Youth Ministry

Youth Parent Connect, May 23

Attention Parents -

You are invited to get together for a time of refreshing discussion and encouragement on May 23 at 6:30pm in the chapel. The evening’s topic is “Youth and Media,” and we will discuss ways to help our young people navigate our culture’s tech-filled landscape.

Also, you’ll get a calendar of our upcoming summer plans. If you have youth that you need to bring along, they can spend time in the barn for a hangout. We hope to see you there!

I had to sing for mine!!!

This week’s family discussion sheet brings up those days at summer camp when mail call came.  I remember when I went to camp as a kid.  Every lunchtime there would be a mail call.  Kids who got either a package or more than one letter had to sing some silly song – complete with motions – in order to get their precious parcels.  And yes, my mother was one of those sadistic parents who purposefully sent two letters so that I would have to sing (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!).

Teens – even in this digital generation – LOVE the gift of a card or letter.  We do, too…when you grab the mail, don’t you scan past the junk mail and bills for something important – something written by hand just for you?  If you have ever wanted your teens to adopt a spirit of generosity, then you’ll want to bring up this discussion sometime this week.  It follows our Sunday School lesson, “Give Yourself Away,” which covers Philippians 4:14-23.

Middle School Open Gym

All middle school students are invited to open gym basketball on Friday nights in May and June beginning this Friday night May 11th at 6:30-8.  Stop on by to shoot some hoops, play a pick up game or two, and enjoy some basketball with friends. Parents do not need to stay but an adult is needed to sign you out.

Green thumb or brown?

When I was a kid, I had a little cactus.  I think it was the only plant I kept alive.  I don’t exactly have a green thumb.  Karen does, but even still, we end up with some plant that we forgot about that is ready to crunch when we touch it.  As a matter of fact, one is hanging on our deck right now!  At some point it died, and I think we both know it’s there, but neither of us has mentioned it or even felt like taking it down.

This week’s lesson covers Acts 2:42-47, which describes the early church functioning as God intended.  It all comes down to proper “watering,” which involves the right type of nurturing relationships.  I hope you will use this family discussion sheet to talk about the parallels between plants and people, the need for us to grow properly in a community that loves God.

Alarming Self-harming among Teens

A recent study has shown that 1 in 12 teens struggle with some form of self-harm, including cutting, burning, or worse.  Read the full article here.  It is imperative that we help teens with such struggles as much as we can.  So what can we do?  Walt Mueller has recently written about teens who cut, and he helps us understand who is cutting and how we can get into their world.  He writes,

Once they cut, they felt better. Consequently, they cut again and again, leading to more frequent and severe episodes in an effort to achieve the end of emotional relief. Researchers also reached this conclusion: We need to learn more!

The sad reality is that…self-injury has swept through youth culture like a plague. It’s not only a sign that more and more kids are hurting more and more deeply, but that cutting is no longer an unspoken and solitarily-discovered coping mechanism for those who hurt.

I still remember at my former church when a youth gave a testimony about her struggle with cutting.  The next thing we knew, four other students admitted to their issues with cutting, too!  One thing I have realized is that this is not a habit that you can stereotype.  It is often surprising to learn who is cutting and who isn’t.  In addition to who cuts, Mueller notes why they cut:

Those who tell the first person stories say they harm themselves because “it makes me feel better.” They describe periods of incredible emotional turmoil, anger, hate, and stress that are calmed by the cathartic act of cutting. “As I cut deeper, my mind began to feel relieved of the torment,” says one self-mutilator. “My body eased of the tension, and I began to feel comforted.” In effect, cutting becomes an effective coping and self-care strategy for individuals who have not learned healthy and correct ways to deal with the problems and pressures of life.

Ultimately, we are called to serve and help students in their pain to turn to the One who can fix their problems.  Cutting is ultimately an unhealthy response to some sort of struggles.  Beyond being unhealthy, to the extent that a person depends on something like self-harm rather than upon God, it is also a sin.  That does not mean we should be any less grace-driven in our approach but rather that we need to understand the full ramifications of what happens when someone cuts.  Mueller’s blog elaborates on 4 steps that we can take to get involved.  They are listed below:

1. We must come to an understanding of the path this trend looks to take.
2. We must consider how to respond in a loving manner.
3. We must be able to recognize the signs.
4. We must diligently work to exert a redemptive influence on those who resort to cutting.

