Look for it.

I hope that no one ever puts a number to the countless times that I have "missed it."  I'm referring to the number of times that I have missed opportunities to tell people how valuable they are.  The number of times that I have walked past a student and failed to see that they are hurting.  The number of times that a student has dropped hint after hint in a conversation and I failed to recognize their cry for help...or their deep longing to be asked about their week.  Fact is...we all have "missed it."    Those moments happen with our spouses, with our peers, with our co-workers and sometimes with our students.   I am confident that God is big enough to "cover our butts."  But I don't think that was what he had in mind when he put us here on earth.  I think he longs for us to be so connected with him that those moments don't pass us by.  I think he desires for us, an intimate connection with the Holy Spirit; so our conversations, our drive time, our water cooler conversations and our small group times are filtered through his eyes.  The eyes of God.

Let's keep our hearts and eyes open this season.  Let's keep our hearts on God and our eyes on those around us...those who need HIM...so that none of us, "miss it."  Have a great week.

Scott

C56 Small group questions HERE

Pace...again.

Today is one of those days I am confident could get away from me if I let it.  Looking at the schedule, the pace could very easily root out the acknowledgement of the presence of God.  I don’t want that.  I want to acknowledge that He is here beside me everywhere I go today…especially over lunch with Aaron. (we have lunch every Tuesday together)  I realized that for years I have prayed and asked God to bless me with his presence.  I wonder if he was standing there beside me screaming, “Hello, I am right here.”   God, help me to not “miss it” today.

Year in Review:  March was a crazy month.  We moved into our new church facility.  I got to be a part of providing and hanging all the “signage” in the building and help with the “bug room” for two year olds.  God totally hit a home run with the facility.  We have grown by about 600 people a week and student ministry now has a new home too.  This building has stretched Deanna and I in many ways, but we have seen very tangible evidence of God’s grace and provision.  

Neat stuff and a preview.

Hey Small Group Life Changers!

Thanks for your continued commitment to students and to student ministry. I know I keep saying this...but you are making a difference.

Cool story...one of our High School students led one of her peers to Christ last week! Awesome! That's why we do this. I also heard another story about a different group who had been praying for a particular girl for weeks. She also accepted Christ and is now in that small group. Maybe these stories aren't from your group...but just wait...maybe one day they will be. Some of you are planting seeds and some of you are getting to be a part of the harvest. Hang in there. God needs all of us.

Lastly...in the rush of the holiday season...I hope we all will remember to make our relationship with Christ a priority. It is difficult I know. Here is a great article I recently read from Doug Fields (Youth Ministry Guru). Some great reminders and practical exercises to keep that relationship going...especially through this season.


SUNDAY NIGHT INTERVIEW for Summit and Impact:
Several of you have asked about wanting to know interview topics ahead of time. This Sunday we will be interviewing a woman with a stirring testimony. She grew up in a Christian home and was very much under the umbrella (living under Gods rules). She stepped out in the area of sex...got pregnant and had a child in high school that she gave up for adoption. She is now happily married, yet still deals with the consequences of her actions. It's going to be good stuff. Call me if you have questions before hand.

Scott

"One" questions HERE
C56 Questions HERE

Turn on a light.

Turn on a light: (continued from last week)
Or "Oh, now I get it."
I love it when I get an e-mail, or I talk to a student and they share with me that because of something I have said, or some discussion they had in small group they now "get it." (which is their way of saing to me..they understand and embrace the point I made from God's instruction...or something like that)

This brings me to the second half of our calling as youth leaders/youth workers. After we build a "bridge of friendship strong enough to hold the weight of truth", I think the only other thing we really have to do is "turn on a light (spiritually)". That's it. Build a bridge and turn on a light. As a ministry, we have chosen to make this as simple as we can. (hopefully) Not because we think you are stuoid, but because we want you to be able to “specialize in relationships.” We don't expect you to know the intricate details of Paul’s missionary journeys, or to be an expert in the teachings of the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, we want to handle the teaching part for you. (Notice I said the TEACHING part...we still expect you to grow in “the Word” yourself through your own private times of study) Primarily, we want you looking for opportunities to leverage your bridge of "friendship" with students to help them "get it" or put simply..."turn on lights" (share truth). Why else would you build build these relationships. These students already have plenty of friends. What they need from us, is friendship that is seasoned with truth so that the light come on at the right time when they need it the most.

