Filed under: Youth Ministry
So around our youth group, we have a sometimes controversial rule:
If filth comes out of your mouth, we make you do 10 pushups per filthy word.
It’s been a great rule so far. A lot of the time, we hear “why do we have to do that anyway?” Kids are looking for the reason… so….
Here are 10!
- Ephesians 4:29: “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” NLT
- Swearing doesn’t make you sound tough, it makes you sound stupid!
- Using clean language makes you seem classier
- Swearing in church is considered an act of disrespect towards God
- “Profanity is the last refuge of the uncreative”- get creative with your colorful language. One semester at Bible college, we used the word “pants.” It was hilarious!
- Swearing is not a productive form of problem solving
- Swearing gets you in trouble
- You don’t have to censor yourself around people if you use clean language all the time-
- People will notice you because you are different- seriously!
- You have influence with other people! Just think, would you want your little bro or sis to copy what comes out of your mouth? If you don’t have a younger sibling, what about that junior high kid at youth that looks up to you? Or you friend’s little bro or sis.
Soooo…
Those are our reasons for dishing out the pushups.
There are a few other things you can do to quit swearing too!
- Ask your friends/family to point out when you swear- ask your friends you punch you really hard whenever you do (lol!)
- Start a swear jar in your home and become faithful to it – bonus points if your siblings get the money… you’ll be extra motivated!
- Put a rubber band on your wrist and snap yourself
- Come up with your own list of reasons why swearing is stupid and read it daily
- Hang around people who use clean language (it rubs off on you, really! The opposite is also true- if you hang with people who are very vulgar, you start talking like them)
- Google the topic and become informed about the subject matter!
- Do your pushups diligently at neXus if you’re caught!
- Decide that you want to become a better person and accept responsibility for the words that come out of your mouth
- Think before you speak
- Decide that you only want to speak good and uplifting things about yourself and others.
T
August 12, 2010
1. Drop-in Every Friday night from 7-11
2. Volunteer for Summer to Serve! You can rock babies, help in Sunday school, turn lights on and off, hand out candy in the parking lot… The sky’s the limit!
3. Two words: Coffee date. Terrin and Lindsay would be very happy to take you out to Starbucks if you call and make an appointment!
4. Read your Bible. Seriously. Memorize some of it too!
Suggested reading: Book of Proverbs, James, Mark, Acts, Romans, Ecclesiastes, Job, 1 & 2 Kings, Nehemiah. Head to www.biblegateway.com if you prefer online reading.
Suggested memorizing: John 3:16, Matthew 28:19-20, John 10:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 19:21, Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 13
5. Art! Terrin and Lindsay need some artwork or amazing photography for their office walls!
6. Volunteer to make dinner! Even if you don’t know how to cook! Visit www.kraftcanada.com for some easy to follow recipes. Seriously, even if all you know how to make is cereal, this site can transform you into a master chef!
7. Organize your bedroom for the new schoolyear to come! Sift through old paper, give away old toys and clothes (to Caring and Sharing, of course!), and make everything spotless. It’s a good feeling!
8. Go for a walk! All winter long we complain about how cold it is outside…. So now that it’s warm, get out there!
9. Free Swim at Cindy Klassen Rec Centre every Saturday night!
10. Junior High or HSM night (depending on how old you are!) Every Tuesday we have Junior High ministry for kids entering grades 6-8. Every Wednesday night we have HSM for those going into grades 9-12. We play some sports, video games, sing some worship, have small group time. It’s like a mini-neXus night made just for you!!!!!!!
July 21, 2010
Ok, so I am still on this Camp Arnes idea, and I REALLY want as many of my neXus Youth and leaders to go as possible. We are talking about God’s plan for sex, dating and relationships… it will be a Do. Not. Miss. Weekend!
So if you haven’t read Tuesday’s post on ways to raise money, please go and read it! If you like the idea of asking family and friends for support, keep reading!
Here are a few things you need to get started:
- A computer. Make it look professional. Don’t use a crappy font like Comic Sans, Typewriter, Times New Roman or anything that looks like handwriting. Always use a font that looks professional. A few suggestions would be: Helvetica or Verdana. Those are your best choices. I’m not even going to give you any other options. Use one of those two to write your support letter.
- The logo of the group/church/mission/retreat that you are going on. Make sure you ask someone from that company/church/camp if it’s ok. You can get the neXus logo from our group page on Facebook. Then, add in their contact information. neXus’ mailing address is PO box 51066 RPO Dickens, Wpg, MB R2X 3C6. Phone is 632-7322. Use a letterhead template in Word (blech) or Pages (YEAH!) and insert the logo and contact information at the top to make a nice official looking form!
- Personalize it! Not with art or glitter, but use your words! Don’t go outside the confines of spelling or grammar though… those definitely count (they ALWAYS count in my opinion!) So don’t start like this:
Dear Graammmz,
I was wunderin’ whether u’d like to give me da moneeez for camp dis year. Luv, your grandsun
This simply won’t work, my dear!
