StudentMinistryHelp.com

Back to Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Hey Friends,

It has been a while since I spent any time blogging and I'm ready to begin the discipline of sharing my life with the world again. However, I will no longer post to www. studentministryhelp.com , instead I will be using www.mattsilver.org and will put both personal and professional posts on that site. Please stop by the site and post a hello!

Getting Rid of the Gorilla

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Brian Jones, our senior pastor, latest book Getting Rid of the Gorilla has just been released. Frank Chiapperino, our adults minister, did the companion study guide. Both these guys are top notch! Here is a summary:

Living with an unforgiving heart is like living with a gorilla. The beast follows you everywhere. He squeezes marriages. He stinks up friendships. He growls at family gatherings and beats his chest at church.
An unforgiving heart ruins relationships, affecting everyone and everything you touch. Maybe you’ve tried and failed to forgive someone who’s hurt you. Maybe you aren’t sure you even want to try. In these confessions from Brian Jones’s own struggle, find hope and strength for finally getting rid of the gorilla in your life.

Click here to buy the book
Click here to buy the study guide

The Call You Don't Want to Make

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:58:00 +0000

"God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed."

Man I got some favor tonight!

So, I'm at a hotel preparing for the PCTC (Pennsylvania Christian Teen Convention) taking place tomorrow. After nearly a two hour car ride and a planning meeting I checked into the hotel and went to my room to relax before dinner. Part of relaxing is of course... well... taking care of business (business referring to a bodily function that isn't #1).

We then went out to a nice dinner, took care of some minor planning details and I was back in my room around 9:30. When I went to the restroom to take care of the first number (stay with me!!!), I was shocked at what I saw... residue!!!

Now one of two things happened...

I created a significant amount of waste that needed the utilization of a plunger (this hasn't happened in years!) or
I'm really mad at room service!

Regardless I had the feeling of... oh my gosh what am I going to do. This is where my pride came in; I did not want to call the front desk!!! I thought to myself...

There's no plunger, what could I use to Macgyver this situation?
I could call housekeeping and when they came to the door, demand to clean up THEIR mess!
Use the public restroom in the morning and let housekeeping deal with it in the morning.
Humble myself and make the call.

I chose option #4. I swallowed my proud and said to the front desk operator, "Dude, this is embarrassing but I need a plunger in room xxxx." To my surprise he didn't laugh at me, call me ridiculous names like "elephant man", or hang up on me. In fact he said, "Someone will be right up."

I'm now thinking, I'm going to leave the room. I didn't really think that but when the knock on the door came I was ready to do one of two things. Plunge it myself or tip the janitorial staff big time. When I opened the door I was greeted with a warm smile and a man armed with a plunger. I asked, "Can I plunge it myself? He chuckled and said "No, I got it!" I winced when he entered the bathroom. Uncomfortable, I returned to my laptop to do email.

In a moments time I heard the flush of the toilet and he was heading out. I thanked him and offered him the tip but he refused. He was in the room for less than THREE minutes but was able to fix the problem! The best part... "He smiled and said he was glad to do it!"

Here's the point!!!!!!!!!!! Do you have a mess on your hands and need to make a call for some backup? Who's the person in your life that is only a phone call away that is willing to get dirty in order to help you out? You know it's going to be embarrassing. You have no idea how they'll react. They may laugh at you, call you a name, or may even hang up on you. But isn't it worth making the call? Trust me, you'll be better off in the morning!

Christian Colleges

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:43:00 +0000

This is the time of year that students are looking at colleges with a sense of urgency. Juniors are feeling the excitement of one more year of school and seniors are pretty freaked because they only have a few more months to solidify this lifechanging decision. What schools are your students considering? Are they wrestling with the decision of whether or not to attend a Christian college? Because of our highly unchurched population, many of our students weren't even aware that they existed! Here are some things we have instituted to have them consider a Christian college/university:

