Is Your Youth Ministry Ready to Grow?

One of the most important decisions any youth ministry needs to face is how to plan for growth. Let’s

be honest, It’s a nice problem to have, but you need to temper any excitement by making sure that you have well laid plans.

You might be a sole youth worker and you’re ready to make your first hires. Or you’re a solid, established youth ministry team thinking about adding a new on sight or off sight location. No matter your size or ambitions, here are a few tips to help you plan to expand.

Ensure God Wants You Grow
Expansion is not only a matter of growth, it’s also a matter of stamina, time, commitment. If you’ve got the fortitude – just like when you were starting out, you’ll be in for some long days – then you need to ensure that you and your youth ministry are ready to grow. It starts with you being honest before God. “It’s not about you. It’s about God!” - Rick Warren. Before you embark on a new journey, you need to know exactly what kind of shape you and your youth ministry is in. Essentially, you need to develop an entire ministry plan with full SWOT analysis in order to successfully chart your new path. That takes time, will, and, most importantly, a healthy balance sheet that is both spiritual and physical.

Be Prepared to Spend
We all know it’s true that you have to spend money to make money. But you have to spend your budget smartly. Consider consolidating your budget resources: spiritual gifts of your ministry team,volunteers, finances, recruitment, students, parents, and the church leadership team. That way you can track all of the resource categories that you can expect to surge as you start to walk this new journey.

A Few Good People
It can be the hardest and also the most rewarding part of ministry – hiring and managing your team. (Yes, you do hire volunteers) But the people who come on board with you are key to your success, especially as you grow. You will need to have processes and policies for dealing with mundane stuff such as vulnerable protection, volunteer role descriptions, expectations and benchmarks. You don’t want to spend your valuable time on these details, but they are very important to your people. Also, software solutions are easily accessible; Evernote, Google Drive, Google Calendar, are great places to start keeping your team organized.

Making Your Move
Do you need a bigger space, either for an office, lounge or gathering room? This may be the most formidable part of your expansion plan, and will entail a lot of site visits around your facility, negotiation with others staff/program leaders. Especially if you’re considering expanding to another part of your facility. Remember that you need to choose the best location based on the needs of your ministry, not just your wants. Off sight might even be something to consider. Creativity is your greatest asset in making your move. Surround yourself with 2-3 creative people and 2-3 people who have the spiritual gift of faith and see what happens. 

If your youth ministry is growing, it’s a sign that God is using you and those on your team – and feeling positive, even celebratory, is perfectly natural. But it’s also important to understand that growth is a disruptive force. A period of significant growth will impact every single aspect of youth ministry – which is why you need to adopt a strategic mindset. Ask youself, “Is my youth ministry ready to grow?” If so, the time to plan is now.

@jeffsmyth

coordinator of community initiatives - scarborough

youth unlimited (tyfc) 

Time for Some Prayer Games ...

Do remember that Christmas song about Rudolph?  You know, it's the one with the lyrics about 'all of the reindeer' bullying a poor red-nosed under-dog by calling him names and not allowing him to join them in their reindeer games.  Sounds like they may have been middle school reindeer!

Although I actually have no idea what the 'Reindeer Games' actually are, I have spent time playing 'Prayer Games' with students over the years and if Rudolph would have been around, I'd have invited him to join in too.

Seriously though, if the teens you get to serve and minister to are anything like the youth where I live, they love the concept of prayer and may even enjoy practising it in private, but when it comes to approaching the Lord with words in a corporate setting with their peers, the walls go up and the eyes immediately look down at the floor.  This is especially true for new believers or students who are pre-Christian.

So how do you get teens to get better at coming before their heavenly Father?  I've found that the best way to learn to pray is by praying.  Here are some 'games' that might kick-start this essential spiritual discipline in your ministry.  If you have others, please leave your ideas in the comment area below.

Prayer Game #1: International (Korean) Prayer

What is it?
My friend Denise spent a year in Korea and mentioned that now that she is back home, she has her small group often spend time praying like the ethnic Koreans at the international church she attended. Basically, she has her group huddle together, pick a topic, and pray out-loud all at once.

