PYV West Camp 2016 - Day Three

PYV Summer Camp features our own radio show each night. West Camp 2016 has introduced a morning radio show, and it's been a great way to start each day. Tim and Rebecca, supported by the tech skills of Ryan, are providing a fun and informative show with news of the day, weather, (most of which almost resembles reality) and interviews. This has been a good thing to do.

Before Cameron spoke today, we read from John 3 - the visit of Nicodemus to Jesus. Here's an interesting thought - many of us could be like Nicodemus; i.e. we've grown up with the religious life around us and know it all very well, we could even speak well about Jesus, but still need something more. Here in this great chapter we see that the Kingdom of God is open to the world that God loves, and to enter this kingdom you must, and can, be born again. "Don't just set your sight on the new kingdom. We need new people with new hearts." And the Spirit of God provides us with this.

Our studies today brought us to what I think is a confronting chapter of Scripture - John 11. Here we see the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, which sounds amazing, and it is. But within this story we also see the grief of a family who have been torn apart by death. As we considered this amazing story, and as we discussed the statement of Jesus "I am the resurrection and the life" we were able to see that while death is nothing to be celebrated, it is also nothing to be feared.

After lunch we were out enjoying this beautiful setting, with the adventurous ones walking up to the Pinnacle and back to camp, others heading out for some shorter walks, and a few wandering into the town of Halls Gap for a relaxed stroll and probably an ice-cream.

Before dinner, Sarah led a group in a workshop on prayer. It has been good for our teenagers to learn a bit more of what the Bible teaches about prayer.

Dinner was, once again, magnificent and plentiful. We pray for our daily bread, and we have been answered abundantly.

Tonight, many attended a repeat performance of the workshops from last night and then enjoyed some free time to chat, sit around the camp fire, burn marshmallows, drink hot chocolate, or play some games.

Tomorrow, sadly, is our last day. Already. 

PYV West Camp 2016 - Day Two

There's nothing quite like the first night at a camp. Will it be a good night's sleep or not? Will there be people snoring or chatting in the room while you are trying to sleep? Or will everyone in the room be asleep when you are awake and want to chat! Looking at the faces of the youth as we gathered for breakfast today, it looked like most people had a good sleep last night. And with a day ahead packed full, that was good.

Our morning session was very encouraging. We sang some great songs and heard a testimony from Tom. I have no shame in saying how encouraging it is to hear that a PYV camp was a key part of someone coming to faith. For those of us who have the chance to preach to youth, we don't always know what impact we have. So, Bill when you preached at a Winter Camp in 2011, God used you to make a difference.

The message from Cameron helped us all to connect with Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We compared ourselves with John the Baptist - we love to draw a crowd around us (how many friends do you have on Facebook?) - but John, while he did have a crowd around him, turned the questions away from himself. He declared that he was not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet. What then was he? He was just a voice preparing the way for one who was greater. He was just a shadow who would fade when the reality was revealed. He knew that he could not cleanse people from sin - only Jesus can do that.

All those voices!

I came away from this session greatly encouraged in my faith.

After a delicious morning tea, we met in our study groups. Today we read John 10 where Jesus describes himself as a door and as a good shepherd. Our groups began with an example of how difficult it can be to focus on the voice of Jesus when there are so many other voices calling for our attention. How important it is for us all to be able to discern the voice of Jesus!

I confess that I love the chance to open the Bible with a group of people at any time, but when those who meet with me are teenagers and young adults, I'm encouraged to help them have a deeper understanding of the faith they accept. I am really enjoying the chance to do so here.

Blind Volleyball

After lunch we dressed in our fancy dress, and this camp has the theme of "Olympics". Our activities were built around a story of the Olympic Torch being stolen and we needed to work as a team to find out who took it and then to recover it. Clues were given to teams when they were successful in a sporting competition like soccer, softball, etc. Clearly some teams did better than others, and the fact that my activity group didn't win any of these events didn't mean we didn't have some fun on the way. And we did eventually work out who stole the torch, but just missed out on getting it.

Instructions before the game.

Congratulations to the winning team.

Our camp photo is always important. It means that in years to come we can see who attended the camp. But it also means we get to see who really makes an effort with their fancy dress. Have a look at this photo and you'll see what I mean.

West Camp 2016

Over dinner we continued to work in our teams to create and present our team flags. Again, there was some good creativity on show. Each team then chose one well-dressed member to strut their stuff on the catwalk. My team won!!! I can't say I was a good contributor to that, but well done team.

Even the children made a flag

I think we deserved a higher score

After dinner we had our first workshops at West Camp. Topics we covered tonight were: What to do when you're the only Christian; Dealing with anger as a Christian; Making the best of Social Media;  Watching TV & Movies; and Dealing with Loss. If your child was at camp, please talk with them about these workshops. I think they will have something to share with you.

