Posters and also announcement slides on the big screen and lobby monitors.

I'm sure some get sick of all the info and just hit delete when they see the e-mail, I'm also sure that others are fastidious about keeping up with what is going on, I'm sure that some "read" but, like I do sometimes, don't absorb the info.

What we don't want to do is to fail to communicate.  If someone says, "I didn't know...."  it's not from lack of info.    Below is a sample of our weekly update: