Websites for Youth Workers A Quick Yada - Yada

FALL 2007
A Quick Yada - Yada from the Director
W
elcome to the Fall ’07 issue of The LINK (Resource Edition)! If you, personally, don’t need
any student ministry recommendations, please
pass this issue on to someone who may. We at EPC Student Ministries endeavor to inspire, connect and equip
those who work with youth across the denomination.
Since we are often contacted about where to find speakers, which books to read, what curriculum to use, some
good websites to search, etc., we thought it would be a
good thing to devote an issue that equipped y’all with a
sampling of resources that many of us have found to be
helpful and fruitful.
While not all the recommendations in this issue have
been officially endorsed by the EPC, many of them have
been given “two-thumbs up” from Committee members,
youth workers or me, the Director of Student Ministries.
If you download, read or order any of these resources, and
are unsatisfied, do not write and complain to me. I will
disavow all knowledge of
this issue and our conversation. But seriously,
we think these resources,
even though quite diverse,
are pretty solid. Use your
wisdom and discernment
as you explore these resources—especially
as
you use them to help your
Marc Santom
students become more like
Christ. And it wouldn’t hurt to get some of these recommendations into the hands of your students’ parents, too.
Yours for a great fall of fruitful,
God-honoring ministry,
Marc Santom
Websites for Youth Workers
Web guru, Mitch Kapor, once said that “getting • This site, run by Christian
information off the internet is like taking a drink from
Ministry Resources, is a
a fire hydrant.” We decided to go easy on you and
subscription site that will grant
recommend a few cupfuls of worthwhile websites for
you and your church access to
youth ministry volunteers and professionals.
the latest and most essential financial
and legal issues and developments facing
Church Volunteer Central
church leaders today.
. . . Continued on page 2
http://shop.grouppublishing.com/cvc/
• Group Magazine’s thorough resource for churches that
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
are looking for a centralized place to gather information
on and help with running a safe and effective volunteer
Websites of Interest for
Youth Workers, Parents & Teens.................................. 1-5
ministry.
ChurchLawToday.com
www.churchlawtoday.com
Tentative EPC Summer Trips for 2008.............................. 4
Book Recommendations for Youth Workers & Parents..... 6
Speakers for Your Events................................................ 7
Websites for Youth Workers
. . . Continued from cover
Egad! Ideas
www.egadideas.com
• Hundreds of ideas for sermons, games, crafts, dramas,
mission trips, retreats, worship, scavenger hunts and
more!
Group
www.youthministry.com
• Group has put together a website loaded with a wide
variety of youth ministry resources: ministry ideas,
networking, strategies, links and a great online store.
The Source for Youth Ministry
www.thesourcefym.com
• This is youth ministry speaker and veteran, Jonathan
McKee’s site. His site is jam-packed with good practical
help for youthworkers—ideas, links, resources, a
Q & A forum, skits and games, etc.
Pastor2Youth.com
www.pastor2youth.com/index.php
• Youth ministry forums, links, games, initiatives, etc.
YouthPastor.com
Intersect Community
www.youthpastor.com
www.intersectcommunity.com
• Youth ministry ideas, news, contacts, resources and
• Former Sonlife guys, Steve Argue and Dave Livermore,
blogs.
have launched an incredible ministry and website for
Youthworker Idea Station
ministry leaders in the church - a community intersecting
http://bradzockoll.tripod.com/youthworker/id1.html
for theological, personal and missional formation.
• Ice breakers, games, illustrations, trivia questions,
Youth Specialties
activities, tips, etc.
www.youthspecialties.com
Ministry Power
• Youth Specialties does much of the pioneering, publishing
www.ministrypower.com
and training in the field of youth ministry. This site is
• It claims to be the web’s leader in “bible-based powerpoint
loaded with an online store, job bank, relevant articles,
games & resources.” You be the judge.
training opportunities, free stuff and more.
Youth Ministry Helper
Ministry & Media
www.youthministryhelper.com/
www.ministryandmedia.com
• An impressive site full of youth ministry strategies,
• The latest reviews on movies, TV, music, video games,
freebies, links, ideas, etc.
etc. Regular visits to this site can keep you up to speed
with the specifics of your students’ entertainment National Network of Youth Ministries
world.
www.youthworkers.net
• The National Network of Youth Ministries endeavors
Group
to network youth pastors from across the country and
www.youthministry.com & www.grouppublishing.com
denominational lines. You can find or join a local
• The resources of Group Magazine crammed into their
network at their website.
sweet website.
