[icon color=”Accent-Color” size=”large” image=”icon-quote-left”] “[The Apostle Paul’s] missionary work, it appears, must be conceived not simply in terms of a traveling evangelist offering people a new religious experience, but of an ambassador for a king-in-waiting, establishing cells of people loyal to this new king, and ordering their lives according to his story, his symbols, and […]
This morning, Pastor Heath and I hosted an hour-long (turned into an hour and a half) conversation regarding wisdom and the use of technology and parenting. It was enlightening for all of us. Some things were brought up that I had not considered and some things were uncovered that some parents hadn’t considered. Here are […]
Be Present Connect their faith to a community. God created us for community “God created us with a need for community” (Lead Small, Joiner & Shefchunas, p. 25). Adam was alone in the garden and he needed a companion. I know that there are such things as extroverts and introverts, but each needs community. Extroverts […]
I heard it said recently that “problems are opportunities for God to work in your life.” That statement is true, but it seems to limit God working in your life only when you have problems (and you don’t need Him when your life is going well). I can assure you that God is working in […]
You think times have changed?! “It has been said: ‘Young people nowadays love luxury; they have bad manners and contempt for authority. They show disrespect for old people and love silly talk in place of exercise. They no longer stand up when older people enter the room; they contradict their parents, talk constantly in front […]
The story was from Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Pastor Heath told the story and did a message about it. He had two chairs up front, each one depicting the tax collector and Pharisee. One key point was being honest about which one we are like: the Pharisee […]
I recently read through the book “Lead Small” by Reggie Joiner and Tom Shefchunas. They do a great job breaking down the overwhelming task of leading a small group of children or youth into manageable and intentional pieces. Reggie and Tom discuss: Be Present // Connect their faith to a community Create a Safe Place […]
Wednesday Small Group Leaders Mission and Goals // 2013-2014 The goal of hwcYouth is to make disciples of Jesus Christ (of those who are not yet disciples as well as those who think they are disciples). // Matthew 28:18-20 Making disciples is ultimately our goal, but for you as youth leaders, how that is played […]
Wednesday Small Group Leader Involvement Expectations // 2013-2014 Show up on Wednesday nights Every Wednesday evening from 6:15-9:00pm. We are asking small group leaders to be present at 6:15pm to be there earlier than the students so we can be ready for them as a team when we open the doors. Small group leaders can […]
Wednesday Schedule and Guidelines // 2013-2014 6:15pm Doors open, students check-in, then go to one of three locations: Gym Dodgeball or other large group game (Need 1-2 leaders in this room) Main Street Theatre Ping Pong, Carpetball, Air Hockey, Fooseball, Bouldering Wall, and board games (Need 1-2 leaders in this room) Fireside Room High School Students only. […]
In 1848, the Stokes County School had a series of 46 rules for which there were lashes dished out as punishments for various offenses. You can check out the whole list here. For Youth group, we picked the best 20 rules and displayed them one at a time to the students. We showed the infraction, […]
There’s a trend in graphic design called Flat UI (i.e. the new iOS 7). While I am not a trained graphic designer, I do know what looks nice and “trendy.” That doesn’t mean that I can replicate it, but it’s fun to try things out. I wondered if I could apply the flat design with […]
Kidzmatter.com had an idea to curate many different children’s ministry blogs into one place. Kind of like an editor of a newspaper, KidzMatter uses blogger blog posts and articles in syndicated fashion. JeremyMavis.com joined the syndicated party.
“Discipleship” doesn’t always come with religious connotations: “Schools, media, and peers are the ‘disciplers’ of America’s children–discipling them in secular humanism and vague, self-centered spirituality that has nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is no wonder then that, once teens are no longer under their parents’ direct authority, they drop their […]
Sari is getting ready to cheer at Hayward High School football game. She’s ready to go!
“Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by His rules. And family education and order are some of the chief means of grace. If these fail, all other means are likely to prove ineffectual.” Timothy Paul Jones. (2009). Perspectives on Family Ministry: […]
A while back my wife and I had an argument regarding my use of the Internet while at home. In an effort to make peace, I wrote up a list of rules for myself that governs how I use an Internet connected device at home. Working on my online master’s degree has changed this somewhat, […]
I’m currently enrolled in a graduate program through Wesley Seminary. This past week, my assignment was to create a communication tool for families and we had the option to use whatever medium we chose. I made a video. The first 5 minutes or so is setup for why communication is important in general as well […]
Yesterday, a number of families participated in an event we called: Messy Madness. It was an event for the whole family (mainly targeted to families with elementary-aged children). We played: bubble gum art three-legged race in a pair of tight shorts chocolate covered marshmallow drop lick-and-stick lifesavers on faces chocolate covered rubber band fight spray […]
If you can read the graphic below, then you can start to understand our youth ministry strategy for this school year (2013-2014). Now, please don’t go and duplicate this in another context, we created this specifically for Hayward Wesleyan Church and its unique issues and context.