Coolers
• Hot Dog Sticks
• Water Bombs / Sponge Balls / Water Guns
• Football
• Flag Football Belts
• Frisbee
• Volleyball & Net
• Kickball & Bases
• Tennis Balls
• Cones
• Yard Games
Totes
As you plan events you will collect needed items to put them on. If you plan on making these annual events then you need to keep these items and store them away in clearly marked totes and have them well organized.
My totes hold the following events:
• Graduation banquet
• Red Hat Dinner
• Fair Parking T-Shirts
• Brown’s Tree Auction
• Candy Easter Egg Supplies
• Sweetheart Dinner
Find a Need and Meet It
Jesus said in Mark 12:31, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (2).
Early in my ministry one of my mentors explained Jesus’ words as simply finding a need and meeting it.
Part of your ministry must be servant-hood. Jesus came as a servant. We are to imitate Jesus; therefore, we are to be servants; thus, we are to find needs and meet them.
Practicum would be teaching our students this and, more importantly, modeling before them how to live daily lives of finding and meeting needs. The fun part of this is the creativity that students can unleash on meeting the needs of those around them.
I live and serve in Ohio, which is obviously a land locked state. However, Hurricane Ike made it to Preble County. Trees were down, power was off, and schools were closed. On Monday and Tuesday my two sons and I spent the days going from church family to church family checking on them and cutting up trees and hauling away the wood and brush.
On Wednesday, instead of holding our regular youth meeting, we put out the word that we would be taking the church vans to Brother and Sister Bush’s to cut up some fallen trees. This was before texting and Face Book, so we had to rely on e-mail and phone calls. I knew we would have fewer students than if we had just had youth group; surprisingly, we still had over twenty students and adults show up. We travelled to the Bush’s house, served them a hot meal, cut and cleared the downed trees, ate fresh-from-the-oven brownies, and ended the evening by having students pray over this dearly loved elderly couple. Ike created the opportunity, and our students met the need.
Stay True to Your Denomination
If your denomination offers ministry events (summer camp, youth convention, sports rally, overnighter . . . ) attend and support them. These events may be on a local, district, state, regional, or national level; regardless of what level they are offered on, attend and support them.
If these events are lacking and you feel that they are not worth attending, and that your students will not benefit from attending, then choose to become a part of the solution to improving the event, and building a better ministry opportunity.
If your denomination does not offer such events, choose carefully which non-denominational events you will attend. Here is my caution: these events come to town, do their ministry, and leave (maybe to return next year). The hazard is that they leave behind no support system for your attending students, or the decisions they may make.
The Church of God Reformation Movement in Ohio has done a good job of creating and sustaining events on the local, district and state levels. Some of these events include Stark County Roller Skating (which includes nine congregations and runs during the school year); North East Ohio Winter Retreat (which invites over sixty congregations); youth events during each of the five district camp meetings; seven weeks of summer camp at our state campgrounds; and the state youth convention (which hosts over fifty congregations and over 800 delegates).
The national office of the Church of God Reformation Movement also hosts their International Youth Convention every two years that is attended by over 5,000 delegates.
What Ohio Church of God youth leaders see happening with our students is that they grow up together at these events, anticipate seeing one another at said events, create deep friendships, end up attending college together, and some even marry one another. Literally, our students are doing life together, as a very large, extended youth family.
More importantly, our youth leaders are doing ministry together. We are building relationships with one another, and with one another’s students; thus creating an inner-woven ministry support system for our students.
Attend Their Stuff
There is a powerful message sent to students when you show up to their stuff: sixth grade graduations, sporting events, musicals, band & choir concerts, scout promotions, National Honors Society inductions, award ceremonies . . .
It is important to let your student know that you will be attending. Arrive early enough to see them prior to the event. Hang out afterwards to hug, love and congratulate them; and do not forget to take pix with them.
Here in Eaton there is a football tradition (regardless if it is a home or an away game) that after the game, after the coach’s speech, and after the seniors lead the team in their fight song, the parents and fans mob the field to hug, love and congratulate the boys. Every Friday night I go home drenched in sweat and smelling like I had played under the lights and all I did was hug players after the game.
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