Note: at this point many of my charismatic friends are going, "Um, that's not very original Dan", but the truth is, many churches would see this as totally new and out of their comfort zone. 

How to do it?
Get your small group, youth group, etc. into a huddle ... give them a topic as well as some basic information on how they might pray for it (this helps those who aren't very good at prayer).  Then, announce that you'll be giving them ___ seconds to pray out-loud about it (*I generally start with a 15 second time period and will increase it from there.)

Let students know that, if they run out of things to say, they can listen to those around them for a moment and steal lines from others as they overhear them.

This 'game' gets people comfortable hearing their own voice praying out-loud, and the benefit is that it doesn't embarrass teens by putting them on the spot with all their friends focussing on them.  Plus,  the time limits mean that it's a short enough period that people generally don't run out of things to pray. Finally, because 'everyone is doing it', teens who are not Christians don't feel "outed"!

Prayer Games #2: Divide and Conquer

What is it?
I remember speaking at a retreat once that was targeted at college students and focused on the topic of prayer.  The weekend involved 20-somethings from different churches and I wanted to do an "icebreaker" so that they could meet each other and move into some prayer time right away.  What I came up with was this fun little game that worked really well and is easily transferred to youth groups.

How to do it?
Handout pens and paper to everyone (we did this when they walked in the door) and have teens write their name on it and either a statement about how they are expecting to grow in their faith during the retreat / coming semester / evening event / etc.  As another option, students could write down a question they would like to ask God to speak to them about during the retreat / coming semester / evening event / etc.

Divide the youth into two groups (just call them group 'A' and 'B'). Collect group B's papers and hang onto them for a minute. Collect group A's papers and re-distribute them to group B.

Group B people must find the person from group A named on their paper, introduce themselves, and then pray for the item listed on the paper.

When completed, handout group B's paper to group A and repeat the exercise.

============
Dan King is a Pastor to Youth and Young Adults in Parksville, on Vancouver Island.  He's a 20+ year veteran of youth ministry and has worked in large and small churches across Western Canada.  He is a husband and father of two teenagers, loves skim boarding, collects Nike sneakers, and enjoys practicing the spiritual discipline that calls him to 'be still and know'.  Read the online "Leadership and Youth Ministry" magazine he edits and contributes to or follow him @danKing_live

Youth Ministry #FAIL

the definition of insanity is this: "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results".

many youth workers today are insane, and not in a good way. let me tell you about one of the biggest secrets about youth ministry that really depends on how right or wrong you think about about it.

prayer.

we must think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our heart. the blood flows ceaselessly, and our breathing continues ceaselessly. none of us are conscious of it, but it's always going on. we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect union with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is.

"Pray without ceasing," keep the childlike attitude of always asking questions of God, always sharing with him your hearts thoughts and feelings all the time.

"Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer, He had the boundless certainty that prayer is always answered. have we by the Spirit the unspeakable certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when God does not seem to have answered our prayers? Every one that asks will receive. We say - "But...but..." Do we expect God to answer prayer? The danger is that we water down the things that Jesus says and make them mean something that correlates with our common sense. The things Jesus says about prayer are supernatural revelations." Oswald Smith - My Utmost for His Highest

Do you expect God to answer your prayers for the students and their families in the youth ministry you have been entrusted to oversee?

Are you giving 10% of your weekly time to prayer?

photo from rimrockchurch.com 

Child-Like Faith: My Favourite Easter Prayer

My favourite Easter prayer goes like this:

"Dear Jesus.  Thank you for going up on the cross for us every Good Friday.  You must be really happy when the weekend's over!"

That’s why I love kids’ prayers. Children remind us that we can be child-like, not childish, in the way we pray. Praying is easier for children, as there is no embarrassment, no formulas, no clichés, or no religiously correct God words…they just pray whatever comes to their minds. Children tell God what they are genuinely thinking and they understand that God is listening, and that praying is very important.

After all, Mark 10:15 says "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." 

My hope is that we all become more child-like in our faith, and that we aren’t afraid to offer up simple, spontaneous prayers when needed.

