By Alvin|2020-01-22T23:36:20-05:00February 1st, 2020|
Along with CBOQ Kids, we are extending their Raptors 905 Faith and Family event to include a youth outreach component. This is a great opportunity to come watch hopefully-soon-to-be NBA players, then enjoy a post-game program featuring a Raptors 905 player and on-court games. (Think of this as Centre Court, G-League style.) Have your students invite their friends (and their families) for this affordable event! Fill out my online
By Alvin|2019-10-25T14:21:56-04:00October 25th, 2019|best practices|
With October 31 approaching, many kids (and youth) are preparing for Halloween by getting costumes ready. Households are stocking up on treats. Whether or not you choose to participate in Halloween traditions, Halloween can be an opportunity for Christian ministry. Some churches decide to host events such as fall fairs, which can be opportunities to offer safe gathering places for neighbourhood young people. The key for this option isn’t to
By Alvin|2019-03-25T23:43:42-04:00March 25th, 2019|event recap|
While it was a heart-breaking loss with a nearly impossible shot, our post-game program highlighted the different ways Jesus continues to make an impact in people's lives. We were excited to have Jeremy Lin share his testimony and to give a word of encouragement to our guests. Specifically, he highlighted Galatians 6:9 as the verse that he's currently meditating on. (Much of his story was captured on our CBOQ Youth
By Alvin|2018-10-16T21:09:51-04:00October 22nd, 2018|Alvin Lau, youth ministry thoughts|
How do you reach your community with the person and message of Jesus? After all, that’s the primary reason why the church exists: to go and make disciples of all nations. What are ways to do that? There are many ways a church can reach into a community. Here are a few considerations: Where does the neighbourhood gather? Some communities already have established times when people gather. It could
By Alvin|2018-09-10T10:04:37-04:00September 7th, 2018|Alvin Lau|
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) have graciously offered us a limited block of free tickets to distribute to our churches. The game is on Saturday, October 20, 4:00 pm @ BMO Field. OBJECTIVE We are looking for youth ministries to submit a proposal to CBOQ Youth on how they will utilize some of these tickets to engage with the unchurched friends of their students. HOW DOES THIS
By Alvin|2018-03-18T00:38:37-04:00March 19th, 2018|Alvin Lau, event recap|
Last Friday was the 18th Centre Court event I've participated in. And boy, was it a crazy game?! Overtime and a nail biter right to the end. (You can see all the highlights at raptors.com.) For me, it wasn't just a nail biter of a game. We were also pressed for time and our program. Because the arena needed to be converted for the Leafs game on the following night,
By Alvin|2017-05-13T22:27:29-04:00May 15th, 2017|Alvin Lau|
We are exploring the possibility of hosting a youth outreach event with Toronto FC. We'd like your input on whether it'd be worthwhile hosting. The purpose of all our outreach events are twofold: For invited friends to gain a positive impression of Jesus, perhaps for the first time. To connect with the group they were invited with for faith conversations beyond the event. We've been asked to consider the following
By Alvin|2016-01-11T08:41:32-05:00January 11th, 2016|Alvin Lau|
With the Christmas holidays over and the cold weather starting to settle in, many of us experience the winter blahs. Many youth ministries find that January till March Break is one of the hardest stretches. How do you navigate the winter blahs? It’s important to have some kind of catalyst to help catapult your ministry through these weeks. While a youth ministry shouldn’t be solely dependent on events, having experiences
By Alvin|2016-10-31T13:57:15-04:00September 14th, 2015|best practices|
Last April, we invited several youth pastors to a summit to learn from one another and to provide us with feedback about our ministry direction. Part of our day included discussing a series of best practices in six different areas (evangelism, biblical understanding, mentoring/small groups, community impact, leadership development and intergenerational interactions). Over the next few weeks, we’ll release some of the best practice suggestions from the group (with further