Tag: Youth Unlimited

The Church in the Park

Unity, worship, power, witness… those and many more words could be used to describe some of what God is doing in Peterborough, Ontario.

 

A few years ago, our church and youth group set out to extend our ministry and our presence into the community by loving others genuinely and intentionally outside the walls of our church building. We realized that as much as we talked about being changed and affecting change, effectiveness would rely on being intentional enough that we would actually leave what’s comfortable (i.e.: our building) and move into the community.

 

With this in mind, we began regularly canceling “youth group as usual” and organized service nights, connecting with service providers in our community, working to serve those who serve others. As we did that, we ran into unexpected co-workers… brothers and sisters from the church down the road. I walked into the “The Bridge”, a youth drop in for street involved kids in our city. And there was Jim, the youth pastor from Ferndale Bible Church. As we looked at each other and tried to figure out what each other was doing there, we laughed as we realized that we had booked the same service night at the same place on the same week. After that exact thing happened a second time, we figured that God was up to something.

 

One of the great things about ministry in our city is the connections and unity we experience. It’s an amazing thing to know, support and love others who are kingdom workers here in Peterborough. Church in the City is an organized group of pastors and ministries who pray for and with each other, work together for the common mission of Christ in our city. Jim and I know each other, know each other’s church and trust the call that God has placed in our hearts.

 

A year later, Jim and I found ourselves co-hosting Youth Unlimited’s Serve week together, celebrating the mission that God has not only placed each of us on, but placed us on together. We kicked off Peterborough Serve 2014 in the middle of Peterborough, the city God has called both our churches to. We held our Sunday service in a downtown park, overlooking the marina on Little Lake: in the same place that just the night before had been the location of Peterborough’s twice weekly free music concert series. In the middle of our community, Ferndale, Living Hope and all our Serve participants sang praises to our God and were commissioned to serving faithfully and enthusiastically for the whole week!

 

Amazing work was done, we were able to bless some families in their homes and draw alongside all of the same service providers that we had initially begun serving.
 We even got to send teams to The Bridge for fresh paint and a new look! We also dove deep into what poverty really looks like in our world, and specifically, in our town.

 

There was some great work done, and not a small part of that work was the binding of hearts of God’s people, on mission.

 

 

If you want to get your student ministry out of the church building, download this youth group curriculum  called, “Kingdom Living By Mere Mortals”. It is seven sessions based on Isaiah 58 that will educate, inspire and inform your group. It is suggested that your speaker watch the LIVE 58 Film and clips of that film in this series. See LIVE58.org after downloading and reading through the curriculum.

Live 58 + Serve

Click here to watch the video about how Youth Unlimited, Live 58 and World Renew have teamed up to make Serve a life changing experience for students, their congregations and communities.

“In collaboration with Live 58 and World Renew, Youth Unlimited connected the one week Serve to a global initiative. Live 58 supplied much of the biblical messaging and World Renew supplied stories of international impact. Students learned about the needs in North American communities while also realizing the impact of their daily lives on food security around the world. 

Live 58’s invitation to Pray, Fast, Give and Shout became a rallying point with the hope that students will engage their own congregations throughout the year in efforts like the World Renew Hunger Campaign. Many churches and youth groups are now inspired not to simply feed the hungry, but to end hunger.

Youth Unlimited doesn’t just involve students in a one week mission trip. Youth Unlimited is engaging them and helping them to mobilize the church all throughout the year.” 

It’s not just about one week… It’s about The Other 51.

Changing the Meaning of “Church Service”

Bethel CRC in Brockville, Ontario, has left the building. Rather than seeing a teen summer mission trip as a mountaintop experience, they are working to build serving into the DNA of the congregation.

 

Students from Bethel have participated in Youth Unlimited’s Serve many times and have taken it home to help reach their own congregation.

 

Pastor Jack Van de Hoef and his team planned three days of worship, prayer and serving with a total of 10 very local work sites. Here is the report in his words:

 

Most of the sites involved revitalizing properties and creation care (pretty fancy words for pulling lots of weeds). We also helped out at the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore because the damp weather interfered with our outdoor painting projects. Two of the sites were through our local social services agency; the others were through our own church connections. Only two of the sites were for members of our church. 

