It's Time to Get out of the Boat

I remember growing up and going to my grandparents home where they live on a lake. There were many times my cousins and I would take the boat out in the middle of the lake, drop anchor and go swimming. I was always the one who didn’t want to get in the water because I was afraid it was going to be too cold. I’m sure that there are many of you out there that can relate.

There were times that I never got in the water, there were times that I was thrown in the water and then there were times that I got the courage to finally get out of the boat and into the water. You see, it takes faith to jump into that water. I have to trust that it really isn’t cold which is what my cousins always said and sure enough it was freezing. However, I would not have known that if I didn’t get out of that boat.

I’m reminded of the story of Peter in Matthew 14:22-31 when the disciples were all on a boat and a storm came about. Off in the distance appeared Jesus. While he was walking towards the boat the disciples were in a panic for 2 reasons. One, the storm was getting stronger and two, Jesus appeared to them looking like a ghost.

We hear a lot of messages about Peter “being of little faith.” However, I believe the opposite is true. It says in Matthew 14:28 “"Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." What we fail to recognize is that Peter was the only one to get out of the boat. I mean, he is the only person other than Jesus to actually walk on water. If he never requested that of Jesus, he would have never been able to do the miraculous.

My question that I pose to you today is what is keeping you from getting off of your boat? Is it fear? I heard this once “We need to learn to accept fear as the price of growth”. Is it insecurities, hurt? What is it? Once you determine what that is, you need to stand firm, be bold and press through because on the other side, greatness and breakthrough awaits you.

Hayden

Slushies, Freeze Pops, Burgers & Dogs, and Cannonballs

Nothing cools the heat of the summer like a dip in the pool or lake.  Nothing refreshes you on the inside better than an ice cold slushy or freeze pop.  And nothing satisfies your hunger after being out in the sun all day than a nice burger or hot dog on the grill! (Man, my mouth is watering as I type).

With summer in full swing, it is important to be intentional with what events you schedule in attempt to connect with students and make it easy for them to come to your youth service.

We are by no means experts, but I thought I would share a few things that we do over the summer to meet students on their level:

1. House Parties: This is exactly what it sounds like, a party at someone’s house.  Students love to hang out where the crowd is at in the summer, so why not create your own crowd. It works best to find a house that has a pool or is on a lake.  This is a great “non churchy” environment to invite unbelievers to that might not be down with Jesus yet, but will totally cannonball in your pool!  Advertise the party and make sure you provide some food and you’re in for a hit!  We usually charge $2-$3 per student to cover the food and supplies cost, but free always works the best if it is in your budget.

2. Slushies and Freeze Pops: Nothing makes a student happier than a freeze pop or slushy on a hot day.  Try renting a slushy machine from a local vendor or go to Sam’s Club and buy freeze pops in the bulk and give them out before and/or after service.  Students will love it!

3. Grill Meat When You Can: Students go crazy over hamburgers and hotdogs!  If you are able to, provide grilled food at your summer events or house parties.  Find a faithful volunteer or two who love to grill and turn them loose to be “lean, mean, grilling machines.” (Raising your own cattle or pigs might me cost effective too…just kidding…but seriously.)

These are not the only things you can do in the summer, but give one or two of them a try and watch students have a blast!

Eric

God-Fearing

Have you, like me, ever asked the question, “Why am I supposed to fear the Lord?” I mean, He is good, kind, loving, gentle, comforting, giver of good things, ect.. Why are we to fear Him? This just doesn’t make sense.

As I continue to grow in my personal walk with Him I have been getting more and more revelation on this concept. The Bible says in Psalm 25:14 “The Lord confides in those who fear Him: He makes His covenant known to them”. The word confide means to tell (something) in confidence, to give as a responsibility or put into another's care; entrust, to disclose private matters in confidence.

I don’t know about you, but growing up I always loved to be in the know about stuff that others didn’t know. It made me feel older, responsible, and mature enough to handle it. When I was in the know, it gave me ownership in whatever that piece of information was.

I find that the more I have fear or reverence for the Lord, the easier it is to hear His voice and follow His leading. I feel that I am entrusted with more from Him and I can tell you, there is something that feels so good when somebody can count on you or entrust you with something. My fear and reverence for the Lord gives me ownership in my relationship with Him. It helps me not take Him for granted and allow our relationship to become mundane or dry.