That way, we won't always be the ones saying grace because we are the designated “church professionals!”

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      

Anticipation of God's Work -vs- My Stress About Things Going Right

 At my age, it's not very often anymore, that I sleep on the floor at a weekend with kids.

It's Legacy Youth Conference at Ambrose University College (where I teach). As director of this weekend, I've got 700 kids, pastors, sponsors and and 280 Ambrose student volunteers on campus
and I'm sitting in my office at 7am on a Saturday morning thinking through the day.

The anticipation of God doing something significant is in the air. The excitement and energy last evening was fantastic.... everybody is cranked about today, and what God is going to do in the lives of kids. BUT, somehow, my anticipation is tempered with the stress and worry that things will actually work and plans will not fall flat. We are counting on almost 300 volunteers to show up and step up. We are counting on the weeks of organizing to pay off resulting in the day's schedule unfolding flawlessly. We are ready; but desperate for God to carry it.

As leaders, we've all been in that place to some degree or another. We create and lead big events all the time. We have lots of stories of success and just as many stories of disaster.

Here are some of the things that I have learned after living through this kind of ministry for 30 years:

• exhaustive advanced planning is crucial
• communicate, communicate, communicate... every volunteer and every chaperone needs to have the same picture in their head as I do
• bathe in prayer from start to finish
• stick to the plan  - have confidence in your plans
• be prepared for anything - expect the enemy to show up 
• rely on your team - if they are prepared, trained and understand well, LET THEM DO IT
• support, encourage and gush on your team of leaders the whole way through
• troubleshoot and creatively correct quickly
• slow down and enjoy it - like a bride at her wedding, stressed and anxious, she needs to step back, slow down and really enjoy her big day
• remain in a position of absolute dependance on God
• like a surfer, watch for the perfect waves from the Holy Spirit and be prepared to "catch the right waves" (not every wave that comes in), allowing God to usurp my plan.
• don't manipulate people towards responding to God
• debrief with volunteers to troubleshoot, but more importantly, to celebrate what God IS doing

Today is a big day for me and the 1000 people here. I go into it with a ton of anticipation and asking God to be aggressive in doing his work in hearts.
We are ready.
I am desperate for God to do His thing... but I'm still afraid of relying on so many volunteering people.....  and I'm tired and sore from sleeping on the floor....

 
 Dave Brotherton was a youth pastor from 1984-2006 and now teaches youth ministry at Ambrose University College in Calgary. Dave is also the National Youth Guy for the Alliance churches in Canada, the director of Legacy Youth Conference, and a junior high volunteer in his church. Dave is married to Lisa and they share 2 of the greatest kids in the world. Fishing, camping, and cheering on the Leafs are some of his favorite things. 
twitter: @oldbrotherdave

Making the Most out of Lent

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16)

If you ask a young person what he might be doing for Lent, you’ll likely get responses along the lines of:  “I’m giving up Facebook” or “I’m giving up eating chocolate.”

Granted, these may be noble notions on their own, but young people (along with many adults) often get too caught up in what they might be “giving up” for Lent instead of why they are doing it.

We know that Lent is a solemn, reflective season that prepares us for Christ’s glorious resurrection at Easter.  The forty days of Lent recall the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert resisting Satan’s temptations before starting his public ministry.  During Lent, Christians are called to renew themselves through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (charity).  Think of it as a spiritual tune-up.

Solemn and reflective does not have to mean miserable and depressed.  Lent gives youth ministers a wonderful opportunity to teach about sacrifice, and how these sacrifices can be pleasing to God.  When we sacrifice in one area, we grow or make room in another; in the case of Lent it’s in our relationship with God.  Fasting is a perfect example: it’s less about what we are giving up (food) and more about how we are growing (in prayer).

“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

An avid cola drinker, for the past 12 years I have proudly proclaimed that I am giving up pop for Lent.  But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that simply sacrificing pop wasn’t enough…God was challenging me to do more.  To spend more time in prayer.  To be a better steward of my resources.  To be more generous.  And to be more “present” to my wife and children.

