Saying Goodbye is never easy...

Tonight, I told my youth group that Kate and I would be moving to Wisconsin. It was a tough decision we prayed about for over a month. Little did I know, it was easy compared to telling the youth I was leaving. It was tough.
The hardest part is trying to explain to them that its nothing they did, or didn't do. Its nothing they could have changed. Its hard to answer their questions of "why?"
I have never loved a group of people more than I love the youth here. I have never cared more for any group of people either. Its going to be hard to leave, but I do know that God has great things in store for us, and for the church here. Someone new will come and do a great job.
On a lighter note, one of the 7th grade boys went around to the girls after and told them... "Its ok to cry, you can hug me." TOTALLY macking on jr. and sr. girls! It was awesome! That is what I call turning a situation in your favor!

Tough night...
Chris

Welcome to St. Urho Island!

A quick video we made for the valentine dinner at church. Fun stuff. I don't think these guys will ever trust me again!

The Morning hours

Last night was the first of our "24" a day with God nights at Plunge. We talked about the morning hours. We discussed the differences in how Guys and Girls get ready in the morning. Then... We had Shad get ready like a girl. Shad... You looked great! Thanks for being a good sport!

and now for something different...

So I am preparing for a youth group lesson, one where I will challenge students to place a Bible by their toilet. I have challenged students to this a hand full of times in my 3 years of youth ministry. I just love to see their faces! This time, I wanted to take it a step further. I decided I would see how long the average person is on the toilet. I couldn't find it in my quick search, but I did find this site! Check it out. I'd love to see what the average is for youth workers!
Just think about how much more time you could be spending in the word!

Change is almost always needed...

But almost always difficult. Our student ministry has come to a cross roads. We are currently too large for our meeting area. This is a great thing! A wonderful thing! A God thing! .... So why is it so hard to make a change that will more effectively minister to this large group of students? I believe it is because we are afraid of change, intimacy and accountability.
In a large group, it is easy to hide in the corner. You can walk in a room with 50 other students and nobody will seek you out, or at least for long. You can sit back and watch the night unfold. I am not saying that this is a bad thing, but I do believe it keeps many people, including myself, from growing.
To address this problem, we are splitting our group and meeting on different nights. We are also adding Small groups to allow students a chance to have a more personal experience as well as connect them with a loving adult. Our new Schedule will be as follows.

Jr High:
Jr. High Large Group - 7:00pm Wednesday
Small Groups - Sunday's - meeting in homes

Sr. High:
Sr. High Large Group - 5:00pm - Sunday
Small Groups - Wednesday - 7:00pm - meeting in homes

Our exception will be the first Week of each month when both jr and sr high will meet together for a large group night. During this first week, no small groups will meet.

Does this sound crazy? Does this sound undoable? I realize that it is different. But I see it as exciting as well. It allows us to better disciple our believes while still attracting seekers and friends to our ministry.

I firmly believe that God is leading in this change. That means that it is the right thing, and that Satan doesn't want it to happen. it is my prayer that our students and families would jump on board with this change. It is also my prayer that we would continue to make an impact on our communities for Christ through our young people!