It has been another good day in Halls Gap. Thanks for praying for us. Please keep on praying.

PYV West Camp 2016 - Day One

Convener Chris Angel begins the camp

West Camp 2016 has started with a magnificent day.

For those travelling from Melbourne, it felt like a very long drive with roadworks taking up most of the stretch between Beaufort and Ararat slowing us down. But, most importantly, we all arrived safely and happily at Norval in Halls Gap. A special shout out to the team from North Geelong, Warrnambool and Canterbury who arrived very early to get everything set up.

Our first session was an introductory session where our Convener, Chris Angel, was able to introduce the key leaders to the campers. It also gave Cam Griffiths, our speaker, the chance to give a brief overview of his talks. Then we divided into our study groups, which again gave the chance to meet together and ‘break the ice’ before we really started our studies. 

Starting camp in this way meant that when we did have a worship session and a study time we were able to really get down to business. This was a very good way to start. 

Setting up. It didn't take long with such a team.

Following afternoon tea, we had our first worship session. It is good to be in a room full of people who are singing together, even on a Tuesday afternoon. In our regional camps this year we are focussing on the Gospel of John, and today we opened our Bibles at John 1:1-18 where we get to meet The Word, we get to meet Jesus. 

The study groups met after dinner, but not to discuss what we heard in the talk. Instead we are looking at some of the “I Am” statements of Jesus and today we read John 6 where Jesus describes himself as the bread of life. There are some difficult statements in this chapter and it was good to be able to sit and discuss these verses together, and also to consider the personal implications from this chapter. 

Then it was time for our night activities, and there is nothing like running around in the dark to get the blood pumping! Playing “Capture the Olympic Rings” across the whole campsite was great fun. Clearly, some people are more competitive than others, and they were rewarded with capturing more Rings (Glow Sticks) than anyone else. For the record, I nearly scored a couple, but some of our teenagers are much faster than me – which is probably as it should be. 

Day One of West Camp 2015 has been a great day.

Ch.6 Special Events

Who doesn't love something special? We have just celebrated Easter, and for me, this is always a high point of the year. In my mind Easter Sunday should be the greatest, most joyful, and most exciting worship service you ever attend. It is special.

The youth of Australian churches feel the same way about special events - particularly camps.

In every case young people spoke of these events warmly and as giving them opportunities to think about their lives and focus on faith. (p39)

PYV Summer Camp 2015-16

 The Experience

We naturally like to do the things that make us feel good. Special events, like camps or concert events, are places that can offer experiences that are beyond the abilities of the normal weekly youth group gathering. So we should seek to do what we can to make these camps and events memorable and exciting.

There will, no doubt, be some who might read this who will be terrified that we are hoping to make the experience the great aim of our camps or youth ministry. To think this would be to miss the point entirely. Surely we want people to associate the teaching of the gospel with good memories. It is in creating positive experiences at Christian camps that we can create those memories. This may not mean everyone who has 'fun' at camp will be converted, though that is our prayer. But I hope it will mean no one goes home from a camp convinced that Christianity is for boring people only.

The authors also, rightly, make comment that these camps and events are excellent training grounds for new leaders. 

The Social

Relationships are vitally important to youth. That won't surprise anyone because it is true regardless of age. Relationships are important to anyone. Camps are a place where the social element of faith can be experienced at a greater depth.

Connecting with other teenagers means that the youth of the church are able to talk about their experiences together. Some of us can remember how wonderful it is a few months after a camp to meet up with someone and talk about the camp together. Social connections matter. There are some good things to say about Social Media in this context too. 

The authors make the comment that these relationships are made more important by the fact that most young people are no longer born into communities. As such, communities that youth can be a part of are really important. I would add that one of the key points of PYV Camps is the connection made with people from across the state. This means that when a young adult moves to a different region of the state to attend a university, they already know someone in that area.

Finally . . .

The authors also write briefly about the value of mission trips. These are times where there is a memorable experience, and where the lives of those who attend can be deeply changed.

Helping and supporting youth is a wonderful thing to do.

Christian Research Association have released the findings from research done on youth ministry in Australia. The book is titled "A Vision for Effective Youth Ministry".

 

There is much in this research which all pastors, both youth and senior, should take seriously. In this series of posts, I hope to give a brief summary of each chapter. Of course, you will be much better off if you purchase the book yourself.

Ch. 5 Broader Interactions

Collaborating with Parents

Earlier this year I attended a youth group night at Donvale Presbyterian Church. It was good to be there on a night that the parents were invited to be there too. It was good for the parents to see what happens on a youth group night - to play the games, hear the Bible talk, and enjoy supper. It also gave the youth leader an opportunity to talk with the parents for a few minutes about something the youth group is planning later in the year.

