A week ago, I posted some thoughts on the Christmas Institute of the UMYFP. There is a need for rethinking the concept and execution of the Christmas Institute. It needs to be integrated into the overall ministries of the local churches in the district and annual conferences so that the passion of the youth who get involved there would have a channel for such passion.
Here are further suggestions to the leaders and organizers of Christmas Institutes. If you don’t have a Christmas Institute, then these suggestions could also apply to your youth camps (Christmas, summer, or any other time of the year).
Bible Study Material. The leadership of the National United Methodist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines (NUMYFP) annually prepares a Bible Study material for use in the Christmas Institutes. This Bible Study Material is usually written by an experienced pastor or a bishop of the United Methodist Church. If you want to have an access to the Bible Study material for this week, contact your Annual Conference UMYFP leaderse and they can give you a copy. If your AC officers are not very active, then send me an email at penstalker(at)gmail.com and I will get a copy for you.
Read more here
After church service yesterday, I met with about ten youth leaders from the Northwest Quezon City District of the QCPACE of the United Methodist Church (don’t we just love abbreviations?). We talked about the upcoming Christmas Institute. This is the annual Christmas camp for United Methodist youth ages 12-24. It’s a big event for most districts and what’s remarkable about it is that it is a program of youth, by youth and for youth.
Amazingly, as early as now, the youth leaders of NWQCD are thinking about what they will be doing in the Christmas Institute. Let me just present a number of observations about the Christmas Institute over the years that I’ve attended it and looked at it from a distance.
Christmas Institute is life-changing! A lot of youth who attend the Christmas Institute get to meet Christ more deeply and decide to embark on a lifetime adventure with him. Some of these youth become Christians. Some of those who are already Christians decide to take their faith to the next level of commitment. If you talk to a lot of Methodist Pastors and deaconesses, they will point out to the Christmas Institute as the turning point for their decision to enter the ministry.
Christmas Institute brings together youth from all walks of life. This variety of youth coming together can create an awareness of diversity among youth. They suddenly begin to open their eyes to a wider reality of the world as they come in contact with youth who are not from their background. As they learn about social issues and the application of the Methodist faith, they also widen their perspective about the world they live in.
I myself have experienced the power of the Christmas Institute. I have come to know our faith better and such knowledge enabled me to commit and serve with the young people of the church. My continuous presence in the church and in youth ministry is a testimony to how powerful the C.I. is.
Read more…
Jonathan and David: Birds, Arrowheads, War, and a Father’s Wrath
Mighty C. Rasing
Birds of the same feather are the same birds, especially if they go to the same places, hang out at the same restaurants, play the same games, and even look alike together. Yet these birds of the same birds also make good feather-dusters if they fail to remain true to their friendship.
With this session, we will look at a very strong friendship that even family feuds and kingdom rivalry could not stop. David and Jonathan are two birds with different feathers yet they are true and loyal friends to the end.
Read more…
I’m posting this as a reply to Mars who asked about ticket prices in a previous post about the Passion Conference to be held on August 1, 2008.
Good news to all of you, the Passion Conference and Spiritual Event on August 1, 2008, will be held at the Ultra Stadium. It’s set! The date is final! And there’s no turning back! Woot!
Ticket prices revealed after the jump. Heheh.
Read more…
For the longest time, I have been looking for books, materials, and references dealing with the leadership needs of young people from a distinctly Filipino perspective. I went to various bookstores in search of such materials. Too bad, I haven’t found any.
There are books on leadership–John Maxwell’s books easily dominate the list. Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, and Peter Drucker also come close. Yet, books dealing with youth leadership specifically are rare and most of them usually come from other countries, mainly the United States.
Read more…
Recent Comments