Joining Technological Forces

I'm not a techie.  I struggle big time!  My biggest struggle is passwords but I'll save that for another post.

We were paying a monthly fee for a service to create and host a web site.  Not many people were using the site so I shut it down.  This helped free up some budget money.  I then started doing a youth group "web page" on blogspot.com.  That worked but I was never really satisfied with it.

Just a couple of weeks ago I shut down the blog and created a new youth group web page.  The main purpose of the page is to give newbies and parents enough info to help them connect with the youth ministry and a place to promote events and our calendar.

I used Wix.com to create the site.  Wix has bunches of templates and all one has to do is some editing and uploading of pictures and voila you have a web site.  It literally took me about an hour to create the web site.  I'm not paying the upgrade fee for now.  I'm content with the free web site even if it has a little banner ad at the bottom for Wix.com.  You can check out our site here.




Here is what I ended up with

In a time when budgets are tight I think this works great for a free way to promote and disseminate information about your church's youth ministry.

I have been using Google docs for a couple of years now and am just getting the hang of this Google Drive thing.  (anyone using google wallet?  I wonder about using it)  I have some of my forms for camps and registration forms etc on Drive.  So today I took my camp docs and linked them on my camp page.  The forms, when submitted, go into an automatic spreadsheet.  Very handy for planning!

I also was able to embed our calendar I created on Google Calendar.  This way parents and students can drop in on the site and get the info they need for coming events and our weekly youth gathering.

So joining Wix web site with google docs we have a functional and nice web site that will accomplish it's purpose.

If you don't have a web site for your youth group but are looking into it I would suggest you check out Wix or some service like Wix.  A great and easy way to promote the group but also very easy on the budget.  FREE!

Google Docs allows you to have online registration forms, online medical releases that parents can download, all kinds of good free stuff that works great.


Do you have any tips on web sites and online document solutions?

Chocolate Whipped Cream Shooters

Sunday night at youth of Nags Head Church in The Loft:

We launched our first in our series Ancient Alive.  This will be a several week series looking at people in the Old Testament and learning from their lives.

We kicked it off this week with Noah, Genesis 5,6,7.  Did you know it wasn't until 1858 that a boat bigger than the ark was built?

What did we learn from Noah?
There are things we allow in our lives that stop us from doing what God wants us to do.  Noah didn't have that problem.  He took on an incredible task, lots of ridicule and probably some pretty weird looks.  Noah was close to God, he was a "preacher of righteousness" in a world that was evil.  Noah was different than everyone else in his culture and world. 

You and I should:

• Strive to be Righteous.  Put out the effort to grow in our faith and spend time with God on a daily basis.
• Trust God.  He is the architect of our lives.
• It's worth it - to follow God.  Not always easy, it's counter-cultural but worth it in the end.
• Always remember that God keeps his promises.

Students then broke up into their PODz and discussed this lesson and prayed together.

Organic stuffs - we keep hearing this word "organic" around the church this year.  We want things to happen as a result of the church taking their ideas and running with them and not waiting on the elders to come up with everything or provide everything.  So we had an "organic" idea Sunday night.  Some of our high school girls, in their POD, decided they would like to do a church-wide prayer time for Tricia.  Tricia is my niece and is a partner at NHC and is awaiting a second double lung transplant.  So  we will have a prayer gathering for Tricia between our two service on Sunday morning.  I'm greatly encouraged that this came from the minds and hearts of teens in the youth group.  God is at work!

We had some new guests with us again on Sunday!  We have had many guests over the past several weeks.  I'm excited to see new students being introduced to the youth group and to worship with those students.

Hang Time was it's usual fun.  Lots of games and just hanging out and laughter.  I love to hear the laughter.  We had some milk we had to finish off from the coffee bar which led to making a few caramel lattes and caramel hot chocolates being given away.  Next thing I knew we had students lined up.  I would shoot whipped cream into their mouth and then Rich followed behind me and squirted chocolate syrup on top of the whipped cream.  Little did I know that these chocolate whipped cream shooters would be such a hit.  Have you ever laughed with a mouth full of whipped cream?

This coming Sunday our youth group will gather at the Bowling Center for a fun night of hanging out and bowling.

Team Mini Retreat

Goal is to fill all our seats this year

I have been at Nags Head Church since 2001.  I have to say, that I believe, we have the best team of volunteers on the planet.  They love students and want to see them come to know Christ and grow in their faith.  Each week a team of 8 join me in ministering to students.  Here's the kicker, almost all of them also serve somewhere in the church on Sunday morning.  They are a group of people who love Jesus Christ and his church here at NHC.