 

We set it up much like Youth Unlimited’s Serve, with devotions in the morning, work for the day, supper together and worship in the evening. We slept in our own homes. It made for a long day, especially for our seniors, but no one complained.

 

On Sunday morning, participants were invited to share their thoughts of how they saw God at work. The comments included appreciation for the inter-generational experience and the blessing of seeing the look of appreciation on the faces of those we served. There was the joy of serving, of experiencing teamwork, of coming back to church after a day of work and knowing someone had prepared supper for us.

 

It was a very positive experience. We will see how the Lord continues to bless our church through this. I’m sure the impact will be felt beyond this one week and into the other 51 weeks of the year.

 

Thank you for the theme material on Isaiah 58.  I gleaned from it to prepare a handout for the morning devotions (with credit being given to Youth Unlimited). I also used the idea of living out of the centre of normal for our Friday evening worship. Instead of a speaker, I interviewed three members of our church who volunteer on a regular basis for different community agencies. I introduced them as three normal people, doing normal volunteering as their service for the Lord and his kingdom.

 

I could probably say a lot more, but this gives you an idea of how things went. 

 

Thanks again for your support. 

 

Blessings, Pastor Jack

 

To see a video of Bethel CRC’s experience, click here.

Changed Lives Changing Lives

“His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.”

Words from Betty Bartlett’s favorite song ring true each and every day in her home. Betty, a 72-year-old, cancer-surviving widow expressed her joy as eight high school students painted the cupboards and walls in her warm, loving home. With appreciation in her voice, Betty said she felt strengthened by this group of students; making her feel like a person instead of “just a little old lady”.

Coming from eight cities across the United States and Canada, the 156 high-school-aged Youth Unlimited Serve participants were mobilized by their home church to Grand Rapids, Michigan, not knowing exactly what was in store for them. With a week packed full of opportunities planned by the local host church to serve the community, these students would change more lives than they could count.

Serving people, like Betty, in their homes, in organizations, in warehouses, in thrift stores, in soup kitchens or even out on the streets, the volunteers discovered excitement in sharing the love of Christ. Equipped with a helpful, Christ-centered heart, these volunteers were giving the gift of confidence, love and respect back to the community; especially to people like Betty.

Sharing God’s heart of compassion for the poor, broken and lonely, the host church(es), Youth Unlimited and World Renew worked together to enrich the lives of teenagers. After exposing the growing physical, mental, emotional and social needs of people in the world to the students, Youth Unlimited and World Renew wanted them to see what they can do.

Youth Unlimited used principles and messages from LIVE 58 to create a curriculum that inspires students to live missionally. With the solid application of scripture and a compelling global vision exhibited in LIVE 58 resources, it was natural for Youth Unlimited to seek real life stories of gospel impact from World Renew and urge students to engage with their church in global issues upon their return home. Together, these organizations are empowering and equipping people to live out the gospel message through words and actions.

Bob Grussing, the youth pastor at LaGrave Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI, explained how Serve helps equip and shape teenagers’ futures. Giving teenagers the opportunity to serve in communities across Canada and the U.S. allows for them to expand their thinking and know they are part of a bigger world. The Serve volunteers shared in the mission of Isaiah 58, showing the love of God through their work.

As Grussing explained, embracing your own church and then your own community sets you up for embracing the broader community, eventually leading to embracing the world. Continuing on, he said, “This is a beginning of what students can do with their lives. They can make an impact here at Serve and then at home by showing that same hope and passion.”

“In doing the work, we are building relationships,” said Jennifer Heerema, a Serve participant.

“It changes how you look at people and it’s a lot easier than what you would expect,” said Chris Beezhold, another Serve participant.

Nick Moelker, Worksite Coordinator of Grand Rapids Serve said, “Our shirts say ‘Serve’ and that is a piece of it, but it’s more of getting the kids to build a relationship with Christ.” Building a relationship with Christ is the foundation for building a relationship with other people.

Jay Knoblock, the leader of street evangelism at Grand Rapids Serve, said, “Being the hands and feet of Jesus is what we are created for. We need to minister to people where they are at; reaching outside the community and being willing to take a risk.”

