Updates.

Hey Leaders...

I haven't wrote in a while but I have a few things that have been on my mind since last night.

It seems like we have been wrestling with whether or not to have a Christmas function for the youth group and at this present time it may not be the best idea. Obviously this is subject to change although we don't really have a lot of time to figure something out. If anyone has an idea for something small in December... then please make it known. I would suggest that we get together at least once in December as youth leaders and discuss the future. Perhaps we take December to really pull together our youth room and to get things prepped for January and beyond.

Now here is the heart of why I am writing this...

Last night after youth group I spent a few minutes putting together dates for next year. I'm planning for us to get together twice a month seeing that once a month has not been cutting it. Although subject to change I pulled 24 dates together for next year (which I will post here in the near future) If we're even contemplating going to Spring Hill the only weekend available that supports SH and JH is 2/12-2/14. (More on that later) Everyone is invited to go but the minimal that we need for youth leaders is 1 youth leader for every 5 kids.

With the new building we have new opportunity to really reach the youth. I'd be weary of utilizing this past 6 months as evidence for how things are going. I have been researching different issues that occur within youth groups and one of the main things that is proposed to youth leaders is to be patient. In almost everything I have read it is mentioned that youth ministry attendance typical goes up and down especially early on. Let's stay confident, and truly get behind the future of this! When it's mentioned that we'll try to do Spring Hill in the future, we need to all get behind it and get excited even if it's in front of just Corbin and Noah.

In reading about different youth groups and connecting with different youth leaders I have realized that many are seeing the death of the way youth group used to be done and how it will be done in the future. For the most part we still connect quite often with the way of the old and need to get organized and be encouraged about the future of our youth program! For the most part... the old is signified by odd little games that kids don't necessarily want to play, songs being played that they necessarily don't want to sing and awkward forced discussions that they don't want to converse about. Yet teens DO WANT authentic relationships, they want someone who will genuinely listen to them and they want the truth. These three things are most often overlooked, for years youth group has been watered down church where simple principles are taught that don't hold up under the heavy weight of the teenagers life. It's been proven that kids want to learn, and if there to encounter the world outside and grow up and be able to defend the truth... then they must be taught. Just look at the devoted nature of those who practice Judaism whereas kids who are younger than our teens have portions of the OT memorized!

I have no doubts behind the future of this program but we have to get behind it with drive and ambition. In the future I will try to connect with area bands and with our get togethers attempt to have live music, games, worship, teaching and discussion. I may only be speaking for myself here but I hope that this resonates with everyone (as your all youth leaders!) but I have a hunger for the truth, in my own personal faith journey I'm becoming increasingly sin sensitive and every time I meet with these kids I just want to tell them how much Jesus loves them and invite them to partake in what God has for them. Every time we get together I just want to preach the Gospel to our group... I truly hope this resonates with you. The window of opportunity is continuously shrinking day by day.

In the future are we looking to utilize the social networking device that Zac created? Facebook? or this blog? I believe this blog serves as private means of communication and that either we should use the facebook site or the social networking device. If we want to utilize both that's fine, I just figured that teens are more likely to visit a page that exists on a platform that they are already using. Although the social networking site looks to be useful as well. Let's just come to a conclusion here in the future.

Stay tuned... I'm going to put together some topics of conversation for the near future for everyone to review here.

Thanks!
- Lance