They won’t say it to you…but these students need you. They need you sharing truth and turning on the lights. You have the relationships...we'll try our hardest with the teaching and worship...you get the responsibility, challenge and pleasure of turning on the lights. What a joy it will be in heaven to bump into the people who are there because we helped these students to "get it." Let's keep looking for the next, "Oh, now I get it" moment.

Small group questions for "One" are here.
Small group questions for Club 56 are here.

Mission: Build a bridge.

One of my memories growing up is a story about my grandpa, partnering with a bunch of volunteers in his hometown…working to build a bridge over the river near the city park. It was a big bridge that we drove over every time we went to his house the back way. I can’t remember the entire story…but knowing my grandpa was a bridge builder (even for just a short time) has always been intriguing to me.

Whether you know it or not…you are a bridge builder. I’m going to let you in on a secret. Student ministry isn’t that complex. It is very difficult at times…but it really isn’t that complex. Half of our calling (job) is simply this: Build a bridge of relationship strong enough to bear the weight of truth. I don’t know exactly how long it took my grandpa and all his buddies to build that bridge, but I do know that building strong bridges with students takes time! I have spent an entire high school career with some students, and still not built a strong bridge. Others have taken merely weeks or simply a kind “hello” followed by their name…that I actually remembered. Bridge building isn’t easy. It takes effort. It takes many people working together…and it takes time. I want to encourage you to not give up. You are doing something very significant! You see, the bridge you are building with these students is vitally important. It may be the very thing that enables you to share the plan of salvation with a student. It may hold the weight of their 1:30 am phone call when they are lonely from a sudden break up. It may be the pathway to healing. It may be what they need to get their relationship with God back on track. It may be a lifeline. It will be the very thing you use to deliver the second half of our calling (job) in student ministry…which I will reveal to you next week.

"One" small group questions are HERE

Influence Counts!

The most influential Christians in my life have always been the people who seemed to be close, personal friends of God.
(Ben Ortlip, Extreme Makeover-Church edition.)
read the entire article here. (approx 3 minutes on dial-up, under a minute on anything faster)

Hey small group leaders…I wanted to write something this week to take the pressure off of you. Too many times in youth ministry I have found myself worried about the wrong things. What I wear, what I say, growing a goatee (which I couldn’t do to save my life). Pursuing those things is like chasing after the wind. (Experts are saying now that student culture re-invents itself every 2 years) When I read the quote above, I thought about this thing called “student ministry” that we are in together. Isn’t it really about influencing these students? Trying to provide some “Christ Centered” guidance and insight at a critical time in their life. I agree with Ben’s quote from this article (I talk about him like I know him). The people who have been the greatest influence on me were people who loved God deeply. Period. That lasts. The other stuff is fine. I think it’s great if you can grow a goatee (except the ladies…that’s weird). Heck a goatee may even help you connect on some weird shaving/non-shaving level with a student…but these kids want to see that there are adults who actually love Jesus and are acting on it…not just talking about it. Please don’t feel like there is pressure from us to become something you are not. We simply desire for you to influence students by falling in love with Jesus. The rest (combined with some time and shared experiences) will take care of itself.

Have a great day.
Scott

Question for you: How are you doing with YOUR “connection” with God? Check out the “self evaluation” link over there on the right. It’s always there. A handy self assesment tool for you to "take the temperature" of your relationship with God.

Small group questions for Summit and Impact HERE.
Small group questions for Club 56 HERE.

The Eyes are Telling

Hey small group leaders. Just want you to know that you are doing a great job. I am proud of all of you. I hope you are seeing that this is getting easier as the weeks go along. There will still be rough weeks...but it will get easier.