Nick Hoffman, a Serve leader from Minnesota, took that risk to reach outside the community. Previously, he went on a World Renew mission trip to Guatemala with a church group where he was inspired by Lazaro Aguin, a man that has collaborated with World Renew over the years. As an expert in organic agriculture, Lazaro teaches countless communities around the area how to fertilize, water and maintain crops.

After seeing what Lazaro was doing, Nick saw the hope and excitement of growing plants in Guatemala and wanted to bring that back to his home community. During his week at Serve, Nick thought of ways to give hope back to people. One idea was to have a community garden to give people hope, dependence, excitement and ambition.

Although the plans are just an idea yet, Nick has learned through a life-changing World Renew Guatemala trip and a Youth Unlimited Grand Rapids Serve trip that people are in need everywhere. “Physical needs are slowly being met, both in Grand Rapids and in Guatemala; but the lack of hope, the lack of love, that is the real poverty.”

Deepening the understanding of global issues and encouraging action is what Youth Unlimited and World Renew are working to do for today’s youth. By broadening their perspectives and challenging their previous world views through experiences, relationships and passion for Christ, Serve participants get fully engaged into God’s community.

So what’s next? What will these kids do the other 51 weeks of the year? What can you do to mobilize the Church and help build the world view of global service to Christ in the next generation?

Pray for direction in continuing the good work God is doing through Youth Unlimited and World Renew. 

Give of your time and blessings to end world hunger by participating in the World Renew World Hunger Campaign this fall. Find out more at:
worldrenew.net/worldhunger.

Fast during the campaign using Fast Forward Resources at:
worldrenew.net/fastforward

Show the LIVE58 Film to your church. Find it at live58.org/

Just as these teens had a week-long experience of community change, we can make a change together. Talk with your pastor or meet with your church council to see how your church can use your blessings to help spread the gospel and mobilize the Church.

Together, we can make a difference around the world, feeling comfort in knowing that, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

Faces of ThereforeGo, Fall 2014, Part 2 of 2

Jeff Schipper

Jeff Schipper | Youth Unlimited | Summer Teen Missions

Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why?

A. My favorite place would be at a local breakfast joint (The Windmill in Holland is tough to beat). Breakfast combines three of my favorite things: coffee, food and conversations in a booth. I also appreciate connecting with students before the pace of a regular day kicks into full gear.

Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?

A. I never felt the need to try until recently when I turned 30. Even now that I feel a bit irrelevant, I spend my time connecting with them personally at sporting events, dance competitions and coffee shops. In my mind, being present is more important than being relevant.

Q. I never leave for youth group without my…

A. Kickball and jumbo box of sidewalk chalk. The options are endless, and lately, our kids have become somewhat obsessed with 8 or 15-square. It’s a great mixer that anyone can play. Other options include parking lot kickball or a Jerry Meadows chalk portrait competition.

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. Other than the Heidelberg Catechism J, I have been spending the most time lately reading and applying Mark DeVries’ Sustainable Youth Ministry. I’ve also been blessed & challenged by Bonhoeffer’s Life Together as I think about Christian community.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. Free time is hard to come by as a youth director, homeowner, husband, and father of two kids under 2.5 years old. When I carve out a little “me time”, I’m probably on the golf course or downtown Holland meeting up with some guys from church.

 

Ellen Lyzenga

Ellen Lyzenga | Youth Unlimited | Summer Teen Missions

Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?

A. If there are no youth retreats, fundraisers or leadership events, then I would be relaxing on my couch with a good book and a cup of coffee, probably with my cat sitting on my lap.

Q. If your students described you in five words or less, what would they say?

A. Best youth leader ever!

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. Both Essential Church? by Thom and Sam Rainer and The Millennials by Thom and Jess Rainer. These are some great researchers and authors who examine why our young people are walking away from the church and their books are full of good information and ideas on how to connect with our youth.

Q. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for a youth group fundraiser?

A. I haven’t done it yet, but I want all the kids to paint a picture on canvas, something that inspires them or their favorite Bible verse or Bible story. Then we will display and sell the paintings in a silent auction.

Q. Where would you like to travel someday?

A. Turkey, Greece or Italy. I was blessed with an opportunity to see Israel with ThereforeGo a few years ago and walk where Jesus walked. Now I want to travel and see where the Apostles started the early church. I want to walk in Paul’s footsteps where he went to share the gospel and preach the word of God.

