As a part of the Body of Christ, the Conference Council on Youth Ministries is being intentional about making disciples. It’s not always easy, nor is it popular. But it is who we are, both as the Church and as believers.
During our Midwinter Retreats and other events, we try to do just that by making disciples of Jesus Christ. But what does this mean? Let me see if I might explain our methodology and remind you of our mission.
First, we tell people about Jesus. In telling the story of Jesus, we are given an opportunity not just to hear but also to respond. When we tell about the life of Jesus, who he was and how he lived, we are praying students will catch hold of the vision of Christ and be a part of his mission of love, grace, forgiveness and salvation.
Second, we empower people to live like Jesus. As we know, Jesus didn’t camp out in a synagogue his whole life. He went to where the people were. He offered both physical and spiritual bread. He offered healing and hope; salvation and redemption. We want students not only to hear about Jesus but also to become like him in every day life.
Third, we send people forth to be the hands and feet of Jesus. During our Midwinter Retreats we always have a mission and ministry emphasis. This year we were able to make some 500-health kits for Haiti through the support and provision of supplies from the Southwest Texas Conference Office of Communications. We are intentional about sending people forth to the far reaches of the globe to share the love of Jesus Christ with the world. We were also able to continue our tradition of the Youth Service Fund “Penny Wars” with several hundreds of dollars in proceeds going to the “Imagine No Malaria” campaign.
Fourth, we honor Jesus. Let me just tell you, the worship service at these retreats is not watered-down or half-hearted. Part of honoring Jesus means worshipping him with all our might. Imagine a room filled with 300 teenagers focused upon God, filled with the Holy Spirit, giving their hearts and minds to whom Jesus is and what he’s called them to be. The highest call of the Church is to worship the Lord, and we strive to do just that.
This is who we are. We are the Church. We are not the Red Cross, the Boy or Girl Scouts, or UNICEF. We are clearly agents of both service and salvation. As we continue our mission, empowered by the Holy Spirit of the Living God, we will walk forth in a proud and bold proclamation of Christ’s love for all humanity. For to do anything less would be untrue to our Master’s bidding!
I am not sure what I will remember the most from my recent mission trip to Nicaragua just a week before Christmas. I went with my son’s school and must confess that it was a huge blessing.
Perhaps I will remember how I really didn’t want to leave just days before Christmas. I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the commercial Christmas holidays. I was dreading leaving my daughter behind whereas my wife, a dentist, and my son, a high school freshman were planning on attending. I was reluctant to leave for many reasons; I guess just being “comfortable” was one of them.
Perhaps I will remember the faces of the orphans at the Lion of Judah Orphanage near Mesatepe when we broke open the bags of toys and shoes they would get for Christmas. The faces of thankful children for a pair of used Nike’s to replace their very poor and wore out substitutes.
Perhaps I will remember the visit to the church in Cedro Galan and how we worshipped with a group of believers who lived among poverty. The joy they expressed, even though they had nothing compared to what we have in the U.S., was immeasurable. For two days we invested in them, and they in us. They joined us in repainting their church, helping build a classroom, and sharing wonderful fellowship together.
Maybe what I will remember is driving through the streets that resembled a three-ring circus! There were horns honking, not out of anger but assistance, cars almost colliding, and people everywhere. I will remember the sights, sounds and the smells of open cook fires; of burning garbage on the roadsides, of blooming flowers in the fields. I will remember both the beauty and the pain.
But what I think I will remember the most is how the Lord reminded me of how deeply He loves these people. It’s so not about what we have that makes us acceptable to Jesus, it’s whom we are. It’s our response of openness, love and grace. It’s a tender moment in which we say, “Lord, I love you too.” And I saw that in the faces of my new friends in Nicaragua.
As with most mission trips, we gained more than we gave. The images, the moments of connection, the hugs, the smiles, will all be things I remember as I return to my privileged life in the U.S. But returning with the promise that I will not forget Nicaragua. Not forgetting to love and to laugh, to trust and to repent, to serve where God has placed me. To strive to be whom Jesus has called me to be – a willing an able servant, offering Christ to a lost and dying world.
This past weekend I watched a movie. This is a feet in itself with kids schedules, family time and ministry obligations. It rarely happens. But as I completed the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I am glad I did. Not many movies have stayed with me like this one has.
Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt, for you ladies) is born old and grows young. It’s a rarely bizarre set of circumstances, not true by any means, but the concepts of this principle intrigued and captured me. Not only this, but the value this movie places on life and death, of grief and loss, of passion and pain reminds me of what it means to following Christ.
For throughout this movie I was reminded of the simple value of life as we know it, of relationships, of the precious principle of time and the timeless promise of death. And as I finished the movie, not knowing whether to cry, grieve, or rejoice, I found myself wanting to be closer to those I love the most.