As youth ministers, we can pray for humility; that we can “die to ourselves” and instead set our hope on the living God.  In doing so we recall the sacrifice He made for us on the cross.

So yes, I will once again give up drinking pop.  In fact, I’ve cut back on my cola consumption since January 1 of this year.  But it’s admittedly only a small part of my Lenten plan to strengthen my relationship with God and with others.

I know that some people like to let everyone know what they’re sacrificing, whether it’s for accountability or for sympathy.  Others may declare their Lenten promises to show people that they are actually doing something.

However, I see no need in posting my other Lenten promises and sacrifices here or on Facebook or Twitter for the world to see.   If you want to really know (for whatever reason) what I’m going to be doing for Lent, just ask me.

May we all use these next forty days to strengthen our relationships with our loved ones and with our loving God.  Amen.

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     

Creativity

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he

created them.” Genesis 1:27

The Creator and Master of the universe left his finger prints on you, his child. He made you to resemble him, putting qualities of himself - including creativity - in you. You might not be an artist or musician or designer or writer, but you are creative because you were made by a creative God who made you in his image.

Life Coaching

1. What is a creative dream you have but don’t think is possible?
2. Where, in your life and your ministry, does it excite you to be creative?
3. Where, in your life and ministry, is it challenging to be creative?

forget all the sentences that begin with “yes, but…” and journal for a few minutes about what that dream would look like if you risked pursuing it.

Prayer: God, who created the heaven and the earth and everything in them, thank you for making me in your image. Thank you for the privilege it is to be like you. Thank you for making me creative. Please put in my heart and mind the passion and wisdom and courage to pursue the creative dreams you have given me in life and in youth ministry. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Chocolate Advent Calendar

Do you remember opening a chocolate advent calendar when you were a kid? I do. I loved getting that calendar each year. Today, many of my friends are giving their kids the much desired "Lindt Advent Calendar".

Yet the Advent story is still missed by many families in our churches. Our family this year is going through a story for Advent each day. We are making this an intentional priority for our family. We are going to be setting aside 20 minutes each day, beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas, to light candles, read a devotional for that day, and pray together.

Advent. Adventus. Ecce advenit Dominatus. Behold, the Lord, the Ruler, is come. Reaching back two millennia to the birth of the Christ child and forward to his reign on earth, the tradition of Advent is a threefold celebration of the birth of Jesus, his eventual second coming to earth, and his continued presence in our lives here and now. God in our past, God in our future, God in our present.

History of Advent. 
It started with people going hungry to purifyl themselves and prepare themselves for holy living. A fast, we call it, and such a fast was ordered by the Council of Saragosa in A.D. 381. For three weeks before Epiphany (a feast in January celebrating the divine revelation of Jesus to the gentile Magi), the people were to prepare themselves by fasting and praying. The tradition spread to France in 581 by decree of the Council of Macon, and to Rome and beyond thereafter. Gregory the First refined the season to its present form in about 600 when he declared that it should start the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

Fasting is no longer a part of Advent in most homes and churches (though it wouldn't be a bad idea for some). For us, Advent means taking time each day, for the three or four weeks before Christmas, to centre our thoughts on Truth Incarnate lying in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. It's a time of worship, a time of reflection, a time of focus, and time of of family communion. In the midst of December's commotion and stress. Advent is a few moments to stop, catch your breath, and renew your strength from the only One who can provide true strength.

What advent traditions do you remember or do now with your family or ministry?

My 3 Favourite Prayers

As I wrote about last week, the universal Catholic Church has embarked on its "Year of Faith". Obviously, a large part of faith is prayer and I'm really looking forward to ramping up my prayer life over the next year (and beyond).  After all, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing! 

Here are 3 of my favourite prayers: 

1.  The Guardian Angel Prayer.  It's one of the very first prayers that my lovely wife Gail taught me before she was my wife (she's always been lovely).  We pray it as a family anytime we travel together in the van (such as on our recent road trip to California) and I pray it every time I drive my car.  I ask my guardian angel to light, guard, rule, and guide me by keeping me alert and helping me avoid freak accidents and freaky drivers.  So it has nothing to do with me being an Asian driver.  Okay...maybe a little bit.