Life Changing Experiences

Did the students you took on Serve (or another faith-forming experience) this summer return home with an experience and a teaching that will forever impact how they live their lives? Hopefully your answer is a yes that causes you to celebrate God’s goodness. I know my life was forever changed by a trip I took back in 2011.

I will never forget my hike up Mount Azekah and the teaching I received while sitting up there under a shade tree over looking the Elah valley. The Elah valley is where Israel faced the Philistine army and where David killed Goliath.

One of the many things I learned that day was how this battle was really not about David or Goliath, but rather how God used them to reveal himself. God, through David’s gift and ability (the use of a slingshot), showed how he is greater than any other god. There is many times when I reflect back on that teaching and am reminded how God can reveal himself through me if I am willing to be used.

I believe trips and experiences like the ones created by Youth Unlimited (and many others) can be such a powerful tool to teach, train and point students to the love of Jesus Christ and the joy found in living for him. Therefore, in this issue we are eager to lay out our 2015 summer youth group opportunities.

Many congregations throughout Canada and the United States who are living missionally, will again host a Youth Unlimited Serve mission experience next summer. Our theme for 2015 will be, “The Other 51”, focusing on what it means to live for Jesus after returning home. It will be based on John 20:21-22 where it says, “Again Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit”.

The Live It experience, an event where students learn about their value in Christ while exploring how to use their talents to spread God’s love to their friends, community and world, returns in 2015 as well. It will be hosted at Trinity Christian College, near Chicago, IL. Just like Serve, Live It will also use the theme, The Other 51.

As you begin a new year of ministering to students through your church, know that the Youth Unlimited staff will faithfully pray for you as well as be working hard to create those faith-forming experiences that will assist you with such an important calling. If we can assist you in any other way, please ask!

 

Customizing Brings a Crowd

Detroit may be known as the City of Trees or even Hockeytown (did I just hear all of Canada collectively clear their throat?) but it’s the roots of Motown that had over one million people lined up for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Thousands of custom cars lined Woodward Avenue as onlookers admired hotrods, antiques and some bizarre automobiles. The owners of the vehicles each had a varying degree of time, money and interest and you could tell a lot about them by how they customized their car.

 

Have you considered customizing a mission trip? For example, maybe you feel your students need one of the following:

  • A cultural experience – consider heading to an Aboriginal community in Saskatchewan or the Winnebago Tribe in Iowa.
  • To see a suburban Church reaching into an urban area – consider Crown Point, IN.
  • To get away from it all and get a glimpse at rural poverty and a Church responding – consider Minnesota West or Platte, SD.

 

With a Custom Serve experience, the Host Church requests an optimal number of servers, typically between 40 and 60. You, then, can fill the site with your own group (even making it a multi-generational experience) or call a couple friends you know in youth ministry and fill the site with just 2-3 churches.

 

Youth Unlimited strongly recommends using the Host Church Speaker but that is an option for customizing your Serve experience. Other ways to customize include:

  • Picking the dates of your trip (the Host Church will supply two options).
  • Picking who leads worship.
  • Picking your “day away”.

 

The cost of Custom Serve ranges from the typical $340.00 down to $310.00, but filling the site is required because the Host Church as a certain amount of community outreach they are planning to get done.

 

For more information, visit our website or call 616.241.5616 ext. 3040.

Faces Of ThereforeGo – Jen Rozema, Mario Perez and Jillian Bajema

Jen Rozema

Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why?

A. I’m going to be bold and say that downtown Holland, MI is one of the best downtowns imaginable. With great local coffee shops, frozen yogurt vendors and restaurants, and a very inviting atmosphere, going downtown is like taking a breather from the rest of life. We always have a great time, and we always bump into other students, which is an added bonus!

Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?

A. I actually don’t feel a huge push to stay relevant – really I just feel a huge need to be and stay present in their lives. I’ve found in the past decade of student ministry that students don’t want me to be relevant, they just want me to be consistent; they want me consistently there, and they want to see evidence of me living a consistent life as a God follower.

