Great Things are Coming

Wow, can you believe that camp is already getting close?  Yeah, I know, it's still 4-5 months away, but that's not long from a planning point of view.  We had our first planning meeting in January, and things went really well.  We've looked over all the evaluations.  There were a lot of good suggestions, so we're going to make a few changes to make camp even better this year.  Here are a few of the things we are looking at (based on what you guys said):
  • we're bringing back the Bible study GIGs - last year we only offered one GIG time.  Everybody got to choose a gig, and everybody had a 'swim time'.  Well, the swim time turned into free time.  One of the biggest complaints about camp last year was too much free time.  Also, people wanted more GIGs, and they wanted a Bible study gig.  As a result, we're bringing the Bible study gigs back in place of swim time.  The pool will be open during regular afternoon free time, but there won't be a time where everyone is supposed to be at the pool.
  • less free time - as stated above, this was one of the biggest complaints about camp, so we are doing something about it.  We'll be offering a tighter, more streamlined schedule this year.  We'll still have some free time, just not so much that people get bored.
  • more family group time - we had several requests for more family group time.  We're going to give that to you.  You'll meet with your family groups in the morning like last year, and you'll also get to see your group in the evening.
Those are just a few of the things we are looking at for this summer.  We also have a fireworks show planned for Monday night (hey, it IS the 4th of July . . .)  I'll try to get more things posted in the near future.  We have another planning meeting on March 26 at 10:00 am at the camp.  I really hope you'll come.

Please be in prayer for this summer's youth camp.  We can plan all we want, but that won't make the camp successful.  All the planning in the world is useless if God is not in it. Pray that God will be working to prepare the camp, our students and adults, our camp staff, and the city of Denton for what He is going to do this summer!

Mark
 

Camp is Almost Here

OK, wow!  Camp is only one week away.  Can you believe it? ONE WEEK away!  Where has the time gone?  I honestly don't know.

So, where are we on the whole camp front?  Well, things are mostly good.  There are a few things still to do (more on that in a minute), but for the most part everything is good and ready to go.  Having said that, please be in prayer for the camp, for Craig (camp pastor) and the Jonathon Project (worship team), Drew (illusionist), Far From Ordinary (drama team), the DBU rec team, the Camp Copass staff and summer staffers, our GIG leaders, our camp sponsors, our family group leaders (oh, wait,  that's our camp sponsors - pray for them again, it sure won't hurt!), and our campers.  Also pray for the camp planners as we put the finishing touches on this thing.

We have some cool stuff coming up this year at camp.  One of the things that is dear to my heart is our GIGs.  If you don't know what GIGs are, read back through some of the previous posts to find out more.  Here are a few that I'm excited about and a little bit about what they are about.

Drama - our drama team (Far From Ordinary) is going to be working with some of our kids.  My hope is that some of your drama kids will come back from camp excited about using their gift for drama to serve God.  Imagine having a group of students come up to you and say, "We want to do drama for God.  Can we do skits and stuff on Sunday/Wednesday/whenever?"

Apologetics - our apologetics teacher from last year is coming back again this year.  I've heard nothing but good things about his class.

Cheerleading - OK, I have to admit that I am SO not a cheerleading person.  There, I said it.  I don't like cheerleading as it is done in most of our schools.  This, however, is going to be different.  Your cheerleading girls will learn how to live out their faith, how to be salt and light (more on this in a minute) at home, at school, and on their cheer squads.  (Did I say that right?  Like I said, I'm not a cheerleading person.)  Now that gets me excited.

Dance - I'm not a dance person either (I tell people it's because I'm a white Baptist), but I do have a 7th grade girl in my house who is.  Like the cheerleading GIG above, they are going to learn about living out their faith on the dance team.

Music/Worship - Here's one I'm struggling with.  You see, I don't have a definite leader for this one yet.  I have someone I want to ask, but I haven't been able to get in touch with him.  Here's what I want to have happen, though.  I want students to learn how to worship.  I want them to learn how to LEAD OTHERS in worship.  I'm not talking praise bands here, although that could be a part of it.  I'm talking students taking a leadership role in leading their peers to worship God.

Church Leadership - this one is for our adult leaders and volunteers.  This will be a time to talk about our responsibilities as youth workers, how to do it better, how to be effective in our ministries, and how to be used by God to minister to the teens He has entrusted us with.  I confess that I don't have a leader for this one yet, either, but I'm working on it.  I'm really envisioning this as more of a round-table discussion, where everyone shares their ideas and experiences.  I just need to find someone to moderate and guide the discussion.  We'll have a different topic for each day.

