Blog posts from Alvin
Parents play a vital role in the faith development of a child. We all recognize that. Whether or not those parents are Christians, they are key influencers and we need to both recognize and support that. So how do you communicate to parents? With any communication strategy, it’s essential to figure out how people receive communication. You need to understand how parents best receive information. Some are good with large
Sometimes we realize how deep our souls really are; most of the time we don’t. Yet it’s in the depths that we discover some key truths God has implanted in us. This year’s youth pastor’s retreat attempted to dig down deep into the souls of 15 youth leaders (including 1 senior pastor) at Camp Kwasind. Time and space was set aside for such exploration. Our retreat began with a night
What does a (healthy) family reunion look like? Next week, a group of our youth pastors will spend 40 hours at Camp Kwasind for our annual youth pastors retreat. Granted, not all family reunions are events we look forward to, but this is one you will enjoy and remember. For me, YPR (aka our youth pastor family reunion) looks like this: times of deep laughter establishing old and new friendships
You likely have a group of students whom you’re trying to develop in their faith and leadership skills. They may even be involved in other ministries in your church or volunteering in the community. But how do they piece all those parts together? Here are some suggestions for helping that student make sense of all they’re experiencing. Do they have someone (or group of people) who they can bring all
For many youth ministries, the kick-off over the last two weeks exudes energy and excitement, but as students and leaders start to settle down that excitement won’t last. So how do you support students and leaders into the “meat” of the ministry season? How do you make sure your leaders are cared for? Sometimes (I’m guilty of this many times) as leaders, we focus so heavily on the program and
Over the next couple of weeks, youth groups all over Quebec and Ontario begin another season of ministry. Some old friends return; and new ones join in. In the midst of the kick off, be sure to celebrate! Celebrate the past. Review what God has done both in the group and in each student through the summer. Consider posting t some pictures or have a running slideshow as students enter.
Can you believe that Labour Day is only two weeks away? For some of you have been able to slow down the last few weeks. Others have been on the go at a high gear. So before the “new year” starts after Labour Day, take a look at the following (not completely exhaustive) checklist for your consideration: Have you taken time to rest and breathe, even for at least one
For 10 days, three churches converged in Montreal to serve.. They started as strangers and became friends under the name of Jesus. From July 23 to August 1, FBC-Welland and FBC-Dunnville joined Montreal Chinese Baptist Church in the heart of Montreal. Their first weekend began with some training and team bonding. (Welland and Dunnville soon discovered that MCBC was an epic location for Manhunt plus a Poke stop was right
A couple weeks ago, I spoke at Camp Kwasind for their week, 1 camp. While I was responsible for two messages a day, I had time in between. At first, I would take my laptop to the deck, sit in a Muskoka chair and work away, but, internet access isn't the strongest there. I had to make a choice. I could work, waiting impatiently for files to open and to
The last three months have been a big push of deadlines, from the CB Youth and Family Forum to the re-release of Faith Formation 2.0 to the launch of our new theme and ministry resource guide and the soon-to-be-released 2016/17 Rerooted curriculum. As these deadlines pass, more are coming, but with a change of pace. For me (Alvin), the next few weeks will be filled with speaking engagements (including Week
