Quick Tip: Clean out the inbox and keep it clean!

February 22, 2014 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Here’s a spring cleaning idea everyone needs to take action on. The inbox. Why does it always seem full, overflowing, and feel like you can’t keep up? Because 1/2 of those emails are trash, they need to be thrown away. Only a few hours can save you tons of time in the upcoming year.

Last year I spent a few hours setting up filters for my gmail accounts. This has saved me from headache and all those emails I don’t want from a store I bought something at, or that website I thought I really loved until they emailed me every other day. Sure, you can go through and delete all those emails, or try and track down the mailer and “unsubscribe”, but I find another method extremely helpful. Quit playing defense and set up a spring cleaning system that will keep that mailbox clean year round.

Gmail filters are very easy to use once you get the hang of it.

1. Click on the check box of the email you don’t want.

2. Under the “More” tab click on “filter messages like these”

3. Click on “create a filter with this search”

4. Click on boxes you want to apply, in my case, “delete it” (I never want to see you again!)

5. You can also apply to other similar emails in your inbox, I usually click on “apply filter to current conversations”

6. Click on “create filter” – Boom. You’re done…with that filter, now go make another!

It’s tedious work, but well worth it.

Check out this video if the steps above weren’t clear enough for you, there are a few more ways you can use these filters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Bk1Q9OquU

Spring clean your ministry space!

February 21, 2014 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

My house has been through a remodel this year along with trying to make a yard out of a previous overgrown jungle. It seems like we are always spring cleaning at our house, but it feels good. It feels good to donate items to the local goodwill, sell some stuff on craigslist for cash or get those six yard bags to the curb from of all the pruning that was needed.

This isn’t only happening at home but at church too. My first “assignment” in ministry as an intern was to spring clean the church shed. Since then, I do my best to get rid of the things that aren’t needed and avoid piling stuff up in the closets. Student ministries around the country are notorious for hoarding. Don’t be a hoarder! If you haven’t used it in a year, throw it away, sell it or donate it to another ministry. The most uninviting thing a guest or family could experience is your mess, clean it up. Perhaps you need a change of scenery in your space, or you are so used to your mess you don’t see it. Ask others for feedback. You will be amazed at how much easier ministry is when you know where things are at and they are easily accessible. So, what does your storage space look like? If you don’t have storage but need some, how can I help you solve that problem or brainstorm?

Now the hard part, go clean!

Partner with a campus ministry.

February 19, 2014 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

I am super excited about something that happened last week. I sat down with a a former youth worker from my church who also participated on staff with young life. As we chowed down on breakfast tacos I confessed my envy of young life and their fantastic contact work/ministry they do with high school students. I also confessed my frustrations of feeling like I had to compete with this ministry, wanting to see more of these kids plug into the local church, selfishly my local youth group and not just attend a YL club.

After feeling like I revealed my deepest and honest feelings, I then proceeded to share what God had been doing in my heart. I know at the end of the day I will have to give an account to my maker for what I have done with the time given to me, the resources entrusted to me, and the people put in my path. For this season, God has placed almost 2,500 students right down the road not only in the churches path but also young life. We will both stand side by side one day to give an account for the students on that campus. We serve the same God and are both trying to reach students with truth in a relevant way.

So, what is the best thing a local church can do for a campus ministry like young life, FCA, Cru? Find those who are doing the ministry and simply ask the questions, “How can I partner with you?” “How can I serve you?” “What do you need?”

I began this conversation today and already something amazing happened tonight… more to come.

Explore God – Making History in God’s Kingdom

September 8, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Driving up and down the highways of my city over the past two months I have been amazed at how many billboards look the same. The white, black and blue palates of color make up different questions, statements and a website link. Rumor has it, that this is the biggest billboard campaign the city of Austin, Texas has ever seen. With 1,834,303 people, the city of Austin and its surrounding suburbs, I believe God and His Church are on the brink of something BIG, making history for His Kingdom!

Explore God was an idea, a thought, a dream that became reality. Check this out, over 330 churches in the city are doing the same series, exploring the same questions, at the same time! “Explore God” Today marks the launch for 6 weeks worth of what can be life altering or discovering faith kinds of questions for those that might be far from God. The goal is that 100,000 spiritual conversations would evolve as a result of this series and church partnership to engage the city.

Each church has trained discussion facilitators to host small group discussion in their home, work place, or even a local pub. The point is not to convert or even argue about God, but to merely allow a safe place for questions and discussion.

My leaders and students are joining the movement. We kicked it off this morning with 160 middle school students, I’m excited to see what happens tonight with our high school students.

