January 2009 New Town UMC Youth Ministry Volunteer Newsletter
How to Find Students Passions By
Steve Blanchard (Source http://www.youthministryideas.net/)
For the first part of working with one youth group, I was having a hard time finding out what the youth were interested in and what their passions are. They were junior high age so I found this task a little more difficult. There were days I thought all they were worried about was what big dance was happening at school or their extra-curricular activities. I found several ways to help over come this. 1. Come up with a list at one of your meetings. If you think your group will be really open about this, then it works out great! My group was more open than I thought. When I gave them examples of things I was passion about it was good starting point for them. They came up with a huge list of things that they thought were important. It was any where from wanting to do more for the church to things like cancer. 2. Use a survey type of situation. Have them write down things they enjoy doing, causes they care about, topics they want to know more about, etc. If your group tends to be shy about things or you’re trying to find out about them, this maybe a good way to go about it. 3. The internet. Facebook is amazing for this. You can create an account and find out a lot about your youth and keep up with them all at the same time. You can get them information. You can create groups or send out messages. Beyond all of that, you can find what they think is important in life. There are several “applications” that you can look for that will make it really obvious what they are passionate about. I have the ribbons application and another called Causes. I’m sure that there are several more applications similar to that. By finding out what they are interested in, you can tailor lessons according to their interests. One thing that we ended up doing was buying the daffodils from the American Cancer society and taking them various people at our church or those they knew who were going through difficult times. One gentleman was suffering from cancer and another woman was suffering from other health problems. It was awesome to see how they came up with these things and wanted to help other organizations as well. This definitely helped me out when I was trying to teach them lessons about being good to your neighbors and how that can be done.
Great Questions to Ask Youth The simple fact is the Church is very important to the life of anyone who follows Christ. The question is do youth truly believe that? Here are some questions to find out what youth believe about going to church and if they truly enjoy their experience. 1. Why do you think God gave us the Church and made such a big deal about it? Do you think it is important to go to church on a regular basis? Why or why not? 2. What are the top three things you like about going to church? What are some of things you don't really like about going to church? 3. In the past few weeks, tell me one or two things that you have learned at church? 4. Why do you think some of your friends at school don't attend church? What could our church and our student ministry do to get them to visit our church?
What expectations do youth have about attending church? 45% - To worship or make a connection with God. 42% - To better understand what I believe 34% - To spend time with close friends 34% - To get encouraged or inspired 30% - To volunteer to help others. What do youth learn from their experiences in church? (top four answers) 65% 62% 55% 50%
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Moral and ethical standards Relationships Faith traditions Personal evangelism
(barna.org)
Verse of the month "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-46 (NIV)
PRAY THAT: 1. Youth will be open to listening to God's voice in giving direction in their life. 2. God will clearly reveal to youth the priorities He wants for them. 3. God would put people in youth’s life to “connect” with at church and to influence them and encourage them to want to be involved in church. 4. You will model for youth what it means to be "connected" in the body of Christ.
Getting Back to Biblical Basics By B. Deckner (Source http://dbeckner.wordpress.com/)
While reading through my curriculum the other day I decided to take only the scripture and read through it with my students without the curriculum questions. We’d read a section and discuss it until they didn’t have anything else to say and then move on to the next section. They ate it up. We were looking at the emotions of the people involved; cheering crowds as Jesus rode in on a donkey, angry priests as Jesus turned over tables, healed the blind and taught. We asked questions about why each reacted the way they did and how we can relate today. It was great. We had two segments of scripture left over. I had them write the scripture reference on their arms so they would remember to finish reading the chapter on their own and dig deeper into the text. About an hour after everybody went home, I got a call from one of my guys asking a question about what he read in the homework assignment. That in itself was awesome - he actually did the homework!!! Woo-Hoo!!! The better reward, however, was discussing the text with him and talking about options of what Jesus could have been trying to communicate. I’m working hard to get my guys to own their faith and not rely on getting all they need from small group. I want them learning, growing and serving outside of small group. It’s so great to see them taking the challenge and opening their eyes. For tonight, I’m stoked that getting back to biblical basics was not only a great way to teach the lesson, but also a great way for them to learn how to interact with the scripture beyond the words and into the scene of the text (emotions, reactions, context, etc.).
This page is designed to inform and educate adults and isn’t meant to endorse any music or movies.
