9/28 Student Ministry WINS

Here are some recent WINS within our student ministries:

• I saw Blake Stephens, a 7th grader, on Friday and he told me that he'd be bringing three friends on Sunday! I was blown away. It's awesome to see students INVESTING in & INVITING their friends.
• We had Turnpike and Catalyst in different rooms for our teaching/small groups portion of Sunday this past week. It seemed to go over smoothly and I think Turnpike liked the room they were in (peek into Rooms 9/10 when you get a chance)
• Saturday, Ryan Smith (9/10 grade small group leader), held a sunset worship and communion gathering at his house. He asked a couple of people to come lead some worship music and he gave a talk. This was a grass-roots kind of gathering, very personal and spiritual. I love it!
• Anita Lee, 8th grade girls leader, is inviting her girls to attend the Revolve Tour. She made fliers and give them out to her girls on Sunday. It is Awesome to see leaders taking an interest in their students!
• Anita has also been keeping a free website/forum for her girls to interact with during the week. She gave them printed out reminders about it...I'll attach it.
• Starting on Oct. 12th, there will be 2 8th grade small groups. One led by Anita and another led by Barbara Hamel! Yes!
• Kent and Kristie Robison will start as freshman small group leaders this Sunday! Everybody celebrate with me here on this one!
• Tara and Mark Ribera have started bringing their neighbors to NHC! They brought a sophomore on Sunday to Catalyst for the first time!
• I saw Ryan Beers (Junior boy from Clovis High) last week and he was so excited that we moved Catalyst to 10:45 and he said, "I'll be there every Sunday!" Glad to see students excited about what's happening!
• Last week, Sep. 24, was "See You @ The Poll" and I went to Buchanan in the morning to support the movement. I took some footage of some of our students, which you can see in this video I made for Sunday.
• After Turnpike/Catalyst students hung around yesterday and ate pizza. It was cool to see them hanging out and building community.
• After service two girls that have been coming to Catalyst for a few months made their way onto the stage and were looking at the lyric sheets for the songs that we had sung. They started singing quietly to themselves and I just saw a glimpse of God making his way into their lives and hearts! Praise Him!
• Yesterday afternoon I received a txt message from a student that said, "Hey sorry I didn't tell you this earlier but ur word today was awesome I could really relate! Looking forward to youth services this year!"

What WINS are you experiencing?

Today's Student Ministry Video

Here's a little video I'm showing today in Turnpike/Catalyst. Enjoy.

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Best Baptism Ever

Last Sunday Erica (on Twitter) and I (on Twitter) were on vacation. We went to my friend's wedding, Bobby Norris, (pictures later) and we were able to attend Buckhead Church (on Twitter) on Sunday morning. We went to the 11am service. It was awesome! Casey Darnell (on Twitter) led worship. Los (on Twitter) gave us a tour of the campus (video to come). And Simon was baptized by Jeff Henderson (on Twitter). They had some technical problems with Simon's testimony video and as Carlos said afterwards, "God put his finger in the machine." Enjoy the video!

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Later that day we went to lunch with Ryan and Courtney Fitzgerald (on twitter - Ryan and Courtney). I love making new friends! Then in the afternoon we got to go to Buckhead's InsideOut (High School Ministry) and meet with their Director and Groups/Admin Cooridnator. Great people!

I'll post pictures of our visit to the Georgia Aquarium. It was a great trip.

But the most exciting part of it all is what happened at New Harvest Church (on Twitter) while we were gone. Read my previous post for some of the WINS from Sunday.

Technorati tags: bobby, norris, wedding, atlanta, georgia, aquarium, buckhead, church, simon, baptism, video, jeff, henderson, casey, darnell, witter, carlos, whittaker, los, ragamuffinsoul.com, youtube, ryan, courtney, fitzgerald, insideout, high, school, ministry, new, harvest, church, wins

WINS from 09.21.08

I head amazing things from this past Sunday! Here are some WINS that I've heard...and I know that I don't know them all, because I wasn't even in town.

