Monthly Archives: October 2011

10.31.11
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“Divided the Movie” Review

Recently, I came across a video that depicts modern youth ministry. It discusses the youth ministry movement & culture in which we live. It asks questions whether we are being effective or even Biblical in the way modern youth ministry is done. I want you to view this video and hit me up with some feedback on your thoughts. Below the video, you will find my lengthy thoughts about the movie. What can I say? I had a lot to say about the movie! The video is lengthy, about 55 minutes or so, but very well done and worth your time.

Official Divided the Movie (HD Version) from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Here are my thoughts on the video above:

Thoughts on Modern Student Ministry…Is modern youth ministry working? This is a very broad question that I personally do not feel at liberty to answer due to the fact that I can only answer for our own student ministry. I would have to say, “Some.” Now, this is a cliché answer, but it is the correct one. I cannot say that it is not working, because I have seen some significant growth from our students, and their families. I have seen our students get involved serving in the local church. I have seen families revolutionized as a result of what God did in our student ministry. So, it is working, but not exactly the way that God intends, I am sure, because we are dealing with fleshly people. Student Ministry must have purpose and vision. It is not all about games, attractions, trips, and entertainment. You have to decide what your ministry is about! We have developed a short vision statement, “The Grove student ministry exist to reach students with the Gospel; and we are devoted to see them develop into a committed follower of Christ.” Everything that we do backs this vision, or at least it should. If we do an event or activity, there should be a purpose behind it that is ultimately found in this vision statement. This vision is not separate from the family. It is a help to the family. We provide an atmosphere for the student and their family that supports what they are teaching at home.

Thoughts on Parenting…I agree with the video that the family is the primary discipler of the student! They are the ones who are going to have to answer to God one day for how they raise the kids that He entrusted them with. Do I feel that the majority of families are being successful? No, and I mean Christian families by the way. I look across our church, and I am saddened to admit it, but we face issues with our families just like many other churches. So, who is to blame? The church or the family? It is not the church’s fault that parents have dropped the ball. This is where I felt the video went wrong. It almost seemed to me that the video blamed the church for the families problems. Now, I do think some churches do not teach the family their priorities in their own kids lives like they should. Parents must get training and teaching from the church. This is our job. We should be training and teaching the families that we minister with. I am all for families! I support the family ministry. I think it is great. I am all for parents coming on youth activities, sitting through student services, and being a part of our student ministry. The reason I feel this way is because I believe in the family. So, since I believe this way, do I need to quit student ministry altogether? No! Why? My reason is based upon the foundation that God has called me to come alongside of families. I do not undermine them or seek to usurp their authority. I support our parents ALWAYS to our students. I encourage healthy and strong student/parent relationships.

Thoughts on Methods…I felt like this video criticized the method of youth ministry. I have said this before, and I will say it again, “Methods may change, but our message never changes.” I stand by this. Youth ministry is a method and a ministry of the local church. So, youth ministry should carry on the same mission as the church…correct? I tell our leaders and students in our ministry all of the time that our mission is “to reach students with the Gospel, and commit ourselves to develop them into becoming followers of Christ.” This is the mission of the church found in the Scripture (Matthew 28). So, we are to disciple families. Therefore, we are to create methods so that we can more effectively accomplish the mission that Jesus lays out for us. Youth Ministry is the method that God has called me too. This is why we do what we do!

Thoughts on Christians leaving the church…I tend to see this trend throughout church life. I think it is because of lack of service in the church and lack of Biblical doctrine in the student ministry. I teach doctrine regularly, and try to do it in a practical way for our students, but they have to hear it. I also provide ways for our students to serve in our local church. We find that Christian teens who stay in church after they graduate normally already had a connection to the local church before they graduated.