Have the school come to you. Many schools have a team of students who are willing to come out and run a service for you. They will also use this opportunity to give students information and perhaps even some free merchandise.
Choose your events wisely. Every year our youth group attends a CIY (Christ in Youth) Summer Conference. Despite the fact that one of their locations is only an hour away, we choose to spend a day in a van to drive to Milligan College (a school I would love our students to check out).
Jump in a van and do a loop. Offer a road trip for a group of students and go on a campus tour. In January I took our student leadereship team to CCU's Winterfest event in January and while out in Ohio we used the opportunity to detour three hours to visit KCU. Schools are more than willing to provide an opportunity to give a campus tour, allow your students to observe a class, and even provide free lodging and meals.
Check out a campus ministry. We have not fulfilled this offer yet, but Penn States campus ministry has offered us a chance to check out their ministry while students are checking out the campus.
Go next door. We are fortunate enough to have Eastern University less than 20 miles away. I have taken students to that campus to sit in on a lecture just to help them prepare for college. Consider the school in your local area just to keep college fresh on their brains. This is a great trip for freshman and sophmores.

Text your question

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Mark Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and is doing some pretty cool and thought provoking things. Check out this exert from his blog (click here to see the entire post) as he discussed a trip to Vegas to watch a UFC event...

Scott then took us to pick up our tickets for UFC 74 Respect. While waiting for our tickets, a few Mars Hill Church guys in attendance said hello. The fights were sold out and all fifteen thousand seats were filled. The sport has exploded and is selling out arenas all around the country. With the UFC also recently buying out the Pride Fighting Championships league, the sport is certain to only skyrocket. Curiously, it is most popular with men ages eighteen to thirty-four--the exact group that most churches are abysmal at reaching and retaining, in part because most churches and pastors have no idea what to do with men who are not motivated by a weepy worship dude(ish) singing prom songs to a Jesus who is presented as a wuss who took a beating and spent a lot of time putting product in his long hair.

What do you think of his comment as to why we are losing 18-34 year olds?

I also saw that after his last service on Sunday nights (at least for a duration) he allows audience members to text message questions for him to answer on the spot. Cool and daring concept! Some of the conversation he posted on youtube (see the video below). You may not agree with his responses, if you explore some of his other content on youtube, but you have to give him props for the concept.

Deadly Viper

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Check out Deadly Viper when you get a chance. They're a cool ministry focusing on integrity among leaders. They have some great videos and are doing some really innovative things.

CCV Worship Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:26:00 +0000

CCV family, please take a few minutes and fill out this survey regarding your thoughts and feelings about our Sunday morning worship services. We're trying to make some serious decisions about the future direction of our Sunday services and we need your honest feedback.

You can access the survey by clicking HERE.
Thanks!
Matt

Parental Concerns...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:17:00 +0000

As a student minister, I am used to receiving emails from parents with a concern they have about something that has happened at a youth service or event. Regardless of the content, each one provides a glimpse of how that parent perceives the ministry. Our response to that parent is a goldden opportunity to cast vision for the ministry. Sharing that email with your leaders provides a training opportunity. I would suggest doing both. Here was an email sent by a parent along with my response.

-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXX [mailto:@msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008
11:31 AM
To: Silver, Matt
Subject: hey Matt

Hi Matt:
My name
is XXXXX and I have a son, 12 who is in Impact--XXXXX. He loves coming to church at the Movie Church and he especially loves the youth group meeting every Sunday night. Last Sunday night, he was playing one of the video games with another boy about his age (sorry he couldn't remember the name--XXXXX thinks it may have been a visitor). Anyway, this kid used extreme amounts of profanity (including the F word) the entire time he and XXXXX were playing this game.

XXXXX told the boy not to swear and the kid said he could do and say and whatever he wanted to. I told XXXXX that he should have gone to one of the leaders to report this, but he felt uncomfortable. I know you shouldn't yell at 100 kids bc one of them is swearing, but I am concerned that my child should not be exposed to profanity at a church get-together.
Matt, I appreciate all that you do for the youth and want you to know that my son loves CCV. I just wanted to make you aware of this situation and I've told XXXXX to let an adult know the next time something like this happens.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and God bless you as you continue to serve Him.