So today, I pose you this question: In your life right now, can you say that you have a fear or reverence for the Lord? Here is how you can know the answer. How is your spiritual life? How have you been in your battle with sin or addiction? Are you more on the victor side or the defeated side? How much have you been entrusted with lately?





Hayden

Summer Slowdown... No Way!

With Memorial Day in our rearview mirror, the A/C kicked on, the school year coming to an end, and the sound of the ice cream man driving down your street after dinner, one thing is certain…SUMMER IS HERE! I absolutely love summer and everything that comes with it: warm weather, smell of fresh cut grass, vacations, tons of daylight, laying in the sun, etc.  Our personal lives and schedules seem to ramp up during the summer because there is just so much to do.  I don’t know about you, but almost every weekend on my calendar this summer has something going on. 

On the ministry side of things, however, many people seem to think that summer is the time to slow down and scale back on your efforts of reaching people.  I often get asked the question: “So now that the school year is over are things going to slow down a bit this summer?”  I almost always get a big grin and nearly laugh out loud when I let them know that the exact opposite happens! 

In Student Ministries at VFC, and really church wide for that matter, things don’t slow down, but instead, ramp up!  This isn’t a bad thing; this is a good thing!  With students out of school and the weather nice, there is so much opportunity to connect and reach the youth in the summer.  For VOX Student Ministries, summer is by far our busiest season with a weeklong discipleship program called Next Level, a week long summer camp, and usually double the monthly events…all on top of programming a weekly service too! 

Some people may think that summer is the time to slow down and relax, and don’t get me wrong, I’m all about rest and refreshing, but if you are a youth pastor, youth volunteer, or a church trying to reach the youth, one of the biggest temptations you will face in the summer is that of laziness.  I like the words of wisdom in Proverbs 20:4 (NLT) “Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”

If we are not strategic about reaching students over the summer and building spiritual momentum, then we can’t expect to have “food” at the harvest when the new school year starts in the fall.  Why not ramp things up in the summer when students’ schedules are freed up, there’s no homework to compete with, and students are looking for things to do.  Why not give your students positive alternatives that will cultivate healthy relationships and help grow their faith? 

So go for it…ask for God’s grace and creativity, ramp up the intentional events and have the best ministry summer yet!

Eric

The Box

Today’s challenge – get rid of the box.  What do I mean?  I am referring to the box that says to have a successful, thriving youth ministry you must do it this way or that way.  The box that produces the same ideas year after year because back in the 90’s it worked for some youth group.  The box that keeps us from stepping out and trying something completely radical because it’s never been done before. 

You might be clutching to the box because of a couple different reasons.  One, it could be fear of failure that could be keeping you in the box.  There may be an idea that continues to stir in your heart.  You keep telling yourself that idea was meant for your younger, more energetic, and daring self ten years ago, but really the Lord is giving you a revolutionary idea to do youth ministry for your specific church.  Second, maybe you are the person that feels completely overwhelmed with the current tasks at hand, and when you begin to think about giving a makeover to your “Year at a Glance” with new events, sermon series ideas, and conferences - that overwhelming sensation comes on.  Instead, you look at the events you did last year and give it a slightly different name or offer a minor variation so your students don’t have complete déjà vu.

I have good news for you!  God’s best it not for you to live in the box of youth ministry.  Those ideas that continue to stir in your heart, though they may seem completely unattainable to achieve, are from the Him!  And if He gives you an idea, He also gives you the grace to do it!  Lean on His wisdom as you step out into the unknown with your radical idea.  It is ultimately His idea – and He’s got your back.  And if exhaustion is keeping you in the box, I’ve got good news for you too!  His Word clearly states His grace is sufficient for you and the joy of the Lord is your strength!  Take hold of His grace during this season and ask the Holy Spirit for fresh, witty ideas.  The Creator is the ultimate creative One.


Ruth

What's That Smell?!

It is said that the human nose can smell over 100 million different smells…WOW that is a lot of smells!  These can be both pleasant smells or horrific smells, ranging from your favorite dish at a restaurant to someone getting a little too comfortable on a road trip after eating Taco Bell. Regardless of the smell, the truth of the matter is that they all send a message to the brain. 

