ReThinking Student Ministry - Let's Try Something New

OK – so how do we create a model for student ministry that fits with New City’s values of worship, community, mission, and theology and in a way that also values diversity and Titus 2 older/younger ministry AND fits with our current cultural context?  Not only is that a long sentence, but it is a very BIG question!  In fact, it is a question that we expect to ask over and over and over again as we constantly evaluate and re-evaluate how well we are doing with our mission – to see the gospel transform everything within our reach.

Here is where we are….

A midweek large gathering of Middle and High School students @ The 567

• Snacks/food/drinks/games and hang out time
• Worship music
• Short teaching re-cap of Sunday sermon geared toward students
• Break into MC groups for personal discussion and application

 * This format provides a LOT – 1) An opportunity to experience worship together for students as well as to hear more on a life of worship.  2) The MCs provide an opportunity to move students into gospel centered community.  The challenge will be to involve college students/young adults/adults in the mix at every level in order to maintain the Titus 2 generational diversity – but it is very possible.  Like our existing MCs, we will work to see real community develop – where life is lived together – at games, at the park, serving, helping, laughing, crying…  3) This format gives students a great avenue to BE missional – inviting friends who do not know Jesus or who are not connected to a church to join them at New City.  While intergenerational MCs offered the same invite opportunity, there was little to attract other students… ‘hey want to come hang out with my parents and talk about the sermon from pastor Keith last week’ is not very attractional for middle and high school students!  A big part of being on mission means serving… students would be encouraged and trained to serve others during this time as part of the hospitality team, the set up team, the worship and tech teams… 4) Having the sermon re-cap presented by a solid speaker in a way that connects with students in their context and culture means more theology for our students!  Unpacking that theology and applying it to the life of a student through their MC means more practical theology.  More theology means more worship and a greater likelihood of gospel transformation!

Sundays

Students would participate, as they do now in our main gathering.  The hope, however is that as students learn to serve in the mid-week student gathering, they will also serve on Sunday mornings – as greeters, at the coffee bar, in the tech area, and maybe in one of our bands.  This will help students stay connected to the body as a whole and will also help them grow as disciples through service.  Serving on a Sunday morning team also gives another possible relationship for Titus 2, younger/older ministry.

Quarterly MC Partnership

Like our existing MCs, student MCs would form ongoing missional partnerships where they serve at least once per quarter in the city.  Partnerships may, for example, be with a needy school, a nursing home, or one of Macon’s shelters.  The Partnership would be with an existing non-student MC.  By serving with another MC we have more opportunities for the development of Titus 2 older/younger relationships.  This will also be another way to keep our students connected with and a part of the body of New City Church as opposed to a separate group within the church.

An Honest Assessment - Our Core Values

"If it ain't broke,
don't fix it."

But if it is broke,
FIX IT!

IT'S BROKE!
Below is an explanation of New City's Core Values.  These values shape what we do and how we do.  Following each core value I'll explain how we have been less than successful with our attempted model of student ministry (integrated MCs).

WORSHIP:

We exist to be worshippers of God. Understanding that God is our Creator and Gracious Redeemer gives us purpose and direction in life. Therefore, our desire is to proclaim the beauty and majesty of God – to show that he is worthy of our worship in all we do and with all we are.

> We all need to be reminded of the many ways that what/who we worship plays itself out in our day to day lives.  If we love Jesus with all of our heart, mind, and soul (worship), then we will follow his commands.  If we love (worship) anything else, we will pursue (follow) it/them.  For example, if we love money more than Jesus, money becomes our pursuit - working too hard, stealing, illegal or dishonest gain...

This needs to be communicated in in a language and environment that makes hearing and receiving it most likely. Sunday morning sermons is likely not the best environment or language for reaching students.

COMMUNITY:

We are created to exist in community. As those created in the image of God, we reflect the triune nature of God who exists in perfect community as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This means that church is not intended to be a loose collection of spiritually minded people, but a family of worshippers that reflect the image of God, unified in Jesus. This community will be visible as people love and serve each other and their neighbors. This is where the gospel comes to life.

> While the ideal of mom and dad being in community with others AND with their children is great, the reality is that it is VERY difficult in our culture.  Families are dysfunctional.  By only offering MCs that include the entire family, we are insisting that families join us in the ideal, rather than meeting them where they are and helping them grow into the ideal.  It is ignoring context and culture to insist on the ideal.  By doing this, there are many families - parents and students - that we will never reach and never move into community - the best place for Scriptures "one anothers" and discipleship. The reality of our attempt to integrate MCs with the whole family is that most of the children who attend an MC with mom and dad play with other kids rather than participating in an MC, or if the children are old enough, they simply stay home alone.
The bottom line is that we are NOT connecting our students to community.

MISSION:We live as those who are sent—Just as the Father sent the Son into the world, so too the Son has sent his church into the world. Therefore, to live as a disciple means that we live on mission with Jesus. This will be expressed as disciples adopt the posture of a missionary – to learn, listen to and love the culture locally and globally. In doing so, the church announces the salvation accomplished by the Son through the proclamation of the gospel while working and praying for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

> As I mentioned above, if we ignore our culture and context in an attempt to reach the ideal in one leap, there are many, many, many people that we will never be able to engage.  For most people, becoming a follower of Christ and joining in His mission is a process, not a single "event."  The process happens in community, not in isolation.  If students (and parents) never engage in community, they are much less likely to engage in the process of transformation that begins with belief and moves to mission.  We are neither reaching nor sending effectively in our current model of ministry.

THEOLOGY:

We cannot properly worship, serve or proclaim a God that we do not know. Therefore, we strive to create a culture devoted to Scriptural study in order to help us grow in our love for Jesus and people. We must view the world and culture through the story of the Scriptures. We realize that we must become practical theologians if we are serious about being missional disciples in today’s culture.

> We all need more than the Sunday sermon in order to grow in our theology and especially in the practical application of our theology.  Students live in a different world than adults!  They often speak a little different language, deal with different problems, struggle with different sins, need to uproot different idols.  Our current structures do very little to reach, shape, or apply the theology of our students.  This means that rather than helping them grow as theologians through our MCs, we are in some ways hindering their growth as theologians.  We want our students to know God (theology) because we believe that in knowing Him, they will love Him (worship) and in loving Him they will follow Him - right into community and right onto His mission!

The Bottom Line:  Our ministry to students is not working to instill our values and see our children transformed by the gospel.  We need to fix that.

Idealism and Reality - Youth Ministry 2 Years Later

Real always shapes Ideal.  Here's an example of what I mean:
The US has thousands and thousands of children who need adoption.  Ideally, Christian families would step up and adopt a child.  If that happened, there would be no need for foster care.  BUT then there is reality - every Christian home will not adopt a child in need of a home - many for very legitimate reasons.  This reality means that we need foster homes and a system in place to care for the un-adopted children.

