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Ministry endeavors and summer adventures!

June 24, 2015 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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This summer is flying by faster than my chickens… yes I do have chickens, and yes they run & fly when I call them, and yes they are trained… okay enough of that, back to summer.

UPGRADE 

The season started quite rapidly with the promoting of all grades at our church. This was a first for us, we previously promoted in the fall at the beginning of a new school year but missed the boat with many students feeling too old for their former program during the summer. Our previous 8th graders are fully engaged and now participating in our HS program, solidifying these friendships and program as part of their schedule before their freshman year begins.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITING 

During the same 2-3 weeks we were in the trenches of a church-wide volunteer series. “You are here: Do something.” It went well…too well. There are 500 people that expressed interest in getting plugged in and trying a serving/volunteer role at our church. 180-ish of those people expressed interest in serving within NextGen. This is great and all but with our small staff processing this many people you can only imagine the amount of work on top of what we are already doing – but we are doing it and really excited to see how many become weekly volunteers in our ministry.

GO! TEAMS

Enter GO! Teams. Go! Teams are the serving experiences we offer during the summer for kids/students 3-12 grade…yes 3rd graders participate! This year we had 6 different sites across the country, and 1 international site being in Haiti. Almost 200 kids, students and adult leaders served God this summer through kid’s clubs, feeding the homeless, prayer walks, relational ministry, refugee ministry, and a few small construction projects. This wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t had the help from our global serve leader Calla (my wife, she’s awesome) and her partnering with NextGen and our like-minded ministry partners to offer something truly special for our students.

This was the first year since being in youth ministry for 7 years that I did not lead a trip. I went as an adult leader on our Portland trip to shadow a team leader and give feedback, he did awesome! Portland is FULL of ministry opportunities, it is a city that is in desperate need of Jesus.

Getting back a few days ago, I realized there is much more work to be done this summer, but also much playing to be had!

Here’s what I have coming up – stay tuned for updates!

Work Hard

  1. Interview and accept 4 interns by September 1st for a 1-year internship in student ministry at Gateway. Interested? Apply now to our Leadership Development Program!
  2. Onboarding and training volunteers and small group leaders for the fall.
  3. Helping find a new staff member for our NextGen team. (Early Childhood)
  4. NextGen Family BBQ. Last year we had 800 show up to feast and meet our staff and small group leaders.
  5. Scheduling out the remainder of the summer and executing a 6-week trial run on new high school program hours. (we are trying a 4-6PM program time on Sundays, what works best for your highschoolers?)
  6. Wrapping up 2015 stumin poll and getting results out. (Sorry this has taken forever, but it’s still 2015 right?) Haven’t taken it yet? You can right here!
  7. Book reviews for Orange… I’m thrilled to read some of the latest from the Orange store, I just have to find the time!

Play Hard

  1. Next week I’m spending a few days in Geneva with my wife at our favorite hideaway. (Geneva, IL not Switzerland!) The Herrington Inn is a MUST for any couple wanting some R&R. It’s a real gem.
  2. We are buying a jeep from one of my former roommates in Chicago and driving it back to TX next week! 1,145 miles with Calla! 98′ XJ Cherokee Sport 4×4 4.0L 5spd for those Jeep freaks that want the details.
  3. Getting a few 14ers under my belt with Kenny Conley and flyfishing in Colorado. We are for sure going to climb Gray’s/Torrey’s peak.
  4. One week with no agenda, just resting and spending time in Ft. Collins, CO with my wife and her family.

Filed Under: Adventures, Uncategorized Tagged With: life, play hard, summer, updates, work hard, youthpastor

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

August 27, 2013 by Chris Parker Leave a Comment

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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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: church, fall, future, home, home projects, mission trips, past, student ministry, student pastor, summer

Hey there, my name is Chris. I wake up every morning thinking youth ministry. If you are in the same boat, then I know you will identify with me, because you also live the life of a youth pastor .

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