Sincerely,
XXXXX
610-XXX-XXXX
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey
XXXXX,

Thank you so much for taking the time to email me! I certainly wish a leader was in proximity to address that situation. I am going to forward this email on to them with all names removed to increase awareness. Through this email I am encouraged of two things:

1) XXXXX was willing to ask a student to stop using profanity. It takes a lot of guts to lead a peer and he showed it that day. Kudos to your parenting!
2) I am glad that a foul mouthed gamer felt comfortable coming to our church.

Please continue to pray for our students! I would guess that approximately 40% of them have parents that do not attend a church at any location. For them to keep coming is awesome! We as a ministry really go after a students consistency of character regardless of geographical location. We want our students that have a relationship with Jesus to integrate their Sunday night personality with their Monday - Friday school personality. We stress the same thing to those who are non-Christians. It is inappropriate to drop the F-bomb at any location whether it is at church, school, or at home well because it is a lame thing to do. It shows disrespect as well as a lack of vocabulary.

Thanks again for your email! Appreciate the feedback! See you Sunday!
Thanks!
Matt Silver
Director of
Student Ministries
Christ's Church of the Valley
1560 Yeager
RoadRoyersford, PA 19468
Ph: 610-792-0777 ext. 205
Fax: 610-792-1112
http://www.moviechurch.com/
http://www.studentministryhelp.com/

A Great Review????

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:25:00 +0000

Alright here's a pop quiz for you...

1) How many books are in the Bible? _____
2) What's the breakdown of those books:
Old Testament:
_____ # of Historical Books
_____ # of Poetical Books
_____ # of Prophetical Books
New Testament:
_____ # of Historical Books
_____ # of Pauline Epistles
_____ # of General Epistles
3) When the Israelites returned from Exile, who took on the task of spiritually rebuilding the Jewish People? __________________

Alright I'm done with the quiz but here are a few other questions. How would you score on an in depth Bible quiz? How well can you summarize the parts of the Bible? How about the leaders in your ministry, how well do they know the Bible? Are you the "go-to" person as biblical questions arise?

I have been working through Max Anders book, 30 Days to Understanding the Bible. This book is not only a great refresher from those Bible courses in college a long time ago, but provides short statements that will help you communicate more concisely about the Bible. This is also a great training tool for volunteers. Check it out!!!

Don't wait to change

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:14:00 +0000

So did you make a resolution? How are you doing with it?

For me New Year’s resolutions don’t cut it. I’m more of the spontaneous let’s start now kind of guy. For example, in the past I used to say, “I’m going to go on a diet at New Years.” The problem is I would eat like a pig all through Thanksgiving and Christmas and when the New Year finally came I would find myself 10 lbs heavier! New Year Resolutions are an excuse to continue bad habits for a continued portion of time. I bet some people have vowed already to make 2009 the year they go on a diet!

For youth ministers, the New Year typically occurs in September. That’s our big chance to start fresh, create momentum, and institute some new dynamics. We can have the same natural tendency to not re-evaluate or try anything new until the next calendar year continuing to forge ahead until the school years over.

I recently read Andy Stanley’s book the The Seven Checkpoints for Youth Leaders and it caused me to create some big changes in my teaching calendar. The need for reevaluation came from four questions posed by Andy and Hall:

If we could permanently imprint anything on students’ minds, what would it be?
What do they need to know? What is the irreducible minimum?
When everybody else is “doing it,” what’s going to keep them from joining in?
When they are sitting in a dorm room during their freshman year contemplating their options for the evening, what principles or truths should drift through their minds in that potentially defining moment?

After reading those, I was convicted that some of our topics were just too broad and not specific enough. I felt that I was trying to cram too much material in one calendar year. Perhaps those questions will encourage you as you review your teaching calendar for the upcoming months. Remember, you can begin a resolution today!