Two years ago I wrote a series of posts that explained why New City Church, Macon would pursue the ideal of having students incorporated into our existing and new Missional communities.  There have been some great stories about our students being ministered to and incorporated into the body of the church - there have been some successes... but reality is causing us to re-think and re-shape how we minister to students and families.  The reality is that some existing parents are not at a place where they feel comfortable with their children sitting in on discussion (a great ideal) and many of the students don't feel comfortable participating in discussions with adults (another great ideal and application of Titus 2, and a reality of life in this culture and context).  The results?
Middle schoolers and high schoolers are not in Christian community.  This means they are not receiving the input of older Christians (Titus 2), and they are often not participating in the missional partnerships of the MC.
Another result is that we are missing missional opportunities to reach non-believing and non-connected students and their families.  Students who aren't plugged in are not inviting other students.  Parents who love their children and want Christian community for their children don't connect at New City as readily because the reality is that our ministry to students isn't thriving.

So the reality is - We are not ministering well to our existing students and we are missing out on missional opportunities to reach both students and parents.  The past few weeks we have begun great discussions on how to correct course - minister well to students and be missional in our city, and do this without compromising our values of Worship, Mission, Community (including Titus 2 diversity), and Theology.  Look for more explanation in the days to come!  I am excited to re-think student ministry and to find a way to keep our ideals, even if reality reshapes our practice.

Seeing Youth Ministry Happen Without A Youth Group

It is far from a 'blossom' at this point, but maybe we are pushing through the dirt toward a blossom.

The discussion on ministering to our New City kids and reaching other kids in a model other than the Youth Group model continues to take place. A couple of days ago I sat with a New City family that I love very much to discuss leadership's vision for ministering to our older kids. The meeting was painful. This mom and dad had a great experience in a Youth Group ministry model and they cannot imagine that any other model could effectively reach and minister to kids. They are praying now as to whether or not they will stay at New City even though their children are years away from a youth group. I cannot imagine any pastor feeling good about a family like this one possibly leaving the body. It is discouraging.

Yet in the midst of that discouragement comes great encouragement! While i am working on this week's sermon, Amy and Ivey are at a horse show in which Ivey is competing. Amy called to give me an update just a few minutes ago. She also told me that Ivey had an audience today - Amanda (a recent college grad) who has become one of Ivey's friends came to support her. Amanda and Ivey text, face book, talk - and sometimes Amanda comes to hang out with Ivey. Megan, Ivey's MC (missional community) leader also came to the show, bringing with her Jenna (a middle schooler) also now in Megan's MC with Ivey.

A couple of weeks ago, following an MC meeting almost the whole MC group drove over to the baseball park to watch the last half of Robby's game. They stayed until the last out of the extra-innings game even though Robby had been pulled out of the game in order for some of the younger guys to get playing time. Every one of them (I think) stuck around until the coaches were done talking to the players so that they could speak to Robby.

Is this the totality of our vision for ministering to our students? Far from it. But it is a great start... A New City Community ministering to, supporting, and loving the kids that God has brought their way and reaching out to others who are not really connected to the community.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 8 - "Orphaned" Kids

Some of the most common questions I receive about not having a Youth Group are centered on youth/students who attend church without their parents. Some of the questions are:
How will we reach these kids?
How will we minister to them?
If all ministry is “family ministry” won’t these kids feel awkward and out of place?

Let’s start with the first question - How will we reach these kids?
HOW?
For the most part, kids reach kids. It is extremely rare that a parent randomly picks a church and then drops their children off at that church with NO relational connections to the church. In fact, I have never seen or heard of this (though I am pretty sure it happens – rarely). Kids go to church with their friends or a friend’s family. This means that in the vast majority of instances when a child whose parents do not attend a church attends church, he does so at the invitation of another student and usually with that student. NCCd expects to reach students in the same way – through existing and new relationships which are primarily student to student.
With What?
I addressed a key philosophy for NCCd Part 6 of this series, number 3 – little “a” attractional, BIG “M” Missional. As a church we major on being missional in that we press our people to live like missionaries. This isn’t just an adult philosophy, but a church philosophy. We believe that Christian children are a part of the body of Christ (the church) and that they, like mom and dad, are called to live out the Great Commission of Matthew 28. We believe that they too are a part of the priesthood of believers who are called to proclaim the excellencies of Him called them (us) out of darkness and into His marvelous light. The mission that adults and children are tasked with – make disciples and teach them.
This is very different from the Big A – Attractional church where events are planned that youth and students can invite other youth to where a specialized “Priest” (youth minister) does the work of ministry by sharing the gospel somewhere in the midst of fun activities. The Youth Minister fulfills the Great Commission by making disciples and teaching them. The Youth Group’s responsibility is to have fun and invite their friends.

SO – while we do things that are fun for our kids – 2nd Sunday Brunch, 4th Sunday Fun, MC 3rd week events – and that other kids can be invited to, what we really hope to see are missional kids and missional families who relationally make disciples of other students and teach them through life together.

How will we minister to them?
Hopefully you read the response to the first question above! If so, you can see that ministry to “orphaned kids” is done primarily through families. This is most natural because the orphaned child likely already has a relationship with the family through a child. Outside of the family, is the Missional Community. The community as a whole reaches out, helps out, and “adopts the “orphaned child.” In community the child is loved, cared for, poured into, led, built up, encouraged…
Let me give you a non-church picture of this. Last Fall I helped a friend, Brad coach Robby’s football team. A parent had met a family – single mother, African-American, very impoverished, several children. One of the children wanted to play football. The White parent took the impoverished child to try outs and paid for him to play. She communicated to the coaches that they would need help with the child. Brad picked this kid to be on our team. Then Brad “adopted” him for the season. Brad, or me, picked him up for every practice and game and took him home. After every practice Brad and his son went to a local restaurant with another coach and his son. The “adopted” child went with them. Brad fed him, included him – he became a part of the family. Several times Brad picked him up and brought him home to play with his own son. I think he may have even spent the night with Brad’s family a time or two. Here’s what the “adopted” child saw - he saw a whole, healthy family with a mom, dad, and children who lived together and loved one another; he saw discipline and order; he saw unconditional love.
What if we did that? As a church. What if we “adopted” those “orphaned” youth and rather than SENDING them once a week to youth group, we included them in our lives – where they saw healthy families, saw healthy relationships with other families, saw and heard the Gospel working in a family and in a community?
This isn’t IDEALISTIC – I have seen it happen. I have seen the changes that it brings to the life of a child. I heard the hope for future that was stirred in an impoverished child without a dad around.

If all ministry is “family ministry” won’t these kids feel awkward and out of place?
NO. Not if we follow the model that I described above. Not if we truly love children. AND not if we recognize what is really going on around us:
On Sundays my kids often sit with other kids in their age group rather than sitting with Amy and me.
At events, my kids play/hang out with other kids – sometimes that includes Amy and me, sometimes not (while we are there together, Robby throws the ball, skates, swims… with his friends).