Links:

• ABC News report:  http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/12-teens-cut-harm-themsleves/story?id=14969232#.TtaOcWMk6so
• Walt Mueller’s blog…
• …part 1:  http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2012/04/kids-who-cut-part-1.html
• …part 2:  http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2012/05/inside-cutters-heart-kids-who-cut-part.html
• …part 3:

Youth party tonight is ON!

Our youth have done an excellent job working around the church these past workdays.  So we are having the party tonight (Saturday, 4/28).  Youth, come on out with your dirty hands in your painted clothes.  We will have:

• Dinner (burgers and dogs)
• Ice cream gutter
• Bouncing betties (the most fun you’ve ever had with a 2-liter of diet soda)

It starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm.  See you at the barn!

Oh no! Where’d mom go?

I remember the dread that came over me as a kid when I got separated from my parents.  As a matter of fact, each of those memories is vivid in my mind.  One of them was at a Frederick Keys game with my church.  I don’t know how old I was (7? 8? 9? 23?), but somehow I got lost on that tiny concourse and was pretty upset.  A man from the church located me, and I buried my face into his side and cried my eyeballs out (Are you gonna tell your kids this story???).  Now I’m much more sophisticated and self-reliant…or so I think.  This week’s lesson is a great reminder that God placed us in community with each other to be needy and to meet needs. It actually glorifies Him!  So use this discussion sheet to talk about it with your teens.  It ties in with our Sunday School lesson this week.  We are in week 2 of a 6 week series on the community of God’s people.

Here is a direct link in case the other one does not work.  It will be active for  about a week: http://students.navpress.com/parent-page/20f91d3f7201d400cc282fe5c19cb9c5

Teens drinking hand sanitizer

I came across an article about teens drinking hand sanitizer to get drunk, and I thought it worth passing on.  Apparently there are steps listed online to help teens separate the alcohol from the rest of the sanitizer, and within a few sips they are intoxicated.  If you have a concern about your own teen adopting this dangerous behavior, you might want to be vigilant and perhaps even switch to foam sanitizer (it is tougher to extract the alcohol from it.  You can read the article here.

This article also gives you the chance to bring up the subject of drinking with your teen.  If you think it’s safe to bring up, you could ask your teen if he/she has heard of this sanitizer drinking trend (which is relatively small at this point).  Regardless of your position on drinking, the Bible teaches us not to be drunk (Eph 5:18; Gal. 5:21; Prov. 23:29-35).  Additionally, teens are bound to have friends who drink and are probably open to talking about it.  Romans 13:1-7 tells us that we are to obey the governments that God has placed over us, which means we are required to obey government regulations on drinking.  One final thought- this sanitizer behavior is clearly dangerous.  Half a dozen teens in California were hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.  This is what 1 Corinthians 6:10-20 tells us:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Save the date: May 23 Parent Connect

Parents, don’t forget that we will be having a Parent Connect in the Chapel on May 23.  We’ll start right at 6:30 and be finished by 7:30 for those who need to get their kids from choirs.  Our topic is “Teens and Media,” and we will discuss how you can help your teens make wise media decisions in the household.

Much of what we will cover comes from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (www.cpyu.org) and also their recent Digital Kids Initiative (http://www.digitalkidsinitiative.com).  Feel free to peruse their resources, including their Family Digital Covenant of Conduct.  If you take a look at these things, you’ll definitely be ahead of the class come May 23!

Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman

Do you care enough to share?

Sometimes we do not share our faith because we’re worried about what people will think…but what will they think if we DON’T share a message that be believe is so important? If you don’t know Penn Jillette, he is a magician/entertainer who is also an outspoken atheist.  He even has a license plate on his car that says “DOG ON” (“no God” backwards).  In this video he recounts his reaction to a man who gave him a Bible.  For a person who does not believe in God, he sure does have a good handle on what we Christians should do if we take the Great Commission seriously…

I found some additional questions to ask yourself or to go through with your family.  You can access them at http://thesource4ym.com/outreach/topic.aspx?id=189.