Here’s a sample of what I’d write if I were asking my grandma for some help to go to camp:
Dear Grandma Hay (that’s her last name, ok!!!)
As you know, I’ve been attending a Christian youth group for a few years now. I have learned so much about God and am growing into a respectful young lady. Every Friday night at youth (I hardly ever miss a week! Even that time I sprained my ankle, I made it a priority to go!), I’ve learned a lot of things, like Bible memorization, how to treat others well, respecting my parents and being a person who honors my commitments. In a few weeks, my youth group, which is called “neXus Youth” will be heading up to Camp Arnes near Gimli for a weekend retreat. We will be learning a lot about God’s view of dating, relationships, purity, and why we should wait until we’re married to have sex. The camp costs $80 to go and mom and dad just can’t afford to send me right now. I am trying to find four people to sponsor me for $20 each so I can go. I am offering to take lots of pictures and come by sometime after the weekend is over to tell you all about what I learned. Would you consider sponsoring me? I have to have my money in by March 12, so it would be great if I could have a response as soon as possible!
Love,
your adorable curly haired granddaughter,
Terrin
See what I did? I explained my love for neXus, how the group is helping me on the practical side of life, what the retreat is about, and most of all, why I’d like to go. Make sure you always add those elements in the letter!
Yes, that did take a bit of time to write, and it should. Spelling, wording and grammar matter very much, and count towards professionalism. Make sure you sign your actual signature underneath the typing… draw a few hearts in there too (jk).
Finally, send the letter in the mail. Find the addresses of all the people you are writing letters to and throw a stamp on an envelope. People like getting mail!
Anyway, I hope this post has helped you. Email me if you have any questions!
February 18, 2010
Every year for Camp Arnes we hear it. It’s an expensive retreat. We honestly wrestled with whether we should do it or not this year. All the way from August to October, I polled students, leaders and parents as to whether the high cost of camp was worth it. To my surprise, every single person told me that Camp Arnes was worth every single penny they spent, no matter what the cost! Kids have always come home feeling closer to God and have a deeper connection with their neXus friends.
Interesting, huh? Well, love the camp price or not, $80 can be a bit much for some parents, and kids stupidly write off the idea of going altogether! $80 can very easily be earned or raised by a student with a great drive, imagination and initiative!
This morning, in my car on the way to the office, I easily came up with 10 ways to raise money. If you think about it, you can split the whole cost into 4 payments of $20… That means you only have to convince 4 people to pay you $20 or sponsor $20 of your fees… That’s not so bad… Here are some other ideas I came up with!
- Shovel your neighbor’s walk (and earn between $10 and $20 depending on how generous they are!) Come shovel my walkway. I am too lazy to do it!
- Babysit a cousin so your aunt and uncle can have a date night! (and earn between $10 and $30 depending on how many kids you watch)
- Sell pop and candy out of your locker during breaks and lunch at school (you’re allowed to do that, right? Pop has a high profit margin if you can buy cases of 12 or 24! Like if you go to Safeway right now, you can buy 2 cases of Coke for $8, which works out to 33¢ a can. That’s a profit of 77¢! If you sell all 24, you’ll make almost $20!)
- Get a job. Seriously. If you’re in high school, chances are you can afford one evening a week to work at Mickey D’s or Tim Horton’s!
- Tag like crazy. Nexus needs some PR help, so we are giving the person who tags us the most a free registration to camp! Winner is announced on March 5 at youth!
- If you have your license, offer to drive an elderly neighbor or grandparent around on their errands for a week
- Put some of your old clothing, electronics, toys or whatever up on Kijiji or Craigslist for sale… Clean out your closet and make money at the same time!
- Save your allowance instead of spending it! Ask for an advance on future allowances so your parents don’t have to shell out the extra cash
- Offer to clean out the couch cushions at all your friends houses!
- Ask your grandma if she would consider sponsoring part of your retreat fees (she just may cover the whole thing!) Email me if you want some help to draft up a support letter! Make sure you let grams know what you’ll be learning about that weekend and why it’s important to you. If they can see the value in the weekend, they’ll invest in you, no doubt!
So there you have it! If I can think of 10 ideas in a 5 minute car ride, just think of what you can do to raise money!
Make the decision now… Are you going to go or not? If the answer is yes, don’t take no for an answer when it comes to raising money! The most determined will be the most successful! Who knows, maybe you’ll raise enough money to sponsor a friend to come and they’ll get to go to heaven because you worked so hard!
February 16, 2010
Thought I would try something new today.
Do you have something that I can pray for you about?
Comment or send me an email at terrin@crosschurch.ca.
I guarantee I will pray for you!
Check out what the Bible says in Phillipians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
February 4, 2010
Greetings blog friends!
I’m not sure if any of the nexus team reads this, but if you do, give me a shout-out!
This week has been full of distractions. We have a 12-hour a day for 3 days flu clinic happening at our church this week, and about all I’ve been able to finish is listening to my podcasts, making some posters, reading a couple of chapters in the books I’m reading, and blogging.