I (WE) love youth/students – I have 2 children who are youth aged. I love them and want what is best for them. The bottom line is that we believe this model of ministry to be most biblical, more effective and better for youth/students than the Youth Group model. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be pursuing it.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 7 - What Then?

So if you don't have a Youth Group - what then?

What do you do to minister to young people?

Lets start with the elements of a youth group ministry - what are the things that most people are looking for in a youth group?

1) friends/peers

2) teaching on the Christian life

3) fun (nights and events)

4) trips (youth camp, mission trips, six flags...)

5) worship

Am I missing anything?

First a simple question - MUST we have a youth group in order to have all of the above for students?

At New City we see ourselves as a church of house churches that gather together on Sundays for worship and celebration. For us that means that the majority of church life happens in our "house churches" which we call Missional Communities. These communities should be made up of a diverse group of people - various ages, stages of life, socio-economic positions, and even races. This community is the BEST place for the body to enjoy and participate in all of Scripture's "one anothers" - be at peace with one another, love one another, serve one another, be devoted to one another, build one another up... Though we don't do it all that well YET, our MCs will be diverse and will include youth/students. So is it possible that a few families with children of similar ages could get together as a part of one of our MCs? You know, so that young people/youth/students had time together with their peers/friends during the week when the MC met? And could the MC plan something that those students would enjoy for the 3rd week's 'get out of the house' night - you know something fun? And - when the MC is discussing the sermon from the past week and helping the community apply the gospel to life as they learn to walk the Christian Life, could students not be included by asking specific age related questions? Then - sometimes - depending on the subject matter - maybe the younger crew could be separated from the older and have some direct and intentional youth/student teaching - could that be possible?

And that is just in the MC

Add to MC life some other activities and events - like:

Second Sunday brunch - following our Sunday gathering for worship and celebration we head to Washington Park where we listen to music, have a picnic lunch and hang out with friends. The little kids love running around the park and playing in the water. The bigger kids and adults get to talk with friends/peers and enjoy the day.

Fourth Weekend Fun events - these are new - so far we have had 2. The first was skating! Oh yeah - old school roller skating! The kids loved it - the adults loved it. More fun with friends and peers. This past Sunday we went to the Amerson Water Park. The littlest played on the play ground with mom, dad, and their pee wee friends. Bigger kids (of all ages) threw the Frisbee, the football, baseball, and hiked - some to the pond, others to the River. This was yet another opportunity for students/youth to hang out with friends, have fun, and still be a part of the community of New City.

Yeah - but what about Mission Trips, Youth Camps... Several years ago we started a partnership with missionaries in Mexico. They were border missionaries so we stayed in Texas and crossed the border each day. It was an awesome partnership - one that extended to another church, and another church! When we went that first year our whole family went - in fact several families went. Our kids interacted with the Spanish speaking Mexican kids, they worked with us during the day, and in the evening they helped and participated in VBS in Mexico. It was great for all of us... and we did it as a community, a family - and not as a youth group. YES - it is possible.

It is also possible for MCs to take off to Six Flags, or for our Fourth Weekend Fun be a trip to White Water.

AND - there are always PARENTS! Parents could call up friends of their kids and take them all bowling - or swimming - or whatever. Kids could hang with kids - go to a concert, the mall, riding horses, and whatever else their kid finds fun with their friends! Take 4 in your car and have your friend take 4 in their car... and we still don't HAVE TO HAVE a youth group!

SO - without a youth group our students/youth get

1) friends/peers

2) teaching on the Christian life

3) fun (nights and events)

4) trips (youth camp, mission trips, six flags...)

5) worship

In addition they learn from others in an intergenerational environment that many studies show is better than segregated learning. They learn life from all ages. They see the struggles and victories of families, of single adults, of rich people, and poor people - people of all ages. They also get to be a part of the community that is the church. In that community they enjoy and practice the "one anothers" and they have an opportunity to serve and be served in the whole body - not as a church within a church that consists almost exclusively of other students. They have an opportunity to discover their own spiritual gifts and to use them for the good of the body.

Am I missing anything? Did I leave anything out?

I recognize that this is different - but different can be better.

I also realize that we are not there yet. But maybe this series of posts is the start.

** My next post will be on Orphaned Kids - What about those kids whose parents don't participate in church?

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 6 - Foundational Philosophies

Every solid building has a solid foundation. The foundation is the underlying base and support on which the building stands. The foundation also serves to tie all of the parts of the building safely together - strengthening the whole. Without a foundation walls and supports move and over time a building crumbles and falls apart. Jesus said that a wise man builds his house on a foundation of rock - it is strong and a building on it is not easily shaken. A foolish man builds on a shifting foundation like sand, because when the stream beats against that house, the foundation washes away and the house is destroyed.

The ultimate foundation for the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - but that is not the foundation I am referring to in this post. I referring to the foundational philosophies of ministry for nccd - the underlying base principles on which our ministries (and methods) are built. Let me share a few key foundational philosophies:

1) Parents are the primary teachers of children. Most of you reading this likely agree with this principle which is a clear teaching in Scripture. Because we believe this to be true, nccd will not take on the parents' responsibility to teach their children. Instead we will support parents in teaching their children and we will strive to equip parents to teach their children.

2) Community serves as the basis for making and maturing disciples. We were created for community. Community provides strengths for our weaknesses. In community our strength serves the weaknesses of others. Jesus gathered his disciples into community; he taught them in community; and he sent them out as a community. The New Testament epistles seem to show that the first churches followed the model established by Jesus - they too gathered into community, learned in community, went out (and served) as a community. We see community as a major means of extending the gospel to our city, of gathering believers and not-yet believers together, and as the primary place for discipleship. Therefore, rather than providing a list of events and programs for our people to choose from, we schedule little and push hard for people to be involved in a small community of people at new city known as a Missional Community.

3) We are BIG "M" missional and little "a" attractional. That is, we major on our people understanding that they are called to be missionaries, and equipping them as missionaries to live the life of a missionary - a life of making disciples and teaching those disciples (The Great Commission). We DO believe that people should be attracted to us as we look more and more like Jesus, but we don't focus on being the biggest/best/most fun/entertaining church that attracts people with a BIG A Attraction. (more on that here and here and here)

Since youth/students are a part of the church then these philosophies form the foundation youth/student ministry just as they do for adult ministry...

* If we want the next generation to be missional, then we must train them to be missional and the way to do that is (in part) by NOT doing BIG A Attractional youth ministry. Leading adults who grew up as attracted consumers to be a missional community is a tough! Wouldn't it be foolish to perpetuate this difficulty by raising up attracted consumer students that would one day need to be taught about missional living?

* If we want the next generation to be contributing members to the community now and in the future - shouldn't we make sure they are a part of the community now? And if community is the best place and the biblical model for advancing the gospel (making disciples) and for teaching disciples then why would we want our children/youth/students NOT in community?