While ministering to students and young adults, I have observed that they have amazing “sniffers.”  What I mean by that is this: students and young adults can smell a phony and a fake from a mile away.  This next generation is very good at picking up whether you are authentic or if you are just faking it. They are craving authentic friendships and relationships, authentic conversations, and authentic environments where people are just “real.”

If we desire to be effective in reaching the youth then we as pastors, volunteers, parents must be authentic.  If you struggle at all with being authentic, then listed below are 3 easy ways of how to give off the right “stench”:

1. Be Yourself – There is only one you. Please be you, otherwise the world will be void of something that belongs.  Don’t try to be someone you are not or put on a mask.  This next generation needs you, not some clone or copy of someone else.

2. Be Transparent – There is nothing more powerful than a leader who is not afraid to live their life wide open for others to see and observe. When we are transparent with the youth, it shows them we are just like them, and allows a connection and respect to form in which true discipleship can thrive.

3. Be Real – If you don’t know all the answers, it’s ok.  If you made a mistake, confess it and own up to it. If you don’t care for Dubstep or Skrillex music, then don’t try to fake like you like it. Just be real.

When we are ourselves, are transparent with others, and are just plain real, that is when the smell of authenticity resonates in the nostrils of this next generation.  From that foundation is where true relationships can be formed and real life change can happen!

Eric

A Revelant Message in a Change Culture

Doesn’t it seem that we live in a culture that changes quickly?  Take fashion for instance – look back at pictures of yourself from five years ago.  Are you wearing the same type of outfits now as you were in those pictures?  Are you looking at your hairdo wondering what you were thinking?  Or take music – bands that were popular a few years back – more than likely they’re not the same ones playing on the top 100 countdown today.

Change in our culture happens quickly.  And if we stay completely focused in our same track of doing ministry, never looking up to see if change is happening around us, we could easily find ourselves a few years outdated and not effectively communicating or reaching the youth of today in a relevant way.  Webster defines “change” as the following:  to make different in some particular; to make radically different; to give a different position, course, or direction to. 

In your own youth ministry, I would encourage you to embrace change.  Change can sometimes be the key to truly connecting with your students in a relevant way.  Now, please hear my heart – there can be a ditch on either side of this topic – refusing to change and still using CDs from your high school years as the opening song, or changing so much a student wouldn’t know the difference between a show on MTV and your youth service last weekend.  There needs to be a balance. 

The best way to see how to connect with your church’s youth today is to observe your very own students.  Are your students communicating through Facebook, Twitter, or texting?  Are your students into playing sports, writing music, creating their own videos, longboarding?  Tune into your students to see how you can bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them in a relevant way.  And don’t be discouraged if change seems to happen more quickly than you’d expect.  Remember – only a few short years ago, you were sporting that ever-fashionable hairdo.

Ruth

SWAG

Reaching out and ministering to youth can be very challenging and intimidating at times.  With how often fashion, technology, and pop culture slang changes, it often times feels like being “cool” is a moving target.  As youth pastors, leaders, and volunteers we don’t have to compromise who we are in order to reach students, but we do have to step up our game and have an understanding of what’s hot in today’s youth culture.  We need to have our own “swag” and here are a few tips of advice that can help:

S – Stay on top of the emerging trends in technology…especially social media.  If you want to have influence, then you need to be where the students are.  The worst thing we could do is refuse to learn what’s new and hot and get totally left in the past.  If you stay in touch with the constantly changing trends, you will be more culturally relevant in your ministry efforts.

W – Wear something cool.  You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe just to be a youth volunteer, but having a few trendy articles of clothing can go a long way. The Apostle Paul said that he became all things to all people that he might win some (1 Corinthians 9:22). The truth of the matter is that if you have that “look” and “cool factor,” the students will be more drawn to you.  Something as simple as a T-shirt or a pair of jeans can be the difference between getting passed by and having an eternal conversation with a student.

A – Allow the students you are trying to reach and connect with to mentor you.  You don’t have to know everything that is going on nor do you have to fake or pretend like you do.  Why not instead engage in some “reverse mentoring” in which you ask questions and initiate dialogue with students who will in turn teach you about what’s cool and hip.

G – Go to events in your students lives outside of youth service.  Nothing speaks a louder “I care about you” more than taking the time to go to a sports game or band performance!  This builds major relational power and influence that will give you an open door to speak into students’ lives.