Clearance Copies of
Shadowdwellers Available!
Shadowdwellers serves as an invitation for teenage men of faith to leave their shadowy lives of pornographic sin
and enter into God-honoring lifestyles characterized by sexual integrity. Complete with helpful prayers and discussion
questions, its approach is a grace-oriented, non-prescriptive expression of real stories, authentic self-disclosure
and a theological framework that gives an understanding of porn in the larger context of biblical sexuality.
Written for individual reading or small group discussion. Spiral-bound copies are available
for $4 apiece. To order your copies, contact Marc Santom at
EPC Student Ministries: [email protected].
2
Websites for Parents
Since parents are the primary caregivers and nurturers
of our covenant children, we thought it would be a
bright idea to suggest a few places online where moms
and dads can find some wisdom, information and
encouragement.
Center for Parent & Youth Understanding
www.cpyu.org
• Walt Mueller’s site is a cornucopia of facts, stats and
insightful articles that will help you keep your finger
on the pulse of today’s youth culture. Get on their
weekly email update list—it’ll be worth it!
Understanding Your Teenager
www.understandingyourteenager.com
• UYT’s mission is to help teenagers by helping their
parents. Research has proven that teenagers are more
likely to succeed in life if they have parents who
will stay involved in their lives - all the way through
adolescence. The site will help parents understand
their kids better and stay connected.
Confident Parenting
www.confidentparenting.com
• A site that endeavors to live up to its name by offering
tools, tips and resources.
MOMS in Touch
Choosing a College
www.momsintouch.org
www.christiancollegeguide.net
• It’s a pretty impressive online resource that you should • An amazing network of mothers who pray diligently
and regularly for their children and their teachers and
be directing your high school sophomores, juniors
their schools.
and seniors to. Get familiar with it yourself—it’ll be
worth your time.
Fathers.com
www.fathers.com
Plugged In
• A site dedicated to all kinds of fathers who need a little
www.pluggedinonline.com
extra help in raising their sons and daughters wisely.
• This is Focus on the Family’s focus on culture. It
features film, television, and music reviews as well as
Institute for Youth Development
updates on cultural trends that affect young adults.
www.youthdevelopment.org
• The Institute for Youth Development (IYD) has
Screen It
developed this site for parents, teachers, youth leaders
www.screenit.com
and mentors to help teenagers escape lifestyles of risky
• Screen It doesn’t really review films like Plugged In
behaviors involving alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco and
does. Rather it’s helpful if you want to find out the
violence.
nitty-gritty details of a particular film’s level and
frequency of vulgarity, nudity, drug use, violence, etc.
HomeWord
www.homeword.com
Child & Family Web Guide
• A site from Jim Burn’s ministry that’s crammed full of
www.cfw.tufts.edu
great info and encouragement for parents.
• Although not a Christian website, Tufts University has
composed a strong site dedicated to helping parents
navigate the challenges of raising children.
Connect With Kids
www.connectwithkids.com
• A great site dedicated to helping parents better
understand and communicate with their teenaged
children.
3
Websites for Students
In the off-chance that your students haven’t visited every site
on the web, here are a few gold mine sites that they might
have overlooked.
Teen Health FX
www.teenhealthfx.com
• A site that provides an abundance of info on the overall
physical and mental health of teenagers.
Teens in the Driver’s Seat
http://t-driver.com/main.stm
• A must-see site for teens that are just getting behind the
wheel.
FutureMe
www.futureme.org
• A simple site that allows students to send their future
selves email messages.
Sloppy Noodle
www.sloppynoodle.com
• A site for teens by teens. Poetry, stories, movie reviews,
etc.
The Tattoo
www.readthetattoo.com
• This site gives teens a window into the world of teens
around the globe.
College Transition Group
www.collegetransitiongroup.com
• A site that helps students make wise transitions into
college life.
Life to the Max
www.life2themax.net
• An interactive
youth lifestyle web
magazine full of flash,
downloads, polls,
forums, news, blogs,
etc.
