Blog

October 2018

How do you reach into your community?

By |2018-10-16T21:09:51-04:00October 22nd, 2018|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|

How do you reach your community with the person and message of Jesus? After all, that’s the primary reason why the church exists: to go and make disciples of all nations. What are ways to do that? There are many ways a church can reach into a community. Here are a few considerations:   Where does the neighbourhood gather? Some communities already have established times when people gather. It could

Renegotiating Faith (part 2)

By |2018-10-12T14:46:08-04:00October 15th, 2018|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|

We continue looking at some observations Renegotiating Faith highlighted its report. (Click here for Part One.) Young adults who went straight into postsecondary studies fared worse on all our measures of religious persistence than those who had taken a gap year. (p.11) I (Alvin) remember that in high school the big push was to graduate and go straight on to university. A gap year was seen as a form of

September 2018

Preparing Your Grads

By |2018-09-27T22:37:39-04:00September 30th, 2018|Alvin Lau|

One month has already passed in this school year. Your high school grads are only nine months away from graduation. How are you supporting them in their transition to emerging adulthood? Renegotiating Faith highlighted that home church youth groups and mentors are key in the successful shift into emerging adulthood. Here is one way for you to help your grads. On June 1, 2019, we along with Power 2 Change,

Big Events in the Rhythm of Youth Ministry

By |2018-09-20T13:40:38-04:00September 20th, 2018|Alvin Lau|

Each year, there are probably one (or a few) big events everyone looks forward to, whether it’s a retreat, a compassion experience, or that annual big-bash Christmas dinner. Those big events can be monumental and life-changing…if they’re used well. One person suggested to me that big events in youth ministry are giant “sledgehammer” moments where there is potential for huge impact in students’ lives. There are a variety of reasons

Renegotiating Faith (part 1)

By |2018-09-13T21:29:34-04:00September 17th, 2018|Alvin Lau|

Last July, a new report called Renegotiating Faith (RF) was launched from a research partnership between Power 2 Change, InterVarsity, Youth for Christ, Truth Matters Ministries, and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Renegotiating Faith looks at the transition from high school to the next stage in life for Canadians age 18 to 28 who had a Christian religious affiliation as a teen and who attended religious services at least monthly

Argos Outreach Proposal Guidelines

By |2018-09-10T10:04:37-04:00September 7th, 2018|Alvin Lau|

      Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) have graciously offered us a limited block of free tickets to distribute to our churches.   The game is on Saturday, October 20, 4:00 pm @ BMO Field.      OBJECTIVE  We are looking for youth ministries to submit a proposal to CBOQ Youth on how they will utilize some of these tickets to engage with the unchurched friends of their students.    HOW DOES THIS

August 2018

Coming Home (2018/19 theme)

By |2018-09-22T19:12:35-04:00August 31st, 2018|Alvin Lau|

People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Luke 13:29 (NIV) For many, home signifies a place of belonging, a place of safety. The church is to be that place for anyone can belong, to return to the one who created us. For anyone who steps into a church, two questions many are asking: Do

June 2018

Assembly 2018 – review

By |2018-06-09T17:11:07-04:00June 9th, 2018|Alvin Lau, event recap|

Another Assembly is done. Our family gathered to worship and fellowship over three days. Among us was the focus on the next generation. While most of the program was similar to previous years, there were some unique elements to this year's Assembly: God's word delivered by Chap Clark and Tim Day. We were led into God's presence by Drew Brown. Assembly approved the motion to change a by-law allowing churches

Transition 101 2018 – review

By |2018-06-03T20:31:09-04:00June 3rd, 2018|Alvin Lau, event recap|

The class of 2018 is about to finish high school. The next few months will be filled with excitement, anxiety and a dash of chaos as many head to college and university. Last Saturday, some of these high school grads connected with upper years heading to the same campus this September. Transition 101 is a collaboration with Ambassadors for Christ, Navigators, Inter Varsity and Power 2 Change. Our objective for

May 2018

Family Reunions

By |2018-05-24T10:17:05-04:00May 24th, 2018|Alvin Lau|

Each family does them differently. Our CBOQ family reunion aka Assembly is no different, but  something special happens every time our family of churches gather together. For me (Alvin), after being part of 17 Assemblies, I am encouraged by these common occurrences: Friends greeting friends, especially if they haven’t seen each other since the last Assembly. There are numerous people I get to see once a year, and it’s a

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