Taking a Sabbatical

I’m blessed to be serving in a church that has decided that pastoral staff should get a sabbatical.  Here is the sabbatical section of our personnel policy:

“The biblical principle of the Sabbath was given for man’s protection against burn out.  Not only does that apply to our work week and taking a day off, but there’s a longer range benefit as well.  The purpose of a sabbatical – an extended time away from work – is spiritual, relational, emotional and physical rest and recuperation.

After a staff pastor has completed five years of full time ministry at Nags Head Church he is eligible for a one month sabbatical.  Or he may choose to wait until the completion of seven years of ministry and take a sabbatical of up to three months.  During the time of sabbatical salary and benefits will continue to be paid by the church.  Sabbatical does not negate accrued vacation time, but is in addition to vacation.  Sabbaticals must be requested at least six months in advance and be approved by the elder body.”

I look forward to this time to refresh, renew and refuel!  I’m thankful that our church sees the benefit of a sabbatical.  This is my fourteenth year at NHC and this will be my second sabbatical.  My first sabbatical was when we brought the twins home.  I spent a month at home changing diapers, holding and feeding babies, living life with a huge lack of sleep.  Not really refreshed after that sabbatical but the time off was really appreciated and it hit at exactly the right time. 

If more churches put this into practice would they keep pastoral staff around longer than two or three years?  Would pastors get the 7 year itch to move on to a new ministry location?

My plans are to:

Spend more time reading the Word and articles and books.

Spend more time with my family investing in them.

Spend more time resting and relaxing and even taking long walks on the beach.
Spend more time working around the house and getting some projects done.

Take a few small road trips.



I plan on blogging more during this time and of course posting the meals I cook on instagram.


The Cell Phone Post

The dreaded cell phone.  For years in youth ministry we have combatted the cell phone.  In the early years it wasn't a battle because phones were so expensive to have and to use.  In addition they were huge, a handheld looked like a military phone used to call in air strikes, the bag phone just wasn't cool to carry around.   

Because I’m an old man I probably struggled more than others.  When I was a teen we used land line phones if we were going to call each other.  We waited until we saw each other to talk and have conversations.  If we wanted to listen to music together we had to get into the 69 Bug (this was in 85, I’m not that old) and listen to Phil Collins on the boombox located in my backseat because I was too poor to install a stereo system.  To take a picture I had to get the roll of film for my Kodak camera, as a result I don’t have many pictures of me and my friends from the days of old.

I have seen the problems cell phones cause on youth trips or at youth group gatherings.  Students get locked into their own world with a friend who didn’t come on the trip, or boyfriend/girlfriend.  The student who puts in the ear buds to block out everyone else.  For sure there are problems with the cell phone on the trip or at youth worship gatherings.  Here it comes . . . .

BUT . . .

There are some benefits to the cell phone:

On the trip to the amusement park you can find students quickly and easily.  You can remind them in a group text to meet at the main gate at 8:55pm, etc.


Pictures are one of the best ways to promote events.  Students can instantly post pics to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

You can’t be everywhere at the event at one time so students can share their pics with you to use to promote the event next year and on your web site/Facebook page.

Students are using their cell phone with Youversion app for their Bible reading.  A lot easier to carry to youth group and they actually have a Bible with them at all times.


Great pics from youth group worship can be posted immediately.


The “hover parent” can text their kid instead of texting you at 11:30pm to see how “Johnny” is doing on the trip.

BUT . . .

It’s good to lay down some ground rules.

Our rules at our Student Church on Sunday nights: 
If we see you texting a bunch we ask you to put it away.  If you are constantly on your phone we have a nice little box to put your phone in.

You are welcome to use your phone to take pics, post to social media.
 #loftstudents
Please use your phone and use your Bible app if you didn’t bring your Bible.

No earbuds or headphones.



A No Brainer

A few weeks ago I was on the beach with my family on a Sunday afternoon and as we left the beach I walked past a large group of local middle and high schools students who were hanging out at the beach. 

Each Sunday night during July and August our youth group meets at the beach, we have been doing this for 13 years.  We meet at a different beach access than the one my family was hanging out at.  As we left the beach that day the thought rolled through my mind, "Why not meet at a beach access where middle and high school students are already hanging out at?"  It was sort of a "no brainer" moment.  But I tucked it away in my cranium and let it roll around in there for a few weeks.  It kept surfacing and I kept tucking it away in the noggin.

Last week I got a "nudge" that pushed me to make the decision.  I ran it by our team of volunteers and they were all on board.  I even got a few, "Change is good!"

So we are going to amp it up in a few ways:

1.  Our students will lead the way in setting up the beach for our student church on the beach.
2.  Our students will set up  Beach volleyball, cornhole, KanJam, Spikeball.
2.  Set up a large pop up canopy with a banner (possibly set up earlier in the day to get attention)
3.  Continue to grill hot dogs as we have in the past (but grill more)
4.  Play some music
5.  Have our students be the ones that go around and invite the middle and high school students there to join the fun.