Clearly there are other philosophies. The purpose of this post is not to say that there is only one way to do youth ministry or to say all other ways are bad. The purpose is to help you understand the foundational philosophies that lead us to do the things that we do - and don't do.

My next post will be on our vision for just what this ministry could look like.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 5 - Oxymoron or the Future?

The following article by Christine Ross can be found at youthsource.com:

Intergenerational Youth Ministry: An oxymoron or the future?
Christine Ross
One generation shall commend your works to another and set forth Your mighty deeds. Psalm 145:4

Research of 400 youth group graduates' faith journeys being conducted by Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary, indicates that "youth involved in intergenerational relationships in church are showing promise for stronger faith in high school and beyond" (p. 43, 2009). According to Powell, intergenerational youth ministry is not an oxymoron; rather, it is the future of youth ministry.

This article will consider key reasons why recent youth ministry practices focus upon separating the generations, key reasons for bringing the generations together, and how to introduce an intergenerational philosophy into your congregation.


Why Separate Age-Groups?
Several factors contribute to the age separation prevalent today when Christians gather for Christian education, fellowship, service, or worship.

Kara Powell attributes the rise of segregating youth from other generations to the success of the para-church organizations in the mid 20th century. Congregations observed the success that groups like Young Life or InterVarsity had in attracting youth and followed their youth focused model of discipleship (2009).

Australian Christian educator Allen Harkness (1998) believes that modernist and post-modernist trends have facilitated individualistic and person-centered Christian education rather than Christian education which focuses upon integrating the faithful into the greater community of believers.

The baby boom of the 1950's and the tumultuous 1960's drew attention to the differing values of youth and adults. The "generation gap" became an accepted way of life, and society responded to the gap by separating the generations in order to reduce conflict created by differing life-styles and beliefs.

Educational theories certainly play a role in separating the generations. Public and private school educators as well as those trained to be congregational Christian educators are well versed in Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory which provided the foundation for Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development and James Fowler's faith development theories. Each of these theories is based on the premises that humans develop in stages generally related to the cognitive abilities possible for their age, and that persons will best develop in settings that focus on the needs of their age or stage. During the 1970's and 1980's these theories were widely practiced, and age-separation in the public and private sphere increased in order to better serve each persons at each stage.

Church growth theory may be another contributing factor to age-separation. Donald McGavran, Win Arn, C. Peter Wagner, and others espoused the idea that evangelism to homogeneous people groups, or people with similar cultural or life-style characteristics, provides fewer obstacles to acceptance of the Gospel. Thus, church plants focusing on young adults or upper-income Koreans are both examples of this principal. Multi-generational or multi-ethnic congregations are examples of the more difficult heterogeneous outreach method.

Why Integrate Generations?
Two-thirds of the pastors, Christian educators, youth ministers, and lay leaders I interviewed for my dissertation (Ross, 2006) believed that the generations have a lot to offer one another. Bringing the generations together melds energy and wisdom, provides more opportunities to share spiritual gifts, makes life more meaningful and purposeful, and enhances spiritual growth for all involved.

Dr. Holly Allen, Professor of Christian Ministries and Director of the Child & Family Studies Program at John Brown University, compared children who attended churches where they participated in an intergenerational small group and worshiped with their parents in an intergenerational worship setting with children who attended Sunday school, children's church, and some type of other mid-week gathering, but did not participate in any intergenerational setting. The comparison revealed that children involved in intergenerational settings had a wider faith-vocabulary than did children from non-intergenerational settings. The most significant differences were that children from intergenerational settings referred to prayer more often and described God in more personal terms than did the non-intergenerational children (Allen, 2002). Intergenerational relationships certainly seemed to enhance the spiritual development of the children in the study.

Certainly, Piaget's and others' cognitive development theories enhanced the learning experiences for countless children, youth, and adults. However, educators often neglect to balance their age specific educational methods with practices that allow people of different stages to interact, which even Piaget believed was needed to enable an individual's developmental advancement. And, in emphasizing cognitive development theories we often ignore social learning theories like those of Lev Vygotsky, which challenged Piaget's theory that learning had to develop in successive stages. Vygotsky observed that higher mental functions developed through social interactions with significant people in a child's life, particularly parents. Vygotsky would say that persons learn to be members of their community as they actively participate in that particular social community, learning alongside those who are further ahead in the journey (Allen, 2002).

The apprentice model of learning a trade by first watching an expert, then attempting the work under the guidance of the expert, and having so understood/internalized the work that they are able to do it themselves in their own way is a present day example of Vygotsky theory in action. Allen (2002) suggests that Vygotsky's socio-cultural learning theory better aligns with Christian faith formation than cognitive development theories. If novice electrical journeymen, doctors, and DCE students learn best by fully practicing alongside experienced mentors, then perhaps Christian faith-formation occurs best when younger Christians interact with practicing Christians further along on the journey. The apostle Paul certainly modeled such an approach with his child-in-the-Lord, Timothy (Acts 16:1-3; I Corinthians 4:17; 2 Timothy 1:5-7 etc.).

Another recurrent reason for providing intergenerational interaction is its Scriptural basis. Old Testament Israelincorporated children into community life (Deut. 6:7; 12:7; Joel 2:15) and the New Testament church followed the multigenerational practices. Parents bringing children to Jesus (Luke 18:15-17); Lydia and the jailor being baptized along with their households (Acts 16:15, 33); the youth, Eutychus, who fell out of a window while listening to Paul preach late into the night (Acts 20:7-12); and Luke's report of children praying for Paul's voyage together with adults (Acts 21:5-6) all indicate that children were taught to practice the faith within the day-to-day activities of the faith community. Intergenerational ministry leaders believe that theological themes such as "the family of God," "the body of Christ," and "the community of believers" (Romans 8:14-17; Romans 12:4-6) are best taught and fully practiced when all generations of the faith-community gather together.

People really do enjoy intergenerational activities! Written and verbal evaluations by the members of an intergenerational mission trip included the following comments:

"Our family learned to pray aloud together" (40ish Dad).

"I learned about the interests of the children in studying the scriptures and also the wealth of knowledge of the older generation. I think this was helpful in understanding how persons of other generations have a lot to contribute" (high school girl).

"It encourages a greater unity amongst church members" (70ish male).

"Now I look forward to going to church because maybe I'll see the other team members and get to talk to them" (junior high school girl).

"I remember thinking 'I wonder how this is going to work; how well we'd mix.' I remember a few of the meetings at first were a little tough between all of us because we all wanted to be leaders. Now I feel like I have the adults' respect because they've seen me work on the same level as them" (high school boy).

Every team member indicated that they would attend future intergenerational service opportunities, and other intergenerational activities offered by their church.

How to Introduce Intergenerational Faith Formation
Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? When introducing intergenerational to your youth and greater congregation, follow after the tortoise be slow and steady!
First, read and talk about intergenerational ministry until you are convinced it is a viable model of faith-formation for the 21st century. If you are not excited about its potential to enhance your ministry, don't do it. Although you do need to start out slowly, "half hearted dabbling" will only convince you that it's impossible for youth and adults to bridge the generation gap.