This brings me to the curious case of following Christ. Jesus promises both life and death and life after death. He promises to bring fulfillment to our gloom, restoration to our relationships. The curious thing about following Christ is that His story is true. (At least I belief it to be so.) It is a story of life and love, a story of sacrifice and redemption. A story of which you are the starting cast. You are on the center stage. You are not to be left alone, left without hope. Your name was written into the play of the Father for whom we offer a grand performance.
The curious case of following Christ suggests there is more to life, and death, then we could ever imagine. That each day that passes is a blessing. That every moment, every holy conversation, every spiritual encounter, every breath is to be lived in favor of the One who called us to walk as he walked (1 John 2.6).
During one scene in the movie, Benjamin Button is learning to play the piano from an elderly woman who was once a concert pianist. She says to him, “It’s not how well you play, it’s how you feel about what you play.” He then beings to play a duet with her when she says, “You can’t help but put yourself into the music.”
To follow Christ means to put your self into the music. To count each day as special, each moment as a blessing, and each person that crosses your path as one divinely appointed. And to realize, no matter who or where you are, God has a beautiful plan for your life.
Investing in the Future: Becoming A Youth Ministry Volunteer
I hear it over and over again in the church, youth directors struggling to find and keep adult youth volunteers in the Church. Volunteers are needed who will say, “Yes! I will come and invest in the lives of young people.” Just this week, in visits to Harlingen, Fredericksburg and Austin, I heard it from an assortment of youth leaders, “How do we find adults to help us lead our youth?
Most of our youth directors (paid or volunteer) struggle with this issue. Today’s state law requires we not be alone with students. It takes a number of willing adults to allow the youth group to do anything. The youth leader cannot lead Bible studies alone. He or she cannot take them on retreats alone. They need your help.
And so, I want to challenge you to consider making a direct investment in the future of the church by becoming a youth ministry volunteer. Here are seven steps you can take to consider volunteering in youth ministry.
1. Know that God is calling you. God’s call to serve is not mysterious. I usually find if there is a need in the church then God is calling someone in that church to fill it. We know our youth leaders need help – is God calling you to do something about it?
2. Understand the job description. It may come as a relief to know if you become a volunteer, you are not committing yourself to things you aren’t necessarily gifted in. Consider your gifts then offer them. Can you cook? Then cook. Can you drive a van? Then drive. Can you play basketball? Then shoot the ball. You don’t have to speak, lead a Bible study, pray out loud or lead worship. Discuss your gifts with your youth leader then sign on to those that fit you best.
3. Sacrifice your time. There is always something else you could be doing. If you are retired, but love kids, there is no excuse for not showing up at youth group. If you are a parent, but never offer help – then it’s time to get moving. One group I know survives on its retirees. The students love them and the benefits of serving bless everyone involved.
4. Realize the requirements. When you approach your youth leader this week and say, “How can I help,” be prepared for an assortment of questions. Some you should expect will include: Are you growing in your relationship with Christ? Do you have a healthy love for students? Have you completed a criminal background check or are you willing to do so? It’s not just the State of Texas that has requirements, the Church requires faithful, committed and Christ-centered servants.
5. Recognize the commitment. When you sign on to working with youth, you are not doing so for life. Commit to a season or a semester. Make sure they know you are making a commitment but there will most likely be an end as well. Perhaps after a break you may return. What most scares most volunteers off is the “eternal commitment” -- never being able to leave once you say “yes.”
6. Expect the Rewards. As you might guess, no other age level brings me as much joy and excitement as working with youth. Not only are they down right fun, they say what they mean, carry much less baggage then adults, and have a spontaneous and contagious love for Jesus Christ. When you begin working with students expect to be blessed beyond compare.
7. Engage the Unknown. Lastly, you never know what you will get when you engage lives of students. Sometimes it’s pain-filled. Sometimes it’s joy-filled. When you build relationships with students you find both brokenness and blessings. So “engage the unknown.” Ask God to help you handle whatever comes your way with grace, love and prayerful understanding.
Our youth are too important to fail them by not offering to help. They need you. Your youth directors and leaders need you. They might not say so directly but I have heard it a hundred times. It’s one of the greatest struggles in youth ministry. Are you willing to help? Are you willing to give an hour a week? How might God use your gifts, your time and your talents to impact the youth in your church today?
As I write this, I am sitting on the side of a mountain. Actually, I am in a comfy cabin reclining in a Lazy Boy with my feet prompted up! It’s what we pastors call a “study retreat.”
I am in Estes Park, Colorado, just inside Rocky Mountain National Park. And man, is it beautiful. It’s breathtaking and the weather is changing by the minute.
This morning I awoke at 5 A.M. for some unknown reason and went outside to take a look around. The others in the cabin were sleeping and all was quiet. But outside the wind was blowing, the air a brisk 39 degrees (thanks to the iPhone Weather App) and the sky was pitch black – except for a speckling of stars.
I just stood there for a while, gazing up at what God had created, and enjoying the moment of solitude. I wondered who else was awake at this hour and why I wasn’t back in bed.