Bible Study - this one serves two purposes.  First, it's for people who want more Bible study.  Second, it's for people who don't have a place to go during GIG time.  Not everyone wants to do one of the other GIGs we are offering.  Some won't get the GIG they want due to space restrictions.  Some will get bored with the GIG they signed up for and might choose to come to Bible study.  Problem - I don't have a leader for this one yet.  Yeah, that's a BIG problem.

OK, I told you that we had a few things that weren't ready for camp yet, and here it is.  I need a Bible study GIG leader, a worship GIG leader, and a youth minister/volunteer GIG leader.  I know God is in control, I know He has someone to lead these things.  I also know that I can't help getting nervous when camp is only a week away and I haven't found these leaders yet.  I could do any one of them, but I can't do all of them (can't be in more than one place at a time, you know?)  I'd rather not do the Bible study because I'm doing the official Camp Wide Bible Study in the mornings.  Be in prayer for us as we seek God's will about these leaders.

OK, Camp Wide Bible Study.  I'm working on these.  I already know what we are doing for Bible study.  I just have to finish putting it all together.  What I can tell you right now is that we are going to talk a lot about being salt and light.  We're going to talk about what God expects from us, how He wants to use us, and the difference He wants to make through us.  I'm really excited about this.  Please pray for me as I finish putting these Bible studies together.

I keep asking you to pray for us.  Please know that we are also praying for you.  We're praying that God will prepare your hearts and the hearts of your students.  We're praying that God will provide the last minute money you need to get your kids here.  We're praying that God will provide a way for that student who wants to come but isn't sure if he can because of money or schedule or because he's supposed to be at his dad's that week.  We're praying for that student who really needs to come to camp but doesn't want to.  We're praying for that student who is coming to camp because that's what he always does, but he really couldn't care less about God or God's plan for his life.  We have so many of those, and I'm praying specifically that God would shake things up, get their attention, and change their lives.  I'm praying that God will change our churches, our schools, our communities, and our world because of what He does at youth camp.  It's only one week away.

Mark

 

Camp Update

Hey, guys! Camp is coming along well. Things are falling into place quickly (although not quickly enough, sometimes - sorry, Rachelle!). Anyway, most of our GIGs have teachers, I'm finishing up the quiet time materials and working on the camp-wide Bible study, and our attendance is looking good for this time of year (at least for youth camp -TREK week always fills up fast, and youth camp always fills up at a trickle)

Things you can pray about:
1. Craig (camp pastor)
2. Jonathon Project (camp worship team)
3. Far From Ordinary (camp drama team)
4. Drew Worsham (camp illusionist - how cool is that?????)
5. DBU Rec Team (camp . . . what do they do again?)
6. Camp Copass Staff (they run the whole camp)
7. GIG leaders
8. Family group leaders (basically every adult sponsor)
9. Youth Camp Staff (we plan and run youth camp)
10. Summer Staffers (the grunts of the camp. They wash dishes, clean cabins, and anything else that needs doing)
11. Campers

Needs:
1. Bible Study GIG leader
2. Worship GIG leader (I have a lead on this one)
3. Soccer GIG leader
4. Someone with a heart to minister to skaters who will supervise the half-pipe and build relationships with the skaters at camp

God has some amazing things for us this summer.  Be in prayer for youth camp.  Be in prayer for all the planning, all the students who are coming, all the sponsors who are coming, but most of all, pray that God's will is done!

Mark

 

Family Groups

Wow, where did the time go?  OK, I promised a post on Family Groups.  Here it goes.  I’m going to try and put any fears you may have to rest.  For some reason, when I tell youth camp people that I expect them to lead a family group, panic invariably sets in.  I don’t understand it.  I mean, come on, this is YOUTH CAMP!  Did you actually come to camp and NOT want to spend time with teenagers?  Who does that?

Seriously, I know a lot of you are scared of leading a family group.  Don’t be.   Family groups are based on the following idea – students need healthy relationships with Christian adults who will model Christ for them.  That’s it.  We’ll put you in a family group with 10-12 students.  You’ll go to our morning worship with your family group.  Have fun with them.  Sing with them.  Model Christian behavior for them.  You’ll go to rec time with them.  Play the game with them.  If you can’t play, at least cheer them on.  Model Christian behavior for them.  Show them how a Christian should act on the playing field when you are losing.  Show them how to act when you are winning.  You’ll go to Bible study with them.  Here’s the great thing – YOU DON’T TEACH THE BIBLE STUDY!!!!  Keep them focused on the Bible study instead of each other.  Model for them by staying awake and paying attention during Bible study.  You’ll go to family group time with them.  We’ll give you some open-ended questions that tie in with the Bible study.  Get them talking.  Listen to them.  Talk with them.  Build relationships with them.  Show them how a Christian lives and plays and works.  Most of them don’t get that at home.