Q. If your students described you in five words or less, what would they say?

A. Hmmm . . . slightly ridiculous but authentically passionate??

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. That’s got to be a toss up between In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen and Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. What’s free time? Just kidding (mostly). Going all-out for people all day, either at church or at home with four children 7 and under, I love carving out a little alone time at the beginning and end of each day. In the morning, before anyone else gets up, I love my quiet time in the Word and prayer while drinking a good cup of tea or coffee. At night, I wind down by taking a run with our Vizla puppy. I also love reading, holistic cooking and just about any outdoor activity.

Q. How do you avoid volunteer burnout?

A. We really share ownership. Sometimes I joke (with a hint of truth) that I work for them as the paper-pusher/secretary of the ministry. In fact, working alongside them in a team ministry model is what helps keep ME from burnout as well! I also encourage them to spend time with students, and open the budget up to them for that, because intentional time with students revitalizes us and keeps us going. Little gestures along the way do help, too, like having leaders and spouses over for a night of fellowship and a gourmet meal on my deck after Serve!

Mario Perez

Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?

A. It really depends on the time of year. Most the time, I am at home relaxing from a long week or I am at a local lake fishing. Sometimes I am volunteering at the church for an event or an outreach ministry.

Q. I never leave for youth group without my ____________________.

A. Phone, because I usually get four to six texts right before youth group is starting asking me what we are going to do that night.

Q. If your students described you in five words or less, what would they say?

A. Funny, outgoing, caring, real, honest

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. There have been a couple things that have inspired me; one was the past youth pastors that I had that were really passionate for youth and always sacrificed for their students. Another resource was a book called In the Name of Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen. An absolute read to anyone considering ministry.

Q. Where would you like to travel someday?

A. I would love to travel to Israel one day. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be at the places we read about in the Bible, and to think that Jesus most likely walked on the same ground I am walking on . . . mind blown!

Q. How do you avoid volunteer burnout?

A. I love working in ministry but at times I have to use a tool that my pastor once told me about and that tool is the word “No.” I have learned that I cannot commit to everything and by using that tool it keeps me from getting over committed and tired, which allows me to continue to serve where I am needed.

Jillian Bajema

Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?

A. Since I’m a college student and sleep is normally at a premium, you can usually count on me sleeping in or just waking up at 10 AM on a Saturday morning.

Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why?

A. I love meeting with students at a coffee shop. The environment is welcoming for great discussions that can result in strengthened relationships and challenged, but growing, faith.

Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?

A. I still consider myself a youth, but to keep up with the “kids,” I try to take my youth on outings besides the traditional youth group nights. I sometimes find that the farther I am from the regular meeting space, the more open and willing youth are to talk to me about the things they really care about. I also pay attention to what they post about on Facebook and Instagram.

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. I recently got back from an interim course in Israel. I found new ways to dive into the word. I’m so excited to share the insights I gained from the mission trip with the youth.

Q. What is one website that you visit every day?

A. I have to go with the classics on this one. Definitely Facebook and BuzzFeed. Both of these websites provide an easy way to communicate with and “stay hip” with the younger generation.

Q. How do you avoid volunteer burnout?

A. I avoid volunteer burnout by enjoying the little things my youth do. Whether it is a funny joke, an odd compliment or an unexpected theological question; these are the places I see and feel God and this is where I feel rejuvenated.

 

Middle School Mission Trip (SERVE) Testimony

In the summer of 2013, I went on my fifth middle school mission trip. It was my seventh Serve in the past five years and my eighth overall. Why do I keep going?

As someone who struggles with energy on a regular basis, I can honestly say that a Serve experience is one of the highlights of my year. The youth are so full of the Spirit during that week that it’s contagious. Between working together, praising together, playing games together, the energy and spirit that is passed on is truly God-given.

At one middle school Serve we met a woman who, along with her husband, had adopted two South American children. They were then blessed with their own, which was not supposed to be possible. Her husband suddenly passed away when their son was only eight months old, leaving her with three kids, and a family farm. Our theme that year was Shalom, Peace No Matter What, and as someone who could have turned her back on God, she felt blessed by God and the community. What an awesome spirit. I was blessed to go back the following year to help get her new house ready to move in, and now as her Facebook friend have witnessed her finding new love and remarrying. God is great.

Friendship Christian Reformed Church in Byron Center, Michigan is a phenomenal Host Team and never fails to make us feel welcome, bring wonderful praise and worship, and great sites that allow us to learn and grow in God.

By the way, I will be attending my ninth and tenth Serve during the summer of 2014!