I share this with you for two reasons. First, the moment in the dark, windy, cool morning air was spectacular. The sky was a masterpiece and had I not awoken, (oddly early that morning) I would not have seen it.
Secondly, I felt alone. I knew God was there, but I felt alone. I knew friends were nearby, but in the darkness, the chill, with the wilderness all around – I was by myself. Alone.
What’s the point of this illustration? Take from it what you like, but what I hear is that sometimes as the Church we must awake early to see the Lord at work. Sometimes it’s a landscape unfolding before our eyes of His moving Spirit in the lives of our young people. Changing hearts, rearranging lives, reordering purposes for The Grand Purpose of reaching folks for the Kingdom. Waking early doesn’t just mean getting out of bed to see the night sky, it could mean saying “yes” to a plan to fund or support a new but risky ministry.
Furthermore, just because we feel alone in this endeavor doesn’t mean we are. I was outside in the dark but Lord knows what creatures surrounded me. (Mule deer, elk, chipmunks, and perhaps a gray fox or two.) Just when we think we are alone in life, in ministry, in work, in school, we are not. God is with us.
And the Lord is with you now. You are not alone on the mountain. For Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” And that’s great news for God’s people.
It is my intention that by sharing this I am not bragging. Perhaps boasting in the Lord, but not bragging. I simply feel the need to share with you (the members of the SWTC) why what we do in youth ministry works so well. Why going on 10 years of this renewed ministry our numbers are up, our spiritual vitality is soaring, and our commitment to making disciples has never been higher.
Why it Works. Reason 1. God First.
We make no apologies about this one –SWTC youth events are about each student getting to know God better. Jesus Christ is first and foremost in our thought. Knowing him and making him known is our top priority and mission.
Why it Works. Reason 2. Clear Vision.
Reachingyouth.org isn’t just the Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM) website, it is our vision. It’s the reason for everything we do. We are “reaching youth for Christ.” We strive to keep the main thing – the main thing. Our vision must remain clear and find basis in Matthew 28 and Acts 1.
Why it Works. Reason 3. Committed Workers.
When I show up at a Midwinter and have 50 committed staff – I know something is working. In the early days, adults were hard to come by. Now, we often have too many who are willing to help and wanting to be a part of this movement of God’s Spirit.
Why it Works. Reason 4. Supportive Management.
My supervisor Rev. Dr. Austin Frederick and Bishop Jim Dorff help make it work. Not only is the connectional backing present, but the freedom to love students, put on events, and take chances on new ideas comes from having supportive and trusting Conference leaders.
Why it Works. Reason 5. Common Purpose.
For years the mission statement of the conference has been “Offering Christ To All – Radiating God’s love, the Southwest Texas Conference empowers ministries to make Disciples of Jesus Christ.” The common purpose of the SWTC help create a culture of growth. We are not just about having fun and entertaining youth. We strive to have an intentional purpose that extends into every one of our events.
Why it Works. Reason 6. Engaging Worship.
Worship is the essence of what we do. It is not simply the core of our camp/retreat experience; it is the favorite part for most participants. The experiential, interactive, up beat, and authentic worship ushers in God’s Spirit in a revival-like manner.
Why it Works. Reason 7. Visible Results.
This year 85 students accepted Jesus as their Savior during the summer youth events. Over 50 reaffirmed a new or existing call to ministry. In total, we had 725 summer participants, up 250 from the previous year. Visible results like these allow us to see growth and offers encouragement and momentum to this movement.
The Conference Youth Ministry works because God has so blessed us. It is Jesus’ message and mission to make disciples, redeem his people and grow his Church that make us what we are today. I am just thankful to be a part of an amazing and transforming movement of God’s Holy Spirit!
Today I was homeless.. today I walked the streets of Waco, with three friends in search of lunch. We were hungry. We had had nothing to eat since the day before and we were broke. We didn’t know where to go, where to turn, or what to do. It was only a prayer at the beginning of our venture that reminded us that God would meet our needs.
Today I was homeless… wandering with a group of 24 members of the SWTC Servant Team going through the Waco Mission Poverty Simulation. We signed up for this as a beginning to our summer training not really knowing what we would encounter. I never thought I would endure something that I both loved and hated.
Today I was homeless… from Friday to Saturday I had only a few possessions, very little food, a sheet for sleeping, and a will to make it through. I have never known any kind of poverty or homelessness before, but after today, I promise never to forget it again.
You see we were set out on the streets with absolutely nothing. We were hungry, extremely hot, and going on little sleep from the night before when we heard gunshots and fights in the streets. It was high noon and we were hungry. We walked by the wealthy and the rich without a compassionate glance. We gathered aluminum cans in dumpsters, were given some oranges, water, and directions on how to find the Salvation Army. We were homeless.
We didn’t just act homeless we looked it too. I found a shirt in the dumpster and put it on. A girl in my group found shoes in the trash and walked in them for miles. Cars drove by; people looked our way, some with sorrow, some with anger. We were homeless, we had crossed over the line from accepted to outcast.