Overall Thoughts on the Movie…I enjoyed the movie. It was a professionally designed movie. I tended to think it was one-sided. I would have liked to hear more about what people who are currently in modern student ministry thought about some of the questions regarding family integrated ministry. Overall, though this was a good movie. It is not going to change my occupation or anything. I am not going to drop out of student ministry simply because of this movie. This does not mean to quit student ministry, but rather rethink the way your student ministry is operating. No, I am going to try to better accomplish the goals that Christ has laid out for us in Scripture. I am going to use this video as a motivation to better mentor our families and equip our families for Biblical discipleship. I recommend this video for everyone though, and you can gain your own personal thoughts and views on the video! I highly appreciate your feedback! I would love for you to leave a comment below with your thoughts on the video:

10.30.11
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Thoughts on Wisdom

Thoughts on Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-18

Paul uses the word, “circumspectly” here in this passage. This word is an interesting word. It comes from two Latin words meaning looking around. The Greek word for this carries on the connotation of accuracy. We need to be looking out for our Christian walk. We are supposed to watch out for the fiery darts that Satan is throwing at us. It is meaning that we need to be wise in our decision making. Wisdom is something that many Christians lack today. We know that if we lack wisdom, we can ask of God, and He will give it to us according to James 1. He gives us some reasons of why we need this wisdom.

Wisdom:the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is trueor right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity,discernment, or insight.

Godly Wisdom: Doing the will of God; knowing the will of God; knowledge about God as He is revealed in the Bible.

Wisdom is Available to you- V. 1. 

“See then” refers to the last verse. Because you are saved, walk in wisdom. When we get saved, we then have the ability to get the wisdom of God.

James 1:5: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

The wisdom of God is yours, but are we using it. We are called to apply the wisdom that has been granted to us!

Wisdom helps you understand God’s Will- V.17

The word, understand means to find out what we are supposed to do and go through with it. God’s will is not a place here in this world, it is a lifestyle. I think that we sometimes preach on God’s will and finding His will, and we can know His will for our life. He wants us to know His will. It is right there for us to find out, but it is up to us to use our minds, and do right. Make good decisions. Wisdom is available to you so use it.

Wisdom is best found by being filled with the Spirit- V. 18

We are supposed to be wise in our decision making. Here are some reasons why we are supposed to be wise. Never forget these facts. You have no idea how much time that you have left here on this earth. The days are evil. We live in a wicked place. It is getting worse, and we need to be wise to take advantage of the time that we have now. We can understand the will of God. We know that God has a plan for us. Be wise in your decisions.

10.21.11
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Get Connected- 10-21-11

Good Morning,

I pray that you have had a fantastic week! We have had a busy last couple of weeks of ministry, but it has been rewarding and fruitful. God has blessed each area of ministry that the Grove has had part in over the past two weeks. I was able to attend FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at North Davidson High School with Ed Michalak yesterday morning. I had several students from the school recognize and speak to me from the football team that we served last week. That was a huge blessing to us!

WOL @ The Grove: This past week, we had a fantastic service. Now, I say this every week, because any week where I get to spend time with our students is great! This past week, I had the privilege of speaking on the Judgment Seat of Christ. We looked at the judgment and the rewards that will be given out on that day. We had many students commit and make decisions to make their lives count here on this earth for Jesus! We had several students make decisions to be more selfless and not selfish! It was LEGIT. The next Grove service will meet on Wednesday, October 26 from 6-8 pm. I will be out of town, but Travis Hartman will be speaking. It is a special THEME NIGHT at the Grove so don’t miss it. It is Halloween at the Grove. Each student is encouraged to dress in their Halloween costume for the Grove. Leaders, come decked out as well. Leaders, have your tables decorated and ready to go as well. It is going to be crazy, I hate that I am going to miss it.