You don’t have to do all of these things all in one day, but pick one or two and you will have a whole new “swag” about you that will be more appealing to the students in your youth group!

-Eric

A Relevant Message in a Change Culture

Doesn’t it seem that we live in a culture that changes quickly?  Take fashion for instance – look back at pictures of yourself from five years ago.  Are you wearing the same type of outfits now as you were in those pictures?  Are you looking at your hairdo wondering what you were thinking?  Take music – what bands were popular a few years back – more than likely they’re not the same ones playing on the top 100 countdown today.
Change in our culture happens quickly.  And if we stay completely focused in our same track of doing ministry, never looking up to see if change is happening around us, we could easily find ourselves a few years dated and not effectively communicating or reaching the youth of today in a relevant way.  Webster defines “change” as the following:  to make different in some particular, to make radically different, to give a different position, course, or direction to. 

In your own youth ministry, I would encourage you to embrace change.  Change can sometimes be the key to truly connecting with your students in a relevant way.  Now, please hear my heart – there can be a ditch on either side of this topic – refusing to change and still using CDs from your high school years as the opening song or changing so much a student wouldn’t know the difference between an episode on MTV and your youth service last weekend.  There needs to be a balance. 

The best way to see how to connect with your church’s youth today is to observe your very own students.  Are your students communicating through Facebook, Twitter, or texting?  Are your students into playing sports, writing music, creating their own videos, longboarding?  Tune into your students to see how you can bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them in a relevant way.  And don’t be discouraged if change seems to happen more quickly than you’d expect.  Remember – only a few short years ago, you were sporting that ever-fashionable hairdo.

- Ruth

Pride Puts Influence on a Bad Ride

I don’t know about you, but pride seems to be one of those topics that the God always brings to the forefront.  One of the major reasons I believe this is the case is because He knows how destructive pride can be in our lives and the effect it will have on others. This Bible verse makes it very clear:

First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall

Proverbs 16:18 (Message)

If we are not careful pride can ruin some of the purest of hearts and create a huge mess.  It usually starts out small, but if undetected, can grow to take over our hearts and attitudes.  Pride effects how we view ourselves in light of others.  If we desire to influential pastors and volunteers, then the last thing we need is a bunch of pride in our hearts and thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. There is nothing more of a turnoff than being around someone who is so stuck on themselves, so focused on what’s going on in their life, and carrying themselves like they are better than everyone else they come in contact with! When this happens, we lose our ability to influence others because we can’t even get past ourselves.  This is very dangerous and must be avoided at all costs.

 

Let me put it this way: Say for example that you own a sweet sports car like a Bentley or Porsche.  Some of you are like, “Alright! Now your talking!” Well you and I both know that the sports car is meant to be taken care of if it is to have its same WOW effect to others (everyone wants to ride around in a nice sports car). On the other hand, it would be an absolute shame if you never washed it, always threw your McDonald’s trash in the backseat, and parked it outside the garage close to a pine tree that would scratch it every time you pulled in or backed out. Even worse would be if you were driving it really fast down a curvy country road and lost control and crashed into a tree and totaled the car!  (Some of you are crying big salty tears right now, it’s ok, it didn’t really happen)  So your once amazing sports car that had so much influence and curb appeal is not so flashy now that it is shattered in a million pieces. No one wants to be around it, no one wants to take a ride in it, and no one is influenced by it like they once were.

Although a sad story, this same thing can happen to our own influence if we don’t guard our hearts from pride.  When we allow our egos, attitudes and actions to get puffed up and more highly exalted than they ought, what we are doing, in effect, is placing our influence in a nice sports car that is going to crash. We put our influence on a “bad ride” because it is bound to crash because pride always comes before the crash. 

So if we want to be effective pastors, leaders and volunteers and maintain our influence over the people God has called us to reach, then we must remove any ounce of pride that is in our lives. When we do this, we avoid the crash and keep our sports car nice and the influence it has on others intact.

-Eric

God - Are You Out There?

Has there ever been a time in your life where you have questioned your faith in God or maybe had a “God, are you out there" moment? Maybe because life has just been tough, or you have suffered a tragedy, maybe you have been trying to get an answer from God and you just weren’t getting it, or maybe your life just became mundane and you began to lose sight of who you are and where you are headed. You feel as though if He is ever going to show up in my life, now would be a good time because you have no idea what to do or what your next step is. I have been there several times throughout my life where I felt as though He was ignoring me or possibly not even real.