One liners from a forward

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:49:00 +0000

Here are some one liners from a forward... Maybe you can start a message with five of the "least funny"

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.
The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.
Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.
We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.
The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.
The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.
A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
A will is a dead giveaway.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.
He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
A calendar's days are numbered.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture: a jab well done

Sorry :)

A MUST READ for Communicators

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:30:00 +0000

If you haven’t read Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley, do yourself a favor and pick yourself up a copy this week. Andy challenges communicators to limit their talk to one clear, easy to apply, one point message. I found it to be an easy read with tons of practical applications. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. You won't be disappointed.

Living It

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:42:00 +0000

We all know that teaching principles is easier than living them. We also know that when a lesson is experienced it is much more impressionable on our lives. While at a retreat in October another youth minister shared how he brings those concepts together. Every month he has his students participate in a service project once a month. He selects the project for the following month by having students write ideas on flash cards and then drawing one from bowl. He uses the weeks leading up to the event to plan out all the logistical details for the event.

I have adopted this philosophy into our student leadership team. They submitted the following ideas: reading to students, visiting the elderly, yard work for neighbors, and a soup kitchen. Rather than drawing a card I had them vote on their choice for November. While planning the visit to the soup kitchen, a need was brought to my attention. Someone my wife new was put in a situation requiring her to move near her parents. As a result, the team and I decided to push back the soup kitchen to December and tomorrow we will be helping with the move.

I'm thrilled to be able to provide the students with an opportunity to help a family truly in need. This is a lesson they will never forget.

Do your students serve? If not, opportunities for service are only a relationship away.

Bored

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:15:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, while at our student leadership team meeting, one of the leaders said, "Dude, I've been getting bored on Sunday nights." We need some different activities.
My first thought was, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Okay, that wasn't my first thought. My first thought was "Wow, what else can we add? What else can we do?" We have basketball, a room full of video games, a hang out room etc.A few days ago I was thumbing through my planner and saw a quote I had written down from a speaker, "Never assume what worked yesterday will work today! Re-evaluate what is working today - it won't work tomorrow."

It's funny how often we need to re-evaluate and try something fresh. As the weather changes we have realized that the outdoor free-time activities are going to come to an end and more and more students will want activities available indoors. Our solution to this problem is a radically different layout on Sunday nights. We will switch teaching rooms and use our largest space in the building for free time during the winter months rather than the worship service. If you saw our layout, it is a pretty extreme decision.

We will go to a stage that is a third of the size. We will be going from three screens to one. The band will be playing direct from their amps not our sound system. We will be abandoning round tables and going to row seating. Why this drastic change? We realized by not thinking outside of the box we would keep a Wow factor service but have poor relational, activity time by not having sufficient activity space.

Going to the alternative room won’t be bad by any means, we will have a much more intimate setting. Messages and content will have a “different” vibe. There will be less opportunity for distractions in this location. The large room will be an awesome hang out activity station.

What extreme decisions do you need to make? What worked for you last month that might not be working now? Think about it before you find yourself out in the cold.

Important Survey for Pastors

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:39:00 +0000

Hello Readers,

If you are a Pastor at a church please take a minute to read this blurb from our senior pastor and complete the survey.

Hey, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me do something really cool for Aids orphans in Africa. This isn't some nutty spam thing.

I am in the process of developing a strategic partnership to launch a school/Aids clinic/church plant in Nairobi Kenya.

As an author, one of the ways I want to help fund this is through a book that I write that is packaged into an all-church campaign, much like what other author’s have done.

Here’s where I need your help. I’ve created a survey to help me determine what topics/issues would be most helpful to pastors who might want to do an all-church campaign in their church.

Could you take this quick survey? I would really value your input.

Also, would you mind putting a note about this in your blog (or emailing other pastors) and encouraging them to take the survey? I will post the results to this survey on my blog on December 15th. I think the info. we gather could be really helpful to dynamic church leaders out there.

Here’s the survey link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Cn3ERIeQFZpudTx9cZzEXw_3d_3d

I really appreciate this!

Brian Jones
http://www.brianjones.com/

The End is Near... The Golden Compass

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:07:00 +0000

The buzz is in the air, I've received several emails urging me to get the word out, "Avoid The Golden Compass... especially if you have young kids!"