I define intergenerational ministry as intentionally combining the generations together in mutual serving, sharing, and/or learning within the core activities of the church in order to live out being the body of Christ to each other and the greater community.

What this means for practicing intergenerational ministry is that you will not introduce a new activity to your youth/congregation, but choose a common youth activity and adapt it to include church members of other generations. For example, do you already plan several youth servant activities during the year? Choose one event this year and invite fifth graders through adults to participate. If you pray in small groups beforehand, intentionallycreate intergenerational small groups to pray together. If the group will divide up to complete the service tasks,ensure that there are at least two generations within each small group. De-brief afterwards in groups of more than two generations asking each person to share what they learned, how they experienced God, and one thing they learned from or about someone of another age from serving together.

Do you typically have a "youth-led service" every fifth Sunday of the month? Once this year plan an intentionallyintergenerational service instead. Form a planning team that includes members of each generation (I've had mature 7 year olds on planning teams), with a parent of infants/nursery school aged children representing the youngest members of the faith family. The team will plan the worship together working to ensure that there will be something that members of every generation will be able to participate in and enjoy. Be sure to evaluate afterwards in preparation for making the next intergenerational worship an even more enjoyable opportunity for the various generations that make up the family of God.

Conclusion

When Leadership Journal (Powell, 2009) asked youth ministry leader Dr. Kara Powell the question, "Is the era of age-segmentation over?" she unequivocally answered "yes." To learn more about Kara and other Christian educators' experiences with intergenerational ministry and to glean ideas regarding how to integrate intergenerational faith formation into your youth ministry peruse a few of the recent writings noted below.


Allen, H.C. (2002). A qualitative study exploring the similarities and differences of the spirituality of children inintergenerational and non-intergenerational Christian contexts. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest Information and Learning Company. (UMI No. 3049645).

Bolinder, G. & White, J.E. (1999). Two pastors in a demographic debate: Should the Church target generations? Leadership Journal, XX, 104. Retrieved June 4, 2007 from http://www.ctlibrary.com/le/1999/spring/9l2104.html

Glassford, D. (2008). Fostering an intergenerational culture. In. H. Vanderwell (Ed.), The church of all ages: Generations worshiping together. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute.

Issues in Christian Education. Ministry Among the Generations. vol. 41, no. 2. Seward: NE.

Harkness, A. G. (2000). Intergenerational and homogeneous-age education: mutually exclusive strategies for faith communities? Religious Education, 95, 51-63.

Powell, K. (2009, Summer). Is the era of age segregation over? An interview with Kara Powell. Leadership 30 (3), 43-48.

Martineau, M., Weber, J., & Kehrwald, L. (2008). Intergenerational Faith Formation: All Ages Learning Together.New London, CT: Twenty-Third Publications.

Meyers, P. (2006). Live, Learn, Pass It On!The Practical Benefits of Generations Growing Together in Faith. Nashville: Discipleship Resources.

Menconi, P. (2008). The Intergenerational Church: Understanding Congregations from WWII to www.com. Littleton,CO: Mt. Sage Publishing.

Rendle, G. (2002). The multigenerational congregation: Meeting the leadership challenge. Bethesda, MD: The Alban Institute.

Ross, C.M. (2006). A qualitative study exploring churches committed to intergenerational ministry. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest Information and Learning Company. (UMI Number: 3237443).

Vanderwell, H. (Ed.). (2008). The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute.

Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The history of Americas future, 1584 to 2069. New York: Quill, William Morrow Publisher.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 4 - Why Do They Go?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it... but if it is - FIX IT!

Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

By far, the most widely followed model for reaching youth/students and training them in the Christian faith is the model of a Youth Ministry, or Youth Group. Most church youth groups have a leader - the Youth Minister who is most often a paid staff member of the church. The Youth Minister recruits parents who help with teaching Sunday School classes for youth and putting on youth events. Youth ministry is a combination of fun events, fun trips, teaching, and service projects a couple of times a year. Most of these models are ATTRACTIONAL in that events and fun trips serve as the primary means to woo in the students. Successfully wooed, students are told about Jesus and taught about the Christian life either from the Youth Pastor in a lecture or monologue, or by a teacher in a small group setting with age related peers. Youth ministries serve up a constant mix of fun and exciting events with dash and splash of teaching.

So how is it working? We can't base our opinion solely on our individual personal experience when it comes to Youth Groups because not everyone has shared that experience - some have had GREAT experiences, while others had horrible experiences. So we turn to research...

LifeWay Research reported that 70% of 23-30 year olds who had attended church regularly, stopped attending church regularly between the ages of 18 and 22. OUCH! That means that only 30% of our young people stuck with the body of Christ after high school. A 30% retention rate is MISERABLE. Would you send your children to a school with a 70% drop out rate? That is largely what the current model of church youth ministry has produced - a 70% drop out rate. Over an 18 month period, the Youth Transition Network held open forum discussions with over 500 high school students from across the country and interviewed 140 college students about their transition from high school to college. Here is a snippet of what they found:

The story that has emerged from these sessions, which has been confirmed by taped follow-up interviews, has a similar pattern. It goes like this:

“We entered the youth group with a moderate faith. We enjoyed the program and the leader and found it fun to be involved in our youth group. Yet the messages we heard were primarily focused on sin avoidance, which we perceive as sin intolerance, leaving little room for failure.”

“Then we discovered that the subculture among the upperclassmen was unhealthy and alluring. The obvious hypocrisy of seeing the upperclassmen singing and going on mission trips and, yet, leading this hidden life was disillusioning.” (In the sessions they define this as an intentionally deceptive dual life, one that youth leaders and parents often have no idea is occurring, according to the students.) “Eventually we gave in to the subculture, resulting in guilt and a sense of being unacceptable to God.”

In these sessions high school students consistently said that they cannot share their failure with parents or youth leaders. Parents will punish them and they have seen such information leak into their youth ministries, resulting in significant social ramifications for students within the church.

Once participating in the subculture in their youth ministry, they find it hard to escape because it keeps pulling them down. They helplessly try to extract themselves from the situation by themselves, while being told they should be able to avoid sin. The level of defeat that results, leads many we have encountered to say that, they “never feel successful in their faith”. In our sessions we have asked the students to estimate the percentage of students from their own youth group that are leading this intentionally deceptive dual life. At Urbana, a national mission conference, high school seniors started their estimates at 75% and ranged to 95% as they reflected upon the students in their youth groups!

For the full article click HERE.

I admittedly do NOT have all of the answers, nor do I pretend to be an expert on youth ministry. I don't know it ALL - but I do know this when it comes to youth groups. It is broke. It needs to be fixed - not band aided, not dressed up, not called something different - it needs a complete over haul. We need to be honest about the failure of most youth ministries. We need to open our eyes to the ineffectiveness of a model that produces a 70% drop out rate. And we need to RE-THINK reaching and shaping young people as members of the body of Christ.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 3 - Who Is The Church?