I have learned in these seasons that God is not playing hide and seek with me but rather teaching me how to fully rely on the Holy Spirit. It’s in these seasons that I really begin to tune my ears to His voice and His wisdom through church on Sunday mornings, time in prayer, reading His word, worshipping, my personal devotional time, talking with my mentors, co-workers and close friends.

It’s in these seasons where I go back to the basics and remind myself of His word. Scriptures like Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Or John 10:10 where it says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Or Proverbs 3:5-6 where it says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

If you are currently in what I call the “Dry Season,” take heart, be encouraged, and know that God may be trying to teach you how to fully rely on Him. If you take this advice, I can guarantee you that there will be great fruit that comes from it as well as being drawn closer to Him.

An encouraging token that was given to me in Bible school was this: “When the teacher is giving out the test, there is no talking.”

-Hayden

Love.Serve.Give...So Others May Live.

WOW…I can’t believe that Encounter 2012 has already come and gone!  If you weren’t able to come, then I’m not going to lie; you missed out big time!  God showed up spoke so powerfully into the lives of every student and to VOX Student Ministries as a family.

Night One Pastor Hayden and I were prompted to tag team a message titled: “Love.Serve.Give…So Others May Live.” It was a good word from the Lord and is worth us unpacking a bit more to make sure it sinks in how I believe the Lord wants it to in our lives.

Here at VFC our mission is: “We exist so people get it.” In a sense, you could also say: “So others may live,” because when people actually “get it” (a relationship with Jesus, victory, healing, etc.) they are able to truly live how God created them to live.  We are all about students “getting it” and that’s one of the main reasons we even have Encounter.  In order for students to get it our vision comes into play in which everyone must have this spiritual DNA: 1) Love 2) Serve 3) Give in them.  So naturally, if we all love, serve, and give, then other may live and have tons of opportunities to “get it.”

This is all great and true, but I have found it very difficult to walk out this vision without God’s help.  You see, in order for us to love, serve, and give to that people can get it, we must first experience these qualities of God in your own life.  You can’t give what you don’t have!

So if we want to love others, then we must first experience God’s love in our own lives like it tells us in 1 John 4:19.  If we want serve others, then we must first experience the Lord’s servanthood in our own lives.  We are always quick to serve others or serve the Lord, yet we miss that the Lord also wants to serve us just like Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. And if we are really going to give – of our time, energy, and emotion in attempt to reach the lost, then we must first come to the realization that God gave it all to us through His Son Jesus Christ! If are to experience God’s love, observe how He served, and learn to sacrifice and give like He did, then I believe we will be much more effective in reaching people for Christ.

So the question is: “Have you encountered Jesus in these areas lately?”  Let God minister to you in these areas first, then boldly step out and Love.Serve.Give…So Others May Live!

-Eric

There's No "I" in Team

Growing up playing sports, I heard the famous saying, “There’s no ‘I’ in the word team.”  Simply put, one person cannot make up a team.  When a player begins thinking he’s the only one that really matters on the team for it to win, the team becomes fragmented in its effort and inevitably isn’t successful.  In ministry here at Valley Family Church, we operate with the same mentality.  As a Student Ministries team, we understand that to accomplish one goal we need to work a cohesive unit.  In day to day ministry, we need to put aside our personal preferences and ideas of how things should operate in order to be successful with the big picture: creating an environment for students to have fun in God’s house, make great friends, and really connect with God.

In addition to viewing ministry as a team effort, the Student Ministries Team also recognizes that each person on the team has unique gifting and strengths that benefit the team as a whole.  I played soccer in early elementary, high school, and college.  If you have ever watched 1^st graders play soccer, it can be quite humorous at times; you’ll notice all of the students running in a clump trying to kick the ball.  It doesn’t seem like the most effective way to move the soccer ball up the field to score a goal.  In high school and even further in-depth in college, you are taught that on a soccer field, there are specific positions strategically placed on the field to move the ball up field for a goal.  No longer is the entire team running in a cluster trying to kick the ball.  Instead, each person is assigned to a field position based on their personal area of strength to give the team its best shot at scoring a goal.