Here's something to look for this week. As your students show up on Sundays...try to look them in the eyes. The eyes are telling. (That sounds like a movie title.) But seriously...I have had the chance to pray with several students (before One) because I looked them in the eyes and I could tell something was wrong. I pushed it with them because when asked, they of coarse said nothing was wrong. Upon further eye starring...they caved and we ended up talking and praying together. I don't share that to say look at me...I share that to remind you not to forget to look at them. They want you too, even if they don't say it. It's quite possible also, that many of them just want smoothies.

Have a great day. Keep up the great work!

Summit Small Group questions here
Club 56 Small Group questions here

Scott

Dude...we're back this week.

Hey small group leaders,

I hope that you had a good Sunday off…please know that you were missed. We had a fun time playing a group trivia game and laughing a little…but I don’t think there was a radical dent in eternity made quite like the one that you make by building into your students, sharing with them, loving on them and caring for their souls. Thank you for making that investment. We are back at it this week…continuing our Healthy Friendship (Dude, where’s my friend?) series. This is going to be a hot topic and one that students wrestle with for a long time.

We will again be focusing on the thought…
”where your friends end up…is probably where you will end up. So influence them instead of being influenced.”
Think back in your own mind (way back, or even more recently) about friendships and how they influenced where you have ended up. This will give you some material to share with your students.

Lastly…remember that your group is still young…but you can go deep. They are learning to trust you and they will follow your lead.

Keep us posted on how you are doing. I hope that your time with God is going well. I will be praying for that. Have a great day.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK HERE

Scott

Dude, where's my friend?

Small Group Leaders,

Well, this week begins a new series titled: “Dude, where’s my friend?”  This is going to be a fun way to have students examine their existing friendships and where those friendships may be headed.  Remember: “He who lies with dogs gets fleas.”  OR as Proverbs 13:20 puts it:  “He who walks with the wise, grows wise.  But a companion of fools suffers harm.”  

Let me be clear.  We are not asking students to “dump” friends who may not believe in God.  We absolutely do not want to give that impression.  Instead, we want students to ask this question:  “Am I being influential in this friendship or am I being influenced?”  Our desire is to have students who are influencing their peers and their friends for Christ.  Removing them from those friendships doesn’t allow them to be influential.  It simply allows them to become outsiders with no chance of reaching their lost friends.  As I read the teachings and practices of Jesus…he was a part of culture in a major way…and made friendships with people who weren’t followers (yet), but he stayed committed to his standards, priorities, disciplines and his God.  That’s how we want to lead these students over the next few weeks.  

In the mean time, if you want to read up on some friendship principals, check out 1 Samuel 20.  This is a great story about an amazing friendship between David and Jonathan.  It should give you some good fuel in the weeks to come.  Also, begin to examine some of your own friendships and friendships from your past so you’ll have some lessons and examples to pass on.  

Have a great week off if we don’t see you this weekend.  We’ll be back at small groups on the 6th of November.

In Christ,
Scott

Things are happening

Things are happening.

It is so cool to see what is going down with your groups. I am hearing good stories…even though groups are still quite large. Any progress at this point is a win. I think this phase will last a few more weeks and then students are really going to start to settle into a great place with you and your group. Thanks for your continued patience as we work out the kinks. I am really excited about the future. Thanks for making a huge contribution to these student’s lives!

We are seeing some cool answers to prayer. Specifically, more SGL’s are continuing to show up on the radar. Several people checked things out this last week and we will be splitting two very large groups several ways over the next few weeks. Please continue to pray for more group leaders. God is providing and we still are needing more.

Lastly, I am excited about our tailgate party on Thursday. This is going to be a great time for us to gather and discuss some critical information.
Two main topics:

1. Practical helps for leading small group discussion.


2. Child protection Guidelines (What to do when we suspect a student is in danger?)

Our tailgate party will be from 7-9pm at the WCC Main Campus. Plan on having a great time and hopefully learning a ton at the same time. Please let Jen know if you WILL NOT be at the meeting. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll assume you are planning on attending.

