Published February 14, 2017
Northridge Church, Rochester, New York
Aaron
Ministry Highlights
Charter School – There are a number of Charter Schools in Rochester due to the poor public education system in the city. We have had a relationship with one in particular that uses our gym for sports practices. We have never been able to bridge the gap of getting these students to come to our NYM programming – until this month. We had our first attendance of Charter School kids and they LOVED it! They shared in their small group, they said they would be back and their leader couldn’t believe how well behaved they were. It was the start of something we hope will be very special.
Middle School Snow Camp – This month we had our Middle School Snow Camp. We combined with a partner local church in the area and headed to camp Hickory Hill where we spent a lot of time just being together, learning from God’s Word, worshipping him and making memories. Overall, I would call the weekend a success as students learned to allow Jesus to be part of every aspect of their life, not just the “public” parts.
Party Night – As summarized in one of my lessons from this month, we had a Party Night which our Events Coordinator could not attend due to vacation. However, he set us up to succeed and we had all the details we needed to make the night incredible! We had pillow fights, lots of cereal, a bunch of first time guests and connections that were made that have lasted throughout the month. In fact, 5 students who hadn’t attended in over 2 months came BACK to NYM at this party and then came the next week.
Handing Off Responsibility – Because my role will be changing in Fall from Youth Pastor to Campus Pastor, I have begun the process of handing off certain responsibilities to others (both staff and volunteer). One important thing I’m handing off is my duties in planning and executing a wilderness trip this summer. It has been amazing to watch one volunteer in particular get SO excited about leading this trip that he has shouldered much of the logistical burden. It is a blessing to watch him lead!
Key Prayer Requests
Henrietta Campus – Details – This campus will require a lot of details to launch well and I need to make sure I stay on top of it. Prayer would be great as I manage “two jobs”
BABY! – Our son Greyson Lee was born Friday, February 10.
Team Development – Henrietta and NYM – There are 2 teams that I am currently responsible to build/develop. One is my NYM Team that needs to be handed off and trained further. The other is my Henrietta Campus team that needs to be hired and on-boarded. That process is already underway.
Snow Camp – High School Snow Camp is this month! With the birth of my son it will be interesting to see how much I can contribute to this event’s success. Looking forward to seeing how God uses it in the life of students and leaders.
Prominent Lessons
One Friday night this month we had an opportunity to just open the doors of our church and invite all of our Small Group Leaders to come (with their family) and hang out together for a few hours. In advertising the event, we expressly stated that there was no agenda, there would be no “meeting time” and we had no other goal than simply being together, having fun and cementing unity. The response from our SGLs was great! They loved the time to simply talk and “be adults” rather than fighting the tension that we ALL face of wanting to talk to adults but needing to focus on students. By removing students from the equation, I think we successfully generated the kind of “vibe” that we were hoping and gave the fun factor – something that makes every team better, but can be REALLY hard to prioritize in the midst of fulfilling the “mission.”
I’m grateful for a team that pushes us to think hard about things like unity and fun – without those, we are just a random assortment of adults trying to invest in kids alongside of other adults that are strangers to us!
One of the weeks this month, a teammate of mine who oversees all of our events was on vacation, but we had a significant event. Prior to his departure, he set in motion a plan that essentially worked itself to completion, and we were able to (without the mind behind the event) have a successful, engaging and exciting night. The significant lesson for me was the profound sense of pride I felt as I looked over his preparation materials – something that would’ve been totally foreign to him a year ago, yet through coaching and his humble determination to improve, was brilliant assembled. I learned this week the value of investing in the long-term for someone’s professional development can SERIOUSLY pay off down the road.
At Youth Group one night this month, I had the difficult job of informing our students that Lauren and I will be changing roles at Northridge after this school year is complete. We are going to become the Henrietta Campus Pastor – a campus we will launch in the Fall of 2017. This was simultaneously very exciting and very difficult, and it brought about a few different lessons. However, the most prominent lesson was the power of relationships – God designed us relationally, and when you invest in a place, in a ministry and in PEOPLE over the course of time, you develop relationships that can be very difficult to leave. God has changed my life through the people that I lead, and I am hearing reports that God has used me in their life as well. As we transition, there will be many moments of sadness, but also great excitement knowing that God will enable us to develop strong relationships with a new group of people.
