Spirit Day 2014: How I Know God's Building

Last Friday night, I had the opportunity to address 150 of our Spirit Day volunteers at their orientation prior to the big event on Saturday and Sunday.  The majority of these volunteers were in grades 10, 11, and 12.

“How many of you went to Spirit Day as a grade 7 student?” I asked.

I’d guess that 75% – 80% of the students raised their hands.

I continued, “So why are you volunteering this weekend?”

“To give back,” one student replied.

“So the grade 7s can experience the same joy that I did when I attended,” answered another.

“To make new friends.”

“To share my gifts.”

And then, amidst the excited chatter, one answer spoken softly and humbly shot right through me:

“God.  Everything we do this weekend is for Him.”

It was a simple yet profound statement.  The previous answers were really good and certainly inspiring and affirming.  But the “God” answer seemed to energize me as I went into preacher mode.
I reminded the volunteers that this would be the first taste of the “bigger Church” for many of the grade 7 participants.  That they would be not only the hands and feet, but the face of Christ to everyone they would encounter.

I implored them to recall their fond memories of their own Spirit Day.  I encouraged them to step out of their comfort zones.  And I reminded them to never underestimate the influence and impact of every encounter they would have.

Having said what I needed to say, I left them to continue on with their meeting.  Thanks in large part to the service of all our volunteers, the entire Spirit Day weekend was a tremendous success.  All in all, there were 2,100 participants (students and chaperones) and close to 200 volunteers.

The theme of Spirit Day was “God’s Building.”  Throughout the event, we stressed that each of us is God’s building with Jesus as our foundation and cornerstone.  And that God is dwelling in each of us and building us up to be stronger witnesses of our faith.

There were countless examples of how God’s building some wonderful things in our archdiocese:

• I know God’s building when I witness the joy and hope in the faces of the grade 7 students…a true spirit of wonder, awe, and excitement to be there.
• I know God’s building when there are over a dozen priests present to celebrate Mass along with another dozen seminarians serving alongside them.
• I know God’s building when young adults write an intelligent and entertaining script that springs to life on stage via the Stage Team complete with costumes, choreography, and genuine emotion.
• I know God’s building when members of the Logistics Team stand outside all day in the cold and rain just to make the experience a tad more enjoyable for the participants.
• I know God’s building when our Spirit Team are hoarse and dog-tired because of 2 days of screaming, shouting, playing and singing.
• I know God’s building when our Production Team humbly and tireless works behind the scenes to make everyone else look and sound good.
• I know God’s building when our ushers check 2,100 participants for name tags and food at the door…only to pick up after them after each session.
• I know God’s building when people challenge themselves by taking on new leadership roles causing them to push themselves like never before.  Similarly, I know God’s building when other leaders take lesser roles for the sake of leadership development.
• I know God’s building when one of the band members tells us that this is the smoothest youth conference he’s ever been a part of.  Or when a venue employee tells us that we are the most well-organized group that they deal with.

I know that it sounds like I’m bragging.  In fact, I probably am.

But we give all the glory, praise, and honour to God.  For through Him, with Him, and in Him, all things are possible.

Everything we accomplished on the weekend was indeed for Him.



Clayton Imoo is husband to Gail and father to sons Sean Isaiah and Jacob Isaac and daughter Kayla Marie.  He has served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver for the past ten years, helping parishes develop their own youth and young adult ministries.  When not doing ministry, Clay enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, playing sports, playing naptime, and writing blogs on topics such as family, faith, and the Vancouver Canucks.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo    

REVIVE US SERIES: Mentoring and Succession

It's amazes me how many different streams there are in the Christian faith. My good friend attends a church that has a similar expression and fundamental beliefs. Often when we are conversing about what God is showing us this line occasionally pops up in our conversation,
"Are you familiar with __________ (Insert name of well known ministry leader in the US)"
"No. I've never heard of them."
"What! What do you mean you've never heard of them?"
 Different streams, different thinkers serving the same God. I love that diversity.

I want to introduce you to a preacher and author that some of you may be unfamiliar with Dr. Myles Munroe. Dr. Munroe pastors an influential church in the Bahamas. He is a leadership giant in the Caribbean, US & Africa. For those of you who are not familiar with his writings or his teachings Mr. Munroe has a way of taking right brain concepts of the Spirit and converting them into left brain practical logic. At least that's how I describe it.
This past Sunday afternoon he was hosting a leadership summit on the other side of the the island when due to bad weather Dr. Munroe's private plane tragically crashed killing all 9 people on board  including his wife, his right hand man who pastored the church along with his youth pastor and his wife and child to name a few. Tragic.
Myles Munroe was a firm believer in securing your legacy. When you die, does your legacy and all that you've built crumble to the ground or do you have successors? These past few months, discipleship has been on my heart and that's what this blog series Revive Us is focusing on, our personal journey with Christ which naturally overflows onto our students.

Youth pastor, Youth Worker, Minister of the Gospel, Man & Woman of Influence, when you die or decide it's time to leave your church, your small group, the youth centre, or that incredible program that you started WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO IT?

In a message he delivered earlier this year in February Myles Munroe powerfully and poinently speaks directly to this issue. With the recent tragic events and upon hearing the message posted below I am challenged to change things up.
In his message he asks, What kind of leadership is needed today? I've extracted some statements he made and formed them into questions that have challenged me to once again examine and now change what I'm doing. My prayer is that this will also cause you to re-evaluate your priorities and dominant concerns.

WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU? 
1.    Are You Preoccupied With Protecting Your Occupation Instead Of Your Legacy?

2.    What Do You Spend More Time Thinking About The Next Generation Or The Next Position In The Organization?

3.    Do You Feel That You Owe A Great Debt To The Future Or Are You Still Telling Those Stories About Your Church Battle Wounds Or 'Sheep Bites' From The Past?

4.    Are You More Dedicated To Shaping History Or Making Money?

5.    What Are You More Interested In People Or Private Ambition?

The leadership summit organized by Myles Munroe that he was flying to the day he crashed was to address the concerns of leadership not being passed on properly to the next generation. He was concerned for his country and nation.
Oh Canada, we sing 'God keep our land glorious and free' and He will do His part, but He who  chooses to partner with mankind you and me. In order for Canada to stay glorious and free we must pass on Godly values, biblical world views, and have students walk with us so they catch many glimpses of our personal relationship with Jesus, to turn around and personalize it for themselves.

To hear his whole message and the powerful dream that God gave Dr. Munroe about passing the baton, watch the rest of his message titled The Leadership Principle & Power of Mentoring and Succession. Let's go and make disciples and make Jesus proud.

To bypass the intro cue video to 8:05



Youth Speaker & Founder of the Young Woman of Power (YWOP), Alison hosts conferences and develops programs that are designed to build the confidence of youth such as the YWOP PivotFWD workshop which she delivers in Calgary’s Youth Judicial System and the citywide Young Women of Power Conference. She considers herself to be a pastor to those who don’t want one or don’t know they need one. For more info or to book Alison as a speaker visit www.ywop.ca