On September 29, the youth group at Living Water Community Church in Thorold hosted their first kickoff event. Here's what Rylan Kamerman (youth pastor) shared: Our Kickoff was a huge success! We had about 13 youth including 2 new ones. We had pizza, played some games and talked about John 3:16 and I encouraged them that this year I want us to "Think" & "Engage" in our faith. We
We are excited to have Jaimie join our Next Gen team as our administrative assistant! Jaimie Wiebe loves to travel, meet new people and to serve Jesus. In her free time she enjoys board games, canoeing and sewing. She is a recent graduate of Emmanuel Bible College, and recently married to Shawn. Email Jaimie
Another Assembly has passed. Over 500 of our family members visited, shared, inspired and challenged each other. By all accounts, it's good to be with family. Dr. Anna Robbins expanded on the theme "Open Doors" (a more thorough summary will be on the CBOQ website). Matt Wilkinson elaborated on the findings from the CB Youth Forum. We had over 30 people hanging out at Chop Steakhouse (even some senior pastors
The team arrived safely at the Lighthouse. They currently don't have WiFi, so Peter Schultz (team leader) texted this update: No problems in transit other than a 3-hour delay in the Miami-DR flight... but we got free sandwiches ... sooooo. Then we took the new bus to the compound where we ate food and got organized for tomorrow. Youth loved the food and pool. Peace.
Accessibility for those with physical, mental or other exceptionalities is becoming a higher priority in the church. While we are not experts in the field, we continue to look for and find ways to accommodate individuals who require some additional assistance. Some thoughts to consider: Do you know what exceptionalities exist in your group? Sometimes they are obvious; other times it may take some investigating. As parents, my wife and
I once heard someone remark, "If you really want to get a lot of students to come to your youth group, just bring in a keg of beer." While his comments may be satirical about how some churches overvalue numbers as a marker for success, it does ask a vital question: What is it that separates a youth group from any other youth gathering? All around us, there are seemingly
“Divine Interruptions.” Several people (from John Ortberg to Rachel Held Evans) have elaborated on this concept . We’re aware of their existence, but how do divine interruptions intersect with social media and our digital lives? First, I offer a working definition of a divine interruption: a moment that shifts you from your expected or routine state toward  a God-intended purpose. These are unexpected moments, during which we might step back
Last weekend, almost 400 jr. highs, leaders and staff set out on a road trip to Muskoka Woods for our first in-person retreat since 2020. There was snow, food and so many memories made. We even had a travelling suitcase where our MCs, team captains and Karra emerged from to join our plenary sessions in the Hangar. We had several people comment, "It's good to be back together for
Many youth continue to look for ways to make a difference with their life. As the church that is invested in the lives of these young people, we desire to see them deepen their faith and develop the gifts and skills God’s entrusted to them. We care about their faith development. One key question is: what could be a next step for them? In what area do they need help to stretch and grow as disciples of Christ? There are many ways your church can help facilitate next steps. It could be partnering youth (individually
In the past couple weeks, many churches have started using technology (especially streaming and video conferencing) to meet and connect with one another. As this form of connection becomes more familiar to us, here are some tips, ideas and considerations moving forward.  DIFFERENT TOOLS FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES No one tool will work for everyone, and different tools serve different purposes. Many churches are streaming their services through Facebook Live or YouTube Live. Zoom is the choice for many who need a group discussion setting. Instagram chats,
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