I have never felt like I did this weekend. Never the fear, never the cluelessness, never the lack of courage. My feeling of self-awareness was strong. Not my typical needs of newer clothes, a nicer car, a larger house. Not my needs for retirement savings, health insurance or mortgage payments. No, now my needs were real – and I was hungry. My needs for food, a safe place to sleep, water to drink and someone to acknowledge my existence. I had become homeless and I felt it.
By God’s grace my homeless simulation concluded after just a weekend. But the disheartening fact is for many it does not. One man we met, Calvin, was on the streets for the first weekend after loosing his job. John was a War Veteran trying to find his next meal. And millions of people each day, whom we overlook, are looking for hope. And we can help.
As you can guess, God woke me up this weekend and told me that I needed to do three things in response to this poverty simulation. First, I need to share a lot more of my possessions with those who are poor. Second, I need to take time on a daily basis to hand out water and money to those on the street corners. And third, I need to involve my family in ministry to the poor.
My dear friends in the Church – dare I challenge you to do the same? Three dollars goes a long way when you are hungry. A bottle of water is priceless in the summer heat. And a friendly smile with a “God loves you” can bring absolute hope. And you can help. You can make a difference. You must make a difference if you call yourself a Child of God. What will you do today?
Please don’t pass the homeless by the next time you see them. Please don’t look the other way because next time, it might just be me.
I feel like I just returned from summer camp, or an Emmaus Walk but I didn’t! It was Annual Conference! The business of the Church became the business of renewal, redemption and dare I saw revival?! I don’t know about you but this is the most invigorated I have felt!
It’s almost hard to contain my excitement! I heard three remarkable sermons all focused on the power of Christ in our midst. I heard three remarkable sermons, which not only challenged my spirit but renewed my soul.
From the inspiring word of Bishop Raul Garcia de Ochoa from Mexico (a living prophet!) and Rev. Meredith Wende (an young and fiery pastor in the Texas Conference with roots in our own) to Bishop Jim Dorff (our very own spiritual leader!) I was blown out of the water! My soul was filled to over flowing!
And then there was the worship by the Mark Swayze Band from University UMC in San Antonio. And when they lead worship, I can’t help but jump, lift my hands, move my feet and praise the Lord. Again, I feel like I was at summer camp.
Isn’t this the true business of the church, like Bishop Dorff so named? Isn’t this why we exist, why we work so hard, why we strive to be the Church?!
This is why I propose that it is for such as time as this that Annual Conference becomes our Annual Revival! When we invite the Holy Spirit of God in out midst in a power-filled way. When we take care of business by falling on our knees and confessing our sins to one another and to the Lord. And when we find hope, strength, and renewal along the way. This is the true business of the Church.
And although my body is tired my spirit is still alive and soaring because of how God came near in Corpus Christi. You see, my friends, the key to growing churches isn’t strategy – it’s synergy in the Spirit of God. It’s not methodical planning that will increase worship attendance – it’s a manifestation of God’s power and a trust in Jesus Christ to save us -- to flood our churches with his power.
From now on, I am coming to Annual Conference ready, expectant, and energized to worship. I am showing up ready for my Annual Revival! Ready to see the Spirit of God move us in deeper and more significant ways so that we might be about the true business of the Church.
1. Never show up at the office at 8 AM. Now most people expect you to be there, but come on, your ministry is reaching students – and if you show up first thing in the morning, then certainly you weren’t up late hanging out with them (either at Taco Bell or on Facebook). Arriving early just says, at least to me, that you aren’t doing your job.
2. Never put programming ahead of people. Planning and programming is good and can be great. But your calling is to “relationship evangelism” not program pastor (Jesus never planned a “lock-in!”) Cancel a program if it distracts you from spending time, growing, nurturing and discipling the students God has placed in your path.
3. Never argue for a budget increase -- make your Senior Pastor do that. Not many people will listen to you, especially if you are young. Therefore, help your pastor and your youth parents to see the need (or hear it from you) and “go to bat” on your behalf.
4. Never leave the church van dirty. You may laugh at this one but it tells the rest of the congregation that you don’t care enough to clean it. Pay $25 and have a car wash help you out before you return from paint balling.
5. Never put yourself in a compromising situation. In today’s society, just the impression of impropriety can get you in trouble. Therefore, always make sure you have another adult with you or that you are in public when counseling with a student. Make sure your pastor and sponsors know where you are and what you are doing.
6. Never have a food fight in the sanctuary. (I hope this is a no-brainer, but wanted to see if you were still paying attention!)
7. Never feel like you have to explain to the church staff (pastor excluded) why you didn’t come in until 10 AM. Your boss is God, then the pastor. Make sure your pastor knows where you are and what you are doing in your ministry. Send a weekly email just as a matter of updating him/her on your status.
8. Never apologize for the physical appearance of youth in your church. If you are fortunate enough to have students enter your church, especially on Sunday morning, don’t apologize if they are dressed “down” or have strange hair or tats. The church must strive to embrace, welcome, and be hospitable to all young people if they want to grow – even if the students look differently than them.