A Look at Middle School Serve

The relationships and friendships of Serve that last long beyond the summer are just one of the awesome reasons why we, here at Friendship CRC, host middle school Serve year after year.

 

As a Host Team, we seek to provide a time of worship that is authentic and transparent, a worship experience that facilitates the work of the Holy Spirit in the transformation of young people’s lives. We laugh and we cry as we share our struggles with one another; we talk through the hard stuff and reveal some of the deepest parts of our hearts. As we empty the hearts of these young people, we fill them with God’s unconditional love, a peace that can only come from our Savior, and a hope grounded in the promises God has made to each of us.

 

I am amazed every year how God transforms and works in the lives of these young people through the work projects, the people we serve, the times of worship, and the fun we have together as a family. Each year Friendship CRC is blessed through Serve with a small glimpse of what the new Kingdom will look like; a family in Christ living, working, playing, and worshiping for the one true God.

 

We could use another twenty students and youth leaders at our Serve in 2014. And, I would also highly recommend any church thinking about becoming a middle school Host Team, step out in faith and be a part of an amazing opportunity. Be blessed and become a blessing by serving the awesome young people of God’s incredible Kingdom.

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ~Mark 10:45

Faces of ThereforeGo – Marc Hoogstad and Garrett Hovland

Marc Hoogstad

Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?

A. At home, finishing my third cup of coffee, and ending our family Saturday morning ritual of pancakes with peanut butter and real Canadian maple syrup.

Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why?

A. Pizza Hut. It’s fun to see what “All You Can Eat” really means to teens. Especially for the younger guys. “What do you mean, you’re full? You’ve only eaten two slices! Eat, boy!”

Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?

A. Hang out with them. And drop youth lingo like “wiggity-wack” as much as possible. The kids dig it, and they think I’m groovy.

Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?

A. Messy Spirituality, by Mike Yaconelli. I read it annually.

Q. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for a youth group fundraiser?

A. The “non-event” fundraiser. Sell real tickets for a fake dinner that won’t happen, to not be scheduled on a fictitious day (February 30, for example). No commitment from the ticket buyers to attend.

Garrett Hovland

Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?

A. I love being outside, so working on a project outside the house, in the barn, or taking care of our animals.

Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?

A. I think one of the best ways to stay relevant to youth is to listen to them. Listen to what they talk about, what they like, dislike, etc. This gives you a great view into their world!

Q. I never leave for youth group without my ____________________.

A. Bible and my wife!

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I enjoy going for a run, taking walks with my wife, playing any kind of sport and reading a good book.

Q. Where would you like to travel someday?

A. Someday I would like to travel to New Zealand and explore the countryside and see all the different farms.

Q. What is one website that you visit every day?

A. I like checking the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding to keep up to date on what’s going on in the youth ministry world.

Who We Are in Christ

For more than a year the staff of Youth Unlimited prepared for this past summer. We prayed that students who attended a Youth Unlimited experience would come to understand that what we do grows out of who we are in Christ, and that being in Christ changes us and our actions.

 

Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This Scripture was the focus of study at 27 Serve sites and at The Chicago Project in 2013. Last summer we were also grateful to roll out our second Live It experience. All total, approximately 2,000 youth and leaders sought to bring hope to a broken world with the love of Jesus Christ through one of our experiences.

 

We continue to pray that the work of their hands and the words of their mouths will ripple from the churches and communities they served outwards across North America and beyond. Please join us in praying that through their service the Holy Spirit will continue to move in the hearts of each student and will bring about a faith that impacts every aspect of their lives.

 

It is hard to believe that 2013 is now over and a new church ministry year is upon us, but it is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we remind you once again of our faith-forming experience opportunities for 2014! During these experiences students are going to dive in to the message of Isaiah 58. This Scripture and this year’s theme, Divine Normal: Kingdom Living By Mere Mortals, will confront apathy, empty religion and indifference to the needs of others. This is God’s call, his heart’s cry for his people, that they use their God-given potential to help those in need.

 

As youth workers responsible for assisting youth in their faith formation, please know that Youth Unlimited is here to help you. Much thought, many prayers, lots of work and hundreds of volunteers are eager to partner with you in the coming year.

Want to know the latest information about SERVE and ThereforeGo Ministries?