Youth Ministry Institute of Pacific Life Bible College

Outreach Idea - Ping Pong Club?

GrownUpThinking.com (a blog of Mr. Youth [youth culture marketing firm]) is picking up on a growing trend:

"With marketers continuing not to see the returns on high priced athlete endorsements and even more athletes caught amongst the scandals (Manny), marketers are asking what’s next. About a decade ago, Texas Hold-Em Poker emerged as the new hot sport (if a finger gesture and flick of the wrist can constitute a sport). ESPN and other networks jumped in on the action and marketers ante’d up.

So the new Poker? It might very well be Ping Pong, or some might say Table Tennis. Already the second largest participation sport in the world to only soccer, Ping Pong is gaining in popularity in the US and like Poker is spreading quickly on college campuses.

Now marketers are thinking it might be time to jump in. InBev’s Anheuser-Busch has..." [READ THE ENTIRE BLOG ENTRY]

Journal of Psychology & Theology - A Good Resource

The folks over the Rosemead School of Psychology (Biola University) publish a great journal that often includes very relevant articles for youth ministry.  Their most recent Journal, Winter 2008, has two good resource articles on Masturbation and another one on Religious Doubt and Identity Formation: Salient Predictors of Adolsecent Religious Doubt.

Check them out at www.biola.edu/jpt

Apply Lessons from Million Dollar Research

Mr. Youth is an ad agency in New York that specializes in engaging the next generation with  the purpose of selling a product or service.  Their research and observation of the next generation can carry some application to ministry.  Download their most recent article called Consumer 2.0 .

TroubledWith.com - A great resource for youth/parent issues

We didn't realize that this site wasn't listed in our blog and so here it is in case you haven't heard of it (www.troubledwith.com).

Here's their intro: "Sometimes, life and its troubles seem overwhelming. Maybe you think no one cares. Maybe your life feels out of control. Maybe you had a bad day … or a bad year. Maybe what should be a     small problem seems huge.  We care about you. You're not just a face in the crowd. You've found a safe place and someone you can trust. And though we can't offer "quick fixes," you'll find credible advice, practical solutions for today's problems … and hope for tomorrow."

every youth pastor needs to be on facebook

If you're a youth pastor or youth leader, you need to be on facebook.  Why?  Because that's where your youth and their friends (most of whom you've never met).  If you don't have facebook our guess is that you resisted getting internet access, an email account, and cell phones.  The fact is that youth communicate and relate on facebook.  They don't email each other, they facebook each other.  There's a reason 80 million people use it!  Here are some convenient things facebook offers you and your ministry:

• 2.0 website (i.e. your youth can become members of your site/page and leave comments, upload photos, communicate with everyone or just an individual, upload videos, post announcements, and the list goes on...)
• See a different side of your youth (i.e. their family, friends, what they did, and what they are doing... gotta love status updates).
• Communicate with you youth outside of traditional meeting times.  Never before has sending some an encouraging note been easier.

Of course technology can never replace real face-to-face communication, but facebook will enhance it.

M&M gets it!

Companies that are able to customize their product/service to their customer's personal specifications and deliver it promptly for a fair price will make mucho dollars (I think there is a homiletic principle in there too!).  Check out M&M's latest endeavour... you can now get your company logo printed, any photo printed, and packaged differently... all online!

Go to http://www.mymms.com/ to check it out.  You could use these for event promotion, thank you's, fundraisers, or just for fun!

Great Message from John Piper: Imparting a Passion: A Challenge to Youth Workers

We just came across this message from John Piper and found it very powerful.

Imparting a Passion: A Challenge to Youth Workers, November 8, 2002
Author: John Piper
Topic: Youth Ministry

The main battle in youth ministry is in the ministers' hearts, not the kids.

Download it here:
http://www.pacificlife.edu/ymi/John Piper - Imparting Passion - A Challenge to Youth Workers.mp3

Listen to it online here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/2648/Audio/

Court Upholds School Ban on Cellphones

ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 23, 2008

A ban on cellphones in the nation's largest school system was upheld Tuesday by a state appeals court.

New York City's Department of Education passed rules in September 2005 barring students from having their phones in public schools. School officials and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have called the phones a distraction and say they could be used for nefarious purposes, including cheating.  MORE...

Conflict follows device that drives away teen loiterers

NEW YORK (AP) -- A wall-mounted gadget designed to drive away loiterers with a shrill, piercing noise audible only to teens and young adults is infuriating civil liberties groups and tormenting young people after being introduced into the United States.  MORE...

CPYU Movie Review: Juno

CPYU (Center for Parent/Youth Understanding) has written a good evaluation of the latest movie on DVD that many youth are watching.  http://www.cpyu.org/files/PDFs/3D%20Reviews/CPYU%203-D%20Review%20-%20Juno.pdf