Would you take a moment to pray for the city of Austin? Pray those that are leading this movement but also those that might be intrigued by a billboard or conversation, that they would seek out the website and perhaps a church in their neighborhood.

Today’s Question: Does life have a purpose? Here was a quick intro video.

Many more questions, videos and materials for your church can be found on their website. www.exploreGod.com

GroupMe – A safer way to text & communicate in groups.

August 28, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

I recently had a youth pastor (Marcus Linton) ask me, “I’m looking into getting an app or some sort of program of some sort that would allow me to send out mass/group SMS text messages to my students. Could you help?”

Many student pastors and small group leaders are looking for different ways to communicate with students. I have tried multiple social media methods including facebook, instagram, emails, phone calls, and at the end of the day…drumroll please…the most effective way to reach a student where they are at is through text messaging! 96% of the time a student will check their text message right away.

We live in an era that communication is unfolding at a rapid rate. Though I’m 26 and part of the Y generation where we think anything is possible, and the world is a smaller place due to Internet and communication, I have the hardest time keeping up with the birth rate of technology. There is a new way to communicate every day.

How does this benefit youth ministry? How can we leverage the technology that has been given to us? Well, I have been introduced to GroupMe a few times this past year and believe it is time for us in student ministry to take the dive and try this out. GroupMe is definitely safer than private text messaging, technology can be used for good and bad, especially when it comes to adults communicating with students. There are loopholes with any app, or piece of technology, this one not excused but is much more above reproach than private messaging via text, fb, email, etc. This could be the answer to your problems Marcus, give it a try and let me know if it helps. Here are a few quick facts…

It’s FREE! (However, regular text messaging rates apply. Most people have unlimited.)
Set up multiple groups (I will be setting up some for my different leader groups) Your small group leaders could set up a GroupMe for their students.
Collect money toward an event, project, or purchase – everyone can chip in!
MUTE notifications…beware, it will blow up your phone once tons of people start replying. There is a way to MUTE the group so your phone isn’t constantly beeping at you.

A glance at the past & then back to the future!

August 27, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

To say the least, my 2013 summer has been packed full of everything under the sun, from moving into a house to preparing a program switch for HS students. Here’s how my summer unfolded in review and what I’m up against for the Fall.

SUMMER, a glance at the past:

My wife and I had the awesome opportunity to partner with her parents in finding an investment property here in Austin, we are renting from them. We found the most amazing 1972 special in north Austin and have been doing home projects since we moved in, wood floors next month should top it off! (pictures to come, stay tuned)
I lead two GO! Teams, one MS & one HS trip to Branson, MO to serve the working poor and less fortunate. Each week we fed over 300 people and loved on their kids by doing kids clubs. For 34 of our MS students, it was their first serving experience ever!
I began a nationwide search for a position I am hiring…after many candidates God has yet to reveal the right person for the position. This search has had it’s ups and downs, but one thing is certain…God is in control and I’m trusting Him for this.
Calla’s brother K.J. married an amazing woman Nicole, so happy for them. We spend a week in NYC/Pennsylvania for the wedding.
I took a quick kayak fishing trip to the coast with a buddy. It was fun, but no fish 🙁
5 different house guests among July/August… it’s so fun to have a home to house friends and family!
The crux of my summer was researching and pushing through a program change for our HS students. We had a successful launch on Sunday night (we moved from Wednesdays), we had 75 people attend, 25 of them being adult leaders. This was perhaps the best leader to student ratio I have ever seen, now to get more students! I’ll write more about this later.

FALL, back to the future:

Continue to improve and settle into a rhythm for our HS program.
Explore God. This is AMAZING, over 320 churches in the greater Austin area are coming together to do the same 6 week series for the city, wow! We will be doing it for students.
Orange Tour. Gateway Church here in Austin will be hosting the Orange Tour on November 5.
I have been invited back out to Tennessee to speak at a fall camp for MS and HS students.
There is a possibility of helping pilot a mountain biking/mission trip in Haiti, we’ll see…
Calla’s parents are flying in next month, a first look at the house. Yippee!
We are already talking about our Christmas production and winter camp for students at Gateway, I love planning ahead.

Do you take time to reflect on what God has allowed you to enjoy in the past? Do you think and pray about upcoming activities in the future? Give it to God and trust Him.

Church & School – Build the Bridge! (DIY9.10)

May 15, 2013 by Chris Parker 1 Comment

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the ninth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Nothing says, “I want to be in your world” more than a visit to the student’s school. Whether it be for lunch in the cafeteria or sitting in the student section at a football game – when you approach the school you approach where they do most of their life. Now before I get into this, we must make an observation…some schools are open and some are closed, meaning some schools will let you and your volunteers into the building for lunch with your students while others will not. There are some loopholes. Some campuses would like to make you think they are closed…start asking questions of where they need help or how you can meet with an individual student. The administration may start by asking you to fill out a volunteer application or have a written letter on file from the parent of the student you are meeting with.