Team Jamaica Update: We will have a brief meeting this Sunday night in the hospitality room after the service. We have our first fund raiser meal on Wednesday, October 26th. We will be giving you instructions for this meal so you need to be at the meeting. I recognize that many members of Team Jamaica serve in our set up crew. We need ALL of these students to be a part of the meal. We are working on getting people to set up so that the entire set up crew can be where they need to be, and that is in the cafeteria raising money for Team Jamaica. Leaders/Parents who are attending the trip need to be at the meeting and the meal as well, because you can get a portion of what we earn for our trip. Parents of students attending, if you can help us clean up after the meal, it will be greatly appreciated! BTW: We have bought about all of the flip flops for Team Jamaica at the Old Navy here in Winston Salem. The nearest one is Salisbury or Greensboro, and I believe that both of those stores have an abundance of flip flops if you want to pick some up for the Team! Now, we will have to figure out a way to get them over there.

Featured Event: Tomorrow, the Grove visits Liberty University for their annual Scaremare. The Scaremare is a haunted house platform that Liberty uses to share the Gospel with their community. We will visit a Hockey Game before the Scaremare on the campus of Liberty University as well as do dinner. The cost for the event is $20 per person, and this needs to be paid tomorrow! If your student is not signed up or needs to cancel, please let me know so that we can cancel their tickets, etc. We have already purchased our tickets based upon the signup sheet. We will leave the church at 2:00 pm and return at 1:30 am. The time on the way back is subject to change. Please make sure that your student dresses warm for the event! The hockey rink is really cold, and the weather waiting for the Scaremare will be cold. If you bring layers for the hockey rink, we can put them back in the bus after the hockey game and before the Scaremare. We hope that your student is signed up and pumped about the event tomorrow!

Here are our upcoming events:

  • October 22 – Liberty Scaremare (Cost is $20 per person). We have changed the Scaremare information again. We felt that a 3 hour drive for a 30 minute event was too much. So, we have added dinner and a hockey game into it. The cost is $20.00 per student and includes hockey game ticket, dinner, and entrance into the Scaremare. I apologize for the price jump, but that still is a great rate for what the students will get. We will leave the church at 2:00 pm and return at 1:00 am. Be prepared to be scared! All students/parents/leaders are welcome to attend. If you have any further questions about this, please let us know.
  • October 26 – Church Wide Fellowship Meal. This will be to raise money for Team Jamaica to go on their mission trip. All of Team Jamaica needs to be in attendance to get credit. Lori Beard will tell you what you are bringing next week.
  • October 26 – Theme Night at the Grove (Halloween @ The Grove). Many students think that it is immature to trick or treat so we allow them to come and do it at the Grove where they are welcome! All students are encouraged to dress up in their costumes and come ready to go for Halloween at the Grove. The service will begin at 6 pm and conclude at 8 pm.
  • November 12 – Ice Skating. The cost for ice skating will be $5 per person + you need to bring money for fast food in Greensboro (estimated $6). All students can invite their friends as well as parents & leaders are encouraged to attend as well. We will leave the church at 5:30 pm and return to the church at 10:45 pm.
  • November 14 – Chick Fil A Night (For Team Jamaica). Make plans to be at the Chick Fil A on Peters Creek Parkway that evening for dinner.
  • December 3 – Progressive Dinner- The cost is FREE!!! We are taking signups for the Progressive Dinner. If you are interested in hosting us for a meal during this evening, please see me asap. We need an appetizer home to attend, a main course to attend, and a dessert home to attend.
  • December 4 – Leaders Christmas Party
  • January 27-28 – Ski Retreat (registration form with prices listed here). We have some killer deals this year for you! You need to take advantage of these deals and be a part of our ski retreat!
  • June 22-29 – Jamaica Mission Trip
  • July 6-13 – WOL Camp
  • July 23-28 – The Wilds Christian Camp. If you are a student interested in attending the Wilds, there is a meeting after the service with Jennifer Grogan on November 6.

I hope that this edition of “Get Connected” has been informative and helpful for you. If you want to know more, you can check out our website for a more exhaustive listing of our events. If you ever have questions or want quick information regarding the Grove, check out our facebook page. You can also follow us on twitter (@ugbcgrove) for instant information regarding the Grove and it is really cool just to build up our followers. We count it a privilege to serve alongside of you. Have a great weekend!!!!