The trick is getting our students to catch the vision.  I'm promoting it with parents via email and Facebook group.  I'm promoting it among the students via Instagram.

July 5th is our launch of youth group on the beach 2.0 - Student Church on the Beach.  Check back and I'll let you know how it is going.  Join us in praying for a great success in sharing the love of Jesus Christ with students at the beach.

Last Night in The Loft

Wow!  It has been a while since I have posted in the old blog.  Been super busy and just haven't taken the time.  Trying to get back in the saddle.

Last night we had an eventful evening.  We have several graduates to say goodbye to so we celebrated with cupcakes and sub sandwiches.  Each graduate received a copy of "Moving On" Knowing where you're going to go and how to get there.  This book is from our fine friends at LeaderTreks and Doug Franklin.

Our current series has been The Real World.  We have dealt with the fact that life is full of struggles, finances, being a light in a dark world.  Last night we took a look at My Place in the real world.  Quick overview of the message:

•  God has a plan and that plan includes you.  Jeremiah 29:11

• God is sovereign

•  Find His Plan
•  Right Now > follow him, share him, love others
• In the Future
• How do I discover his plan for my life?
• Spend time in the Bible and prayer
• Ask God to show you.  Proverbs 3:5-6
• Seek advice from godly and more mature people
• Don't get so consumed by the future that you miss out on today
  Matthew 6:33, 34
  
• Seize the Opportunity   (Esther's story; Esther 4:14

We  said "Welcome" to our 5th graders moving into 6th grade.  This was a big moment for me personally as my eldest man-child is now in the youth group.  I'm now my son's youth pastor.   How did this happen so fast?  This could get interesting.  

 

my boy's first student worship experience

 

We said "Goodbye" to Marie.  Marie has served with me in youth ministry as a volunteer longer than anyone else at NHC, probably around 12 years.  We are going to miss Marie on Sunday nights!!  Marie has decided that she is going to switch it up.  She will be working with our 4th and 5th graders on Sunday mornings.  Where did I spot her during Hang Time last night?  Doing what she does best, sitting with middle school girls talking with them and building relationships.  It is the end of an era.  She will be missed but I'm excited for how God is going to use her in the lives of our 4th and 5th grade students.

 Marie is dead center in our YM Team photo strip

The YM Team left the church and headed to the Snow Bird for some ice cream and time to hang out with Marie on her last night of serving with us.  Nothing consoles the heart like a big old scoop of ice cream.  (I had moose tracks)
     

Mission Trip Video

The Mission Trip

We just returned from a great mission trip.  We took 9 students and 6 adults to the island of Eleuthera to work at Camp Bahamas.  Some think right way, “Oh, yeah.  The Bahamas.  Right.”  We discovered on our trip that 75% of children born in the Bahamas last year were born to single moms.  Over 60% of the nations population is under the age of 24.  This nation doesn’t stand a chance if the youth are not reached with the gospel.









Camp Bahamas is knocking it out of the park.  The only Christian camp, that I’m aware of, in an entire nation.  For 6 weeks in the summer they put on camp for children and youth.  Eighty kids a week show up to have fun, play sports and learn about the love of Jesus Christ.  During the year they host many retreats and events that are focused on life change through Jesus.

When you hear the history and vision of the camp from camp director, Richard Albury, you immediately know that Camp Bahamas is a “God thing”.  

Our group had the honor of serving Camp Bahamas for several days.  We flew in on a Saturday.  We arrived late in the afternoon and unloaded and got set in our cabins then spent some time relaxing and jumping in the ocean before dinner.



Sunday we attended worship at a Hatian church where the service was almost entirely in Creole.  What a great experience for our students!  The Hatians loved worshipping and being at church, you could see the joy of the Lord in them.  Two of our students shared their testimony and the pastor interpreted for them.  These two students moved way out of their comfort zone.

Monday we worked all day at the camp clearing brush and picking up trash and construction debris.



Tuesday through Thursday we worked at the camp in the mornings and then in the afternoons we went to a local park and played ball with the kids.  One day we bought them all ice cream.  Each day at the park one of our students shared a Bible story with the kids.  It was interesting that on the first day there was only one kid at the park when we arrived and it didn’t take long for word to spread through the settlement of Tarpum Bay that we were at the park.  Soon we had about 20 something kids there playing ball with us.  This was our students’ favorite part of the mission trip.  On the final day at the park I followed up the Bible story with the gospel.



Friday was our “free” day.  We helped clean up some cabins in the morning then went out to lunch and spend the afternoon swimming and went and checked out a banyan tree.

 Each morning we worked on our quiet time journal which was specifically designed for a mission trip.  You can find these resources at LeaderTreks.  Each evening after dinner we gathered together for a team meeting.  We reviewed our day and evaluated our team.