• Greg counted 95 students, Ken counted 98 students and when you factor in a handful (approx 5) college students you're somewhere in the 90's! Awesome!
• Paul Babcock delivered the Word and it's truth...loving people, hating sin. His video and talk was powerful. These were confirmed by students and adults (Dawn, Steve, Greg)
• Anita Lee is using a wiki page (free website) to create more conversation with her girls beyond Sundays. She posts a question of the week and this week is was..."Mr. Babcock shared in church that God loves people and hates sin.  What practical steps can we take in our daily lives to love people and hate sin?" One of the students wrote, "We can love people and hate sin at the same time by still hanging out with everyone and being nice to them, but then when they are about to do something that we know isn't right we can correct them and help them walk away from the situation." This is a very cool tool! There are 16 girls in the group and about half of them are using this tool to further their spiritual conversations.
• Chris hudiburgh led the band. I heard there were many energetic bodies on stage worshiping together!
• Steve Bollier, 7th grade SGL, told me that one of the boys in his SGL accepted Christ!!!!!!! YES, that's what I like to hear!
• Steve also took his boys on a Small Group Outing on Sunday to Lazer Tag. He said 7 boys showed up to play! I'm sure they had a great time connecting outside of the church walls, building friendships, community and trust.
• Ryan Smith performed a drama that was powerful!
• We had a couple of moms helping with hospitality, thus the nice bagel spread...Thank you guys!
• There were several visitors. I heard Alicia warmly greeted them and helped them get acclamated. Great Job!
• Saturday night there was a Catalyst hang out at the Horton's home. I checked out the pictures as soon as I could on Debbie's myspace. Looks like they had a great time together! There were a total of 30 students there! Thanks for putting that on Horton's! 
• This morning I went to Buchanan for See You @ The Pole (which is a student-led prayer time around their own flagpole). I saw many of our Buchananeers  praying. It was very cool to see! I also got some video of students to show this Sunday (thanks to Dylan, Carrington, Kaleb, Spencer, Sarah, Matt...I can't remember everyone right now for letting get some video fo them for Sunday).

  

Talk to your kids...about stuff that matters.

The most significant conversations I've ever had with my parents were while driving somewhere. Try it.

Questions to spark spiritual conversations:

• How's your relationship with Jesus?
• How many of your friends know Christ?
• What is the most important thing you want out of life?
• What do you think is the most important thing to God? (refer to Matthew 22:34-40)
  

WARNING: THESE ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE...

Questions to spark spiritual conversations for the Daring Parents:

• What's the difference between Christianity and other religions?
• What do you think about what Jesus said about "Loving your enemies?" (see Matthew 5:43-48)
  

WARNING: THESE MAY BE DIFFICULT TO SWALLOW...

Questions to spark spiritual conversations for the Daring Parents that want to know how they are doing at modeling a relationship with Christ:

• When was the last time you saw me pray?
• When was the last time you saw me read my bible?
• What's more important to me? Scholarships, Academics, Loving People, Social Life, Championships, Working Out, Having Fun, Family, Being Popular, Loving God, Making Memories, Making Money, or Looking Good?
• How can I help you grow in your relationship with God?
  

Technorati tags: significant, spiritual, conversations, car, time, family, students, kids, teens, parents, questions, growth, Jesus

Recent SM WINS

 Here are some recent WINS we've experienced in Student Ministries:

