Alvin, Author at CBOQ Youth

25 04, 2016

Assembly 2016 Learning Session: Intergenerational Ministries

By Alvin|2016-04-25T00:15:00-04:00April 25th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Many churches are seeking ways to bridge the generations within them. Some methods work; others don't seem to fit well. We're excited to be hosting one of the learning sessions at Assembly where we'll be exploring intergenerational ministries outside the Sunday service context. The learning session is feature four panelists: Gene Tempelmeyer (lead pastor at Spring Garden Church) Freddy Lam (youth pastor at Markham Chinese Baptist Church) Tanya Yuen (children

18 04, 2016

Behind the Scenes: an event budget

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00April 18th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Avalanche and Blizzard are two flagship events at CBOQ Youth. Before we finished the 2016 event, we had already started planning for 2017. Part of that includes how we set our budget. While we won’t get into the dollar figures, there are some key elements to consider in any event budget: Venue: Check with the facility to ensure you understand the costs involved (e.g. space rental, food, insurance, etc.). You

26 02, 2016

Lessons from the Move

By Alvin|2016-03-17T16:32:49-04:00February 26th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Today, the CBOQ staff settles into our new work home. Moving to 5 International Blvd brings an exciting sense of a fresh start. But, as with any change, there are a few things to keep in mind. Very rarely will it go according to the original plan. No matter how many times you’ve moved and no matter how meticulous you are in preparations, there are always unforeseen details that impact

24 02, 2016

Today's Teens Conference: review

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00February 24th, 2016|Alvin Lau, event recap|0 Comments

Last Saturday, over 1300 students and leaders gathered at the Meeting House for the 32nd edition of the Today's Teens Conference. The key speakers featured Dr. Chap Clark for youth leaders and Dr. Dave Overholt for students. They posed one key question: Are you all in for Jesus? With the help of an army of volunteers and over 25 workshop speakers (including Tim McCoy, Karra Overholt and Sam Lee), students

11 02, 2016

Lessons from Blizzard 2016

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00February 11th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Two weekends ago, we hosted our latest Blizzard retreat and with 772 guests plus 61 staff, we had Muskoka Woods busting at the seams! Even so, one of the most common responses to the weekend was, “With so many people, it ran so smoothly!” It was great. Even great events require debriefing, however. Here are the lessons applied and lessons learned from this weekend. LESSONS APPLIED Communicate any potential

8 02, 2016

Blizzard 2016 – review

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00February 8th, 2016|Alvin Lau, event recap|2 Comments

What happens when almost 840 people converge onto Muskoka Woods? You have the BIGGEST BLIZZARD EVER! While there was a mixture of excitement and anxieties heading into this, God had his plans already in mind. With Mike Gordon as our speaker and Life Support leading worship, we explored that foundational question we all wrestle with: Who am I? More importantly, who does God say I am? Mike used the story

28 01, 2016

Developing Your Volunteers

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00January 28th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Continuing education is vital for people in all walks of life, and this includes those involved in youth ministry. While paid staff are more intentionally encouraged to pursue professional development, it's also important to recognize the need for volunteers who give their time and energy for this call to also have opportunities for professional growth. Professional growth and development comes in various forms, such as conferences, workshops, podcasts, books, and

23 01, 2016

Case Study: An Avalanche Power Outage

By Alvin|2016-01-23T09:53:10-05:00January 23rd, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

For the first time in our winter retreat history, we had a power outage that wasn’t just isolated to Muskoka Woods but affected about 10,000 people in the Muskoka area. With guests waking up to no power, texts started to fly my way. So our team went into action. We had a lot of decisions to make in a short period of time. Here are some of the steps we

18 01, 2016

Avalanche 2016: review

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:14-04:00January 18th, 2016|Alvin Lau, event recap|0 Comments

Avalanche turned 16 years old this year. Yet there has never been an Avalanche like this one before. With 547 guests and our retreat staff, we looked to discover who we are, asking God to reveal our identity. Avalanche began like many others before it, with a session of worship and some initial thoughts from our speakers Laura Bronson and Tim Teakle. But then, at 3am, all the power went

11 01, 2016

Catalyst Events Overcome the Winter Blahs

By Alvin|2016-01-11T08:41:32-05:00January 11th, 2016|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

With the Christmas holidays over and the cold weather starting to settle in, many of us experience the winter blahs. Many youth ministries find that January till March Break is one of the hardest stretches. How do you navigate the winter blahs? It’s important to have some kind of catalyst to help catapult your ministry through these weeks. While a youth ministry shouldn’t be solely dependent on events, having experiences

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