The purposes of this trip was to:
Expose students to a different culture
Move students out of their comfort zone

Allow students to experience a short term mission experience

Serve and minister to Camp Bahamas staff and future campers

Share the love of Christ with the kids of Eleuthera

What an awesome experience we had together and everyone on the trip is already talking of a return mission trip. 
  I'm not gonna lie, for an old guy the work wore me out and I had muscles aching, muscles I had forgotten about long ago.  As a youth pastor I was so encouraged by our students serving without complaining and doing what was asked of them.  They truly understood the reason why they were on the island.   Now we are talking of how we can apply what we learned in Eleuthera here in our own community. 

Last Night in The Loft

 Last night in The Loft:

5:50 Games - Boxes (great game and a student won the grand prize of dinner for himself and 3 friends, chauffered in the big blue van of happiness to a local mexican food restaurant)

6:00 - Song - Our God
6:05 - Prayer led by student, Offering
6:07 - Song - Whom Shall I Fear
6:11 - Video - To This Day

6:20 - Andy - Intro to the study
6:23 - PODz (small groups)

7:00 - Hang Time (quesadillas and floats)
8:00 - Goodnight

Last Sunday in The Loft

Well actually we were outside The Loft half the time.

Our line up was as follows:
5:45 - Music going; Check in station manned

5:50 - Game  - Blocks
(starting the ice breaker games a little earlier in hopes to get our few "late comers" to arrive early/on time)

6:00 - Song - We Believe

6:05 - Song - Whom Shall I fear


6:10 -  Message - Rescue series - Sacrifice: Why did Jesus have to die?

6:25 - Next Steps/Offering


6:30 -PODS (small groups)

7:00 - Hang Time

During Hang Time we went out to the fire pit and roasted hot dogs and had all the fixins to go with and sat/stood around the fire and chatted.  Also we made Smores, always a crowd favorite.  Some of the students played some soccer.  Good times were had by all.

 instagram promo pics

Social Media Promotion

 Do you use Instagram or social media to promote your youth ministry?

Lately I have been making two Instagram pics each week to promote our Sunday night youth group gathering.  I usually make one that focuses on the message and one that focuses on the food and fun.  I then post them a few times during the week to spread the word.  Hopefully students will catch on and "like" and "share" with others.  We also use a # that students can use during youth group to post pics.

 

 

Sunday Night in The Loft

Sunday night we had a great time in The Loft.

We were all pretty tired from the weekend.  Most of the youth group had attended The Call and many on our team had volunteered at The Call.  So we were tuckered out.  At least I was because I'm an old man.  Good turn out of students and some guests.

So it looked like this:
Game - Clumps (always a crowd favorite)
Song - Our God is Greater
Prayer and welcome by student
Song - Inside Out
Share time - students took turns sharing what they learned at The Call.
Offering -
Prayer Time - we sat in a big circle and students would share a prayer request and another students would pray for the request.  Working on getting students to not be afraid to pray out loud.

Followed by Hang Time - we had sloppy dogs and bacon cheese fries.

I give the night a 4 out of 5 popcorn boxes!

The Call 2015

This past weekend we hosted The Call 2015.  Students from several different youth groups and their leaders gathered at Nags Head Church for a weekend of intensive learning and worship.

During our main worship sessions we were led in worship in music by the MP13 Band.  The band did a great job of leading and the students jumped right in.  Loved it!

Our first night Dave Glander shared his story of how God changed his life.  A powerful example of life-change.

 

Day two:

Students were picked a track for the weekend, so the students were with the same leader, same topic, same group of students for the weekend in the tracks.

We had Shane McGann from LeaderTreks leading the 4 sessions of leadership.  Shane did a great job, our students shared with me about some of the things they learned and the initiatives they did together in that track.


 I shared a message during our second worship session.  The focus was on being a follower of Jesus and not simply settling for being a believer in Jesus Christ.

Todd Kemp, youth pastor of Bagley Swamp Wesleyan Church, led our track on evangelism.  Students were equipped to share their faith and were given the opportunity to practice sharing together.

Amy Denson, youth pastor at Duck United Methodist Church, led the discipleship track.  Student learned some great spiritual habits to instill in their lives to help them grow in their faith and be more deeply rooted.

Dave Glander led our apologetics track.  The students had a great time learning to defend their faith.  One student said to me, "Dave blew evolution out of the water."

 I met with the youth leaders.  We wrote several topics we wanted to discuss together on a giant post it note.  Then we chipped away at the topics.  I also shared about our team restructure and our focus on discipleship in 2015.

Ramon Sanchez wrapped up the weekend by challenging students to take what they learned this weekend and put it into action in their lives, not just store it up but to let it go.

 This was the smoothest flowing The Call we have ever hosted.  Our volunteers knocked it out of the park!  Everyone knew what they were supposed to do and they did it.  Very little, if any, stress on me leading the event.  The sign of having great support from wonderful volunteers and good planning.

Already looking forward to The Call 2016!