The Christmas season is usually full of energy (perhaps a feeling of hurriedness). We celebrate the birth of Christ on earth with gusto. But we need to sometimes step back. In Luke 2, there are two instances the Bible tells us where Mary stepped back and “treasured these things in her heart.” Once was after the shepherd’s exclamation (Luke 2:19) and the other happened several years later when Jesus stayed
Can you believe Christmas is only 27 days away? The advent season has begun. What will make it unique for you and/or your youth ministry this year? Here are some thoughts: What “out of the routine” adaptation can you make? Sometimes we get so used to tradition/routine that we miss the essence of Christmas. Try varying what you do, for example if you always serve at a soup kitchen, try
Last week, our Canadian Baptist Youth and Family team met together. This semi-annual gathering allows us to pray and discuss what opportunities might be available for us nationally. CB Youth & Family team exists to advocate for and make possible national and global synergies in the areas of youth, family and young adult ministry. In order to achieve this, there are four objectives: Make possible both national and global youth and
“Divine Interruptions.” Several people (from John Ortberg to Rachel Held Evans) have elaborated on this concept . We’re aware of their existence, but how do divine interruptions intersect with social media and our digital lives? First, I offer a working definition of a divine interruption: a moment that shifts you from your expected or routine state toward a God-intended purpose. These are unexpected moments, during which we might step back
We all have different tools to help us organize and manage our ministry tasks and projects. Here are some that CBOQ Youth (Alvin) uses. Wrike: This is our primary project management system. We keep all the various responsibilities for all our projects, including events, together. It helpfully allows you to assign various tasks to other people as collaborators (who may not be Wrike users) through their email. They can update
“Life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.” (Ferris Bueller) There are moments to remember in youth ministry, especially those that happen later on in the year. Here are some suggestions. Have a prayer board. You can outline the parameters that are needed to ensure appropriate materials are posted. But post both praise items and prayer requests (and
The Christian church has always wrestled with how to engage with the culture that surrounds it. Halloween is a prime example.How does your church approach Halloween?. How might you approach next Monday? In many ways, this is a cross-cultural moment. While there are many parts of Halloween that I (Alvin) don’t endorse, there are some redemptive elements in it. There are ways to engage the community without giving up one’s
Parents play a vital role in the faith development of a child. We all recognize that. Whether or not those parents are Christians, they are key influencers and we need to both recognize and support that. So how do you communicate to parents? With any communication strategy, it’s essential to figure out how people receive communication. You need to understand how parents best receive information. Some are good with large
Sometimes we realize how deep our souls really are; most of the time we don’t. Yet it’s in the depths that we discover some key truths God has implanted in us. This year’s youth pastor’s retreat attempted to dig down deep into the souls of 15 youth leaders (including 1 senior pastor) at Camp Kwasind. Time and space was set aside for such exploration. Our retreat began with a night
What does a (healthy) family reunion look like? Next week, a group of our youth pastors will spend 40 hours at Camp Kwasind for our annual youth pastors retreat. Granted, not all family reunions are events we look forward to, but this is one you will enjoy and remember. For me, YPR (aka our youth pastor family reunion) looks like this: times of deep laughter establishing old and new friendships