Campus Life Online
www.christianitytoday.
com/teens
• The good stuff of
Campus Life Magazine
put online for
teenagers.
Every Student
www.everystudent.com
• A safe place to explore issues about college, life, and what
it might be like to know God.
Planet Wisdom
www.planetwisdom.com
• An engaging site for teens dedicated to thinking biblically
and acting wisely.
Crosswalk.com
www.crosswalk.com/devotionals
• A smorgasbord of daily devotionals for teens on the go.
Tenative EPC Summer Trips for 2008
Below is a list of trips that are tentatively being planned by EPC Student Ministries for the summer of 2008. Stay tuned for
dates, details and registration information. www.epcstudentministries.org
Appalachian Impact (Eastern Kentucky)
A great entry-level mission trip for middle school & high school
students in the hills and valleys of eastern Kentucky. Students
will spend a week restoring the homes of the needy and pouring
into the lives of children.
Revive New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Although there is still a long way to go, New Orleans is rising
from the ashes of Hurricane Katrina. Senior high students will
spend a week helping Trinity Christian Community in its efforts
to bring life back to the Hollygrove Community of New Orleans.
Tunica Impact (Tunica, Mississippi)
Serving alongside Tunica Presbyterian Church and Tunica
Community Ministries, senior high students will spend a
4
week ministering to families via VBS, construction, sports
evangelism, and orphanage/prison ministry in the midst of this
underprivileged community.
Tex-Mex Outreach (Laredo, Texas)
Senior high students will spend a week on the Mexico-Texas
border to serve alongside Transitions Ministry (out of First
Presbyterian Church in Laredo). Students will help support small
church endeavors in poor colonials in Nuevo Laredo.
Waves of Change Project (Cocoa Beach, FL)
An experienced-based discipleship ministry for middle school
and high school students, Waves of Change will challenge
students spiritually, mentally and physically through learning to
acquire (or perfect) their surfing skills!
Other Random, Cool Websites
Here is a veritable potpourri of random sites that are cool,
helpful, intriguing, original, amusing or fat-free.
Bible Gateway
www.biblegateway.com
• This site is great to have on hand whenever you need
to find that passage or verse you’re looking for—in 19
different versions of course.
NewMinister.Com
www.churchlawtoday.com/newmin.php
• New to the ministry? Take (or better yet, make) a few
minutes to check out “The 12 Most Important Legal
and Tax Issues for New Ministers.” This can save you
headaches, give you tax breaks and keep you out of court.
Ransom Felowship
www.ransomfellowship.org
• A great cultural engagement website that is meant to
develop discernment & deep discipleship.
Christian Camp & Conference Association
www.ccca.org/default.asp
• Looking for a good Christian camp? Start your search here.
Short Term Missions
www.shorttermmissions.com
• Looking for a trusted organization to send your short-term
team through? This site will help.
Bluefish TV
www.bluefishtv.com
• Downloadable parodies, stories & illustrations to help you
teach.
Desiring God
www.desiringgod.org
• All things John
Piper…what’s not to
like?
TroubledWith.Com
www.troubledwith.com
• Sponsored by Focus
on the Family, this site
is searchable by a long list
of struggles that people find
themselves facing.
American Association of Christian Counselors
www.aacc.net
• Looking to refer a student (or another church member)
to a licensed Christian counselor? This site will help you
track one down in your area.
National Study of Youth & Religion
www.youthandreligion.org
• A pretty good informational website that keeps a current
stream of research, data and statistics on the spiritual (not
necessarily evangelical) lives of junior and senior high
students in America.
Center for Youth Studies
www.centerforyouth.org
• Packed full of stats, news, research and information about
youth culture.
Just for Laughs . . .
Join The
Fellowship!
Did you know that there
is a new network of youth
workers from around the
country comprised of
youth ministry volunteers
and professionals who deeply respect and cherish
the Reformed faith tradition?
Visit The Fellowship’s website to learn more and join:
www.thefellowshipsite.org
“Let me get this straight. You’re attributing your
self-esteem issues to the fact that, when you Googled
your own name, you got zero hits?”
5
Book Recommendations
for Youth Workers & Parents
King Solomon once penned these words: “Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out (Ecc.