This is the third post in a series of posts related to Youth Groups (or the lack thereof) and New City Church. In the first post I attempted to demonstrate the fallacy of the notion that students need more time with their peers. In the second post I wanted to show that studies show there are numerous benefits to intergenerational learning and in the context of community intergenerational learning may actually be superior to peer group learning. In this post I want to pose the question: Who is the Church?

At what point does a believer become a member of the local body? I don't mean here member in the technical sense of "membership" or "partnership", but rather at what point does one become a part of the body. Are believing youth/students a part of the body of the church?

OR - Is there an age at which believing students become a part of the body?

Most people define the Church in two ways - the VISIBLE Church which is made up of all professing believers - those who say they are followers of Christ and are seen in their various assemblies (local bodies). The INVISIBLE church is made up of those who are truly believers. Jesus taught that there would be tares mixed with the wheat (unbelievers with believers) until judgment, when He will separate the two. In both, make up is determined by belief - either professing belief or true, genuine belief. If we apply that definition to New City Church, then we would say that NCCd is made up of believers... all believers... believers of all ages.

Youth Groups typically segregate congregations. There is the Youth Group and the adults. The Youth Group learns with the Youth Group, participates in fun activities with the Youth Group, takes mission trips with the Youth Group, hangs out with The Youth Group, travels with the Youth Group, and on and on and on.

If a group of believers is segregated from the rest of the body that is the church, both the group and the body suffer. In I Corinthians 12, Paul writes about spiritual gifts and explains that every member of the body is given a spiritual gift - (7) Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Notice that last phrase - the gift, which is the manifestation of the Spirit's presence in a believers life is given for what? for the common good of the body. In Ephesians 4 Paul again talks about the functioning of the local body of believers where he writes, From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Every member in the body does its work and together the members build up the body in love.

Are youth/students members of the body or not?

If so, how or where do they contribute to the good of the whole body by being segregated into a youth group? Some may respond by saying that they use their gift for serving and building up the youth group, which in turn is good for the whole body. The problem with that is that segregation in the body really creates a church within a church. They may in fact work for the good of the youth group, but that is not the same as the common good of the whole body.

So, how and where can youth/students serve the New City Body as they are incorporated into the body? At least a couple of our youth/students play fairly regularly in our bands, some are aids to those teaching the younger kids on Sunday mornings, some help with set-up and tear-down every week, some help serve at the donut and coffee bar, some have helped watch the littlest ones during MC gatherings, a few have attended and participated in MC discussions and even more are regulars at MC fun nights, one of our young guys often helps with sound and has run our Sunday morning sound by himself more than once (and does a great job). Our MCs also are to have quarterly service projects throughout the city - those projects are to be set up so that nccders of all ages can serve the city. In short, at New City, we are structured through MCs so that youth/students can serve the body (the entire body), for the common good of the body anywhere they are gifted and able. Because we do not segregate the youth/students from the rest of the body, they can be genuine contributors to the whole body.

We believe that there will be other benefits as well. Such as:

Young people will see and learn life from parents and other adults

Young people will develop gospel-centered relationships with adults (young and old) that they can utilize for all areas of life (school, future employment, marriage, family...) for as long as they live,

Young people will grow up serving and contributing to the body

Because young people are a part of the whole body, they will be less likely to feel "lost" when they graduate from student ministry and therefore are more likely to continue as a part of the body as opposed to disappearing from church life until having children of his/her own (as an estimated 80-90% do)

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One - Part 2

In the first Post I really wanted to address the "NEED" kids felt and parents expressed for time with peers. The reality - there isn't a NEED - a want, yes - but not a need. Almost 40% of a Middle Schooler's waking/available life is spent with peers.

So we come to the second post, and a second often heard claim: "Youth learn better when they are in a peer group."

There are studies that suggest that this is an accurate and true statement... when it comes to lecture style teaching of specific subjects, like math or science. However, there are other studies that show there are TREMENDOUS benefits to all age groups in intergenerational learning as well. For example, this US Gov site lists the following benefits:
For the Community
• Strengthens Community: Intergenerational programs bring together diverse groups and networks and help to dispel inaccurate stereotypes. Sharing talents and resources help to create a unified group identity. Children, youth, and older adults are less alienated while the community recognizes that they are contributing members of society.
• Maximizes Human Resources: Intergenerational community service programs tend to multiply human resources by engaging older adults and youth as volunteers.
• Maximizes Financial Resources: When groups representing young and old approach local funders, those funders are more likely to respond positively because they can see broad-based community support. Intergenerational programs can save money and stretch scarce resources by sharing sites and/or resources.
• Expands Services: Intergenerational community service programs can expand the level of services to meet more needs and address more issues.
• Encourages Cultural Exchange: Intergenerational programs promote the transmission of cultural traditions and values from older to younger generations, helping to build a sense of personal and societal identity while encouraging tolerance.
• Inspires Collaboration: Intergenerational programs can unite community members to take action on public policy issues that address human needs across the generations.
For Youth and Children
• Enhances Social Skills: Interaction with older adults enhances communication skills, promotes self-esteem, develops problem-solving abilities, and fosters friendships across generations. Positive attitudes are developed regarding sense of purpose and community service. Additionally, youth involved in mentoring programs have been show to be almost one-third less likely to hit others.
• Improves Academic Performance: Intergenerational programs increase school attendance and performance. Students tutored by older adults made significantly greater gains in achievement test scores than other students.
• Decreases Drug Use: Youth involved in intergenerational mentoring programs are 46% less likely to report the initiation of drug use, and among minority youth that statistic increased to 70%.
• Increases Stability: Children and youth gain positive role models with whom they can interact on a regular basis. Older adult volunteers help to provide children and youth with consistency through mentoring and in child care facilities that average a 25-35% turnover rate.
For Older Adults
• Enhances Socialization: Older adults remain productive, useful, and contributing members of society. They increase interaction with children and youth and engage more with one another to prevent isolation in later years.
• Stimulates Learning: Older adults learn new innovations and technologies from their younger counterparts.
• Increases Emotional Support: Intergenerational programs afford older adults an opportunity to participate in a meaningful activity. This decreases loneliness, boredom, and depression while increasing self-esteem. Older volunteers report more enriched lives, a rejuvenated sense of purpose, and increased coping skills for their personal struggles.
• Improves Health: Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and can diminish the effect of psychological and physical diseases and disorders.

This site states the following as one of the lessons learned from their study- "Lesson 1 - The multidimensional policy and practice analysis of EAGLE demonstrates that the benefits of intergenerational learning are many, such as: uniting segregated generations and building better understanding; encouraging active citizenship and social participation, and encouraging cross-generational working."