In the ministry, we also “play” to the strengths of the team.  We have creative people and detail oriented people working alongside each other, using their God-given strengths to ultimately make ministry happen.  I challenge you to look at your team and first make sure you are all on the same page, reaching for the same goal.  Secondly, I’d encourage you to take inventory of your teams’ strengths and see if any adjustments can be made so that your entire team is using their God-given strengths and giftings.

-Ruth 

Events - to have or Not to Have?

Here at Valley Family Church, we feel that events outside of the typical weekend service time are crucial to creating a “family feel” in our Student Ministry.  The weekend service is all about challenging students to chase after God and the life He has for them.  We endeavor to connect the students to God through live, relevant worship, sweet giveaways, videos, and messages from the Bible that make sense.

With any size youth group, it’s important to encourage students to connect with each other too, and that is the very reason why we plan events.  Our goal is to have at least one organized event each month that revolves around an activity that brings students closer together.  From ice skating to house parties, it is important that students know that they can have a blast while not engaging in the things the world tells them they must do to be cool.  During an event, multiple Student Ministries volunteers come with one goal in mind – helping connect students with other students.  It is important for students to feel and be connected to our ministry far deeper than periodically attending our weekend service. 

A common phrase used in our Student Ministry, is “show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”  This phrase communicates that the friends you hang around with and associate yourself with today will ultimately be very influential in shaping your future.  When walls are broken down between students, a bond in Jesus Christ forms stronger than one could even imagine.  Our goal is to unify the students at Valley Family Church with one voice to be able to reach their own peers in Southwest Michigan with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So bring on the ultimate Frisbee tournament!

-Ruth

Social Media Volunteering

Social media continues to fascinate me every day. It is absolutely everywhere and is becoming the new reality that we all must live in! Get this:

• Facebook has over 845 million active users
• Twitter has over 465 million active users, and is growing at a rate of 11 new accounts per second.
• There are over 1 billion Facebook posts a day
• Over 175 million tweets are sent per day on Twitter
• Over 250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day

And there is a really good chance that all these statistics have totally changed by the time you are reading this blog.

So what’s the point? The point is that as a youth volunteer, the students in your youth group spend way more time with you on social media compared to the time they spend with you at a youth service or event. Students are paying way more attention than you think to your status updates, tweets, photos, or inactivity for that matter. I’m not saying that you can only minister to students on social media versus face-to-face, but what I am trying to get across is that we all have a message resonating from our social media accounts to this next generation.

Questions: Are the messages you are sending through social media congruent to the message you send face to face when you are volunteering and serving at a youth service? Are your posts, pictures, likes, comments, and content you are sharing on social media enhancing the messages that the youth pastors are speaking on a weekly basis or hindering it?

Whether we like it or not, we are all responsible to be great social media volunteers in our youth group!

Students are watching…what message are you sending?

-Eric

People vs. Product

We all live in a fast pace society today where productivity is the number 1 priority. We live to complete tasks, cross off the to do list, meet deadlines, and to climb up the corporate ladder. These are all good, but my goal in writing this blog is to encourage our viewers to keep the main thing the main thing. That is, the people!

Let’s be honest… It’s really easy to write people off and stay task focused, especially in the business that life brings. However, what can happen over time is that the people we are surrounded by day in and day out will begin to distance themselves from us because they feel as though we don’t truly care about them as a person, when in all reality, we really do. But we can get so consumed in our agenda that we overlook what is really going on in the lives of the people around us.

It has been a really tough journey for me personally because I am so task driven, but I have made it a point to give people my full attention when they come to my desk to talk or ask a question, when they stop me in the atrium, or when they stop by our table at dinner to say hi. This is not always easy, but in the end it is extremely fulfilling.

I know of a national minister who, when confronted or approached, no matter the issue or the person, she gives that person her undivided attention and makes them feel as though they are the most important person in the world to her. That is the life that we should try to model because in the end, people are the only thing on this earth that are eternal. Everything else is temporary.


In conclusion, I want to give you a one liner that I live by when entering into a conversation with anybody. “Remember, they are a real person, with a real soul, going to a real Heaven or a real hell.” It’s our job to best emulate the ultimate ‘people person,’ Jesus!