 

10.21.11
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Pastor Bob Ritter on Hannity

Pastor Bob Ritter is the Pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Nebo, NC. Pastor Bob is a great friend of mine. I knew him while he was the youth pastor of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Hot Springs, AR. He grew that  youth ministry from 70 students to well over 200 when he left. The Lord led him to the small area, Nebo, NC to be the pastor of Eastside Baptist Church. The church has experienced incredible amounts of numerical growth and Spiritual growth since he has been there. Recently, President Obama was in the Asheville, NC area, and Pastor Bob had the opportunity to speak with him. He spoke of this as well as other things when he had the opportunity to be on Sean Hannity’s radio show. You can check out the interview here. I highly encourage you to check it out. He does a phenomenal job sharing his beliefs and using Scripture in a loving way! It is about an 11 minute interview so set some time aside to check out the interview.

Check it out here: http://www.ebcnebo.com/media.php?pageID=54

10.20.11
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Poll: Texting Students Each Week

Recently I purchased my first IPHONE! I was forced to get a new phone, because my stupidity allowed me to jump into a pool with my Droid. So, I was faced with a decision of getting a new Droid or upgrade to an IPHONE. I have always wanted an IPHONE so I decided to go with it. I began looking for the top apps for the IPHONE for student pastors, and one of them was an app for mass texting your students. I think many of us would note that the most effective ways to communicate with students is through texting or facebook so our student ministry uses them both regularly! I tried two different apps on the Droid and neither one of them worked successfully. This group text app on the IPHONE is amazing! I typically use it once a week. Occasionally, I might not use it one week, or some weeks, I may need it two different times. Sometimes, I feel I can get annoying with the students, and I want to be careful. I wanted to get a feel for how often you use mass texting or when do you think mass texting is too much? You can leave a comment below. Josh Griffin posted a poll on this, and it really got me thinking. I wanted to get some input. You can send some feedback through a direct email at joshhevans@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

10.19.11
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A Look at the Judgment Seat of Christ

The way that we live our lives now will determine whether you will receive rewards at the judgment seat of Christ. Now, the Bible speaks of two specific judgments. The first is the judgment seat of Christ which we will look at tonight in detail. The other is the Great White Throne Judgment. This is the judgment where all unbelievers will be cast forever into the lake of fire. This will take after the millennial reign of Christ and Satan and unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire. We are going to study the doctrine of the judgment seat of Christ, or the doctrine of rewards.

Definition: Judgment seat of Christ: The event where all believers and only believers will be judged by Christ to determine the worth or worthlessness of the works they did while on earth and to reward them accordingly.

This doctrine is often misunderstood, because of the word judgment. Let me say that Scripture says that this is a time for rewards to be given out, not judgment to be given. It is not a place for punishment. It is not a time for the Lord to bring up many sins and punish the child of God for them. Rather, it is more of a time for rewards to be given out to the children of God. This would be inconsistent with what Christ did on the cross of Christ. He paid for our sins! He bore our sins so that we can be made righteous. He took our sins and gave us His righteousness!

Let’s look at some brief thoughts about the judgment seat of Christ:

        I.            All Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ- Romans 14:10-13

The book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians at Rome. The early church faced much of the hypocrisy that we face today in church life. Today we tend to judge one another easily. I feel like I am a better Christian because I… This is exactly what the early church faced and Paul was addressing this issue. He says, do not judge or be at ought with a brother or sister, because you yourself are going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Why do I need to judge another brother when I myself have sin in my life? It is like the Scripture in Matthew 7, why are you concerned about the dust in someone’s eye, when you have a massive beam in your own eye? We are so quick to point other people’s problems out, but what Paul is saying is that we should be more concerned with picking our own problems out and trying to improve them before fixing others! Why is that? Because we all will stand at the judgment seat and the Father is not going to keep me accountable based upon anyone else but me!