9. Never forget your ministry is to youth AND parents. Parents want and need to know what is happening, what you are doing, and what is coming up in your program. Also, parents need your encouragement and spiritual support as well. (They have to live with teenagers!) A good youth pastor not only loves youth, but their parents as well.
10. And finally, never forget to trust the Lord with every decision you make. No matter how unpopular or how misunderstood you may be, remember Jesus has called you to be radical, sold-out, and a little crazy. Christ is the source of all your help and strength. Trying to do it on your own (skipping morning devos for example) will only leave you struggling and frustrated. Trust Christ implicitly.
It’s rather funny, me talking badly about technology, me turning off my iPhone or computer. But that’s what I am doing now. Turning it off to reconnect with the One who created me.
I learned today about Twitter. I learned that it’s like a “micro-blogg” or a “140 character mini-message (called a tweet) sent to a group of followers on a website at www.twitter.com.” I learned that it’s a chance to update my “status” or to answer the question “What am I doing?” -- and get a response from the potentially millions of other online people who at the same time are posting the answer to the same question.
And it took me about two hours to finally turn it off and get down to what I need to be doing when I first begin my day – opening my Bible and begin ‘tweeting’ with God.
And so after a few hours of tweeting I mustered enough will power to close the lid on the computer (which of course is again now open) and pull out my journal, pen and Bible and fight the urge not to check my cell phone or “you’ve got mail” emerging from my AOL account on my Mac.
I found it difficult to shut off the technology in order to spend time with the Master. (And believe me, I am one who loves technology.)
However, I sense it’s important for us (young people especially) to realize the importance of turning off technology. The old days included only radios and televisions – but today it’s computers, smart phones, bloggs, tweets (again, that’s a Twitter message) Xboxes, Wii’s, and a dozen other things that capture our mind and keep our attention. But in the midst of it all God says “be still, I am here, stop it – spend time with me.”
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6.18 that those who “fast in secret” will be rewarded. Yet who has time to fast, yet along pray, with new Apps to download from the Apple Store? If all we do is techno “junk” then when do we connect face-to-face with others – not to mention God?
I found it difficult to shut the lid on my array of Internet “urgencies” only to realize they really aren’t so urgent. Sure it’s fun to text, to blogg, to tweet, to Facebook, to browse – but it’s really not that meaningful. I mean, not when you bring God into the equation.
What I think is urgent only neglects my soul. What I think is demanding is the human longing for acceptance. What I propose is necessary is solitude with the Creator. The one who established my needs, formed my heart, and nourishes my soul.
Where is God in the mix of all my technological yearnings? A God who says, “Stop and listen. Be still and quiet. Turn off the technology, for just a bit, and turn to Me. Remember the One who made you, the One who fulfills you, the One who satisfies your soul.”
Ok, I think I get it. My Twitter account is probably not going in the trash, electronically speaking, but it will be put on hold until I first spend time with the Lord. And after I spend time with God perhaps I might open it up and just tell you how it went. (For an update on that irony - go to http://twitter.com/rustyfreeman.)
I know it’s early in the morning but I think it is time to get out of bed. You have been asleep for far too long.
There is much work to do, people to reach, bellies to feed, children to clothe, grace to offer. And from what the Master said, there is not much time.
So please wake up. Please get out of bed. Please stop hitting the snooze button!
But while you lay there, did I tell you about your “Awakened Children?” Did I tell you that an extension of your “Body” is alive and well? Did I tell you they actually never even went to bed! They stayed up all night and are still going strong. In some circles they call it a “revival.”
Did I tell you the Young Ones of our Body are thriving, soaring with passion for the Master? They praise Him like a bunch of wild Indians! They sing and even dance in worship. I know, it’s nuts. But THEY ARE ALIVE – and besides that, they have even gotten out of bed!
You won’t believe it but at one of their “gatherings” many were actually on their knees praying and weeping for You, the Church. Their hearts were broken and desperate for us to get going and join them and become a part of the Master’s Movement.
You should have seen it, Church. You would have been shocked. But perhaps if you had, your heart would have been stirred to… GET OUT OF BED!
The sun is up, the coffee is hot, the day is sparkling with the hope of the Gospel of change and redemption. All you have to do is wake up and join the rest of your Body, the Children, the Young Ones who have captured the Vision of the Master.
They are burning with joy, filled with His Spirit, ready to change the world for the sake of the Kingdom. However, Church, they need your help. They have lots of passion, a ton of vision, but few resources. They NEED YOU. They need your wisdom, insight, and experience.
So what are you waiting for, Church? (I’ll get your house robe and slippers…)
ReTHINK Church: A fresh look at Jesus & the Church
The new campaign for the General Conference of the United Methodist Church is “Rethink Church.” In keeping with this theme, we are gearing our 2009 summer camps around the very same idea.