12:12).” We know there are a bazillion books out there (most of them a waste of ink), so we thought we’d throw a few your
way that some youth workers in the EPC have found to be helpful, sound and not a waste of ink.
Small Group Strategies
Ideas & Activities for
Developing Spiritual
Growth in Your Students
Best-Ever Games for Youth
Ministry
Youth Culture 101
Help! I’m a Small Church
Youth Worker!
Achieving Big-Time Success
in a Non-Mega Ministry
By Les Christie
By Laurie Polich & Charlie Scandlyn
By Walt Mueller
By Chap Clark & Kara Powell
By Rich Grassel
A New Kind of Youth
Ministry
By Chris Folmsbee
Simply Strategic
Volunteers
Empowering People for
Ministry
By Tony Morgan & Tim Stevens
Partnering With Parents In
Youth Ministry
By Jim Burns & Mike DeVries
Deep Ministry in a
Shallow World
Not So Secret Findings About
Youth Ministry
Christian Beliefs
20 Basics Every Christian
Should Know
By Wayne Grudem
Plugging In Parents
200 Ways to Involve Parents
in Youth Ministry
By Jim Burns, Jeanne Mayo, Rick
Lawrence, etc.
Serving With Eyes Wide
Open
Doing Short Term Missions
with Cultural Intelligence
Faith Unfolded
A Fresh Look at the
Reformed Faith
By Jim Osterhouse (Faith Alive
Resources)
Eyes Wide Open
Looking for God in Popular
Culture
By William Romanowski
Speaking to Teenagers
How to Think About, Create
& Deliver
Effective Messages
By Doug Fields & Duffy Robbins
Parents Guide to Top 10
Dangers Teens Face
By Stephen Arterburn & Jim Burns
By David Livermore
Magazines & Journals
Here are a few periodicals that many youth workers
and parents have found to enrich their ministry and
child nurturing endeavors:
Group Magazine
www.group
publishing.com
Youthworker
www.youthworker
journal.com
Journal of Student
Ministries
http://www.youth
specialties.com/
articles/about/
6
Christian Parenting
www.ccgdata.
com/4922-4.html
CPYU Parent Page
www.cpyu.org (visit
the Resource Center)
Where to Find Good Curriculum
In addition to the EPC’s own Youth Membership Curriculum, we
have found the following organizations publish solid curriculum
for students. Some are more reformed than others; some are more
user-friendly; some are more study oriented, while others are more
discussion oriented. At any rate, this is a good place to start…
Reformation Press
www.CookMinistries.com
Faith Alive Christian
Resources
www.faithaliveresources.org
Great Commission
Publications
http://www.gcp.org/
Highway Video
www.highwayvideo.com
FaithWeaver from Group
http://www.group.com/
support/faithweaver/default.asp
Youth Specialties
https://shop.youthspecialties.
com/store/home.php?cat=324
EPC Youth Membership
Curriculum
See the Recommended
Resources at:
www.epcstudentministries.org
Speakers for Your Events
There are so many wonderful and amazing men and women who communicate the gospel so well to students. While this list is obviously not
exhaustive, it might help you find some diamonds in the rough. Each speaker below has been approved to speak at a past EPC youth event.
Brett Ray
Since 1986, Brett’s unique style of
communicating has taken him all over the
United States and around the globe. Every year
Brett speaks to thousands of students regarding
God’s unconditional love and grace for them.
He continues to be involved in national youth
conferences, camps, retreats, school assemblies,
banquets, and youth rallies. Over the years,
Brett has been one of the most popular speakers at the EPC’s Summer Jam
Conference for senior high students. Brett and his wife Carol have five
children and live in southeastern Michigan. You can reach Brett on his
website: www.brettray.com.
Rich Van Pelt
Rich Van Pelt, who’s ordained in the EPC,
trains and motivates thousands of educators,
professional counselors, and youth workers
every year in teen suicide prevention and
response and adolescent crisis intervention. His
expertise springs from three decades of youth
work over ten years with incarcerated youth in
the Colorado Department of Corrections. He is
president of Alongside, a Denver-based leadership training organization, and
is national director of ministry relationships at Compassion International.
Contact Rich at: [email protected].