This is the kind of thing that chapter 6 of this little book is calling for. As youth leaders we can too easily become full of our own importance and believe that we are the greatest and strongest influences on the teenagers in our group. Let me pop that balloon for you.

Parents and guardians have far more influence on the children and young people in their care than does anyone else.

It is important for youth leaders to know this, and to build a connection with the parents of the teenagers. This can be difficult if you have a huge youth ministry, but you can do it anyway. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Do you know the adults in your church who are parents of the teenagers in your group? If you had to put them together in family groups, could you?

It is important, vitally important, that you work in collaboration with parents wherever that is possible. This doesn't always mean you will agree with each other, but it does mean you are listening to what the parents are saying. Hopefully then they will do the same for you. So, please be in regular communication with parents wherever this is possible. A greeting on Sunday morning, an email to let parents know what is happening this week - or a review of what happened last week, an offer to pray for them this week - all these things can be a simple way to start.

Collaboration with the Church

 In most of the churches we visited, youth ministry was somewhat separate from other church activities. This meant that most of the members of those churches had little idea what was happening in the youth ministry. 

Most of us would think this is not how church is supposed to be, yet this is what most youth leaders make happen. I'm sure we do it with the best of intentions, but the greatest value of youth ministry for the church is seen when that youth ministry is a part of the church and not a separate entity. (For extra points, watch this video with Dr Rodger Nishioka. If Mickey Mouse has one ear, something's wrong.)

Do what you can to develop connections between the generations in your church. The authors make reference to The Salvation Army and the relationship that develops between youth and older members in the bands. This is my experience. I grew up attending The Salvation Army in Hawthorn - now Waverley Temple Corps. It was here that I learned music and began playing cornet in the band. This meant that on Wednesday nights, Sunday morning and Sunday evening I would be with a group of people with a common focus. Over those years, I would often be sitting with someone who was a generation or two above me. I learned about music, certainly. But I also learned what it meant to be a Christian in your mid-forties, or sixties, or even older.

Not my band, but look at the generations here.

It was a good - and full - life.

A confronting issue now for many churches is this - are there pathways from youth group into the wider church community?  Take a moment to think about your own church. What happens with the youth once they are too old to be in youth group? Do many become youth leaders? Well, what about those who aren't leaders? How are they connected with the church?

Finally, 

This chapter also makes comments about churches which are connected to schools and how to make the most of that setting. Most of our churches don't have that connection but nonetheless there are some statements in this section that can be helpful.

One way of collaborating would be to develop youth ministry councils which include youth leaders, members of the local church, parents of the young people, and, where appropriate, members of the staff of the school.

This is a concept that you can take to your church setting to help you build an effective youth ministry.

 
Christian Research Association have released the findings from research done on youth ministry in Australia. The book is titled "A Vision for Effective Youth Ministry".

 

There is much in this research which all pastors, both youth and senior, should take seriously. In this series of posts, I hope to give a brief summary of each chapter. Of course, you will be much better off if you purchase the book yourself.

Book Review: Sustainable Youth Ministry

Sometimes you read a book and wonder why you didn't know about this author earlier. This is the position I am in now. Mark DeVries' other book "Family Based Youth Ministry" was recommended to me late in 2015, and I have it on my shelf ready to read. But I also saw this book "Sustainable Youth Ministry" at the bookshop so purchased them both. And this is the first of the two that I have read.

DeVries is a clever and entertaining writer. I don't know if he worked with others on the chapter headings, but they are memorable. Here's a couple of examples:
Hoping, Wishing and Praying.
 (Beyond the Frantic Search for the Youth Ministry Superstar)
Dancing with Alligators.
 (Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Church Politics)

With headings and sub-headings like these, you get the idea that he wants his readers to be understanding what they will be reading, but doesn't want them to be bored with the topics. I like that.

So what does he address in this book? Well, DeVries pulls the veil away from the youth ministry plan that many churches would dream of and shows why it has many flaws. This plan, simply put, is the desire that some church leaders will have of finding a youth ministry superstar from somewhere, employing that person at this church, and then watching the youth ministry grow in wonderful ways. To be sure, it might work at times, but it also reveals a disturbing lack of vision and preparation for youth ministry. DeVries urges a much slower and more deliberate approach to long-term youth ministry. He also believes this will bear more fruit in the long run.

Who should read a book like this? If you are a youth worker in a local church, you will be enormously helped by this book. If you take on some of the suggestions made here, you will be better prepared for your weekly activities, and better prepared for any conflict that will (and it will) arise. If you are a senior pastor, this book will be a great help to you as you seek to determine what you are wanting a youth worker to be and do. It might even help the Board understand why you think a youth worker is worth paying for, and might help the elders understand what a youth worker can - and should not - do.