The intent of the theme is to make “church” a verb rather than a noun. Doing “church” would become much more active, progressive, and outreaching rather than considering church as a static building waiting for people to fill the pews.
And so, in light of “Rethink Church,” I’d am challenging the youth of the conference to get a head start on this initiative and begin to rethink how we live out who Christ has called us to be. These 5 Pillars might just help us rethink who we are as God’s people.
Pillar 1: Rethink Church
“Are we doing church the way God intended?” Are we living a spirit-filled, disciple-making, social-offering existence? Are we living for our own glory or are we getting the church carpet dirty by bringing in the least, the last and the lost? Are we expecting un-churched persons to dress like us, act like us, and confirm to our image rather than to the image of Christ?
Pillar 2: Rethink Jesus
“Are we living like Jesus would have lived?” How many homeless people did you talk to this week? How many poor did you feed, widows did you visit? Is your $400 car payment a detriment to you doing ministry? Is your lifestyle conducive or destructive to the nature and growth of the mission of Jesus? To rethink Jesus means we must reshape our bodies around Christ who is the Head.
Pillar 3: Rethink Worship
“Do we worship the way God intended?” I don’t mean contemporary or traditional – I do mean passionate or passive. Boring or electric. Energized or inauthentic. Radical or ordinary. Worship was never intended to be a fashion show or a models runway. It was intended to radically glorify the Creator of the Universe and transform His worshippers by a close encounter with Jesus Christ. Do we worship like God intended?
Pillar 4: Rethink Service
“Do we serve like Christ has commanded?” Service to Jesus was joyous, unrelenting, unashamed offering to the needs of the Kingdom. Do we give only when it’s convenient? Does the Chief Servant govern our lives? Or do we need to rethink service and become fools for Christ in offering Christ love and help to all we meet?
Pillar 5: Rethink Community
“Are we modeling Christ’s design or our own 21st century community?” Do we love and accept those less fortunate than we? Do we share, encourage, love and offer forgiveness to the hurting? If we rethink community shouldn’t we reorder our neighborhoods as extensions of our churches and become more like the Acts 2 fellowship, “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Rethinking Church isn’t just for students but for all of God’s people. This new theme of the United Methodist Church isn’t actually new at all but a rewind to the intent of who Christ calls us to be.
I challenge you today – to take just one of these pillars and let it change the way you think, act, behave and worship. Let Christ so fill your heart that not only do you reorder your steps to better suite His Voice, but you “Rethink Church” in order to transform your world.
Each January and February, more than a thousand students, youth directors and adult sponsors attend one of the six Southwest Texas Conference Midwinter Retreats for the greatest weekend of their life.
It is not only the biggest thing we do as a conference youth council but it is also the best. Whereas summer camps are longer and sometimes more in-depth, Midwinter Retreats are a one-two punch for the teenage soul. I often tell my friends it is where I “reconnect” with what Jesus wants to do in my life.
And because it’s the best thing we do, I want to offer you my 5 fantastic reasons for what makes Midwinter’s work, and why I believe it’s a must-attend opportunity.
First on my list is WORSHIP. Each midwinter has four times of worship centered on helping students take the next step in their relationship with God. This is the powerful part of the weekend and is where God most grips us most. Student-friendly speakers and bands share our passion and help communicate God’s purpose for His people.
Second is COMMUNITY. From ultimate Frisbee to “Midwinter Live” to the all-new Hunger Banquet (a poverty simulation meal) community and fellowship are unparalleled. Many students come to meet friends, join in small groups, and participate in time of recreation that help renew the heart and soul for healthy living.
Third is CONTIUNITY. Although every Midwinter is different, each is the same as well. The theme, purpose, and goal of each retreat gives the six weekends a continuity of similarity. It’s like guiding a large fleet of ships towards a common port. The path is slightly different but the end result is very similar in creating a common feeling of ministry and mission.
Fourth is LEADERSHIP. The Midwinter staff consists of youth leaders, both full-time and volunteer, parents and teachers, pastors and preachers. We gather adults, college students, and high school junior counselors. These leaders are intentional in helping reach youth for Jesus Christ. The quality of leadership makes Midwinter’s a top-notch spiritual experience.
Fifth is PLANNING. From meals to daily schedules, to months of planning our “theme rooms”, to coordination with our retreat facilities (Mt. Wesley Retreat Center, H.E. Butt Foundation, and Alto Frio Encampment) Midwinter’s are a major production. However, it is a production for a purpose.
The aim of Midwinter is to ask God to do the impossible in our lives. To ask the Lord to take, shape and remake us all (youth and adults like) into the image of the Son. To “grow up” the next generation of leaders (both clergy and lay) to carry forth the Great Commission and propagate the plans of God. These retreats are not so much for our own faith development, but for the corporate church as a whole.
Doesn’t that sound fantastic? It’s not just only something to read about but something you can become involved in as well. Through your participation of offering prayers, providing a student scholarship, or attending a weekend, you can become a part of this magnificent movement of God in our midst!
