Blog posts from Alvin
The excitement of the coming of Jesus can be surreal at times. I can’t imagine what the first Christmas was like, to experience the juxtaposition of a dingy stable where Jesus was born to the grand angelic choir that announced his birth. Luke 2:19 tells us that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Again, after Jesus’ visit to the temple at age 12, v51
We all experience the world through our senses. Some seem to make more sense than others. Physically, we have five senses that help us make sense of the world. Howard Gardner suggests we have at least eight (if not nine) multiple intelligences that help us process the information from those physical senses. Sometimes, in our Christian culture, we tend to focus on select ways in experiencing God. In many settings,
For a lot of grade 12 students, this month begins the turning of the page towards the next chapter in their lives. Many are submitting their applications for admission to colleges and universities. They’re anticipating their high school graduation and whatever adventures they’ll be stepping into in September. What can you as a faith community do to support them in this transition? Here are some suggestions. A Grad Mentor
In our Baptist tradition, we believe that each local church can discern the voice of God and where he is leading them. At the same time, we recognize that we can’t do everything ourselves. In youth ministry, there are moments when it’s best to gather as a local tribe for teaching, fellowship, and to listen for God’s promptings specific to that tribe.. However, there are times when it’s necessary to
Remembering. It’s a discipline God calls his people to. It’s not just the recalling of information, it’s the moments we step back and contemplate the wondrous works God has done. Multiple times in Scripture, we see God establishing some kind of memorial for his people to look back on and remember what God has done. God’s commandments through Moses (Deut. 6:6-9) Joshua at Mount Ebal (Joshua 8:30) Passover (Exodus 12:14)
The person and message of God isn’t meant just for the body of believers; His grace, mercy and justice is meant to transform all of creation, including the communities surrounding a local church. What good is it to hide the light of Christ where no one else can see? At last spring’s Youth Pastors Summit, our group of youth pastors focused on how we can impact our communities through youth
Last week, 20 youth workers gathered at Camp Kwasind for a time of fellowship, inspiration and challenge. We saw some familiar faces and welcomed some new ones. Dale Stairs (Director of the Crandall-Acadia Bachelor of Theology Partnership & Director of Community Practicum) challenged us to consider our own soul care, core elements that need to be incorporated in a youth ministry (like camping and mentoring), and ways to evaluate the
The Scriptures remind us to be grateful for all that God has blessed us with (whether or not we see them as blessings is another story). Psalm 136 reminds us that we can be thankful because God’s love endures forever. As we head towards Thanksgiving this weekend, perhaps you’d like to consider these items as part of your prayers of thanksgiving: God’s love, grace and justice for the family and
“Mentoring” and “intergenerational” have become big buzzwords within the Christian community in the last few years. Research and personal stories reveal a student’s faith is propelled by having a trusted adult (mentoring) and a close peer (small group) walk alongside him or her. It is vital to encourage and nurture these relationships. Here are seven ways to do that. (Some of these can have overlapping objectives and incorporate aspects of
The following is an excerpt from our book Faith Formation 2.0. Traditionally, churches have focused on ministry programs as the primary way of ministering to people. Typically, these ministry programs are geared towards age-specific audiences. It seems to work generally when children are younger. However, as research has shown, as people get older, these ministry programs seem less and less effective. The diagram above demonstrates that a church can still