The judgment seat of Christ is that place where Christians will have their works judged by the Lord.

The word for “judgment seat” in the Greek is bema. This means the place where the judges stood at the athletic games. At the end of the contests, the judges gave out the rewards.

The bema seat is the judgment seat that contestants stood before at the end of an ancient Olympic race to receive rewards for running well.”

      II.            Christ will judge all Christians on the basis of their works

II Corinthians 5:10 tells us that we will give an account for what we have done.

The Father, the only perfect judge will determine whether our works have been good or bad.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.”

Psalms 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect…”

His judgments will be based upon the law of God, the Word of God. He will judge each believer’s works according to how their life lived up to the Word of God.

Why is Christ judging our works?

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God’s purpose for a believer is to have them do good works! We are not saved by our works, but if you are saved, you will work! Why? Because the Gospel. The Gospel should be so flowing through our lives that the only thing that I can do is do good works. Why? Because the Gospel will flow out. It is that powerful! He expects us to do good works. Therefore, every time that we do not do good works, we are disobeying Him, because this is a command from God.

By the way, God knows your ultimate motive. If you are doing a good work to be seen of men, or to gain a reward, God sees the heart.

Matthew 6, when Jesus is speaking and says that the hypocrites pray in the streets to be seen of men, they have their reward. It is the not the rewards that we are speaking of in Heaven. Their rewards are earthly. They are worthless.

    III.            Christians stand before the judgment seat of Christ to determine what rewards they receive

I Corinthians 3:9-15. Here, Paul gives a word picture of a building. He says, the foundation is Jesus Christ. Then, it is our responsibility and duty to build on that foundation works and doctrines that provide gold, silver, and precious stones. These are permanent, beautiful, valuable, and very hard to obtain. Then, he says, some will build wood, hay, and stubble. These represent passing, temporary, ordinary, ugly, cheap, and very easy to obtain items.

Paul made it clear that the judgment seat of Christ is not a place of punishment, but a place of reward. Sure, there will be some who are sitting there with no rewards, and some with many!

The challenge you are presented with today is to live in such a way that your life is characterized more by good works and honorable motives than worthless actions and selfish motives. The judgment seat is coming. Are you ready?

10.17.11
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Building a Leadership Team

When I got out of college, I felt I knew about building a leadership team, but I did not. I failed at this. After a few years of ministry, I now see the importance of building a leadership team that is behind what you are doing. I believe strongly in the thought that “you will go as far as your leadership team goes.” So, if that is the case, how far are you going? I want to post today about building a leadership team that can help take your student ministry to the next level.

  1. Pray- To build a healthy leadership team, it must begin with prayer. After all, doesn’t everything begin with prayer? Well, it should at least. Especially building a leadership team. This is something that you must bathe in prayer. Ask God to show you what to look for in a leader. Ask Him to bring you to the right leaders! Ask Him to prepare the hearts of the individual that may lead in your student ministry!
  2. Recruit- I am a huge sports fan, and I felt that recruitment only came with sports, but it is a vital part of ministry! You need to be recruiting new volunteers and leaders as your ministry grows! Look at the elements that make up a leader that you desire and then find people who fit that criteria. Then, go after them. Do not be afraid to ask people to give it a shot. I am trying to regularly have people come check out our ministry to see about the possibility of serving in our student ministry. You can announce publicly your need for leaders, but I have found it will work best if you go to an individual to ask them to serve in your ministry. Seek them out.
  3. Train- Here is where many ministries go wrong. Pastors get the guys/girls that they want in leadership, but they are all there with little training. They have the holiness that the pastor desires. They have the personality and vision that the pastor wants, but they still need training. We try and do small group training regularly. Make plans to have training sessions with your leaders regularly! Sometimes, they may need to go to a leadership development conference or have a session locally. They need to be trained on how to lead students! If you are not training leaders, you are going to consistently be discouraged on taking your students to the next level, because the students will go as far as the leaders go.
  4. Ownership- Once you give them leadership, let them run with things. I have found that many pastors are so protective over “their” ministry, they do not want anyone doing it any different than they think it needs to be done. Remember, it is not “your” ministry, but God’s. Allow your leaders to stretch you a bit if it is ultimately what God wants. We are so caught up in trying to make our personal preferences, Bible when they are just mere preferences.
  5. Share your vision/heart with them- This one is so important. They need to hear regularly your heart and vision for them and the students! You guys then need to be on the same page in trying to develop the vision in the students!
10.15.11
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Guidelines for using Social Media in Youth Ministry