Our YM team met a few weeks ago for a mini retreat.  We met at 9am on a Saturday morning and worked together until noon.  That sounds like a meeting but when you start with Dunkin Donuts and end with Mexican food those are what made it a retreat.  In the past we have spent a weekend together in a beach house.  This year we tried something different.  It worked!  (but I miss the fun of all of us living together in a beach house for the weekend)

Here is how the meeting went:
We started with a time of prayer.  Praying for each other, for the students and for our church.
1.   Investment
Investing into the lives of our students.
Putting people before the program
They remember our love more than any sermon
Look for opportunities to invest
                     -The Loft is a great space for conversations to happen
                     -What's going on in your life?
                     -How can I pray for you?
                     -Show up for extracurricular events
                     -Involve them in your life
If we are known as a Caring youth group we will be a magnet  (when you're a magnet you attract hurting kids with baggage so be ready)

2.  Encouragment
Encourage them to grow
                   - Discipleship
                   - Outreach
                   -Adding some deeper Bible study times

3.  Grow in #'s (if we are doing 1 and 2 then number 3 should happen naturally)
Healthy things grow.
It's not about numbers but each number represents a student who is being impacted with the gospel.
Ideas we are trying:
-Break from the routine.  Mix up what our weekly youth group gathering looks like.
-The "New Cycle" - 4 weeks of Bible study/small groups
                                 Week 5 focused on outreach, encouraging students to bring friends to hear the                                   gospel

                                 Week 6 - the Next Level -  a night focused on worship using music and a       message more like a youth church worship service
-More activities and events - we have lessened those over the past couple of years.
-High School Only and Middle School Only nights in The Loft on Saturdays.
-Use theloftobx.net as a tool for our students to invite friends.
Aim to his our goal # for growth this year.

4.  TEAM Goals
-Dependability
-Flexibility
-Ideas to spring forth and team members to run with their ideas
-Accountability
-Add 2 new team members
-Hang out together more outside of youth group building our relationships as a team
-Own our ministry
-Focus on our personal walk with Christ

Next Level

Last night in The Loft with the Youth of NHC:

We are trying out a new cycle.  The cycle is 4 weeks of a teaching series with small groups, an outreach night (last week was grilled cheese bar night), then a night of extended worship in music and a message geared to look more like a youth "church service".

Last night was the Next Level.  Our first worship gathering in our new cycle.  The night looked like this:
Reading of Psalm 95:1 by a student
Song - Chasing (all songs were led by students)
Video - The Skit Guys - watch video below
Song - Love the Lord your God
Song - Inside Out
Message - "What does following Jesus mean to me?"  Matthew 10:37-39
     If I'm following Jesus I'm:
     Living a life of loving Jesus above all else
     Living a life of Obedience
     Living a life of Surrender
Song - I will Follow
Take home challenge -
1.  Follow for Real - no more games
2.  5 Friends you are praying for to come to know Christ (we gave out cards for them to write the names of their 5 friends who need a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and then challenged them to place them in a place that will remind them to pray daily)

Next Level was followed by a great Hang Time.  2 packages of chips ahoy cookies, 4 sleeves of Oreos, 5 bags of chips, one container of french onion dip and 2 gallons of our world famous red Kool Aid were consumed.   Ping Pong table got a work out as did the foosball table.  The sofas were full of students and leaders engaging in conversation.  Table games were being played.  The room was full of music and laughter. 

Most importantly we had several guests and a middle school student shared with his leader, "My heart breaks for my friends".  An awesome youth group gathering last night.

Progressive Fast Food Dinner

The ADD Youth Pastor doing what the ADD Youth Pastor does

Old school folks will remember the happy times of progressive dinners.  The meal where your group moves from house to house eating a different part of the meal.

Last night we went old school with a twist.  We did the Progressive Fast Food Dinner which is always lots of fun.

Each student had a brown paper lunch sack.  In that sack were 4 pieces of paper each marked with a different part of the meal:

• Drink
• Side Item
• Sandwich
• Dessert

Some of the girls striking a pose at the BK

When we arrived at Wendy's the students reached into their bag and took out a piece of paper.  Whatever the paper had typed on it is what they ordered and ate (drank) at that restaurant.  We went to Wendy's then Burger King then McDonald's.  The plan was to go to Sonic but the BK took to long.

Wendy's won the award for friendliness and efficiency.  McDonald's was fast but a little stressed out.  Burger King took the longest, I think it was a shock to them and they weren't sure how to deal with it.  All 3 places were friendly and glad we stopped in.

Tips:

• We charged $5 per kid but they obviously ate more than $5 worth of food.  We offset with our youth budget
• Have a leader get there a few minutes before the group shows up to explain the staff of the restaurant so they can be prepared.
• We line up at one register and have one person pray.  But you may want to give $ to different leaders and divide the groups at different cash registers.
• Explain to the staff: "We have 40 coming in to eat BUT they are each only ordering one item so it's the equivalent of 10 customers ordering full meals."
• Explain how the whole system works before leaving the church to your students.  
• Have students write their names on their bag upon arrival
• Have students line up single file if a small group or in small groups if your group is larger and then have leaders drop the slips of paper in the students' bags as they hold the bags.
• If your group is really large it might be smart to divide and conquer and do a "shotgun" start at different restaurants.
• Have your adult leaders drive.  Recruit some parents or adults to help if you don't have enough help
• Take along some bottled water since some stops students won't get drinks (we forgot this one)
• Great activity for a small group or Sunday School class
• Allow a couple of hours so you aren't rushed, stressed and don't stress the restaurant staff.

