Are you ready for another ministry year? Chances are, you’re preparing for that first kick-off event of the year (or maybe you’ve already done it). As you putting on the finishing touches, a few reminders to make this kick-off an effective one: Be mindful of the first impression. That first impression, especially for first-ever visitors, will leave a lingering memory (positive or negative) with your students (and their parents). This
There’s a scene in the movie “National Treasure” where three characters who are all looking for treasure view a map. With it are spectacles with different coloured filters. Each filter reveals a different clue on the map (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqVxaRiekac). Like those spectacles, we reveal different parts of ourselves in different filters...in different lights. How do you define yourself? Is it based on your role like “student” or “only child.” Is it
While we have always seen mentoring as an important part of our faith, its value is especially highlighted by the statistics released in the “Hemorrhaging Faith” document. We were surprised to note that one of the most common times for youth to disengage from faith is during the transition into their Jr High years. I really had to mull this one over, but it does make sense. One contributing factor
Last Saturday, we had high school grads, upper year students and campus staff from 18 schools across Ontario at Wycliffe College. Our goal: to connect the class of 2019 to future "older siblings" going to the same campus in September. Grads had an opportunity to connect personally with those upper year students. They asked questions, gained the inside 411 about their specific campus. Parents had their own track to better
You’ve got a few more weeks of youth group left before the summer season comes. For some of you, the summer brings rest and a break. Others of you switch into another gear. Either way, it’s important to plan long before September comes. Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? You may be asking, “Why am I already planning next year?” A few reasons: It gives you and
As I was studying and reflecting on Immanuel Baptist Church and the surrounding community of Finch and Don Mills, I became aware of the need for youth to be mentored. I am passionate about mentoring, and having experienced the significance of it personally, I felt and noticed the longing of youth to have someone who would truly care, love, encourage, invest and pour into them. As part of my masters
In Spring 2018, the Athens Ministerial and the local congregations of Athens began offering the Alpha Youth course at Athens Baptist Church to the students of Athens District High School (ADHS). The school is a 7-12 school with two different lunch periods: one for grade 7 & 8 students; the other for grade 9-12 students. Rev. Daniel Zylstra and Rev. Bruce Demitroff arranged the program with Matt Ferguson, a Youth
For the last couple of decades, the church has been asking: How do we minister to young adults? Many people have ideas, but few are sustainable. Scott Pontier and Mark DeVries offers some insights in their book Reimagining Young Adult Ministry. (https://www.amazon.ca/Reimagining-Young-Adult-Ministry-Guidebook/dp/0998806404) Pontier and DeVries guide a conversation focused on what young adults are looking for and how the church can meet them where they are. The authors draw on
The ministry year is less than 2 months from finishing; youth ministries are making the final stretch and are starting to wrap things up. One key opportunity we urge you to take is to thank your volunteers. Here are some suggestions. It’s Not One-Size-Fits-All In a previous blog post, we noted that different people receive appreciation differently. That being the case, now’s a great time to find ways to
As Baptists, we place a high value on the autonomy of the local church. It’s crucial for local congregation’s to discern God’s direction in their specific context. But we also realize we are part of a larger (Baptist) family and thrive in larger community. ASSOCIATIONS Almost all of our CBOQ churches belong to a regional association. Association gatherings enable churches who are geographically closer together to support one another