My suggestion would be to take your kids to see the movie and enter into a dialogue with them. Why should we ruin a perfect teaching opportunity? I will be going to see it and look forward to a potential series we can do here on Sunday nights.

I have a few challenges for everyone who is quick to forward an email: Did you go to the movie site as well as do research on the author to confirm the claims on snopes.com? (Check out an interview on MSNBC) Does your forward go to "non-believers" and if so what emotion are you trying to evoke?

Perhaps the subject line could be... "Great teaching opportunity, Hollywood produces a movie that mentions a creator being overtaken by its creation." I've seen a similar story with a different outcome in Isaiah 14:12-14. Maybe you should check it out with me.

Events

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:45:00 +0000

If you want expert advice on event planning you should probably go to Jonathan's website http://www.blogger.com/www.thescource4ym.com. On his site you will find a book and a podcast addressing the issue as well as some event ideas.

If you want my two cents, read on. Regardless of the size of your ministry events are a great way to get students to show up. This is true if you have 4 students or 400. Here is a quick list of some things to consider as you plan your event.

Determine the Purpose - Every event doesn't need to have a theological component. Don't try to spiritualize your middle school trip to the corn maze.
Pick a Strategic Time - Push to have your event either during your regular youth group time or if you meet on Sunday mornings, immediately following your youth group time. We used to do our events on Friday night in order to get students to show up for something fun. The problem was they already had fun plans for Friday night. Our youth group time is on Sunday nights for the convenience factor. If a student can show up on Sunday for an event, they can certainly show up the following week for group.
Get Them to Return - Give them a reason to come back after the event. This is not budget dependent! If you have a budget that allows you to give out t-shirts to every student who shows up the following week do it! Showing pictures or a video of the event the following week, that's free!
Count the Cost - The larger the number of attendees for events, the more planning you need to do. There will come a time when you can't do an event every month of the year. When I first started, we had a fun event for every month: Jan - Ski Trip, Feb - PCTC Conference, Mar - Camp Tockwagh (Service Project), Apr - Movie Night, May - Bowling, Jun - MS Camp Out/HS Graduation Service, Jul - MS Mini Golf/HS CIY Conference, Aug - Movie night, Sep - Amusement Park, Oct - MS Corn Maze and Bonfire/HS Haunted House (the following week we would teach on Demons), Nov - Shady Maple (All You Can Eat Smorgasbord), Dec - Mall Scavenger Hunt and Christmas Party. Currently we do a large scale quarterly event.
Big Yellow School Bus - Contact a local bus company for transportation. You will be surprised how affordable they are and here are three benefits: you get a professional driver, you can easily accommodate a wide number of attendees (from 1 to 72), you can actually talk to students and not have to drive!
Cell Phone List - Put parents at ease by giving them several leaders phone numbers.
Event Release Form - Keep a form on hand for the entire year that works as a waiver and insurance purposes.
Split the Groups - If you want HS Students to invite their friends, don't have MS students be a part of the event.
Bring a Friend Incentive - We've done this two ways in the past; first, the kid who brings the most friends gets a prize like an (ipod shuffle) or gets to (shave Sally's head). The second option was "for every two friends you bring you get (a movie ticket) gets a chance to win (four movie tickets). Whoever brings the most friends seems to be going better for us now because we have some powerful bringers. In the past, an incintive for everyone to bring others was better because the same kid was winning every time.
Hang out before and after - Before and after your event, depending on the time, encourage your leaders to get together with the students. Sleepovers the night before or after the event were huge for the students.

That's all I got for now. If you have any other great tips please leave them as comments. If you have any specific questions email me!

