Alvin, Author at CBOQ Youth

4 05, 2020

Student Leaders in Existing and New Places

By Alvin|2020-05-01T17:10:10-04:00May 4th, 2020|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

Students in the church have a unique opportunity right now. They have access to their peer groups that youth leaders don’t have (and shouldn’t have). Many are creative and out-of-the-box thinkers (because many “don’t know better”). And, best of all, many of these students have shown their ministry opportunity isn’t in the future, it’s now. First of all, we’re referring to youth who are taking leadership in a particular ministry, not necessarily within your youth program. Some of these

17 04, 2020

Ways to Check In with your Youth

By Alvin|2020-04-17T22:22:13-04:00April 17th, 2020|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

By now, your youth have likely settled into some kind of pattern. The immediate crisis of figuring out “what do we do now?” has subsided. Here are some ways and considerations on how you can continue to check in with your youth both as a group and individually. Some questions you can be asking: When you’re on a chat with youth, ask a rating question e.g. “On a scale between 1-5, how anxious are you feeling right now?”, and ask them to show their rating by

3 04, 2020

Navigating the Next Few Weeks

By Alvin|2020-04-03T15:00:22-04:00April 3rd, 2020|Alvin Lau, best practices|0 Comments

Things keep changing in light of COVID-19. Since March break, youth leaders have been triaging the situation while trying to maintain relational connections with students individually and collectively. What we originally thought would be 3 weeks off is turning into months (at least two since this started) and who knows? Things will look differenteven beyond that. So how do you support your youth at this time? SCHOOL AT HOME There will need to be a resetting of boundaries and expectations, especially with schools initiating more formal online platforms. The average amount of

29 03, 2020

The Great “Reset”: making the most of the situation

By Alvin|2020-03-29T03:21:45-04:00March 29th, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

It’s been two weeks since students have been in their classrooms. Many have spent a LOT of time at home (likely a considerable amount in their rooms). Some go to their default past-time (whether it’s gaming, Netflix binging, Tik Tok videos to name a few), others complain of being bored (despite not being willing to do anything). There is a better way for students to use their time, and for you to encourage your youth in the process. Before we start, a couple of considerations: A person doesn’t need to tackle all 5 areas. Some may overlap. If any

28 03, 2020

5 Tips For Tech in Ministry

By Alvin|2020-03-27T11:41:20-04:00March 28th, 2020|Alvin Lau, best practices|0 Comments

In the past couple weeks, many churches have started using technology (especially streaming and video conferencing) to meet and connect with one another. As this form of connection becomes more familiar to us, here are some tips, ideas and considerations moving forward. DIFFERENT TOOLS FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES No one tool will work for everyone, and different tools serve different purposes. Many churches are streaming their services through Facebook Live or YouTube Live. Zoom is the choice for many who need a group discussion setting. Instagram chats,

27 03, 2020

Helping Essential Service Workers

By Alvin|2020-03-29T17:32:36-04:00March 27th, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Families that include those who have to go to work (whose jobs are deemed essential services), face a dilemma. Who will care for their children? At the time of this posting, based on the list provided by the Ontario government, individuals may be able to provide home childcare services for fewer than 6 children. Could our members (including youth) help those in their neighbourhoods by providing childcare? A few days ago, CBOQ Kids developed a virtual day camp template. It includes ideas for

23 03, 2020

COVID-19: a few days later

By Alvin|2020-03-23T08:35:33-04:00March 23rd, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Yesterday, almost all churches have gone to some kind of digital gathering. In the last 1-1.5 weeks, youth leaders are figuring out what's their best approach in light of social distancing (some have suggested using the term "physical distancing" instead). Some observations I've (Alvin) made (without any too conclusive): The way we approach ministry is shifting dramatically (obvious statement). It's pushed us to lean on more networks of support. I've

18 03, 2020

Prayer Conference Calls

By Alvin|2020-03-19T10:50:25-04:00March 18th, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

While youth ministries are adjusting to the temporary reality influenced by COVID-19, we are gathering to pray (virtually) on Mondays at 7:00 pm, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and Fridays at 10:30 am until April 9, 2020. To join, dial in with a number listed at https://www.fongo.com/conference-calling/. Use our CBOQ Youth office # as the pin: 4166202946. Feel free to invite any youth leader, children's ministry leader, next generation leader (or

14 03, 2020

CBOQ Kid’s Virtual Day Camp

By Alvin|2020-03-14T20:46:42-04:00March 14th, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

With the extended school closure, what will your youth (and the kids in your church and neighbourhood) be doing? While some parents/guardians are able to take that time off (or may be self-isolating as well), others may not have that option. They may be turning to your youth to supervise/babysit those kids. CBOQ Kids has just released a virtual day camp as a resource for your youth (and parents) to

7 03, 2020

Post-Secondary Considerations

By Alvin|2020-03-07T14:41:06-05:00March 7th, 2020|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Do you have students about to graduate high school this June? What are their next steps? Here are some considerations and options in helping them make their next move. If they’re heading to school in another city, plan a visit to their prospective campus. If you as the youth leader can’t accompany them, encourage the students to visit campus with their parents/guardians. If you have students heading to Ontario universities

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