• Angel of God, my guardian dear
  To whom God's love commits me here
  Ever this day, be at my side
  To light and guard, rule and guide
  Amen

2.  The Lord's Prayer.  It's the first prayer that Gail taught me back in high school as she humbly (yet strategically and sneakily) introduced me to the Catholic faith and Jesus Christ.  One day, as I opened my agenda book to write down my chemistry homework, I found this prayer written in bright red ink.  Reciting it is one of my favourite parts of Mass as we all join hands united in our prayer.  It's the inspiration for one of my favourite worship songs ever:  Matt Maher's "As It Is In Heaven."  And it's a safe go-to prayer when you're asked without warning to lead a group in prayer...especially if you're not comfortable with spontaneous prayer.  This seems to happen a lot in youth ministry!

3.  Jesus Loves Me.  Singing is praying twice, right?  I have fond memories of singing this song when our St. Paul's 6:30pm choir was just starting:  Gary, Christina, Bernie and I did a rendition based on a song called "We Dedicate" by the 90s r&b group All-4-One.  My kids have continued the tradition, as both Jake and Kayla have YouTube videos of them singing the song.  A simple song with a powerful and unfailing message:  that Jesus loves me...and you.  The Bible tells us so!

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 

Spiritual Practice of the Week:  God’s Presence

Holy Mystery, Creator of the universe. You reveal your presence in many ways. In the earth as solid rock. In the fires of passion as spirit and light. In the waters as peace and nourishment. In stillness.   In creation as miracle of beauty and circle of life. In mystery and possibility as Presence.

Holy One, you are at work in mysterious ways. We love being at work with you in this mystery. We want to be part of shaping your world in humble and beautiful ways. Mostly, Holy One, we yearn for your presence, guiding us on. Amen.

© This prayer practice and all of those on the Sunday Morning Blog Post can be found in: "Go Deep: Spiritual Practices for Youth Ministry" Wood Lake Publishing
Doris is the Youth Director for the United Church of Canada in BC and the Director of World Pilgrim Awareness Travel.

The God Factor Part 2 (The Key To Their Heart)

I just wanted to say that you are one of the few people who connected with my daughters. How can I get my girls more involved with attending more of your classes. I want them to stay connected with you and get them involved in creative/spiritual expression that they are interested. 

-- Mom

I didn’t preach Jesus, there was no salvation message yet this was the response I received from one of the parents five days after the Girls conference. Out of respect for each girl’s privacy and not abusing my position, I will not go into details of what happened last Saturday. But I will say this, we had girls from all walks of life, and I witnessed even the toughest walls come down.

What did I learn?  God knows what tool or key will unlock the barriers surrounding each person's heart.  And He is wanting to assist us in healing even the toughest kids heart. Those keys are distributed in time spent with him. 

The week of the conference, I did the exact opposite of what I normally do. Instead of running around, wearing myself out, I stopped. I slowed down. I prayed and cried out to God for these girls. Two days before the conference I attended an all day prayer gathering. ALL DAY! What were the results? I was rested, my team was relaxed, and we were all at the right place at the right time the day of the Conference. All the results I desired to see, came to pass and more! Girls were weeping. The eyes of their hearts could see it was a lie that held them captive, forcing them to be someone they were not. But truth opened the door that led to their escape to freedom. I saw it, and read it in the evaluations.

There is a whole other level youth worker, that you have access to creating significant impact with less to do’s. Pray to the one who has the key to your students hearts so that parents, group homes, and teachers will take notice and say, “Very few have been able to connect with my kid the way that you have...I want them to stay connected with you.” And praise our father in heaven.

They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” Mark 2:12b

                         

Youth Speaker, Writer and Founder of the Young Woman of Power Conference, Alison is Inspiring Teen Greatness with a focus on youth in the community. With 15 years of experience her mission is to raise up a Generation of Confident Youth.

http://www.inspiringteengreatness.com

Praying Passionately for Daniel Sedin: A First-Hand Account

Much has been made in the last couple of days about the Passion Vancouver event that took place at Rogers Arena last Friday evening and in particular the prayer for concussed-Canuck Daniel Sedin led by the founder of the Passion Movement, Louie Giglio.