I can't say I like everything about the book, but I think that might also reflect my own personality more than a weakness in the book itself. This is in connection with things like visioning documents, job descriptions etc. I wouldn't for a moment say these are not important, it's just that I find those things, or more correctly the amount of these DeVries refers to, as a tad overwhelming. But that's me. You might love it and find enormous freedom in it.

You will lose nothing from reading this book. And you will gain much. 

Well worth reading.

Ch 4. Choosing and Supporting the Youth Leaders

This chapter helps us to consider who becomes a leader, how that leader is supported, and what that leader can be doing or him/herself in self care.

Look around your church and see who it is that is involved in youth ministry. For most of us, that person who is leading the youth ministry is someone from inside the church family, and is most likely doing this as a volunteer. And in most places, that is OK. But even volunteer leaders need to be given some training and guidance so they know what they are doing; and so they know that what they are doing is supported by the elders of the church. 

In most cases in the research, members of the youth leadership team are people who have grown too old to attend youth group themselves. Now, in most cases, that’s fine. Those young adults who have outgrown the youth space in your church are prime candidates to be youth leaders. They know the church and the community; they know the families; they know how things work in that church; they are often ready and willing to be involved. Great.

But consider this – do the teenagers in your church just assume that they will become youth leaders when they are 18 or 21? Do they believe that their age is enough to make them leaders? I ask because in one place that was a part of this study, this was the implicit expectation (p27). Obviously, I don’t think anyone should become a leader just because they are too old for youth group. There is much more required than that. 

Here’s something else to consider. Youth from the church becoming leaders bring enormous strengths which I’ve already listed. But there could also be some unexpected weaknesses.

“We noted in the research that most youth leaders were carrying on the practices that they had experienced within their church. They, they were not approaching the task innovatively or creatively, or in a way that adequately took into account the changing needs of each generation of youth.” (p27)

How can we work around this potential problem? 

Training

I’m a little disturbed that many leaders interviewed “did not feel the need for training”. We all want to do our best, and most of us think we are doing all right. But that can certainly be enhanced with some effective training. This doesn’t mean doing a Bachelor of Ministry – although that’s not the worst suggestion. Training can be short term or even occasional, but there should be some training.

“It would seem that the development of the expectation that youth leaders would do some training, if only a few days of intensives, would strengthen the confidence of youth leaders and enhance the equality of leadership.” (p29)

Can I encourage to have a look at https://pyv.org.au/training/pyv-training-events-recordings.html and make use of these. 

Also, I will be teaching a short course at the Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne starting late July 2016. Leave a message for me if you would like to know more about that. 

Payment

How many youth leaders get paid anything? Very few is the general answer. Most churches will struggle to find the funds to pay for a full-time youth worker, and many other churches will struggle to believe they should. I would (perhaps naturally) encourage churches to make some payment to the youth leaders. 

The most disturbing comment on paying youth leaders is this: “In a number of churches, young people said that paid people might not be motivated in the same way as volunteers, and, by implication, said that paid employees might not be as passionate about youth ministry.” (p29) Before I stand up to give a list of reasons why this is wrong, the authors of the research make this helpful comment: “There is no evidence that such remuneration reduced passion.” I agree.

Support

Most youth leaders – especially the paid ones – can tell you about the time they were verbally stripped down by either a parent, an elder or a senior pastor. And if not that, they can certainly tell you the times and places they felt completely unsupported. 

Senior pastors, you are the greatest source of strength and support to your youth leaders. Even if you don’t attend the youth group very often, I urge you to please meet with and encourage your youth leaders. 

Youth leaders, if you are looking for more support and don’t know where to go, send me an email and I’ll come and meet with you or do what I can to support you. You might feel alone, but you’re not really. 

Finally, the authors close this chapter with a section on Self-Care.

Self-Care

People burn out. People who work with people burn out quicker. Youth leadership can be very demanding and the load can be heavy and slippery. So, even where there is good support from others, taking care of yourself also matters. One aspect to this is setting some solid and appropriate boundaries.

“No one has the capacity for deep and intimate relationships with everyone. One needs to be clear about how much time to spend and where to spend it with those who come for help.” (p31)

Serving Jesus is fantastic, but serving Jesus can also come at a cost. Serving Jesus doesn’t take away the reality that we are still human and need to rest. We also need places where we can just enjoy being with people without being the person in charge. And it’s probably good to have something to do that is separate from your youth work. If you’re an introvert, then you will need to be extra careful about the amount of time you spend with people. 

Practicing good self-care contributes to faithful and effective ministry.

Christian Research Association have released the findings from research done on youth ministry in Australia. The book is titled "A Vision for Effective Youth Ministry".

There is much in this research which all pastors, both youth and senior, should take seriously. In this series of posts, I hope to give a brief summary of each chapter. Of course, you will be much better off if you purchase the book yourself.