First Senior High Youth Group...

Last night was awesome! We had 16 high school students here for our first ever Sunday night youth group. We had a great time eating some pizza and just chilling out as a group. The environment was much more relaxed and we had some great conversation. We split into our new small groups, and continued the discussion there. We also introduced journaling into our group.

8pm came awfully fast.

Activity:
Discussions about favorite youth group activities, rules and expectations.

Teaching Series:
God's Status

Topic:
Talked about the 4 soils that Jesus explains in Matthew 13.

Key Verses:
Matthew 13:1-10, 18-23

Attendance:
16 students, 6 adults

Main Group Testimony:
Talked about the status of our hearts toward receiving direction from God.

Small Group Time:
Talked about our favorite parts of the past summer, and journaled about the current status of out hearts toward God.


Coming up next:
Middle School Youth Group (September 3)-Youth Group 101
Sunday School (September 6)-FaithWeaver
Senior High Youth Group (Sunday 6th, pm)- "God is out changing people's names"

The Death of Youth Ministry

From Seth Barnes, over at Adventures in Missions:

"1. Program vs. relationship tension. Youth ministers can't win. Most are wired and motivated to do relationship. Yet to satisfy their various constituencies, they have to spend a majority of their time feeding the beast that is their program. Many, having studied scripture, understand Jesus' model of discipling, but are handcuffed to a job description with a deep conflict of interest at its heart.

2. Many are too young. They're still in their twenties and haven't answered many of the basic questions that students are asking themselves. Yet they get thrown to the lions with little backup...It's unfair to ask youth ministers to take responsibility that properly belongs to parents. They can be a friend and even a teacher, but few can be the father figure that students need.

3. Misplaced accountability. Parents, perhaps feeling ill-equipped to fulfill the job of discipling that God has given them, shovel pass the job onto someone who has signed a W-2 and can be dismissed on a whim.

4. Parental abdication. The very role of a youth minister enables parents in their dysfunction. Rather than being forced to see and wrestle with the bankruptcy of their own discipleship efforts, their responsibility gets lost in a broken system.

5. Stuck in the culture. Even the best-equipped youth ministers are stuck on a playing field tilted against them. American culture is a spiritual meat grinder set up to undermine a young person's spiritual foundation. It's cynical and media-driven and it creates an environment that is to the life of faith youth ministers are charged with creating. What's more, because of misplaced priorities, youth ministers have to fight for the time they need to detox the students in their charge."

Follow the link for the rest of the article.

Kernels Game is ON!

Meet at Eastview by 9pm, or at the Stadium by 9:30pm.

See you tonight!

Ministry Team Retreat Notes

Student Ministry Retreat

August 21 and 22, 2009

Sunday Nights – High School – Begins Sunday, August 30

Schedule

5:00pm Leaders/Teachers arrive

5:10pm Big Purple leaves John’s Neighborhood

5:30pm to 6:00pm Meal

6:00pm to 6:30pm Activity

6:30pm to 6:45pm Group Lesson

6:45pm to 8:00pm Small Groups

8:00pm 8:10pm Check out – Big Purple leaves

At least one leader stays until all students are gone

Curriculum

August – December - God’s Status

January – March – Life Hurts – God Heals

March – May – The New Sexuality

Journaling – Students will journal during small group time. Journals will be kept in a safe place – remain private to be seen by the student only.

Teacher/Leaders John Mulholland, Betty Dickerson, Megan Clark and Monna Kreher.

Cooks – Dan and Tracy Woodell

Table Parents – Gregg Lunde and all teachers.

Wednesday Nights - Middle School – Begins September 2

Schedule

5:30pm Leaders/Teachers arrive

5:40pm Big Purple leaves John’s neighborhood

6:00pm to 6:20pm Meal

6:20pm to 6:45pm Activity

6:45pm to 7:00pm Group Lesson

7:00pm to 8:00pm Small Groups

8:00pm to 8:00pm Check out and Big Purple leaves

At least one leader stays until all students are gone

Curriculum

Weeks one through six – Surviving Middle School

Weeks seven through eleven – Interlinc – The Middle School DVD

January forward – Scary, Gross and Weird Stories from the Bible

Teacher/Leaders - John Mulholland, Steve Novak, Rob Frederick, Monna Kreher and Kathy Thomas

Cook – Anne Mulholland

Table Parents – Gregg Lunde and all teachers.

Wednesday and Sunday

Registration Table

Location – Inside Fellowship Hall by back entrance

Students will check in on arrival

Students will be encouraged to enter through the Fellowship Hall entrance to the

building.

Students will check out as they leave – Once they are checked out - they must leave the

building.

We’ll collect cellphones and iPods at registration table.

2009-2010 Proposed Calendar

August 28 and 29 – Kernals Clean-up 9:30pm

October 30 – Lock-in – Guys at church – Girls at Kathy’s

November 6 and 7 – Ambassadors’ Rally for H.S. at Ozark Christian College

November 19-21 – National Missionary Convention (Family Event – Not a Youth Event)

Youth wanting to go but family not going - possibly be adopted by another family

going.

February 13 – SDDA – Spaghetti Dinner, Talent Show and Dessert Auction

February 26-March 1 National Youth Minister’s Conference in Chicago

March 5-6 – CIY Believe for Middle School in St. Louis

April ? Urban Plunge in Omaha

Summer 2010

Middle School Mission Trip to Kansas

High School Mission Trip to Mexico

Next Ministry Meeting October 10, 2009 9:00am to 11:00am

Fall 2009 Senior High lesson planning

We're Back!!

CIY was amazing! I'll post an extended recap tomorrow!