And while a couple of blogs have done a decent job of presenting and analyzing what happened, I can offer you a perspective that they can’t:  a first-hand account as I was present at the event. Not only was I in attendance at the Passion event, I also attended a pre-event dinner hosted by Louie.  But more on that later.

As part of my job as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, I sat on the Advisory Team for Passion Vancouver.  Per the official website, “Passion exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”

We had been meeting and praying for the success of the event for months prior to last Friday and as a gracious gesture of appreciation I was invited to the pre-event dinner held in the Rogers Arena Captain’s Room.  I met a lot of great people including Miss Canada 2011 Tara Teng.



One of us seems a tad happier than the other.  But I digress.

During the dinner, Louie Giglio went out of his way to thank all of us for our work and service in helping bring Passion to Vancouver.  He mentioned that Vancouver is the only city outside of the United States where Passion has held events three times – largely in part to the willingness of the Aquilini family to host the event in Rogers Arena.  Louie thanked Paolo Aquilini (who was in attendance at both the dinner and the concert) and then segued into talking about the Vancouver Canucks and their massive popularity here.  He then reflected on how his hometown of Atlanta was particularly good at grooming NHL teams to move to Canada (the Flames and more recently the Jets).  I chuckled as Louie said “So once we get another team we’ll get them ready and ship them back up to you.”

As dinner completed we hastily made our way to our seats in the Arena…but not before I snapped my picture with Tara.  Okay…I’ll stop mentioning that now.

After worship leader Chris Tomlin opened the event, Louie made his way onto the stage with a couple of items in his hands.  One, we quickly learned, was a Canucks jersey signed by the entire team  – a gift to Louie from Paolo and the Vancouver Canucks.



The other was the helmet of injured forward Daniel Sedin.  Louie didn’t announce how he obtained the helmet; needless to say it was likely with the permission of Paolo Aquilini after the Passion organizers held their pre-event prayer time in the Canucks’ dressing room.



After publicly thanking the Aquilini family in front of the 12,000 people in attendance, Louie shared a few words about the Canucks and Atlanta’s knack for losing their hockey teams to Canada (similar to what he shared with us at dinner).  Then, he suggested that we pray for Daniel’s recovery from his concussion.



After allowing for 35 seconds of spontaneous prayer, Louie led the attendees in a prayer of thanksgiving for the Aquilini family and for the arena, the city and team.  He ended off by praying for Daniel’s recovery.  At the time, I felt that it was a very powerful and genuine gesture.  It didn’t feel out of place for the main reason that this was a gathering of Christians praying for a Canuck player AND NOT a gathering of Canucks fans with some Christian prayer in it. There is a HUGE difference.  If people were not interested in praying for Daniel’s recovery then it was their prerogative not to join in…much like any other element of the night.

Also, Louie didn’t pray for the Canucks to win their next game, to win a playoff series or two, or to win the Stanley Cup.  He didn’t pray for Daniel the hockey player; he prayed for Daniel the human being.  For full healing and recovery.  For goodness and fullness of life.  For his heart, and everything going on his life.
You’ll hear from the video Louie saying “And we pray God that You just let him know…there are people praying for him tonight – not for what he can do, not for how he can score, not for how many assists he has, but we just love him tonight God because he is Yours.”

Immediately after the prayer concluded, I was happily surprised at what had just transpired.  It was quite moving to be among 12,000 people praying together.  I went to both Twitter and Facebook with a simple post:

12,000 people at Rogers Arena praying for the health of Daniel Sedin…powerful stuff.

Unbeknownst to me, my buddy Joseph posted the video up in the Canucks.com message boards and in 24 hours it had accumulated over 13,000 views and 300 replies.  Everyone seemed to have an opinion as to its appropriateness, its effectiveness, or its relevance.  It’s come to be expected when talking sports and faith.