• Following AMPLIFY, we've seen several faces return from the event. I met several students on Sunday in Catalyst that had visited NHC for AMPLIFY and have returned for a normal Sunday. This is a huge WIN becuase that's what the event is really designed for.
• One of Craig Vonberg's college students that came to AMPLIFY told him it was "Awesome" and she loved talked with Ken Horton. Way to go Ken!
• During Catalyst worship on Sunday I had one student, Chris, come up to me and ask me if we needed a violin player for worship. Some of you are thinking, yeah cool. Others are thinking, violin? My kid doesn't listen to classical music. Let me tell you some of the back story. Chris started coming to Catalyst in the Spring with a friend, Jonathan. When Chris walked in the door, he had the apprearance of depression. He told Ryan, his small group leader, that he reads the Satanic Bible. Ryan warned him about the dangers of getting involved in the occult, but kept on loving him. Chris took most of the summer off but has come back since AMPLIFY. Chris is now asking significant spiritual questions. He's searching. This is a huge deal that he wants to play in the worship team, HUGE! Praise God.
• Ryan Smith took some of his small group guys to a lady's house in desperate need of repair a couple of weekends ago. They went and worked together in her yard, house and showed her the loved of Christ. Together, this small group, are the hands and feet of Jesus.
• Steve Bollier, 7th grade SGL, is taking his boys to Lazer Quest on Sunday (I'm jealous!). It's awesome to see our SGL's putting these outings together.
• Chris Hudiburgh, a volunteer who works with our worship team, is heading up a thursday night practice for all the students who are playing on Sunday! Way to go Chris! He's also going to start them in a study called "Wired for Worship" by Louie Giglio when we get the books in.
• Re:action met on Monday and the group is inspired. They want to move. They want to do something for Christ. This Monday they are meeting at the FLC and then going to the FSU student center for some hang-time and exposure to people on campus. There's something cooking here...can't wait to see what God does.
• This past Monday I asked Re:action (college) students how God was challenging them. Some of the responses were: "to be an example around here and for my friends"..."to get serious about reading His word"..."to invest in my friends"..."to minister to others." I'm excited about what God is challenging his people to do/be.
• Over the course of the weekend we had 81 students jr high - college actively involved on campus (not counting ones who were siting in main services).
• I'm meeting with 4 potential volunteers today!
• God is moving and momentum is building...can you feel it?

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, re:action, catalyst, turnpike, wins, volunteers, parents, students, jesus, christ, amplify, college, high, chool, jr, high, ministry

God Shines in Dark Places

Watch the news coverage of the Fuller family and their faith here.

Take a look at a tribute site that has been set up for Walt Fuller here.

God is so good. Seriously...God is being glorified through how one family is responding to tragedgy.

Technorati tags: kcal, 9, news, story, walt, fuller, tribute, site, love, family, Jesus, faith

Memories of Walt Fuller

There's been a lot of traffic through google searches of Walt's name. Go here to see some great quotes from people close to Walt and his family. It's great to see people gathering around to celebrate Walt and give comfort to the family. It's great to see the body of Christ working.

Casey Fuller, Walt's son, messaged me on Facebook the other day saying thanks for the blog post. Let's continue to pray for the family Casey, Kristi and Kelly.

Facebook | Casey Fuller's Photos - Profile Pictures

Technorati tags: casey, kristi, walt, kelly, fuller, memories, LA, times, article, facebook, body, of, christ, prayer, google

Pray for the family of Walt Fuller

A couple of days ago there was a terrible train crash in SoCal. Erica got a text early this morning from Kelly Loftis (formerly Kelly Fuller), a friend who I sang in Won By One with. She said that her dad was on the train and they haven't heard from him. Not more than a couple of hours later we got calls from other Pepperdine friends (Nic Bryson and John Calhoun) informing us that Kelly's dad (Walt Fuller) had passed in the accident. Things like this usually cause huge reactions from people. The questions come flooding into our minds, "Why, God, Why..." we yell with confusion, frustration and heartbreak. But as I read through Kelly's facebook wall and see all the people rallying around their family...supporting them in prayer and probably in many other ways, I must stop and praise God for his work. Kelly's dad knew the Lord...he's eternally fantastic. But we're left here with the grief. This is Kelly's latest Facebook status "Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say 'Blessed be the name of the Lord'." Lyrics to a song sung in God's community around the globe. They now ring more true than ever for Kelly and she will be a light to this world through the tragedy. I pray for her family...her brother, sister and mom to be able to sing that song confidently in due time. God please heal our broken hearts and our land.