Austin McCann is a great friend of mine. Now, you may not have a clue who Austin is, but let me say, he is a great guy. He is studying for student ministry. He is about to complete his bachelor’s degree in Christian ministry. He is currently doing an internship at Weymouth Community Church in Medina, OH. His plan is to be a full time student pastor one day! He blogs some, and recently he posted about social media. This is a huge part of our ministry, and I thought what he said was so good. He also mentioned me in his post which was super legit. I challenge you to check out his blog post below. Also, if you can use Austin in anyway, I highly recommend him. Check out his post:

“Josh Evans, a good student pastor friend of mine, said this in a recent blog post about using social media in youth ministry:

Remember, social media is part of your job. I felt bad years ago for using Facebook during the day, but honestly, now, I consider it a part of my job. I connect with students and pastors through this so I do not feel bad using it throughout the day for those purposes, not just for personal use. This will eliminate being addicted to it during the evenings.

I really loved what Josh said. Social media is so huge in our culture, we in ministry would be foolish not to use it. At the same time we need to remember that social media can be a leaders worst nightmare if not used correctly. With that in mind, the good and the bad of social media in ministry, Walt Mueller gives a few good guidelines for social media use within youth ministry in a recent blog:

Yesterday I promised to follow-up some personal social media use guidelines for youth workers with some parameters for use of social media and technology in youth ministry. Here’s the deal. . . in our Digital Kids Initiative we are not looking at real specific strategies. In other words, our goal is not to provide a lot of “how-to’s.” There are plenty of other people out there who can help you with that. In fact, we hope to set up a special spot on our Digital Kids Initiative Page where youth workers can share their great ideas with each other. What I want to do is provide some general guidelines and parameters that will help us use and address social media in God-honoring and redemptive ways, rather than in ways that are counter-productive (even when we may not know it) to the advance of God’s Kingdom.

Here are five general practical ideas, guidelines and parameters. . .

1. Use technology and social media to enhance, not replace, real-world ministry and community.One of the very real dangers of all these emerging technologies and tools is that we will begin to employ and rely on them so much that our face-to-face ministry and relationships wane. . . even if only a little bit. Kids in today’s culture all need more face-to-face and real-world relationship time. Physical presence is necessary for spiritual nurture. Technology and social media should serve to extend our real-world flesh and blood relationships with students. In addition, don’t buy the lie that digital community is real community. Real community is lived out in close physical proximity with down and dirty vulnerability. Remember. . . technology can extend and enhance this kind of community, but it can never replace it. Doing life together virtually really isn’t doing life together.

2. Use technology and social media to connect and communicate. Perhaps you’ve heard me say that in youth ministry eras past, the best way to get into the heart and soul of a student was to get into their bedroom and take a look at the walls. Not a very smart strategy these days. Yep, it’s a different world. But the bedroom wall has extended in today’s world onto the walls, photos, comments, links, profiles, and postings that fill their Facebook pages. Facebook offers a connection to who they are. Go there to learn more about their hopes, dreams, desires, struggles, and needs. And if what you find on their Facebook pages doesn’t line up with what you know of them in the context of real community, well. . . then you’ve gained a deeper sense of who they are and how you can minister to them because they’ve just revealed their disconnected identities and selves. Social media also allows you to communicate with your group during the week. Use it to extend your reach by promoting events, sharing Scriptures, posting thoughts, and putting up thought-provoking quotes.