So when it comes to math, English, Science, and History it may very well be true that peer group learning in a lecture setting is the best way for youth to learn. BUT studies indicate that when it comes to learning as it relates to community, health, and participation in community - the benefits of intergenerational learning exceed those of peer learning. And, since the Church is an interconnected, interdependent community – reason would seem to say that intergenerational learning seems to be the best route for all ages to participate in – it is a win/win/win – strengthening adults, youth, and children as well as fostering a greater sense of community and unity. Perhaps that is why God instructed the church through Paul in Titus 2 that older men should teach younger men about living the Christian life, and older women likewise were to teach the younger women about life issues. The entire context is not age segregated learning, but intergenerational learning within the community of the church.

So - do kids learn better in peer groups? In some things yes. In all things no.

A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One

New City Church downtown doesn't have a Youth Group. We live in a culture that highly values church Youth Groups. Most people have never questioned church Youth Groups, they simply assume that these groups are good - are best for kids. After all, most churched people grew up with some kind of a youth group AND every 'real' church has one. In fact, not having a youth group is often interpreted as a sign that a church doesn't care about kids (and THAT's a bad sign).

I want to share some posts as I think and re-think the Youth Group questions. The thinking and re-thinking comes as we continue to have questions about NCCd not having a youth group and on the heels of one family leaving NCCd and another close to leaving over the same issue. I want to say up front that I believe we have freedom within Scripture to have a youth group or not, and that neither is RIGHT, and either can be WRONG. I also would like to remind everyone that all Youth group experiences are not the same - yours may have been great while others were horrible - or vice versa.

So, I will begin a series of posts with the numbers...

I have heard many times that youth "really enjoy an environment with their peers." "They need a time to be together with people their own age."

I cannot argue that kids need time with their peers.

I would not argue that kids enjoy hanging out with other kids their own age.

HOWEVER - I would ask, "How much time with peers is enough?"

Here are some conservative numbers on peer to peer interaction:

Hours in a day 24 x 7 = 168 p week

Hours of sleep 8 x 7 = 56 p week
Available Hours p/day 16 x 7 = 112 p week

School Hours: 8am – 3pm 7hrs x 5days = 35 or 31% of available hours

CONSERVATIVELY - A child in school spends roughly 1/3 of their waking hours with their peers

One study shows that the average middle school child spends another 5-6 hours per week in extracurricular activities such as sports, band, etc. These events are by and large peer related events and activities as well, pushing the percentage with peers to 36%.

If we also consider travel to and from school as well as time to ‘get ready’ (for school, activities, bed…) as UNAVAILABLE time – figuring VERY conservatively at just 1 hour per day would change the #s as follows:

56 Hours of sleep
7 hours of ‘getting ready’
105 Available hours

40 hours of school and extracurricular activities with peers

38% of the average Middle Schooler’s waking life is spent with his/her peers.

** Consider that # and this One - According to one source - in 2000 the average time PER WEEK that a married father spent caring for his children (time that they were his primary focus) 6.5 hours. (or 6% of the child’s 105 waking hours of availability)

S0, How much time with peers is ENOUGH?
Just "by the numbers" is time with peers a valid argument FOR a Youth Group? Or, Is it simply more time separated from parents and the diverse Gospel Community of the whole body?

Growing Pains

With growth comes unexpected challenges. New City leadership has been looking at the Capitol Theater's seating for a few weeks - trying to figure out how many we can seat, how we can make the upper balcony seats more usable, do we need to add video monitors... And it seems at our current rate of growth we could stretch one service gathering until Fall of 2010. We would need to add video monitors upstairs for the upper rows, add a 2nd coffee gathering area in the unused upstairs dining - but it would work.
Then came word from our nursery folks...
The Green Room - used for our birth through 2s is becoming unsafe for our infants. The toddlers are a little too mobile for the infants and the growing numbers of both groups is making it difficult to give good attention to both groups in the same room.
Then came a request from our 3 thru 6 year old area - our 5 and 6 year olds need to be split from our 3 and 4 year olds...
OK - so we need to split the nursery for safety reasons - a priority. We need to split our 3-6ers so that the older kids can be better taught - lower priority.
Problem:
The theater only offers the Green Room - in use, and 2 open dining areas (too loud for toddlers and older).
Reality:
We will outgrow the theater quickly - not because of theater seating, but because we are reaching young, reproductive families!
Solution:
For now we will move infants to the upstairs dining area - purchase a few items, set up a new area and we will be OK - for now. BUT not for long. This is only a temporary solution to a growing (and great) problem.

Children of the Covenant

NCCd doesn't hold "Baby Dedication" services, instead, we participate in a Family Covenant - a covenant made by parents (or parental figures) and the church family. Sunday was our first Family Covenant service. We had four New City families, five new city kids, and one on the way. Three Pillars on which we challenged parents, and by which we shape our children's ministry:
1) Jesus is central in ALL things,
Therefore, we are committed to making Jesus the goal and the main character of our teaching.
2) Children must learn to love and fear (awe, reverence) Jesus,
Therefore, we are committed to not only teaching the biblical truths of Jesus, but we are committed to do everything that we can do to reach the very hearts of our children with the Gospel of Jesus.
3) The responsibility for teaching children about Jesus belongs to parents,
Therefore, we are committed to equipping parents, helping them in their God given role and responsibility.
Here is the actual covenant:

This covenant we make – we make together by God’s great grace, and should we be able to keep it – we recognize that this too we do by His great Grace and Mercy.

God's Word tells us in Psalm 127:3,
Children are a gift of the Lord;the fruit of the womb is his reward.(Psalm 127:3)
Parents,
1. Do you today recognize these children as gifts of God and give thanks to God for his blessing?
DO YOU? (We Do)

2. Parents, Do you recognize today that Jesus is Central in all things pertaining to life and godliness and do you pledge (by God’s Grace) today to make Him the center of what you teach your children?
DO YOU? (We Do)

3. Do you recognize today that more than morality your child must be taught to love and honor Jesus?
Do You? (We Do)

4. Do you pledge, therefore, to teach more than morality or lists of do’s and don’ts to your child – instead – do you pledge to seek to turn the heart of your child to love and honor Jesus? DO YOU? (We Do)

5. Parents, Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that, by God's grace, your children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings?
Do You? (We Do)

Parents, this is a great covenant that you are entering into today before God and your church community, BUT you do not enter alone. You have been saved to a COMMUNITY – to a larger family. And it is this community – the community of the local body – that God designed as an aid to you. In Titus we see that older women are to be involved in the lives of younger women – teaching them how to love their children. Likewise older men should instruct younger men. We – the local church should be your encouragement, your support, your accountability, your instructors, your partners in the great task of rearing children. So, these last questions are for the entire New City family.
(Everyone committed to this church – if you would, please stand)

1) Church, do you commit today (by God’s Grace) to live as a community of believers, followers of Jesus Christ?
Do You? (We Do)

2) As a community of believers, before God and these families, do you commit to:
making Jesus Central in All things, and do you also commit to strive to turn the hearts of our New City Children to love and honor Jesus?
Do You? (We Do)

3) Do you covenant today with these parents, and all of our parents to be an encouragement, a support, an instructor, and a partner in the great task of rearing Jesus loving Children?
Do You? (We Do)

WORDS OF DEDICATION
"Ethan, Harrison, Caleb, Elijah and Asa, together with your parents, who love you dearly, and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, I dedicate you to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claims upon your life, in the hope that you will belong wholly to God for ever."