To sum it all up – I want you to show your family group an authentic picture of what a Christian adult is.  I want you to show them what a caring Christian adult looks like.  Be Jesus for them.  The apostle Paul said that we should be imitators of him as he was an imitator of Christ.  That’s what I want you to be.

Here’s the great part – you don’t have to be perfect.  You aren’t perfect.  You know it, and your students know it.  That’s OK.  As Christians, we need to model how to deal with our failures, too.  For example, let’s say that you are very competitive, and your team is losing at rec.  Maybe you get a little bit angry.  It’s a natural reaction.  It happens.  We all know that there are wrong ways to deal with losing.  If you blow it, apologize to your kids. If you need to, apologize to the rec team staff or the other team.

Be real to your kids.  Be authentic.  Model Jesus.

Mark

 

Camp Update

OK, so I haven’t updated this lately.  I’ll try to do better.  It’s the nature of youth camp that things start out really slow, then speed up a lot the closer we get to camp.  We had a planning meeting this past Saturday, and we got a lot of things finalized.

Schedule – we have finalized on Schedule 2 (see earlier post).

GIGS – we have a lot of our GIGS in place, and several that we are trying to finalize.  We’re doing a few things differently this year, but I think it is going to be good.  This year we won’t have Action GIGs and Bible Study GIGs.  We’ll just have GIGs.  We will have 3-day GIGs and 1-day GIGs.  The reason for this is that some GIGs require more depth and time than others.  If a student signs up for a 3-day GIG, they will go to the same GIG all week.  If a student signs up for 1-day GIGs, they pick a different GIG for each day.  I’ll have more information about this soon.

Bible Study – We are replacing last year’s Waterbreak time with a Camp Bible Study.  We don’t have all the details on this yet, but it’s going to be good.

Family Groups – We are bringing back family groups this year.  I’ll tell you more about this in the future.

Things are moving forward quickly, so I should be updating this a lot more frequently.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact the camp.  They can get you in touch with me.

See you at camp!
Mark

 

A Thought On GIGs

My wife was looking through a magazine today (I think it was Living with Teenagers) and read an interesting and scary statistic to me.  70% of eighteen-year-olds drop out of church for at least a year.  70%!  That means that in my youth group (averaging 25), 18 of them will drop out of church.  That’s heart breaking.

I think that on of the reasons this happens is that we don’t integrate our teens into our churches.  Sure, we integrate them into our youth groups, but let’s be honest – in most of our churches, the youth group is like a separate church that just meets in the same building.  When those kids graduate, what do we do with them?  We promote them up to the ‘young adults class’ or the ‘singles class’ or whatever you want to call it, and suddenly they are in Sunday School with people their parents’ age.

I think we need to teach our students to do ministry in their home churches.  We need to teach them how to use their God-given talents and interests to further God’s kingdom.  We need to teach them to serve.  We need to teach them how to minister to others.

I heard a story the other day about a student at another church in my community.  When she was 14, she started working at the church helping them put up curtains every Sunday morning.  They were meeting in a high school gym at the time.  From there she moved up to taping down mic and speaker cables.  She helped with other jobs, then started working with computer and video crews.  Now she helps coordinate all of the lighting and video on Sunday morning.

I’ll bet she doesn’t drop out of church.  She’s needed.  She’s valuable.  She’s wanted.  She’s more than just another body filling a seat.

That’s the idea behind GIGs.  I don’t want it to be another Bible study.  I don’t want it to be another opportunity to play games.  I want it to be an opportunity for our students to grow by learning how to minister.  I want musically inclined kids to learn how to use their gifts to serve God (both inside and outside the church).  I want my drama kids to learn how to use drama to honor God.  I want my football players to learn how they can live out their faith on the football field and in the locker room.

Let me ask you a question – I’m in a typical small church.  Up until recently, my wife and I were the only youth sponsors.  If a ministry was going to happen, one of us had to lead it.  I’m not a drama person.  If I have drama kids who want to start a drama ministry, who’s going to lead it?  If I can’t lead it,could one of my drama kids?  Who’s going to teach them how?  Not me, because I don’t know how.

What would happen if we equipped our kids for ministry and then turned them loose to do ministry?  That’s my vision for GIGs (btw, GIG stands for Get Invovled Group – I want to see the kids get involved in ministry in their local church).