And so, I believe it is the best thing happening in south Texas. It is an opportunity for God to draw near, raise up our leaders, mend the broken hearted, and communicate His love and grace to a nation (and a culture of teenagers) desperate to find hope and meaning in this sometimes uncaring world.
There is something magical about attending a retreat. I don’t know what it is but in the very midst of being away, of retreating from the world, of escaping from our daily routines, of leaving cell phones and computers behind, something wonderful happens.
For years, centuries even, Christians have retreated. My personal calling is to specialize in retreats and camps for youth. I do this through a series of summer camps and midwinter retreats. In the past 9 years, I have conducted over 120 of these and with each one, I am deeply blessed.
The blessing of working with youth on retreat is that I get to see kids at their best. For most of us as parents, we don’t get this very often. I am also a father of a teenage boy – and believe me, I know what it’s like to see my son at his worst (and same goes for his father!) But on retreat and at these camps, I see kids at their best.
So how do I see them? I see them open, vulnerable, independent and attentive to the things of God. I see them available, ready and with hearts open to receive that which the retreat brings. I see them as children of the King who are being shaped and sculpted into His image. Parents don’t always see this, but I often do as I lead youth on retreats.
But the true magic of retreats is not really magical, but it is mysterious. It is the ways in which your children respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When sometime during the retreat a student prays, or gets on their knees, or begins to sing songs in worship, or share in a small group. When students begin to trust and allow the power of God to fill them, consume them, and guide them – that is when the magical becomes mysterious, and when the hoped for, becomes the promise.
I could spend my time in this article promoting the incredible things that are happening in your local youth group or on the conference youth level, but what I would rather do is talk about the incredible movement of God in the lives of students. (Is there any wonder why 80% of people who make a decision for Christ, do so while on retreat?)
My favorite passage in scripture is recorded in Mark Chapter 1. In verse 35 we find Jesus swarmed with people, swamped with duties, and overrun with the problems of others. We find Jesus at the center of human need and he is doing all he can do touch with compassion those who come his way. However, what is remarkable about verse 35 is when Jesus himself “retreats.” Just imagine, the Son of God getting away, taking a break, being refueled and re-fed by His Father. If Jesus saw this as a must, so shall we, and so shall our children. You see, retreats heal that which cell phones, computers and technology can never accomplish – stillness, silence and renewal.
The magic of retreats is the mystery of the gospel. It’s when God comes near to the lives of students and begins to transform them in wonderful and unexplainable ways. It’s when Jesus appears, with sleeves rolled up, ready to do some live-changing work in the hearts of us all.
For more information on how you can connect your students to a retreat, please visit the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Council on Youth Ministry at www.reachingyouth.org.
Imagine A World: A Ridiculous Plan for Ministry
By Rusty Freeman
Imagine a world where the average age of clergy is 20’s and 30’s. It could happen. I think something in the Bible says that God used the young to change the world. What they lack in experience they make up for in faith, freshness and enthusiasm.
Now imagine a conference proactive about making that a reality. Imagine a Board of Ordained ministry going nuts just to get first-career young clergy.
I applaud our Board for what they are doing – sponsoring Discovery Zone (an event for youth who feel called to ministry) being intentional about visiting some seminaries, making phone calls and meeting with those interested in a call to ministry. I applaud our previous and current Bishops for the letters they have written, calls they have made, attendance at youth events in order to encourage the next generation to respond to a call to ministry.
Bishop Jim Dorff came to Discovery Zone this year and shared his vision for ministry. A youth leader told me this week that 3 out of the 4 youth she brought now are certain they want to be in ministry because of what the Bishop said.
But imagine us doing even more than this. Imagine how the following, and somewhat ridiculous, “Top 10 List” might become a strategic plan for our conference.
1. Visit ever seminary student in person twice a year. Regardless of where they go to seminary.
2. Call and e-mail seminary students monthly just to ask how we can pray and encourage them.
3. Send regular book money, gift cards, or small amounts of cash just because we can, and because we care.
4. Hire a Conference Director of Calling and Connection to be a life-coach to those who are exploring a call, attending seminary or working towards ordination.
5. Make this full-time position an intentional focal point of the next 8 years of conference ministry.
6. Recruit young people for ministry as if we needed them, rather then them needing us.
7. Fly our seminary students down for Annual Conference and District Committee interviews.
8. Create a time at Annual Conference for these new recruits to meet the Bishop and interview with their DS’s. Invite them to stand on the floor of AC and allow us to pray for and applaud their decision to serve the Lord in full-time vocation work.
9. Work out a comprehensive plan in which the conference pays for seminary in exchange for years of service for students returning as pastors to the conference.
10. Treat young clergy as the future of the church by making every effort to walk with them through the process rather than allowing them to get discouraged and turn away due to lack of follow through on our part.
Imagine treating those responding to ministry as those called to the highest possible vocation.
And imagine treating them as if the very existence of the United Methodist Church depends on them – because in a sense, it does.