Response to the service has been incredible. I pray for our NCCd parents and kids. I pray that we would see a generation of children come up with hearts in love with Jesus!
* We gave our covenant parents, and any other parent who wanted one a great tool to help them teach their children about Jesus - The Jesus Storybook Bible. It is the only children's Bible Storybook that I have ever seen that views all of Scripture through Jesus. NCCd parents, if you didn't get a copy Sunday, please pick one up this week.

A few needs for our kids...

It will not be long before our next service - I can't wait! We have a few more needs for the kids areas...
Wooden Puzzles
Magna Doodle or 2 or 3
Big Blocks - Duplo or Lego
Post here if you can help out or e-mail me pastorkeith@newcitydowntown.org.

the Gospel Speaks to the Death of a Baby

While we were in Raleigh for the Acts 29 Boot camp I received a dreaded call from a good friend. Kristie had recently (about a month ago) given birth to a daughter - Kendall. Kendall came at only 6months and weighed less than 2 pounds. We prayed for Kendall. Every time my phone would ring and I would see it was Chad calling, I would be momentarily gripped by fear - afraid that Kendall had taken a bad turn. That's what the Thursday night call was about. I awoke several times during the night and begged God on behalf of Chad and Kristie - I pleaded that little Kendall be strengthened and that she hold on - I prayed that she would live and grow. She didn't. Chad called Friday morning to let us know that during the night Kendall lost her fight.
I don't know why - though I ask.
Why would this family have to endure such a loss?
Why would such a hard conception, carrying, and birth be followed by this?
Why would YOU allow THIS?
Nothing.
I do not know why.
Today I will do the grave side service for 2 good friends who have lost a precious and beautiful gift. The truth is I have no idea what to say - but this...
The Gospel speaks to this day. The story of redemption includes this day - it includes Thursday night. THIS is not what we were created for. This is not what the garden originally looked like. This is the result of sin's curse, passed on from one generation to the next. I thank God that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has intervened and offers us hope - even in a day like today. I praise God that today is not the end for Kendall - or for Chad and Kristie. I praise Him, that in Christ, for all who believe today is only a sad and horrible pause in what will be forevermore. I do believe that Kendall is now enjoying fellowship with her heavenly Father - the fellowship that as believers Chad and Kristie will one day enjoy as well. I long, especially on days like today for that final day - the day when our redemption is ultimately consummated - and in it there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more death - and we will live in the glory of our Savior. I pray for Chad and Kristie, even now, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would speak to their heart - that they would not only know the hope of their future in Christ, but that they would know - fully, completely, experientially know that Jesus Christ is their rock, he is their strength, he is their comfort, their joy, their delight. I pray that they would know that he will never leave them and never forsake them. I pray that they would have the confidence in him today to know that he loves them and cares for them - even now.
The Gospel has much to say today.

WOW, AGAIN

Just thought I'd share a picture with you. Every day we receive a few more items. What you will not see in the picture are the other items stored in our garage! We have received abundantly for our New City Kids. Thanks to all who have donated! I am keeping the post on our needs updated. If you can help with one of the remaining items, great!
Hope to see you at First Friday tonight!

Holiday Rummage and a baby gift

Thanks goes out again to Christ Chapel , Dave and his wife Beth met me today - on their day off - for a little rummage. I got a tour of their facilities and some creative ideas for our own facilities. Dave opened the storage areas up for me to dig around in. I was treated like one of the family! I left with several needs met. God is amazing as he unites us with other individuals and churches who desire to see the gospel go forward and lives transformed.

My little sis had baby #4 yesterday morning - Keegan McGinnis, 9lbs 1 oz - congrats Kelli and Todd. I didn't go to the hospital because I was running a little fever. Amy and Ivey went. Kelli and Todd's pastor, Larry Williams, and his wife were at the hospital - they have been praying for New City. Amy talked with everyone about what was going on with us and mentioned that we were shopping for a tv Saturday. Before Amy left, My Father's House pledged to purchase the tv we were looking for! Amy went to the hospital without a baby gift - she came home with one!

WOW!

I had a great time at the Capitol Theater today with Dave White. Dave is the Children's pastor at Christ Chapel here in Macon. I called Dave after meeting with John Wood yesterday for some ideas on best use of space at the Capitol as well as help in making things kid and kid's parents friendly. Dave has already offered some great ideas, as well as some great stuff. What stuff you ask? Decorations, possibly some soft flooring, perhaps in the next month or so a pager system for the nursery and kids, their curriculum for little ones, and he's going to think about what else they might have available for us. He also invited me over to check out what they are doing and to rummage thru their storage and see what we might can use!

Dave also said that he felt confident that he could round up volunteers to handle all our kids needs for Sept 16th, if we want. IF WE WANT! ?!?!? Of course we want! So - not only will Christ Chapel be helping us with stuff - they'll be sending over a work force to lead our nursery, 3 and 4 yr olds and 5 and 6 yr olds. WOW! Thanks God. I don't really know what else to say.

Updated Needs List

UPDATED 09/07/07

So here we go - 18 days and counting!!!!
God is incredibly good and continues to provide in amazing ways. I am updating our list for the kids needs. If you can help, great! We need to collect items by Sept. 9. Let me know if you can help.

PROVIDED - pack n play (2) *(ease in setting up/taking down is important)
PROVIDED swing - suggestion: Evenflo Rock a Bye Swing (59.94 @ Walmart) or one similar that will fold up easily
PROVIDED exersaucer
PROVIDED first aid kit
PROVIDED security tags / information sheets
PROVIDED toys (musical & push)
PROVIDED books
PROVIDED Coloring Books and Crayons
PROVIDED Coloring Pencils
PROVIDED Clorox wipes & disinfectant spray
PROVIDED Kroger bags (for dirty diapers)
PROVIDED diapers: sizes 2, (SIZE 3 PROVIDED) and 4 PROVIDED (one pack of each)
PROVIDED wipes
PROVIDED bedding: 3 Fitted sheets to fit portable 24"x 38" playard mattress
PROVIDED 2-3 receiving blankets
travel high chair - suggestions: Safety 1st Deluxe Care Fold Up Booster or Bebepod Plus (@ Walmart $54.00)
Kolcraft portable crib mattress (24"x38") @Walmart around $18.00
Bumbo babysitter seat (40.00)
Fold n' Go or Four sided Changing Pad (@ walmart 16.00-19.00)
1 @ $50 PROVIDED WalMart / Target gift card

Some money has also been provided, as well as 2 60+ cup Coffee Brewers for our Coffee Bar.