Great Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:28:00 +0000

If you're like me you are always looking for great resources. Here is a list that our teaching team came up with. Enjoy, and please add any additional that we missed in the comment section.
Video Ideas:

http://youtube.com/ (use tabs for highest rated/most used)
http://www.preachingtoday.com/
http://www.sermonspice.com/
http://meatloafmedia.com/
http://www.bluefishtv.com/
http://www.ministryandnmedia.com/
http://www.36parables.com/
http://www.thesource4ym.com/
http://www.worshipfilms.com/
http://www.lifechurch.tv/
http://www.mediashout.com/
http://www.creativepastors.com/
http://floodgateproductions.com/
http://imeem.com/
http://barnafilms.com/
http://www.churchmedia.net/
http://postmodernparables.com/
http://worshiphousemedia.com/
http://radiatefilms.com/
http://sermonvideos.com/
http://visualscripture.com/
http://www.highwayvideo.com/
http://www.ignitermedia.com/
http://www.atomfilms.com/
http://funnyjunk.com/
http://www.collegehumor.com/
http://ebaumsworld.com/
http://funmansion.com/

Preaching, Stories and Information:

http://Sermonnews.com/
http://Willowcreek.com/
http://northpoint.org/
http://www.creativepastors.com/
http://GCCwired.com/
http://Pastors.com/
http://www.lifechurch.tv/

Blogs:

http://Evotional.com/
http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/

Songs:

http://Billboard.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://www.rhapsody.com/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
http://MTV.com/
http://www.vh1.com/
http://Pandora.com/
Any radio station’s playlist

Worship Music:

Rhapsodyradio http://internetradio.wetpaint.com/page/Rhapsody+Radio?t=anon
http://Christianmusic.com/
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/
http://Christianmusic.org/
http://Worshipmusic.com/
http://todayschristianmusic.com/
http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/
http://www.ccmmagazine.com/
http://Klove.com/
http://Worshiptogether.com/

Dramas:
http://Dramashare.org/
http://Churchdramas.com/
http://willowcreek.com/ServiceBuilder/

Thanks!

More of Me

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:42:00 +0000

Because you just can't get enough information about me... check out my new blog at http://www.mattsilver.org/.

Enjoy :)

Podcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:12:00 +0000

So I finally broke down and got an Ipod. Although I've had a shuffle for a while for activities I finally forked out the money for a nano. One of the primary reasons for the purchase was the ability to listen to Podcasts. My drive times are now opportunities to learn a few things or to listen to some entertainment that I actually care about. For me it's like Tivo... I'm not watching more TV, I'm watching better TV!

I'm sure my subscriptions will change in the future, but as of now here they are...

As you can tell, I enjoy listening to other communicators (none of which compare with BRIAN JONES:) ). Youth Ministry specific stuff comes from Simply Junior High, Simply Youth Ministry, Youth Specialties, and the Source for Youth Ministry. The rest are either entertainment or leadership training.

If you don't have an Ipod yet... go get one and get Podcasting! Did I mention that all of those listed above are free!

Also, post any of your favorites that I should check out!

Rise and Shine

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:27:00 +0000

So... the early bird gets the worm. I'll settle for a bowl of cereal or perhaps some eggs and bacon. At least that's what I've said for the longest time. It seems everyone I talk to who has a consistent daily quite time with God, does so at the crack of dawn (or earlier)!

My argument has always been I function on Vampire time. I have always possessed the most energy in the evening. The times I did the early morning thing it would only take 1 late night and BANG, I'm sleeping in again and going back to my preferred schedule. I would get up at 7:00 (high school students would have to get up earlier than me!) and still be able to have at least a 1/2 hour of time to read and pray. But then out of nowhere my son became mobile. It happened just a little over 2 months ago. Poor little dude can't get up when he falls, but he can get around as long as he's up.

While reading I would here him running around and screaming and in that moment I wanted to just be with him. I would call whatever time I had spent reading and praying, be it 25, 15, or occassionally 5 minutes, as "good enough" for the day. After all I would inevitably have God moments throughout the day.

Well for me the well began running a little dry. Not concrete, but not fresh water either. So I made the decision to join the early bird club and get up at 5:??. It's quite a feeling to look out your window and see that no one else is awake in your neighborhood, no lights are on. It really gives you a feeling that it is just you and God.

I then go down to the basement and spend some time with God. I can't say I feel perky when I get up yet, but I am excited to actually have some time to think, pray, journal, read, and reflect. I feel the water's rising in the well.