Small Group Questions (10/23/05) will be posted here.

Keep up the good work

Hey guys. I hope that you are having a good day. I can't tell you what a difference you are already making in the lives of these students. I know it may not feel like it yet, (especially with a group of 25...or a group of middle school boys who don't trust each other yet) but these students are getting to know you and are in the very early stages of trusting you. If you ever doubt that you are making a difference, look back into your past and think of a couple of adults you trusted to give you wisdom, counsel and time. They all started the same way you are starting out with these students. Think of the difference they made in you. You get to do the same for these kids. Thanks for making this commitment. I am excited about what God is doing through you already.

Scott

This may be fun...leave a comment on this blog of the name of a person (or small group leader) who made a difference in your teen years.

Questions: Disciplines of Addition questions (10-16-05) can be picked up here.

The Week After!

Can I just say....WOW...I am glad to have that first night behind us. What a night! Over 200 students gathered for worship. And then, they began their connection with you through small (or not so small) groups. I want to emphasize the BEGAN part. This is a marathon we are running here. And last night was just the beginning. I'm not exactly sure how the start of the race went for you...but know that it only gets better from here.

We are, right now, looking, scanning and praying for more leaders so we can very quickly get your group size to the point where we can move beyond conversation and get more into relationship. Thank you for your patience. Please let us know of ANYONE you know who might make a good small group leader. Talk with them, call them, invite them to come and stand in the back on some Sunday, send them flowers...let them know that you think they would be a great group leader...and let them know that we NEED the help. Our hope is that we can have your groups to their "optimal" size in the next thirty days. Thanks for hanging in there till we can make that happen.

Questions for this week. Here are your questions for this week. (or click here) Don't feel bad if you only get to a few of these. We understand! We'll have copies for you on Sunday night.

If you have questions or concerns about your group this week, please contact Matt or Jen and they will be able to help you out. I am excited about what God is going to do through you. Let's just all hold on tight for a few weeks here until we get through the rough part. This journey is worth it! For both you and these students. Thanks for serving!

I'm out all week at a conference, but I hope to keep my blog updated. Check it out at:
http://scottiegreene.blogspot.com.

Scott

Amazing things last week!

See you after the Pole... (pictures here)
Can you believe that we had over 500 students and adults worshiping together last weekend. It was amazing. God started something cool. I can't wait to see what he does with this generation of students in this community! Thanks for being there last week. I know we didn't have an official role for you, but it was great having you there to help watch and oversee students. I hope you were as blessed as I was, watching these students connect with God.

Small(?) Groups: We are going to try and get GROUPS launched this week. Notice I didn't say SMALL groups. It's looking like we are going to have some pretty large groups until we can get some more leaders. (ask everyone you know!) I am especially fearful of what this week will look like after the success of last weeks "See you AFTER the Pole" worship celebration. But I know that God is going to surprise us with more leaders...I just have this feeling that it's going to be over time and not this week. We are still hopeful that we will have your list of students to you before Sunday. Please pray for that whole process. We are back on our regular schedule this week. Please plan on being there for our meeting at 6:30.
Podcast topic this week: Subtracting things from life to get closer to God. Access your Small Group Questions HERE.

Schedule
6:30-6:45 Leader Meeting in room 211
6:45-7:00 Hang out with students n the lobby
7:00-7:55 "One" in the Auditorium
8:05-8:20 Summit time in Room 211
8:20-9:00 Small(?) Group Time

With all that said, "How are you doing?" What I mean is, how is your heart doing? As we gear up to launch small(?) groups this week...I want to make sure you understand something. We care more about your heart and your relationship with God than anything else. As we have been exploring this podcast (spiritual disciplines) principal, I have had an amazing time connecting with God. My "heart condition" is probably better than it has been in the last several years. Why? Because I have made time to look for God, and he is keeping up his end of the bargain. (Jer. 29:12-14) I can't say that about every season of my life. I have had some really long stretches where I made no time to connect with Him. I thank God for giving me the desire to connect with Him lately. I hope that you are finding this season of your life rich with the love of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If not, let us know how we can help. See you on Sunday!