So what can you do? You can put Kelly's family on your prayer list. You can add her as a facebook friend and tell her you care. You can embrace your loved ones around you, because you never know. You can spread the gospel to people who need to hear it because you never know. You can be the hands and feet of Jesus to the hurting and broken. You can love the people around you. Don't waste one minute. Because you never know.

Jesus is going to use this deeply saddening event to move people and further His Kingdom.

Technorati tags: kelly, fuller, loftis, walt, fuller, train, crash, southern, california, september, won, by, one, pepperdine, frieds, Jesus, Christ, praise, lessed, broken, hurting

Buckhead Makes a Difference

I love this.

Christ Follower Vs. Christian

I Love Seeing These...

I love seeing these flyers around. It means connections are happening outside of Sundays. I hope it's a great time!

Recent WINS

Hello Interested Allies,

 

Together we're contending HARD for the faith. Here are some recent WINS we've experienced.

• On Sunday we had AMPLIFY. It was a huge success! We brought A Current Affair in to do a concert, played some dodgeball and gave a simple gospel message.
• We had 108 students register (approx. another 30-40 unregistered guests). 15 of those registered guests indicated that they do not attend church at all. 20 of them indicated that they attend another area church and the rest indicated that they attend NHC.
• We saw students we haven't seen in a long time emerge at this event. I spoke with several students I've never met that say they go to main service with their parents.
• I met a handful of students from Craig V.'s music class at FSU. They were there to do a paper/report on the concert...but they also heard the gospel. I'm praying God uses those seeds and waters them!
• The students LOVED the band. You can see a highlight video here. You can see some pictures here.
• Last thursday night there was a parent meeting with the parents of some core families. The result...unity. We had some tough conversations and came away with a resolve to do what's best for everyone.
• Last night at Re:action several students shared how God is working in their lives. Here are some quick examples: stopped drinking, excitement to be involved in ministry, overcoming deep depression through authentic Acts 2 community, pouring into specific relationships (investing), and excitement for what God's about to do.
• Your story.

Technorati tags: wins, student, ministry, new, harvest, church, amplify, a, current, affair, event, music, dodgeball

Youth Church Movement

I've noticed a movement. I don't know if you have this same sense inside you. It's not post-modern, it's not "emergent" and it's not youth group. It's called a Youth Church. What caught my attention is the Stadium Modesto. That's right...Modesto, Ca. The Stadium is a youth church. It's got 7th-twenty-somethings. It's a small part of a larger church. It's in Modesto, once again. They have the largest meeting venue in the city. They gather 500-900 youths weekly for worship and a message. Worth Dying For, a newly signed band with Integrity Music, came out of this church.

Here's my question:
1. Is it smart to have 7th-twenty-somethings in one ministry together? Why or why not?
2. What are the advantages of combining into one service for these age groups?
3. How do you speak to these various life-stages in one service?
4. Is there enough fun happening at these services?
5. Is there enough fellowship happening at these services?

As some of you may know. I am in charge of 7-college aged students. Last night at Re:action, our college ministry, I had a conversation with some of our students about timing. I asked them this question: "What time is the best time to meet together in order for maximum impact in our target audience?" Answers varied. But the biggest time-frame that seemed to work was Sundays. We've been meeting on Mondays for a year now. We've seen a lot of people move away to go out of town for college.

I do not propose a youth church.

I am simply wondering the best way to move forward. I'm really just thinking out loud. We're probably going to be moving Re:action to Sunday nights for a while and see how that works for our students and their friends. Then we can re-evaluate from there.

*Worth Dying For will be at Clovis Hills Community Church leading worship in October.