When you get into a student’s world at school, you will better understand the crowd you are trying to reach on a weekly basis. If you lose touch of this, you diminish your effectiveness as a student pastor. You might as well be teaching an empty hallway.

When I was in Chicago the campuses were closed but I was able to apply for a mentor program that allowed me to get on campus and meet with students that needed help thinking through the process of going to college. This allowed me to see some of my students but also meet students I didn’t already know.

Here in Austin it’s a little bit of both, it’s actually not even consistent within each school district. I had a regular habit of visiting the closest school this semester until things got ridiculously busy. One thing I quickly discovered was that my HS group of 60 students represented 16 different high schools in the Austin area. Knowing that I barely had the time to visit one school, I knew that do-it-yourself student ministry would not have the impact that these students and schools needed from the church. I currently have one HS volunteer visiting (going through the application process) the school I was visiting and one MS volunteer visiting a MS just down the road. Slowly but surely I hope to get more of my leaders and volunteers to help build the bridge between the church and school.

Here are some ways to get started:

Do a prayer walk. Pick a Saturday morning, invite your volunteers and walk the campus asking God to open doors (literally) for you and your team.
Just do it! Try to meet with one of your students with lunch. Make sure to check-in with the office.
Schedule a meeting with the principal, let him/her know that you and your volunteers are available for anything that they may need help with.
Go to the games. Students love to be supported, make a sign, paint your face, make it memorable!
Send a gift basket their way with a card in it on teacher appreciation day.
Offer to plant flowers or do landscaping to make the campus a more enjoyable place, see if the garden center in your town would donate flowers and plants to this.
Recruit specific volunteers to be the liaison for a specific campuses. Get this team together in the late summer to strategize and set goals for the school year. Talk about what success looks like.

How have you made a presence on your school campus? What is your success story of partnering with a local school?

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the ninth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

Supply Run! (DIY8.10)

May 8, 2013 by Chris Parker 2 Comments

This is in response to a former article I wrote on DIY Student Ministry. This is the eighth of ten areas that I’m covering in this series.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. You don’t need to do all of the shopping for your ministry. There are plenty of leaders and parents out there that are willing to swing by the store for you, just ask. Get away from do-it-yourself student ministry by delegating to others, allowing them to be a piece in the process of pulling your program or event together. Bringing others into your supply run outings can bring great benefits.

ALWAYS

Ask another leader or parent to do your supply run.
Encourage leaders to take students with them, it’s a great time to build community.
Have a supply list prepared, more time is wasted in the store if you don’t have a list.
Understand your method of payment and how reimbursements work at your church, be up front with your leaders/parents and make sure they get their reimbursement.

IDEAS

Amazon Prime – Free two day shipping on most items, delivered right to the church. Eliminates the time and money spent on an outing to the store.
The dollar store…hidden treasures await you and your students.
Old stuff in your youth storage space, you haven’t used this stuff in a year. Get creative with supplies you already have or bring back an old game.

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Geocaching – a small adventure paying huge dividends!

May 7, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

Since coming on staff at Gateway, I have quickly discovered the inner adventure nerd of my boss Kenny. He has a slight fixation on something called “geocaching”. This is simply finding unique containers that have been hidden at specific coordinates that can only be found with a GPS. It’s like a treasure hunt! There are some destined to be within a mile or two of where you live, there are over 2 million world wide!!!

I have used geocaching to help build camaraderie among new friends, volunteers, students, and even family. It takes a great deal of teamwork and each find is unique, always presenting a new challenge. What’s in the container? Well, there aren’t bags of gold but there is always a log for the finder to write their name on, this is a must and will be found at every geocache site. Some containers are larger and hold items from other finders that have discovered the cache, I have found anything from a rubber ducky to a nickel…you just never know.

What I like most about Geocaching:

It’s nearly free & tons of fun!
Family friendly.
Memories are made.
It requires teamwork
Develops perseverance.
Nightcaching – these can only be found at night, usually using flashlights. It puts a spooky spin on the treasure hunt! I recently hid one near my house, my wife and I took some kids on the hunt, they loved it!

Needed items:

GPS Device: I use an iPhone 5 that has a log, or you can get a handheld device at your local sporting goods store.
Login/Subscription to Geocaching.com, it’s free – but the app cost if you are using a smartphone ($10 one time fee) – totally worth it!!!

Give it a try, find three geocaches and I almost guarantee you will be hooked!

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