3. Use technology and social media to equip and inform parents. Social media must be employed to communicate and stay in touch with parents. If you’re wondering what to pass on to parents on a regular basis. . . well. . . just check out our CPYU website for a treasure-chest of stuff to pass on. Provide them with links to news, articles, and reviews. Send them an article a week. Connect them to our daily Youth Culture Today radio show. Or, subscribe to our weekly Youth Culture e-Update and forward it on to your ministry parents. Parents love youth workers who keep them informed.

4. Teach kids to use technology and social media redemptively. This is discipleship, plain and simple. Warn them about how easy digital media can suck them in and become idolatrous. Teach them about the many dangers that lurk on the Digital Frontier. . . things like sexting, dumbing down, information overload, pornography, over-sharing, etc. We’ll be talking more and more about more and more of these dangers in the coming weeks and months. Introduce our Digital Code of Conduct to parents and their kids. It’s a tool that offers clear parameters to discuss and follow. In addition, walk them through the Scriptures, teaching them about what the following issues and topics have to say about how they live on the Digital Frontier: truth, authority, humility, spiritual maturity, wisdom, respect, creating culture, honesty, sexuality, integrity, discernment, self-control, etc. Be sure to discuss these topics in your one-on-one conversations and in your times with your youth group.

5. Help your students establish media parameters by establishing media parameters in your ministry. An 8th grade teacher who’s been teaching for 16 years told me this about the effect of social media and technology on kids: “We’ve lost the art of written and spoken language, solving problems regarding differences in personalities, resolving conflict, and maintaining real, loyal, accountable relationships.” That’s not the kind of world we want to create or live in. Since they are increasingly tethered and almost always “on,” your youth ministry needs to be a place where there are times where they turn it all off and put it aside. Teach them how to be close to others in physical proximity by honoring them and turning off your phone, your computer, and your tablet and then focus on those who are present. Establish and encourage them to practice a media sabbath – one day a week when they turn it off and put it aside. Give them opportunity and space to be silent (Remember those youth group “solos” that were so meaningful for so many of us?). Promote deep reading, contemplation, and quiet times to sit and mediate on God’s Word. . . listening to hear Him speak. Or how about this. . . a 40-hour technology famine to raise money for a cause?

Josh Evans is the student pastor at Union Grove Baptist Church in Lexington, NC. Head over to his blog for some great stuff on leadership, student ministry, and church life. Walt Mueller is a worldwide student ministry leader who writes, speaks, and studies youth culture. He is the founder and President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Check out his blog here.”

10.14.11
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Get Connected- Friday Grove Newsletter

What’s Up?

TGIF! The excitement is always through the roof when we know that it is Friday! I trust that this newsletter will be informative and better connect you to what is happening in the Grove student ministry. This past week was a HUGE week of ministry for the Grove! We had the opportunity to hear a challenging message from Cletis Titus Wednesday night. Then, Team Jamaica had the opportunity to get to know them after the Grove for a while. Let’s just say, getting to know them made us even more excited about our mission trip to Jamaica this summer. Yesterday and today, we have the opportunity to serve the North Davidson’s JV and Varsity football teams a pre game meal. This is a great opportunity to get another foot in the door at North Davidson. It is an opportunity to build our relationship with the school and the students. I am stoked about meeting the students and hanging with them. Then, tomorrow, we are volunteering at the Miracle League with the junior high which is going to be awesome! Let’s show up big and serve others!

