Alvin Lau

3 04, 2014

Training (yourself and your team) Ahead

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:19-04:00April 3rd, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.” ― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are The fact is, if you don't train, you don't transform. If you're not continuing to learn and stretch, then don't expect positive change. Ensuring that you and your team have on-going learning opportunities is key to sharpening their ministry skills and moving the

26 03, 2014

How effective is your ministry today?

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:19-04:00March 26th, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

Evaluation and feedback are key in helping to see if a ministry is continuing the direction God has given. Regular feedback (whether informal or in a more structured approach) helps to give a "pulse" of where things are at. Every couple of years, it's worthwhile doing an audit of your ministry. The purpose of an audit is to give an accurate snapshot of where things are at. It takes your

18 03, 2014

What makes an effective internship?

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:19-04:00March 18th, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

Internships. There are many connotations of what an internship is. Lately, the discussion includes the use (or abuse) of unpaid internships (see the Toronto Star article from March 2, 2014). Some people see internships as cheap (or free) labour. Others see internships no different than another paid position. What exactly makes an effective internship? Internships in a ministry context (like youth ministry) are meant to provide a space for the

14 03, 2014

Final Stretch

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:19-04:00March 14th, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

After March break, the final stretch to this ministry year is just on the horizon. It is crucial to finish well. If you haven't already, here are some areas to ensure you're covering in this final stretch: Plan a celebration when the ministry year concludes with students and the church (this could include a special Sunday service in June) Help your graduating high school students transition into their new life

9 03, 2014

Centre Court: the aim of pre-evangelism

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:22-04:00March 9th, 2014|Alvin Lau, event recap|0 Comments

Last Friday, over 760 students and leaders from 26 churches came to witness the Toronto Raptors beat the Sacramento Kings. The bigger highlight came after the game where everyone came to courtside for some giveaways (who doesn't like free stuff), some on-court contests, and testimonies by John Salmons (shooting guard for the Raptors) and two students from First Baptist Church in Toronto, all hosted by Herbie Kuhn, voice of the

26 02, 2014

Heading into March Break

By Alvin|2014-02-26T00:48:14-05:00February 26th, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

March break next week marks the unofficial last quarter of the ministry year. For many ministries, this is an opportunity to build momentum in a youth ministry towards the last stretch as they find ways to grow deeper as a community, and many times also find ways to better serve their community. Some possibilities include: short-term mission trip (whether it's overseas or right next door) a day camp for kids

19 02, 2014

The Story of "Annie", FBC-Here and Camp Whoknowswhere

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:23-04:00February 19th, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

Let's imagine a story about a student named Annie who's 16 years old in a church (let's call it FBC-Here) with about 80 people, some kids and 2-3 other students in high school. She went to Camp Whoknowswhere for a few summers as a child and loved the experience. As she's growing in her faith, she's exploring how she could serve God. Her church, always looking for personnel help, encourages

12 02, 2014

From the Mountaintop to the Valley

By Alvin|2014-02-12T03:52:47-05:00February 12th, 2014|Alvin Lau, event recap|0 Comments

Tube run at Muskoka Woods Another season of winter retreats have come and gone. This last weekend saw almost 400 students and leaders gather at Muskoka Woods in cold temperatures and lots of snow. God moved in ways that could never be programmed. Many students publicly demonstrated their desire to follow Jesus. We even had stories of how one student shared about Jesus to another while walking up

4 02, 2014

When things DO go according to plan

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:23-04:00February 4th, 2014|Alvin Lau, event recap|0 Comments

At Blizzard 1 this past weekend, when people asked me (Alvin) how I felt the weekend was going, my response was, "Too smoothly." Yes, there were some minute glitches here and there, but generally speaking, things went according to plan. All our churches arrived by 10:00pm. All the waivers were signed properly (I can't remember if that's ever happened in the last 38 Avalanches and Blizzards). We were on schedule.

23 01, 2014

But there is still room …

By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:23-04:00January 23rd, 2014|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|0 Comments

One of my favourite verses is Luke 14:22. In this passage, Jesus shares a parable of who's invited to God's banquet table. His audience, the Pharisees, believed they were part of the "in" crowd who got to be around the banquet table. However, in this parable, the owner ends up sending his servants to invite those on the streets to attend. Then comes v. 22, where the servant says to