Mark DeVries
Mark is the founder of Youth Ministry Architects,
a hands-on coaching service for churches
whose youth ministries are in (intentional
or unexpected) transition or churches who
hope to see their youth ministries move to
the next level. For the past 20 years, Mark has
served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and
their families at First Presbyterian Church in
Nashville, Tennessee, where he continues to oversee the youth ministry
on a part-time basis. In addition to partnering occasionally with popular
Christian musician, Mark Schultz, Mark has trained youth leaders at both
the National Youth Workers Convention sponsored by Youth Specialties
and the national youth ministry training event sponsored by Group. Mark
DeVries lives in Nashville with Susan, his wife of 28 years, and children
(when they choose to be in town): Adam (26), Adam’s wife, Sara (23),
Debbie (21) and Leigh (18). He can be reached at: www.ymarchitects.com.
Rich Grassel
A 20-year youth ministry veteran, Rich has
been an assistant professor of student ministry
at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,
a church consultant for student ministry
and youth ministry in the small church, and
a seminar leader for the Youth Specialties’
National Youth Workers Convention. Now the
senior pastor at a CMA church in Ambridge, PA,
Rich is the author of Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker (Zondervan).
Rich spoke at the EPC’s General Assembly in 2003 at Cornerstone EPC in
Brighton, MI. You can reach Rich at: [email protected].
Russ Gable
A long time friend of EPC Student Ministries,
Russ is the Senior High Ministry Director at First
Presbyterian Church in Grand Haven, MI. With
over 12 years of youth ministry experience,
leading mission trips, and speaking to young
people, Russ has impacted the lives of thousand
of teenagers (many of them through his years
of service at Summer Jam). What’s more, Russ is a certified Sonlife Ministry
Trainer and brings that wisdom to bear in his ministry to youth leaders,
senior highers and junior highers. To contact or learn more about Russ (or
to get a promo video), email him at: [email protected] or call him at:
(616) 842-3728.
Steve Argue
Steve is currently the Co-Founder and Chief
Visionary Architect for Intersect, a ministry that
seeks to serve the wave of emerging influencers
by elevating their theological, personal,
and missional formation. Steve has directed
youth ministry initiatives at the national and
international level, has served as a youth pastor,
has ministered with Sonlife, and currently
writes for Group Magazine. Steve is amazingly gifted to speak to either
students or youth leaders. You can reach Steve on his website at: www.
intersectcommunity.com or via email: [email protected].
Laurie Polich
A popular speaker and youth ministry author,
Laurie currently serves as Pastor of Small groups
and Discipleship at Ocean Hills Covenant
Church in Santa Barbara. She speaks at youth
conferences, women’s conferences, colleges and
churches around the country. She also speaks
frequently for Compassion International. Laurie
is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary,
and the author of several books, including “Help I’m a Small Group
Leader”, “Small Group Strategies”, and a new series called “Studies on the
Go”(published by Zondervan). You can reach Laurie at: 949-466-2240 or
[email protected] or by visiting her website: www.lauriepolich.com.
Coming this fall…
a new & improved
EPC.ORG!
After long last, www.epc.org is undergoing a massive
overhaul. A new look. Better content. Upgraded
features. More interactive. Easier to navigate. Be on
the lookout for it later this fall.
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EPC Student Ministries
Attn: Marc Santom
17197 N. Laurel Park Drive, Ste. #567
Livonia, MI 48152
EPC Student Ministries
EPC Student Ministries is a ministry of the Office of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
(EPC) denomination. We exist to help our churches make Christ-like disciples of middle school and high school
students of the EPC.
We realize that we can best accomplish this disciple-making mission by ministering to those who faithfully minister
to students-our denominational youth workers (full-time, part-time and volunteer alike). EPC Student Ministries
endeavors to do three things for youth workers:
•
•
•
Inspire them to serve with passion, excellence and wisdom.
Connect them to other youth workers, student ministries and churches in friendship and partnership.
Empower the ones who need support, advice, training and resources.
EPC Student Ministries
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
17197 N. Laurel Park Drive, Ste. #567
Livonia, Michigan 48152
(734) 742-2020 (Phone)
(734) 742-2033 (Fax)
[email protected]
www.epc.org
Marc Santom
Student Ministries Director
[email protected]