What do you think?

 

Two Schedules

OK, I have two different schedules for your consideration.  The big differences are in the afternoon schedule.  Look them over and leave me a comment about what you like and why.  Thanks!

Mark

Schedule 1:

8:00 - 8:15            QT
8:15 - 8:45            Breakfast
8:45 - 9:15            Worship Rally
9:15 - 9:30            Break
9:30 - 10:45          JH Rec/HS Bible Study and Family Groups
10:45 - 12:00        HS Rec/JH Bible Study and Family Groups
12:00 - 1:00          Lunch
1:00 - 4:00            Afternoon Rotations
                                   GIGs
                                   Swim Time
                                   Some sort of Bible study?
4:00 - 5:00            Free Time
                                   Football
                                   Basketball
                                   Volleyball
                                   Miniature Golf
                                   Frisbee Golf/Jacket golf?
                                   Random Games (different each day?)
                                   Ropes Course
                                   Canoeing
                                   Archery
                                   Talent Show tryouts

5:00 - 6:00          Dinner
6:00 - 6:30          Get ready for worship
6:30 - 8:00          Evening Worship
8:00 - 8:30          Church Groups
8:45 - 10:30        Special Feature
11:00                 Back in Cabins
11:30                 Lights Out

Schedule 2:

8:00 - 8:15          Quiet Time
8:15 - 8:45          Breakfast
8:45 - 9:15          Morning Worship
9:15 - 10:30        JH Rec/HS Bible Study and Family Groups
10:30 - 10:45      Break
10:45 - 12:00      HS Rec/JH Bible Study and Family Groups
12:00 - 1:15        Lunch
1:15 - 2:15          GIGs/Swim Time
2:15 - 2:30          Break
2:30 - 3:30          GIGs/Swim Time
3:30 - 3:45          Break
3:45 - 5:00          Free Time
5:00 - 6:00          Dinner
6:00 - 6:30          Get Ready for Worship
6:30 - 8:00          Evening Worship
8:00 - 8:30          Church Groups
8:30 - 8:45          Break
8:45 - 10:30        Special Feature
11:00                 Back in Cabins
11:30                 Lights Out

 

Schedule

OK, the schedule is coming along nicely.  I should (hopefully) have something finalized this week (of course, it’s Christmas break, so no guarantees).  The basic breakdown, though, goes something like this:

    Morning
        Get up
        Have quiet time
        Breakfast
        Morning Worship Rally
        JH Rec/HS Bible Study and Family Groups
        HS Rec/JH Bible Study and Family Groups

    Afternoon
        Lunch
        Rotations (three groups, 1 hour each)
            -- GIGs
            -- Swim Time
            -- __________ (not sure what to put here yet – maybe another Bible study of some sort)
        Free Time (with as many activities as possible so the kids don’t get bored)
        Dinner
        Worship
        Church Group time
        Evening Activities
        Back in Cabins
        Lights out

Anyway, that’s a rough sketch.  The biggest holdup right now is that third item in the afternoon rotation.  I don’t really want to have kids go to two different GIGs this year.  They get bored with them, plus we have trouble getting people to teach the GIGs already.  If we send kids to two different GIGs each day, then we’ll need even more GIGs and teachers.  Right now I’m leaning toward having that be some sort of group Bible study, but I’m not sure yet.  I haven’t had a chance to discuss it with the rest of the planning team.

There are a couple of things I’d like to explain in the near future, but I don’t have time right now (it’s Sunday morning and I need to get ready for church).  One is GIGs – we are taking a different approach this year.  The other is Family Groups.  I’ll try to explain what we want those to be sometime in the near future.

Have a great Christmas!
Mark

 

Youth Camp Planning Blog

Hey, everybody!  This is the camp planning blog for the 2010 youth camp at Camp Copass.  You’ll be able to find the latest information on youth camp here, as well as ideas we are playing with.  For now, here are the important details:

When?               July 5-9, 2010
  • Where?              Camp Copass in Denton, TX
  • How Much?       $205 per person
  • Who?                  Students who have finished 6th-12th grade
  • Camp Pastor?    Craig Tackett
  • Worship?            The Jonathan Project
  • Website?            http://www.campcopass.com/YouthCamp.html

    That’s it for now.  We are working on schedules, Bible studies, GIGs, etc.  We’ve read everyone’s comments from last year, and we are working hard to make this the best youth camp yet.  Please pray for us as we prepare for next year’s camp.  If you would like to help, please contact Camp Copass at (940)565-0050 or email     programdirector@campcopass.com.
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