Youth Ministry – Page 4

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016 revkevjr Christianity, Discipleship, Finances, Legacy, Life, Mentoring, Parenting, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Money Matters for Students

“Kev, money just burns holes in your pockets.” I remember riding in the car with my Grandpa as a little kid when he said that to me. I had just received a few bucks and I desperately wanted to spend them on something that wasn’t very important. Money wasn’t in instant supply when I was a kid, so when I got some, I had a thousand things lined up calling for it when I did get it.

I don’t know about you, but as an adult I wish someone had taken the time to really talk to me about how to manage money when I was a kid. Certainly people like my parents pointed me to the Bible and tried to steer me on the right path, but I don’t recall ever having a detailed, intentional explanation of financial matters until I had been married for several years. One of my uncles was a financial advisor and took some time to sit down and talk with me about how to budget, save, etc.

At Shelter Rock Church, our student ministry vision statement is to see students become fully-devoted, passionate, life-long followers of Jesus. Each of those three parts of the statement are important. We want students to understand that Jesus being Lord of our lives means that He is the center of every relationship and everything that we are involved in. We want students to experience that life with Jesus is not boring, but the greatest adventure you could ever imagine. And we want equip students to honor God all the days of their lives. To that extent this year we are going to be talking with our students about handling money.

I am really excited that this semester in our small groups we are going to be taking all of our students through Generation Change, the student version of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. I believe equipping our students so intentionally and strategically in this area of their lives will really give them a great head-start and empower them to live their lives free to be and do everything God has planned for them.

August 24, 2016August 24, 2016 revkevjr Christianity, Compassion, Discipleship, Kindness, Missions, Outreach, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

NYC Jr. High Mission 2016: Day 4

This morning we partnered with the Legacy Center in Brooklyn where we helped work in their warehouse. We unloaded a truck, sorted food and donated items, and packaged household goods for distribution. We returned to Living Waters for lunch and team debriefing then packed, cleaned, and are enjoying a little free time before heading back to Shelter Rock. It’s been a wonderful mission trip! Excited to see our families tonight!

August 23, 2016August 23, 2016 revkevjr Christianity, Discipleship, Evangelism, Faith, Jesus, Missions, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

NYC Jr. High Mission 2016: Day 3

This morning we talked about what it means to be a servant leader and did some team building. At noon took the train up to Hunts Point in the Bronx to serve with Real Life Church. We were met by Clay, the youth pastor from the church and we spent over an hour on the plaza, handing out invitations to the church and praying with people who were passing by. We then stopped by the Point community center to see were Real Life meets, then we went to their storage unit which we emptied, organized, and repacked. We got back to Brooklyn about 5:30pm and had dinner. At 8pm we made up 60 bags with water bottles, the sandwiches we made Sunday night, and a bag of chips and headed to Manhattan where we gave them to homeless people all around the Penn Station area. It was awesome and the students did a great job! We then walked up to Times Square, hung out, and got some ice cream before heading back to Brooklyn. We arrived back at the church at 11:15pm.

August 22, 2016August 23, 2016 revkevjr Christianity, Compassion, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus, Kindness, Missions, Outreach, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

NYC Jr. High Mission 2016: Day 2

Today our team went to the Bowery Mission in lower Manhattan to serve. The Bowery Mission is the third oldest mission in the United States. It has been serving the homeless and needy since 1879. We sorted donated food, cleaned, prepared and served lunch to 270 people. It was a wonderful experience and the team did a great job. Afterward we took the kids to Chinatown to do a little shopping, and then had dinner in Little Italy. This evening we had a time of debriefing our day, worship, and prayer. There are two other teams staying here at Living Waters with us, and the team from Canada returned from their out reach while we were in worship, and it was awesome to see them jump in with us. We had a wonderful time singing together.

August 21, 2016 revkevjr Christianity, Compassion, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus, Kindness, Missions, Outreach, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

NYC Jr. High Mission 2016: Day 1

Today was day 1 of our Jr. High Mission trip to New York City. Our team lead worship for the church service at Living Waters Fellowship, the church that is hosting us, and I preached. After lunch we had time to unpack and settle in. After dinner we had an orientation, Natalia shared a devotional, we took down the chairs in the sanctuary, then went to dinner. This evening we made approximately 60 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which we will be distributing to the homeless. Before heading up to our rooms for bed we had some ice cream, sharing, worship, and prayer. Excited for a great week of serving Jesus!

August 5, 2016August 5, 2016 revkevjr Camps and Retreats, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Camp Shiloh 2016: Day 6

Today was our last full day at Camp Shiloh. It has been a fantastic week! I will post the video from today when it is posted on Camp Shiloh’s YouTube channel, but … Our main event today was Canoe Tug-O-War. It was really awesome! Then, this evening, we had our banquet. We are proud of all of our students, and I am pleased to announce that two of our SRC campers won Honored Camper Awards from their counselors. The award is given to a camper in the cabin who the counselor saw something unique in this week. Congrats to Justin Kim and Caitlin Doody on receiving the award this year.

August 5, 2016 revkevjr Camps and Retreats, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Camp Shiloh 2016: Day 5

August 4, 2016August 4, 2016 revkevjr Camps and Retreats, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Camp Shiloh 2016 – Day 4

Wednesday at Camp Shiloh is Watermelon Football Day. It’s always epic!

One of the things I love about Camp Shiloh is the passion for Jesus in this place. The chapels specifically are always powerful encounters as we experience the presence of God in worship and are challenged by the messages. It’s a privilege to be here walking with students as they are processing what God is doing. We have two days remaining, and I would invite you to join us in praying that they will fully engage God and embrace the deep, good work God desires to do in their hearts.

August 3, 2016August 3, 2016 revkevjr Camps and Retreats, Sports, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Camp Shiloh 2016 – Day 3

August 2, 2016August 2, 2016 revkevjr Camps and Retreats, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Camp Shiloh 2016 – Day 2

Monday was a great day at camp. Our daily routine after wakeup is: Muster during which time cabin groups perform skits for points. Breakfast. Skills classes which involve various sports and activities, including a new one called Archery Tag, which is like paintball but with archery. Really cool! We then have morning chapel followed by cabin devotions. After lunch we have competition sports between cabins then free time. We muster again before dinner. After dinner is competition between the two teams, Judah and Gideon. Canteen is snack time, then we have our evening chapel. The chapel times are incredible, and it is always amazing to see students engaging with God passionately in worship, being challenged from God’s Word by our speaker, and responding during prayer time. All of our SRC campers are doing great, and I can see them being moved by God in their hearts.