This month, we were in the midst of a series on the Persecuted Church. On the second night of the series, we decided to change the “vibe” of youth group completely to reflect the somber, serious and life-changing nature of this topic. So, we “jarringly” stopped our normal loud and rambunctious music and instead spent the rest of the evening with our small group in rooms without significant light reading about the conditions of life for Christians in the 13 worst countries for Christians worldwide. We ended the evening with a worship session in the gym with no light and just 1 guitar – 150+ students and SGLs singing out in the dark was really special. The lesson for me was that students (even 6th graders) will rise to the occasion of taking things seriously when you call out maturity in them – rather than expecting them to not take it seriously, we showed them the significance of what we were doing and encouraged them that we knew they could spend tonight differently than normal, but do so for a GREAT reason. They rose to the occasion and all of our students were serious, focused, introspective and moved. God did amazing things!
Key Goals for the Next Month
Family – Our baby should be here any day! I want to be as present for my wife, son and family as I can this month.
Henrietta Details – This campus is coming faster than I can imagine! I need to stay on top of the logistical details.
Snow Camp – High School Snow Camp is this month. I need to make sure it runs well despite my absence due to the baby.
Read for my Projects – My projects are in full swing but I need to keep reading for them. I have 2 books I’m planning to read this month.
Lauren
Ministry Highlights
This month was our Junior High snow camp. We took approximately 50 sixth through eighth graders away for the weekend with the intention of deepening relationships and increasing their knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ. Although the camp was a bit run down and we had a few kids get the stomach bug, I believe we were successful in our mission. It’s always such a joy to work alongside our adult volunteers and watch them influence our teens towards Christ.
We also tried something new this morning with our adult small group leaders. On a Friday night we opened up the church, provided food, and created an opportunity for them to bring their families and just hang out together. The purpose was to help foster relationships and show our appreciation for everything they do. We weren’t quite sure if people would show up, but we had a large number come and it was so fun and rewarding to all be together just for the sake of having fun. We plan to do this once every 6 weeks.
Key Prayer Requests
Aaron and I are about to enter a stage of lots of new things that come with many unknowns. I am currently 4 days overdue with our first born, which means between becoming first-time parents, finishing the year strong in youth ministry, and preparing for Aaron’s new position as Campus Pastor, we are in for a whirlwind! (Baby Greyson was born on Friday, February 10.) Please pray we entrust one day at a time to the Lord and continue working well together as a team.
Prominent Lessons
This month it was made public that Aaron and I are stepping out of youth ministry and have accepted the position as Campus Pastor for the launch of our next campus in October 2017. We were presented with this opportunity back near Thanksgiving and were very hesitant in accepting it. We felt as if it would be too soon to leave youth ministry and knew we would be disappointing many people if we chose to move forward. But through much prayer and multiple conversations with others, God made it clear that this was not a decision between right and wrong, but one of willingness to take a leap of faith and have the courage to say yes even though it would be so hard to leave our teens and adult volunteers. Even after making the final decision, there were nights that we questioned whether or not we did the right thing. However, we continued trusting that if God had not wanted us to accept, doors would’ve been closed along the way, and that had not been the case. As the days went on and the time came to announce our decision to the youth ministry, God once again showed Himself faithful as only a handful of people were saddened and the majority of others made statements like “This is hard and we are going to miss you, but we are truly excited to see God use you in this new way and think it’s the right choice.” Ever since, we’ve only felt the Lord’s blessing as we enter a new stage of unknowns. I love looking back and seeing how God led us and molded our hearts in preparation for this decision. It’s a great reminder that once again, God is faithful and there is nothing better than trusting him with your life.
Key Goals for the Next Month
My goal for February is to survive my first month of being a mom.
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