Did you know that there are young people in some of your churches who don’t act as they should?
Did you know there are youth who come to worship dressed in faded blue jeans, T-shirts and even flip-flops?
Did you know there are even some boys with more piercings than
girls?
Did you know some youth have even cussed in church?
Did you know this?
Did you know that sometimes they show up with colored hair (not purple) but red, blue or green?
Did you know that one time students from one church were caught smoking outside on the front lawn of the church—while reading their Bibles?
Did you know some adults are scared by skaters at church?
Did you know this?
Did you know that one time, after a youth said the “F” word in the halls of a church, one adult was so mad they told the youth leader? When the youth leader asked the name of this young person, the adult didn’t have the name of the youth but insisted the student be kicked out of church. And did you know the youth leader refused to do anything about the students’ behavior until the adult made an effort to get to know
the teenager?
And did you know not all adults in our churches welcome young people?
Did you know this?
Did you know some young people are afraid or ashamed to come to church because they don’t have the nice clothes that “grown up church
people” require? And did you know that when they show up, and sit on the back row, they get more “stares” than “welcomes” from the congregation?
Did you know this?
And did you know that some youth, in your churches are doing
drugs? Some have sex, but all are in desperate need of your love? Did you know that the thing teenagers need most is your acceptance, your welcome, your hospitality—not
your hostility.
And did you know, without a doubt, that everything we despise about youth, God loves? No, he doesn’t love their sinful behavior (nor ours), but he loves the heck out of them, and did you know that He calls us to do the same?
Did you know that King David, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Joshua, Moses, many of the disciples and scores of Old Testament prophets were probably teenagers? And did you know God used them to change the world?
I just wanted you to know what I know about your students and to
remind you what a difference you can make in their lives. All it takes is a simple encouraging smile, a touch or a prayer. A word of acceptance or hope—and to help them remember, like you do most every time you are in church, that God loves them too.
It was the call of thirty students from a dozen different churches scattered throughout the Southwest Texas Conference as they gathered for a spiritual retreat in mid October at Alto Frio Encampment in Leakey, Texas.
It was the call of students desperate for God, desirous of a relationship with the Creator, determined to make a difference for their generation.
It was the call of the committed, the caring and those “called forth” to spread the Gospel of hope throughout their communities, neighborhoods and nation.
It was the call of surrendered hearts, confessing that God is the only way and that through Jesus Christ – life might be found.
And once again I sat and watched in wonder as the “Church of Today” worshipped and shared and discussed and prayed. As this student generation confessed sins before God and discovered anew his grace for their lives.
And once again I was in awe of what we have, and of who they are, and how there really is no need to worry about the future – for I would gladly place the future of the church in their hands. I would gladly turn over the reigns of the United Methodist Church to students this day if it were my choice. To those who seek Christ with passion, who pray with fervor, and who seek with intentionality.
And once again, I was blessed by these present and future leaders, pastors and lay, male and female, as they expressed to know the “deep things of God.” As they sought to “dive in deeper” to all that Jesus Christ has for them.
And so, once again I am writing to you the Church, to remind you that we have young people who not only love God but who are ready to die for the sake of the Gospel. And I want to urge you to do all in your power to enable and encourage them to be the hands and feet of Christ.
It was the call of thirty students from a dozen different churches scattered throughout the Southwest Texas Conference who gave up Friday night football games and band half-time shows to attend “Dive N Deeper” and to realize once again the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:27: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Rusty Freeman is a seventh-generation Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church. Since 2000 he has served as the Director of Youth Ministries for the Southwest Texas Conference. His position includes helping cast and carry out the vision for the students of the conference.
Rusty obtained degrees from Baylor University (BA), Asbury Theological Seminary (M. Div.) and a Doctor of Ministry from Asbury in May 2007 with an emphasis upon Spiritual Formation and Christian Leadership. His dissertation title was “A Contemplative Youth Ministry Retreat Model,” in which he taught the spiritual disciplines to youth at summer camp.
He has served as a local church youth director, an associate pastor, and a senior pastor. He loves to lead worship on guitar and does so on a weekly basis at the First United Methodist Church in Marble Falls, Texas.
Rusty is passionate about reaching youth for Christ through camps and retreats. He loves to inspire and equip those whose gifts lead them toward full-time vocational ministry.
Rusty lives in Marble Falls with his wife Lane, a dentist and a great mom. They have two children, Brian, 14, and Bailey, 7. Brian is an excellent running back and track star, and Bailey is a budding singer and dancer.
For more information about Rusty or on SWTC Youth Events please visit www.reachingyouth.org.
Reachingyouth.org/ Council on Youth Ministry - The Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church - Council on Youth Ministry, 16400 Huebner Road, San Antonio TX 78248 - 888.349.4191, 210.408.4538 (wk), 210.408.4553 (fax) / rhf143@aol.com. For general information on the Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, a list of our programs and ministries, please visit our annual conference site at www.umcswtx.org.