Was the prayer genuine?  Absolutely.  Was it a way to show Vancouver that Passion was in tune with the city and culturally relevant?  Without a doubt.  Was it a strategic and smart way to engage the crowd?  Certainly.

And I loved every minute of it.


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.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo

September!?!

March Break is finished this weekend and what begins next week is the beginning of spring and soon a transition into summer. The next 90 days of youth ministry are fast and furious and full of transitions. Easter, May long weekend, school & ministry shifting into summer mode, then gearing up for summer planning for your fall launch, PLUS budget planning and submission (if your organization is in this cycle.

Here's a few things that you can do to keep your schedule balanced and your spiritual life in tact during the next 90-120 of ministry before September.

1. Pray. Schedule a daily time of prayer, asking God for wisdom, discernment, and guidance as you start to make plans. Asking Him that you will be sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit as you move ahead and the days in the calendar tick by.
2. Notes. Make lots and lots of notes of what you're hearing God say and what you are hearing the Holy Spirit say to you about what the future holds.
3. Read. Don't just read ministry books, read biographies of George Muller & Hudson Taylor, both free on KOBO as suggestions.
4. Share. Share your ideas and thoughts about the future of ministry with 3 trusted individuals. Two should be key volunteers and one ministry peer, that you respect, from another ministry. Get their thoughts and ideas of what you're sharing from your heart and conversations with God.

I'm praying for you that you will have fun in the next 90-120 days and that they will also be some of the best days of your ministry year. We start this thing all back up in September.

Jeff Smyth

Leadership Is Lonely

Alone.

That's how many youth workers feel these days. Many of us are the only youth worker doing what we do in our little section of God's Kingdom. We may have others who volunteer their time, talent and treasure into the ministry we are involved. Yet we still have this sense of feeling alone.

When we sit in our office, at local place that hase free wifi so we don't have to go into the office, or even when we are at home relaxing. Leadership is lonely and I've experienced it and I've heard it over and over again. The problem I have with this is that we have bought another lie that we should not believe.

Now wait a minute, you might say. Leadership is lonely, just look into the Bible for the many examples of a leader who was lonely. Be honest, you could list at least 5 or more leaders from the Bible who were lonely right!?! These many leaders had some lonely moments but that they were not lonely, every single minute of their leadership journey.

Yet for those of us in youth ministry leadership we believe that at our core we are alone in what we do. We find ourselves in our own silo from the other ministries and staff. You might even think that youth ministry is not understood at it's basic form it is only tolerated within your organization. You have a good volunteer team but in the day to day realities of youth ministry you feel alone. I understand that loneliness, I've experienced that loneliness and I've tried to hide that loneliness too many times. One of the most important realities about youth ministry loneliness is that it is my fault if I felt lonely.

So now back to you.

Loneliness is your own fault. You have bought into the lie that leadership is lonely. Now I want to confirm that you will have lonely moments but if you feel alone in youth ministry "ALL THE TIME" it is you're own fault or there might be something deeper that you need to explore. But at it's basic form, we were not designed to be lonely, we wer designed for community by the God of all creation.

Here are my top 5 Ways to Always Feel Alone in Youth Ministry:

5) Don't connect with any other staff and volunteers in your organization professionally and socially.

4) Don't coordinate a prayer team for yourself from within your faith community or your family and friends.

3) Don't belong to a small group from within your community of faith.

2) Never be mentored by someone older and more experienced than you in life and ministry.

1) Don't belong to a peer network of other youth workers from other denominations.

Be Still and Know That I Am Your God

I’m in Ottawa this week for the biennial National Youth Ministry Conference put on by the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network (CCYMN).  By virtue of my position as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, I’ve been part of the CCYMN since its inception in 2005. 

Prior to the weekend conference, the Directors and Coordinators of Youth Ministry and Young Adult Ministry are gathering for a few days for our Annual General Meeting.  It will be a great chance to pray, to share, to network, and to discuss issues that we face on both national and local levels.

