Alvin Lau

20 03, 2023

CE-DR 2023: a reflection

By Alvin|2023-03-20T00:52:24-04:00March 20th, 2023|Alvin Lau, DR 2023|0 Comments

Our 8 days in the Dominican Republic culminated in both a series of blessings and challenges. For me (Alvin), this was my second time serving with a team in the Lighthouse Project. Those 8 days consisted of: Morning devotions together on the rooftop of our residence building Delicious meals provided by the Lighthouse staff Building projects in Villa Altagracia specifically with their vocational school and first attention clinic Finishing

14 12, 2022

We Have What it Takes

By Alvin|2022-12-14T22:24:20-05:00December 14th, 2022|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

This article was originally published in the CBOQ Sunday 2022 magazine. What does it take to run a youth ministry? The simple answer is whatever is available at your church. Perhaps you might feel that your church doesn’t have the resources or personnel to run an effective youth ministry. Let’s define an effective youth ministry first. At its very core, the purpose of youth ministry is to pass the truths

25 07, 2022

Avalanche and Blizzard 2023

By Alvin|2022-07-25T08:53:32-04:00July 25th, 2022|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

We are excited to be returning to Muskoka Woods this winter for Avalanche and Blizzard. Many are anticipating this "roadtrip" where faith, life and community intersect. All are invited to join us at Muskoka Woods on January 20-22 or February 10-12. If you're not able to join, we'll also have all our materials available as a DIY retreat where you can host your own retreat (or use whichever elements

13 06, 2022

Roadtrip (2022-23 theme)

By Alvin|2023-01-23T22:38:47-05:00June 13th, 2022|Alvin Lau|1 Comment

In the coming weeks following Avalanche and Blizzard, we'll be adding some special content for our Roadtrip guests. Roadtrip: where faith, life and community intersect “ROAD TRIP!” Many people resonate with those words. It sparks a sense of excitement, adventure and memorable moments. It’s stepping away from the everyday routine. What’s even more fun is when we get to meet someone we’ve anticipated seeing on the other end,

8 06, 2022

2022 Survey

By Alvin|2022-06-13T00:31:16-04:00June 8th, 2022|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

After an unusual two years, we're looking to better understand what's happening in your youth ministry, and how we can better support you. We'd appreciate you taking about 10-15 min to complete the survey below by July 31. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Alvin. Fill out my online form.

10 01, 2022

“Share Your Story” Contest

By Alvin|2022-01-10T19:24:50-05:00January 10th, 2022|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Youth workers, especially volunteers, are a vital component in the faith formation of youth. Many give countless hours (if not years) of heartfelt service to ministry, and their service impacts lives. We want to honour those volunteer youth workers through your stories. HERE’S OUR CHALLENGE: TELL US A STORY OF HOW A VOLUNTEER YOUTH WORKER IN YOUR CHURCH HAS MADE AN IMPACT WITH YOUTH. Be as specific with your

6 12, 2021

Maximizing Ministry changes

By Alvin|2021-12-03T11:31:56-05:00December 6th, 2021|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Last September we launched Maximizing Ministry. Our intention was to host a monthly gathering to look at some key youth ministry issues. While we still want to provide those kinds of opportunities, we realized our ability to maintain monthly Max Min gatherings is not sustainable. Instead, as we move forward, we will host these discussion gatherings as key topics arise. We invite you to share your topics of interest for

23 10, 2021

What’s Happening March Break 2022?

By Alvin|2021-10-23T19:55:20-04:00October 23rd, 2021|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

Next March break, what will your youth ministry be doing? While you may still be readjusting to what on-site programming looks like now or navigating other parts of youth ministry, it’s a good time to begin discerning what could be happening a few months from now. For many youth ministries, March break is an opportunity to serve beyond what their group normally does. At this point, an overseas Compassion Experience

8 04, 2021

Your Input with Reopening (and Beyond)

By Alvin|2021-04-08T22:15:31-04:00April 8th, 2021|Alvin Lau|0 Comments

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, our churches/youth ministries continue to evaluate and adapt what their physical location reopening and longer-term structure look like. Our intention is to gather both ideas and questions from youth leaders and synthesize it into a PDF document that will be released on June 10. We are asking for 3 questions: What are your short-term plans (i.e. within the next 6 months)? What are

23 01, 2021

(My) First Steps into Esports

By Alvin|2021-01-23T22:08:00-05:00January 23rd, 2021|Alvin Lau|2 Comments

As the pandemic continues, many of our youth are engulfed in gaming both as players and spectators. Esports (which is a competition using video games usually with spectators) has grown into its own industry. According to Business Insider, it will likely surpass $1B in revenue this year. As one person who’s immersed in the esports world, I see this as a digital mission field. Some youth leaders are more familiar with esports; some may already be involved in it. Here are some suggested