Talk about un-productiveness.
So today I decided that something was going to get done! I am currently blogging on-location at my favorite starbucks at Chapters on Empress and have brought a good book to get things rolling.
As many of you know, I’m currently on a Doug Fields kick, and this book is no exception. I’m currently reading Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, which is a monster of a book for any youth leader to be reading (357 pages… ouch!) and the first chapter has really spoken to me.
So much so in fact that I would love to study this book with some of our leaders (Rex?????? Cory??? Scott??? Kerri????) so that we can get some conversations going about how we can make neXus a healthy and balanced ministry.
Last night, actually, at our first small group (yeah! small group has started!!!!) we were talking about the problem of discipleship and how we as leaders can have influence on our kids.
Don’t get me wrong. I think neXus is a great ministry. I think we are impacting kids who would have zero chance at connecting with God if we didn’t exist. But reflection and feedback need to be two words that aren’t intimidating to us.
It’s time to examine the foundations and Biblical purposes of our ministry if we are going to make it effective. It’s time to depend on God rather than just our program if we want Him to move amongst us. It’s time for us as leaders to focus on being God’s people, not just doing God’s work.
Wow… that was actually more serious than I intended. Anyway, those are my thoughts, in raw form…
So leaders, do you read my blog too? are you interested? Let me know!
Other pastors… let me know your thougths too (or just Matt….)
October 16, 2009
Hey gang…
You’re being treated to the special privilege of TWO blogs on the very same day!
So here is something I am considering for the new year. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’ve had some time to consider how we can elevate the Discipleship aspect of neXus Youth Ministries. For a little background information on our demographics, I’ll let you know some of the following information:
- Our youth group is mostly unchurched (in fact, 66% of our current attendance roster did not attend church with their families prior to attending neXus)
- Our Friday night program is set up to be mostly evangelistic and “unchurch friendly”, where youth can invite their friends and know they won’t be too freaked out by what they see and hear
- Friday night small groups are only about 25 minutes long and have a curriculum that is based on our preaching series, which does not allow for as much deep study of the Bible or examination of questions as we would like
- I get the feeling a lot of the time that our ministry is a mile wide and an inch deep
I really have had a desire lately to take on a small group of teenagers and begin discipling them. In fact, in my future hopes and dreams category, there are two things weighing heavily on my heart: splitting up junior and senior high ministries (and hopefully hiring more staff to handle this), and having small group nights which are modeled more after our adult small group ministry where students meet in homes and study scripture (perhaps even do classes 101 to 401 or study through the Bible).
Anyway, I’m thinking of doing a 12 week “survey of the Bible” or “Spiritual Disciplines” class or something. Any insights or tweaks?
Thanks!
October 15, 2009
Hey!
So I kinda like asking you other leaders out there about your ministries. I tend to get “tunnel vision” so bad to the point that I think neXus is the center of the universe. But of course that isn’t true! I’ve been to some awesome youth group events put on by other churches (and even copied them word for word because they are so successful!)
So keep your thoughts and comments coming!
So here’s a question for you… it’s a light one, so please feel free to leave a comment!
What’s your favorite event that your youth group has thrown?
I’ve been a part of neXus for 2 years as a full-time person, and also 8 months as an intern, so there are SO many for us to choose from!
Here are some of my highlights:
Bananarama (we did it in 2006 and a repeat this summer!)- We stole this idea from egad.com (a great game website if you are like me and lack enthusiasm about planning games!). Basically the game is that you give your kids a bunch of bananas and send them on a race around the neighborhood to measure things in banana lengths (we have a score sheet for them to keep track on, and the closest team gets all the glory!). Afterward we served banana splits with their bruised and soggy bananas lol… the kids and leaders STILL talk about how fun this event was!
ANY retreat we’ve ever had- Retreats out of the city are relatively inexpensive (we rent Calvary Temple Youth Camp every fall, and this past June and it cost only $50 per kid! Leaders got to go for even cheaper!). Retreats are like little microwaves of ministry- I firmly believe that God uses these events to help fulfill our mission of moving kids forward in their relationship with Christ. For the last several years, a large percentage of our youth group has received the filling of the Holy Spirit! If you are well organized and get your volunteers involved, the workload is still big (I usually work 60-70 hour weeks for the 2 weeks coming up to the retreat), but manageable!
Drop-In- These are great nights to have during the week when you know that youth can’t be held on a Friday (e.g.: Christmas day lands on a friday this year… you’d better believe i am cancelling!). We set up the PS2 with some rockband, get the basketball nets up, some retro games on other tvs, some board games in our cafe and set up a canteen… it’s so fun to get to know leaders and kids this way! We did this all summer and were able to maintain some momentum that we had gained from our retreat this past June!
Anyway, I’m writing this blog as we’re about to board to go back home to Winnipeg, so I will end here… next time I will perhaps share some failed experiments lol…
but keep your comments coming!
September 10, 2009