At the opening session of the AGM, we broke into small groups and talked about the conference theme of “Be Still and Know That I am God” from Psalm 46.  The responses from my group members were not surprising: we are all busy balancing family and ministry (and other things) and it’s a challenge to just “be still”.  Yet we collectively realized that it’s vital to our ministries and more importantly our health, our relationships, and our overall well-being.

I told my group that while I acknowledge the importance of being still, it actually isn’t really on my radar or a priority for me...at least currently.  I certainly wasn’t suggesting that I was busier than anyone else, but I did offer that I’m not wired to “be still”.  When at home, I do my best to make sure that I’m truly present to my wife and kids in all ways:  physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  But when they go to bed, my first thought isn’t always to join them (it doesn’t help that my wife Gail often goes to bed before sunset but that’s not the point here...haha).   I do my best work when I’m working well into the night, or more accurately, well into the next morning.  Sometimes it’s ministry work and other times it’s creating written and video blogs on the Vancouver Canucks (my other passion besides family and faith).

Granted, I’m not getting any younger so I certainly don’t have the stamina that I had 10 or even five years ago.  I know that my wife Gail would like me to get more sleep but it’s hard, especially when I’m excited about what I’m working on. And I realize it’s always the same routine in the morning: while we’re scrambling around trying to get the kids ready for school, she still takes the time to read the blog or watch the video that I had finished just a few hours prior. Even when I can tell that she doesn’t care, at least she pretends to.  :p

So I admit: this theme of being still is going to challenge me and stretch me.  Obviously, I recognize the value of slowing things down and simply resting in the Lord.  I, like many others, often catch myself being more “Martha” and less “Mary”.

But I must remember that I don’t always have to be “chasing after” God or “seeking after” Him.  There are times when I need to just get over myself, be still, and let Him find me.

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.  Learn more about him at http://www.claytonimoo.com or follow him @claytonimoo

We've Got to Pray Just to Make it Today

As a teen, I was a huge Halle Berry fan, not for her acting, but because she was so beautiful. In my early 20's I'd rip a picture out of the magazine of the Halle Berry Shag look that she made famous and gave it to my hairdresser to get the same cut.

When I heard she was divorcing David Justice the baseball player (I was a baseball addict back then) I was so disappointed. I loved them together! Drama followed Halle Berry after that with rumours of abuse, the fights etc. At that point I started to pray for her. As a matter of fact, I chose two celebrities to pray for; Halle Berry and Whitney Houston.

As I got older, I got so used to hearing about celebrity drama that my heart hardened, and I neglected to pray for these two celebrities.

"We've got to pray just to make it today" - MC Hammer

Back in the day, it was just a cool song. Today I wonder was it a cry for help? What would Whitney's life look like if all of her fans, around the world, prayed for her?

When I first found out about Whitney Houston, my heart was so heavy. Actually, that's an understatement. Each night I lay in my bed after watching CNN till the wee hours of the morning listening to all the interviews of the people who knew Whitney, trying to make sense of it all while tears rolled over the bridge of my nose. I was ignorant of her constant battle of not feeling good enough, her desire to be taken care of, her reasoning for staying in an abusive relationship.

There was so much I didn't know until after she died. Whitney Houston was a normal human being with a God given talent that rose her to the top who needed as many people as possible to pray for her so she would resist temptation and walk in God's best for her.

Do you have a kid in your youth group who is in the know of every celebrity? They read the magazines, watch the movies, and get a news feed from TMZ? If so, talk to that student, about doing up a report or info on how your youth group can pray for our celebrities instead of gossip about them.

Encourage your youth group to adopt a celebrity and commit to pray for them. They obviously need our prayers. Where are the Ashton Kutcher fans? He could do with some prayer. Demi Moore needs to know that she is loved unconditionally. All the used to be Hanna Montana fans, where are they at?

These celebrities need our prayers. They have mom's, dad's, grandparents too. Martin Sheen was gravely distressed about the condition of his son Charlie, while the majority of the world laughed. Seriously, the devil has been using fame and fortune to destroy people who have God given talent. He's been taking advantage of Hollywood’s spotlight to negatively influence our youth. Our youth group has the power to break the cycle.

We've got to Pray, to help them make it through today.