Technorati tags: the, stadium, modesto, worth, dying, for, youth, church, movement, college, ministry, re:action, new, harvest, church, students, times

Ampin' It Up @ AMPLIFY

Yesterday was a huge success! For those of you out of the loop, we held an outreach event called AMPLIFY for students in our area. The band is called A Current Affair. Here are the highlights.

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Technorati tags: amplify, outreach, event, new, harvest, church, a, current, affair, student, ministry, blog

AMPLIFY is TOMORROW!

Check it out...we're opening up the event with some dodgeball. Come on time so that you can get your dodgeball on.

Fiasco Friday // 1

This is the random mind-dump of  Fiasco Friday!  If you've got something crazy going on in your life or some off-the-wall comment...click below and share it. Here's a random video of  a high school student eating a burger (his 3rd in one night) in 3 bites! He's a funny guy.

Also, go check out Paul Haugen's Blog...he's got an announcement that's life-changing over there.

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Technorati tags: fiasco, friday, paul, haugen, blog, youtube, video

Recent Student Ministry WINs

Here are some WINs we've been experiencing in our Student Ministry department...

• We had 2 new Student Impact volunteer sign-ups from our Jr High students yesterday. Our students continue to step up to the service plate!
• We had a guest worship band from Clovis Hills in Catalyst last night! They really rocked it!
• Erica, our Children's Ministry Director, introduced me to a woman who is going to serve as a Small Group Leader in Turnpike. She loves Jr. High students and has a lot of experience with them. We are always excited for new volunteers.
• Pastor Mitch delivered a great message yesterday and he said some REALLY challenging things for all of us. Let's continue to work together for the sake of the next generation!
• I'm seeing a lot of determination from parents! They are really, really, really excited about partnering with the church to help disciple their students!
• AMPLIFY is this weekend. A CURRENT AFFAIR is excited about playing here and they've been praying for students to show who need to hear about Jesus!
• Sunday, during our Turnpike worship band practice, I told the band, "I need two volunteers to go into PitStop during first service and help out." Immediately two hands went up Ian DiMino and Nic Smith. They jumped at the opportunity to serve. That's what I like to see!
• Yesterday was Matt Terra's first day in Turnpike as a Small Group Leader. Matt will be helping with the 8th grade boys, which enables me to facilitate OnDeck (something we've been missing since we left CW). OnDeck is for visiting or returning students. I get to know them a little, help them fill out a visitor form and introduce them to their potential small group. This brings the anxiety of going directly into a group they don't know decrease exponentially!
• Sunday, Carole Blomgren, an awesome volunteer in CM and an active parent, told Greg Zuffelato, Director of Family Life, that she and her husband would love to lead a Parent Prayer Group during our new lunch time (12:15-1pm)! This is amazing! Imagine it...parents coming together somewhere on campus to contend and pray for one-another, our NHC families and students!!!
• Kelly Chandler, a college freshman (one of our recent grads and Re:action student), told me yesterday that she'd love to give her testimony and speak in Turnpike/Catalyst. Awesome! We've been missing that female voice in our speaking rotation. We'll meet again and talk some more about this possibility, but I am very excited about this prospect.
• I got an email from Ryan Rothford (some of you know this name) last week. He told me that he's recently rededicated his life to Christ and upon his return from Switzerland (laster this month or early next month), he'd love to serve in our Student Ministries! I'll be meeting with him when he gets into town.
• I've heard some rumblings of a couple of leaders, Anita Lee and Steve Bollier, planning Small Group Outings! Fantastic...that's what I like to see.
• Anita Lee has created a wiki page for her girls to connect and talk about what's going on beyond Sunday. What a great resource...meeting the students where they are!
• Ken and Debbie Horton, SGLs in Catalyst, have planned a three large group fellowship times for Catalyst students to come together and build community in a safe environment. I'm looking for a couple of people to do the same for Turnpike...any takers?

Have some WINs? Tell me about 'em!