Scott

See You AFTER the Pole this weekend!

Hey small group leaders....

What a cool time last Sunday night. Thank you, thank you, thank you for connecting with students. I am sorry that your groups have been so large, but on the other hand...can you believe how many students are turning out. I can't wait to see how this thing continues to unfold. It's cool and scary all at the same time.

Here is a bit of encouragement (I hope). God has wired you uniquely, and he has wired every one of these students uniquely as well. As these initial groups form over the next few weeks, and we lock in with some students, try to keep that in mind. Some of your experiences in life (both the good and the bad ones) can, and probably will be used by God to encourage a student who is wired in a similar way to you. Thank God that some of those experiences can finally be put to use!

THIS WEEK--"See you AFTER the Pole"--At least Nine churches so far will be bringing students to our community wide worship gathering for middle school and high school students. We WILL NOT be having small groups this week, but we are asking that you still be there to help with crowd control and to encourage and connect with our WCC students. This could be the largest worship gathering of students this community has ever seen. We will resume our regular schedule October 2nd.

October 2nd--Please get us requests that you might have for students to be in your small group (or NOT in your small group) IMMEDIATELY. We are going to start the process of placing students in groups very shortly and want to attempt to honor your requests if possible. October 2nd will be the first night we meet as "official small groups". You will get a list of the students you have before that Sunday night (how soon before is yet to be determined).

Lastly(and most importantly), I hope your journey with God is going well. This life with God is a journey and it has ups and downs. As we unfold this Podcast (spiritual Discipline) thing with students, I hope you are finding time to engage as well. (Actually, you'll probably never find the time...you just have to take it). Here's a link to my blog site where I am trying to encourage students as I engage with these disciplines. (http://scottiegreene.blogspot.com/) I hope that you find it encouraging as well. I am praying for you and your journey with God. See you on Sunday.

In Christ,

Scott

Some Helpful Tips

Here's some stuff I found today and thought you might find helpful!

Small group tips we've seen make a difference.

• Include everyone in the discussion whenever possible.
• At the beginning, let everyone in the group talk, they need a victory. Have them share a non-threatening piece of information about themselves in the group.
• Be aware of new people, and include them in the conversation.
• Remember that small groups often raise the tension level (because people can't hide).
• Move from light to heavy discussion.
• Ask “I feel” rather than “I know” questions.
• The best questions do not have right or wrong answers.
• The longer the group is together, the better they will feel about the group.
• Do not allow one person to monopolize the conversation.
• Avoid any put-downs.
• Affirm people for what they are saying.

Pictures From Sunday Night

Off and Running

Well, the season of Summit is off to a great start. We had over 100 students there on Sunday night. And from all I could tell, they had a great time. Thanks for your patience on Sunday. The crowd was more than we expected (why we underestimated God I'll never know) . These next few weeks are going to be very exciting. Here are some of the things that will be happening between now and October 2nd.

• Keep thinking, praying and making mental notes about what students you want (or may not want) in your group.
• We will NOT be having a small group time on September 25th...but we will still need your help organizing students that night for the "See you After the Pole" Rally.
• We will be meeting every week at 6:30pm (sharp) in room 211. It is critical that we meet from 6:30-6:45 so we can get you all your details, pray together and be out the door to go connect with students from 6:45-7:00. I promise as we get further into this season, that meeting will be less chaotic, and you will feel more comfortable hanging out with the students.
• We will be looking for MANY new small group leaders. If you know of someone who would be awesome or might be interested...PLEASE forward their contact information to me. Or better yet, call them and ask them if they would join us on a Sunday night just to check things out.

I cant thank you enough for the investment you are making in the lives of these students. I know you may not feel it or see it yet...but you are making a difference.

In Christ,

Scott

Podcast...Sept 11-October 22