MUSICSPOTLIGHT
Background: SPUR58 was born from the heart of its front-man, Aaron Ivey. Ivey began vocational ministry as a student pastor/worship leader in Houston, Texas. He says, “Leading worship was my job, but I felt like I was supposed to share that outside just one church.” He then recruited the other members, one from his own student ministry, who all had hearts for worship. In 2003, SPUR58 relocated to Murfreesboro, TN, and after considering numerous labels, the group signed with Indelible Creative Group because, “They didn't want to make us into something else; they believed we were already doing what God called us to do.” SPUR58’s heart for leading worship and truly leading others to worship is evident throughout their music. Their debut album, “Sleepwalkers”, is the group’s “hope that people will hear God's call, wake up, and respond with worship through their own real life stories.” (musicfaith.com) Albums: “Sleepwalkers” - 2007
Background: Radiohead was one of the few alternative rock bands of the early 90’s to mimic the “grandiose arena rock that characterized U2’s early albums.” The English group began while students at Oxford University. Their debut came in 1993 when one of their singles became an international hit and left people wondering if they would be a one-hitwonder. Their second album, however, released to rave reviews and they began building a strong fan base. To date, the group has made seven albums and has received multiple accolades including number one debuts on both the US and UK charts while reaching gold album status and several Grammy nominations. In 2007, the group released their seventh album, “In Rainbows” and gave fans a chance to purchase it for whatever they wanted to pay for the album. The release went surprisingly well and was done without the involvement of a record label. (billboard.com) Albums: “In Rainbow” – 2007; “Hail to the Thief” – 2003; “Amnesiac” - 2001
What Parents Should Know: “Aiming to create community among music fans, believers as well as non-believers, SPUR58 shares honest thoughts on worship through a powerful, melodic blend of guitars and piano.” What SPUR58 has to say: "Our heart is leading worship. That's what we love to do and are passionate about, but that doesn't always mean getting people to sing along," Ivey says. Q: What does it mean to lead worship? How can you do that in your daily life?
What Parents Should Know: Radiohead continually uses foul language in interviews. Some of their albums have a negative feel. What Radiohead has to say: Colin Greenwood says, “I don’t think music influences people in a direct-action kind of way, but it does help to shape tastes and perhaps that has a part to play in growing up. If we make people think, then we’ve achieved something.” (uwire.com) Q: Do you agree? Why?
Movie: Paul Blart: Mall Cop (releases January 16th) Rating: PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language. Starring: Kevin James Genre: Comedy Synopsis: A single, suburban dad tries to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. It's a job he takes very seriously, though no one else does. When Santa's helpers at the mall stage a coup, shutting down the megaplex and taking hostages (Paul's daughter and sweetheart among them), Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day. Discussion Questions: Do you ever feel like your just not good enough – sports, music, school? If we look at ourselves through the eyes of the world will we ever be good enough? Does God think you’re good enough? What gifts and talents has God given you to do His work on earth?
JANUARY2009 1
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4 JP Deposits Due for Mission’s Trip
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1 New Years
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9 Adventure Team Trip
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* 5-6th Bible Study * 7-8th Youth Group * 9-12th Youth Group
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10 Adventure Team Trip
* 5-6th Youth Group * 7-8th Bible Study * 9-12th Adventure Team
11 Adventure Team Trip
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* 5-6th Youth Group * 7-8th Bible Study * 9-12th Adventure Team
18 * 5-6th Youth Group * 7-8th Bible Study * 9-12th Adventure Team
25 * 5-6th Youth Group * 7-8th Bible Study * 9-12th Adventure Team
14 * 5-6th Bible Study * 7-8th Youth Group * 9-12th Youth Group
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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21 * 5-6th Bible Study * 7-8th Youth Group * 9-12th Youth Group
28 * 5-6th Bible Study * 7-8th Youth Group * 9-12th Youth Group
Adult Volunteer Gathering - Sunday, February 1st we will have our first of many monthly adult volunteer gatherings. This will take place immediately after the 2nd worship service. Lunch will be provided. We will meet for about 60-90 minutes. Please attend if you are able – for those that are unable we will post important information on the volunteer blog http://newtownyouthvolunteers.blogspot.com/
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to me. I can be reached at matt@newtownumc.org or (757) 258-1072
New Town United Methodist Church 5209 Monticello Ave. Williamsburg, VA 23188 (757) 258-1072 newtownyouth.blogspot.com