Middle School Boys chowing down on some grindage

Be a good witness.  Coach your students before leaving the church on behavior and Who they represent.  Clean up your mess before you leave.
Compliment the restaurant staff, even if their service is poor.  We complimented the staff and one manager said, "We never get compliments."  Her face lit up.

Why do this event?  What was the purpose?  To break away from the routine of our usual youth group gathering and give the kids and adult leaders time to fellowship together.  Lot's of fun!

It Pays To Play

Recently I entered a caption on a caption contest with Download Youth Ministry.  Cha! Ching!
I received a discount coupon code for playing.  I get a steal of a deal on any of their products until Feb 1 when the coupon expires.
Just got all of this:
Follow-up info cards (Vol 1-5)
Salt and Light Challenge
Acts of Humility Discipleship Journal
Bible Institute: New Testament
Be Prayer Experience
Spiritual Ruts Devotional
Baptism Super Pack – $75
Instalife (2 weeks)
Stuff Jesus Didn’t Say (1-off)
Refuel (3 weeks)
Brainwashed (3 weeks)
Facebook Official (5 weeks)
5 Ways to Be Awesome (3 weeks)
11 vs the World (3 weeks)
LAUNCH (2 weeks)
3D (2 weeks)
Happily Ever After (2 weeks)
Secrets (1-off)
How to Raise Your Parents (3 weeks)
The REAL Jesus (2 weeks)
The Future is Now (5 weeks)
Student Leadership Application
5 Student Leadership Messages (5 weeks)
Easter Message (1 week)
Christmas Message (1 week)
Regularly $99 and I got it for less than $50!
All of this came in this bundle

This has been your youth ministry shoe string budget tip of the day brought to you by theaddyouthpastor.com.

Hey It's a Blog!

Well it's been over a month since I blogged.  Shame on me!

Youth Ministry Tip O' The Day:

Reconcile your church credit card first thing in the morning and you will feel like a new person the rest of the day.  You will breathe easier and smile more.  Get it done and out of the way.  Save your receipts in a folder.  Saved receipts keep the time down to a max of 10 minutes for me.

Sunday Night in The Loft

Sunday night we had a great time in The Loft.

We started off the evening with a dessert bar/contest.  Students (and leaders) made Christmas desserts using little Debbie Christmas tree snack cakes, toppings, ice cream and whip cream.  The student who created the best looking dessert won.  I enjoyed both making and eating my dessert creation.  We got some funny looks in the grocery store with 25 boxes of Little Debbies.  The distributor has a lot of restocking to do.

We then watched Elf and asked students to watch with "spiritual" eyes.  Look for and listen for parts of the movie that have spiritual applications.  After the movie we had a time where we shared some of those applications. 

A fun night!  Biggest attendance that we have had in months and several students we haven't seen in many months have made a return over the past couple of weeks. 

The Disconnect (part 2)

(read part 1 here)

Why is it we feel disconnected when regular church attendance slips away?

Jesus gave us a great tip on connection:

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;  apart from me you can do nothing.  6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  7 If you remain in me  and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  8 This is to my Father’s glory,  that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 
John 15

The phrase in verse, “if anyone does not remain in me, his like a branch that is thrown away and withers;”, has a key to spiritual health.  When we don’t remain in Christ we wither spiritually.  I believe that part of the “disconnect” when we drop out of faithful church attendance comes from a withering.  “Andy, Jesus is talking about remaining in him, not the church.”  True. 

BUT consider this verse:
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ.  1 Corinthians 12
We are the body of Christ.  Are we remaining in him when we remove ourselves from the body by cutting off fellowship and worship and ministry with the church?  No.  Then we wither.  We are more than a family of believers, we are the body of Christ.

There are many things I can do to “wither” spiritually.  This doesn’t mean I lose my salvation, relationship with God through Jesus.  It does mean that I will cease to produce fruit for Christ.
Withering can come from: (not a comprehensive list)
lack of time spend in Bible study
failing to have an active prayer life
failing to seize opportunities to share my faith
direct disobedience to God and His Word
slacking off in my connection and commitment to the body of Christ, the church and other believers.

Last Night at Contagious

Last night we gathered around the fire pit.  We roasted marshmallows, made smores and drank hot chocolate.  As we sat around the fire we talked about 1 Chronicles 16:34, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good."  Then we went around the circle and each student and each adult volunteer shared what they were thankful for.  It was a good time of thanksgiving.

Before the evening ended the boys were playing football in the parking lot and the rest of us were sitting around the fire telling stories and attempting to sing opera Christmas songs.

Thankful

I have so much in life to be thankful for.  God has blessed me:

• Grew up in a Christian home
• Parents who love God
• A big family
• My beautiful wife who is an incredible mom and a great friend
• My three kids.  Each one is incredible and a gift.
• The miracle of Adoption
• A great church family
• Health
• Each breath
• A home
• I get to do what I love and enjoy as a "job"
• I live in America

Happy Thanksgiving Day!  Someone please pass the taters. . . . .