So when is your quiet time? God is available 24x7 not only in the wee hours of morning, but when are you available. If you're like me, good intentions to read in the evening fell victim to catching up with my TIVO shows. Morning became a necessity.

Leader Retreat 07

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:26:00 +0000

For the longest time I've wanted to take the adult leaders on a retreat to provide them an opportunity to bond together, get refreshed, and even take on some training. The solution in the past has been to invite our leaders to join me on a trip to a student ministry conference such as NYWC, NYMC, or Willow Creek's SMC. The current number of volunteers as well as the addition of student leaders has limited that options appeal. I knew in order to effectively train and motivate our leaders we would need to put on our own retreat. To me that sounded like a daunting but necessary task.

While in a forum at the Orchard Group retreat, a meeting designed for the churches planted by the Orchard Group, I began to network with the other youth ministers. One of them, Jon Hentrich, said he had been putting on retreats for the last few years. After a few discussions we determined that we should team up and do one together.

Last weekend we had our first. We met at a church in the heart of Brooklyn (NYC baby). Although the accommodations were not at the Hilton caliber, we had a great time. The format was very simple and flexible...

Friday - We arrived late in the evening and had a time of Worship and Prayer.

Saturday - Pancakes and Eggs for breakfast! Through the course of the day we kept the same format for three training topics: First, watch a conference DVD, then have a large group discussion, followed by a breakout within our own ministries. Our topics were mentoring youth, the Sunday night program, and personal evangelism. Following the training we went to Time Square for dinner and to hang out.

It's amazing what you can do in a day and a half. I am convinced that these retreats are invaluable to your ministry. You know the ways conferences impact your students; don't expect any less from a retreat for your adults. Take care and have a great retreat!

What is STRETCH?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:28:00 +0000

STRETCH is our summer event designed explicitly for middle school students. The purpose of STRETCH is to connect students with peers, our ministry, and ultimately God. This event isn’t designed to cause a conversion experience, although that happened for some students last year, but is designed to get students interested in God. In our area students embrace many of the stereotypical thoughts about church: it’s boring, irrelevant, and a waste of time. We try to program an environment to shred those beliefs.

This years theme is "Out of the Box" and breaks down for the three days as follows: Day 1 - the box your peers put you in (dealing with the pressures to fit in), Day 2 - the box adults place you in (believing in yourself despite being stuck between childhood and adulthood), and Day 3 - the benefits of allowing God to take you out of the box. Here are the top things I would recommend when hosting a middle school camp:

Promote it
We created flyers, placed door hangers in the community, and continuously sent out emails to our people. Utilize your web-site and create a MySpace (ours isn't utilized to its potential)!
Involve Others - Your event will not be great if it rests on your efforts alone. Events are the best way to find new leaders for your ministry because you get to observe others in a short term volunteer commitment. Events are also a great way to allow your current team members to STRETCH their leadership potential. Obviously this allows for specialization in ministry areas allowing for great success.

Bring on the WOW
This event needs to take your normal programming to a much higher level. For example, we always provide an hour of free time for our students to get involved in activities. For STRETCH instead of the normal games and regular fun stuff, we are bringing in inflatables, a laser tag course, makeover station, dance instruction, video game room, etc. Do things for as many groups of students as possible. You need to have awesome elements (countdown timers, opening songs, funny media). Everything is a WOW!

Get a Speaker
If you are the point person and key coordinator for your event I would strongly discourage you from being the key speaker. I am the MC for the event and have plenty of stage time to allow students to know who I am. There is just too much going on right now and too much exhaustion setting in to speak at a high caliber for this event. Last year we used Jeffrey Dean (awesome!) and this year we are going with Travis Crim.

Utilize Local Talent
Last year we brought in a comedian for all three days but this year we did a local talent search. We are using a fire eating, uniclyclist, juggler for day 1. A illusionist/comedian (lot's of box tricks) for day 2. For day 3 we are having a local karate team come in and break stuff (they're doing it for free)! This allows for "themed" variety and keeps cost down.

Bring in a Ton of Food
Enough said. PS - Get a donation specialist on your team!