Team Jamaica Update: I am already filled with excitement for Team Jamaica and what the Lord is going to do in/through us on our mission trip. This past week, we had the chance to spend some time with missionaries Cletis and Tammy Titus, who we will be working with while in Jamaica. They shared several needs. One of those being the need for flip flops for the needy in Jamaica. Old Navy has ladies pairs of flip flops for $0.77 right now and men’s at $0.87. You cannot beat that! Flip Flops for under a dollar. They had about 300 pairs as of yesterday. If you are interested in getting some for our Team, that would be a blessing. Just pick them up and bring them to me anytime! You can donate these if you are on Team Jamaica or not! Let’s join together and help reach Jamaica with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Featured Event: Tomorrow: the 7th-9th graders will be volunteering at the Miracle League. This was one of our best events. The students love it. They will have the chance to have a buddy and get to know them throughout the baseball game. They help them bat, run, and field. We also have other areas of ministry for our students to serve on this day as well. If your student is not signed up, they can show up tomorrow morning. We leave the church at 8:45 am and return at 1:30 pm. Each student and leader needs to bring money for lunch at Cici’s pizza.

Here are our upcoming events:

  • October 14 – Serving North Davidson V football team – This afternoon, The Varsity football team from North Davidson will come to our church at 3:45 pm, and we will serve them a pre game meal. We will need adult, parent, and student volunteers. If you have not signed up but are interested in helping, show up this afternoon. We finish around 5:15 pm.
  • October 15 – Volunteering at the Miracle League in High Point – Tomorrow, our 7th – 9th grades will be volunteering at the Miracle League in High Point. Bring $6 for Cici’s. We will leave the church at 8:45 am and return at 1:30 pm. If your student is not signed up, they can show up tomorrow. Also, leaders and parents are more than welcome to attend.
  • October 22 – Liberty Scaremare (Cost is $20 per person). We have changed the Scaremare information again. We felt that a 3 hour drive for a 30 minute event was too much. So, we have added dinner and a hockey game into it. The cost is $20.00 per student and includes hockey game ticket, dinner, and entrance into the Scaremare. I apologize for the price jump, but that still is a great rate for what the students will get. We will leave the church at 2:00 pm and return at 1:00 am. Be prepared to be scared! All students/parents/leaders are welcome to attend. If you have any further questions about this, please let us know.
  • October 26 – Church Wide Fellowship Meal. This will be to raise money for Team Jamaica to go on their mission trip. All of Team Jamaica needs to be in attendance to get credit. Lori Beard will tell you what you are bringing next week.
  • November 12 – Ice Skating. The cost for ice skating will be $5 per person + you need to bring money for fast food in Greensboro (estimated $6). All students can invite their friends as well as parents & leaders are encouraged to attend as well. We will leave the church at 5:30 pm and return to the church at 10:45 pm.
  • November 14 – Chick Fil A Night (For Team Jamaica). Make plans to be at the Chick Fil A on Peters Creek Parkway that evening for dinner.
  • December 3 – Progressive Dinner- The cost is FREE!!! This date has been changed to December 3rd from December 10th. We are taking signups for the Progressive Dinner. If you are interested in hosting us for a meal during this evening, please see me asap. We need an appetizer home to attend, a main course to attend, and a dessert home to attend.
  • January 27-28 – Ski Retreat (registration form with prices listed here). We have some killer deals this year for you! You need to take advantage of these deals and be a part of our ski retreat!
  • July 6-13 – WOL Camp

In NEED of YAAC Sign Ups: If you are interested in hosting a YAAC at your home, please let us know. A YAAC simply stands for “Youth Activity After Church.” All we do is simply attend someone’s home for fun, food, and fellowship. It is very casual. You can go in together with several other families for cost purposes. Some YAAC’s are even held here at the church but sponsored by youth leaders or parents. If you are interested in hosting a YAAC, please let me know asap.

We understand that the Grove and everything else that is going on can be overwhelming, but we praise the Lord for you and your student’s faithfulness! I honestly get overwhelmed reading through this newsletter each week just seeing what all we have to do. If you want to know more, you can check out our website for a more exhaustive listing of our events. If you ever have questions or want quick information regarding the Grove, check out our facebook page. You can also follow us on twitter (@ugbcgrove) for instant information regarding the Grove. We count it a privilege to serve alongside of you. Have an amazing weekend!