Every year we have a retreat to help bridge the chasm in between the end of eighth grade and the beginning of ninth. We have found over the past several years, those who go on the Freshman Retreat tend to stay instead of disappear. Transitions are worth doing well because it matters that much.
As we re-gather our students and begin a new rhythm for the fall we encourage our adult leaders, specifically those that lead a small group, to welcome, embrace and wrestle with the big questions.
For twenty-seven weeks we have been praying our theology. It started, as some ideas do, with a personal meltdown.
This is the clincher. This is the rule that gives meaning to the previous two in the series. Staying in love with God infuses our refusal to do harm and our commitment to doing good with meaning. Our motivations are not our own. We are, after all, in love.
Do Good. Even more straightforward than do no harm (that we talked about earlier), doing good, is what missions is all about, amiright? Doing good is the action step following the first practice of doing
Doing no harm is harder than it seems. It encompasses many of the practices we tend to take for granted. Most of the time, doing no harm, means closing your mouth, quieting your thoughts, and actively looking for opportunities to listen. All of which are tremendously hard work!
The Call to Holiness: Pursuing the Heart of God For the Love of the World by Dr. Tim Tennent is simply a readable, affordable tool to help answer tough questions that our students and volunteers are asking.
As youth ministers, when we do something that works, it is usually not an accident. Great ministry takes thoughtful foresight. This month as you walk in ministry with your students, parents and volunteers, I encourage you to look up with an eye towards summer missions.
Fundraisers are often seen as one of a few necessary evils in youth ministry, a conflict of interests, if you will. The conflict is simply this: funds are necessary to do the ministry we are called to do, but the raising of these funds feels uncomfortable at best, oppressive at worst. However you may quickly discover that people want to give.