-Hayden

DNA of a VOX Volunteer

The Student Ministries staff is honored to work side by side with an incredible team of volunteers here at Valley Family Church. Each week, our faithful volunteers give up their time, energy, and sleep to show the love of Jesus Christ to each and every student that attends VOX Student Ministries. The DNA of a VOX Student Ministries volunteer will always include the following traits:


Determined to make each student feel like family
Here at VOX Student Ministries, we have a saying that we use often – “We are family.” This statement is a simple reminder that every student is welcome and belongs here at VOX Student Ministries. VOX is a place where students come together as one to connect with God in a deeper way, and VOX volunteers are at the forefront of the movement actively engaging each student that walks through our doors. 

Never afraid to leave their comfort zone
VOX volunteers are always ready to step out to assist with elements of the weekend service as needed. VOX volunteers may be asked to help facilitate a messy game during the service, participate in a video as part of a service element, or pray with a student in need after service. Working with Middle School and High School, our volunteers know that they need to be ready to step up to the plate and assist at any moment.

Always serve with excellence
VOX volunteers get that a spirit of excellence glorifies God, and we strive to pay attention to the details.  A familiar story at Valley Family Church is the story of Queen Sheba and how she was amazed and breathless at the excellence displayed in King Solomon’s kingdom! From neatly re-stocking the Water Bar products to straightening the chairs after service, our volunteers service with excellence each and every weekend.


-Ruth

Life is Short, Church Should be Fun!

Back in grade school, I had friend whose dad owned a boat marina, and on their t-shirts read the marina’s tagline: “Life Is Short” on the front and “Boats are Cool” on the back.  My buddies and I would wear those t-shirts to school every week. I saw that slogan so much that I really did think boats were cool and I still want one someday. This story has a parallel that we can transfer to the youth.

Although we don’t have anything about boats in our code at VFC, we do live by the code: “Life is Short; Church Should be Fun!” In VOX Student Ministries, we endeavor to walk this code out every Sunday with our 6^th-12^th grade students.

When I was growing up, whenever I heard the term “church” the first word that would come to mind was “boring.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking any particular denomination, but the services that I remember were long, ritualistic, serious, and very dry at times. I never remember having much fun in church, except when my younger brother and I would use the bulletin as a doodle pad. My motto would have been: “Life Is Short; Church is Boring.” This is sad, but it is the present day stereotype that many of our youth have. 

This is where we come in!  As youth pastors, volunteers, parents and alike, we must step up and show students in this next generation that God is fun, church is fun, and living a godly lifestyle is fun! So many students think that a life surrendered to Christ will “take away all the fun” in their life and that a relationship with God is just a bunch of “Don’ts” and “Cant’s”.  Life goes by too fast and many of us in ministry work too hard for our students to think that church and God are boring and lame.  Just like those T-shirts at the marina I mentioned earlier, we need to radiate the message “Church Should Be Fun” every opportunity we get.

The truth is this: If church is not fun, students won’t come! If we take away the “fun factor” then we introduce the “run factor,” which implies that if students aren’t having fun, then they will run.  More specifically, if our services are not high energy, engaging, or do not have an element of fun, then students will turn and run to the things of the world that present those opportunities instead. That is why we must constantly be seeking the Lord for creative and innovative ways to add the “fun factor” to our youth services, events, retreats, and outreaches.

So, God is giving us a license to have a little fun at church and loosen up a bit. There’s nothing wrong with a confetti gun, students chugging a can of pop through their friend’s dirty sock, or even a random flash mob in the middle of a service. As long as it doesn’t compromise the Word and Spirit of God and it enhances the fun factor of the worship experience… go for it! If it helps, you can remember it this way: Life Is Short, Boats Are Cool, and Church Should Be Fun!

-Eric

Let the Games Begin!

Twenty years ago, Pastors Jeff and Beth Jones were given a vision to plant a church that would impact Southwest Michigan and beyond. Today, that vision has become a reality through the ministries of Valley Family Church and can be summarized by our mission: "We exist so people get it." 

As a student ministries team, everything that we do reflects that mission. We want to see people get saved, get helped, get free, get faith and so much more! From the behind-the-scenes stuff to our weekend services, our goal is to help students "get it!" Our hope is that through this blog, you are encouraged, motivated, equipped and challenged to help the people in your sphere of influence "get it too!"

Let the games begin!

Richard