Bring a Friend Contest -
For each day of the event we give a $50.00 Credit Gift Card to the person who brings the most friends.

Give Stuff Away
Each day we are giving away something to keep the excitement of the event alive. Day 1 - Temporary Tatoos and Wristbands, Day 2 - Carabiners, Day 3 - Bouncy Balls.

Get Them Back

The week following STRETCH we show a highlights video during student ministry and give a STRETCH t-shirt to every student that attends the following week. This has been great for bringing students back to regular youth group nights and that's the point of the event!

Here is the schedule for the event along with the key elements:

5:45-6:30 - Registration - during this time students will be arriving, signing in, and permitted to do some of the free time activities.
6:30-6:42 - Students enter the building - In order to create a high energy introduction, we open the doors to our lobby area but keep the auditorium doors closed. In the lobby we will have a countdown timer as well as some funny Youtube videos looping in the background.
6:42-6:45 - Doors open, fog machines are kicking, and countdown video is playing with the sound system cranked. You cannot underestimate the energy created by a cranking coundown timer. Last year we did a movie collage but this year we went more of a computer generated feel from five:am productions. I know these guys personally and they are top-notch and do not charge near enough!
6:45-8:00 - Programming - The opening song is cranked and the kids are going nuts. We then transition into three worship songs which take students from highly energetic, to medium, to serious and focused. We then do some announcements, give-aways, games, and bring out the evening talent. The last thing of the programming segment is the main speaker.
8:00-9:00 - Free Time - This is when students have the blessing to be themselves! We try to have something for everyone.
9:00-10:00 - Optional Free Time - For those whose parents want to expand on their date night.
10:00 - Clean up!

If you would like any additional information or have specific questions about our event please don't hesitate to email me at matt@moviechurch.com. Please also take a moment to pray for this event being held on July 20th - 22nd.

STRETCH Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:00:00 +0000

This is the second year our ministry is doing a blow-out event for middle school students called STRETCH. We call it a camp but it's more like a conference or maybe better stated - our youth ministry on crack! Our entire staff, as well as over 80 volunteers, come together to make this event a success. That is what is so amazing to me!

No one can ever say that this event is a success because of his or her solo effort. Although this year has gone smoother than the previous, it is still an "ACT OF GOD" that it comes off successful. It is the passion placed by God in the hearts of his people that allows and motivates...

40 people to deliver 15,000 door hangers in our community to promote this event

Props people and staging people to give up countless hours cutting themselves with scissors, getting paint on themselves, and smashing their thumbs with hammers

Band and tech members grinding their way through both early and late practices

People giving up their entire weekend (at the expense of vacation and shore time)

Volunteers rising up to great heights in leadership

Staff members bonding and loving on one another through the stress of the event

To all those involved in STRETCH or other student events in the country, THANK YOU! You inspire me!

Lightning Crashes

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Silver) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:17:00 +0000

Sunday, June 24 - I was greeted by a tear filled student who asked if he could talk to me. We’ll call him Sam. He asked if God could speak through nature. I was baffled because wrapped in this 15 year old shell is one of the most critical thinkers I have experienced in student ministry. I’ve entered into countless conversations with him regarding the origin of evil, God’s sovereignty, is God involved in the world, why do the Eagles always lose. Yet this student seems remarkably open to God.

We grabbed a spot to sit on the side of the building and he began to share about his recent experience. He was hanging out with a friend and touched on a conversation about God, shortly after the conversation the other guy threw down his cigarette. The moment it hit the ground Sam shouted BOOM just joking around. Immediately following the joke lightning struck and thunder boomed simultaneously in less than 100 yards away.

What many would consider a random chance coincidence, Sam was convinced was an encounter with God. What I loved about the timing of our conversation is that it occurred one day before we left for the CIY (Christ In Youth) Conference. I asked him, “What are you doing this week?”

He replied with the typical… “I don’t know.” I then told him he needed to go on our trip even if we had to pick up the tab. He agreed and decided to join us.

Sam the Skeptic continued his spiritual journey the entire week. Sam decided to be baptized and give his life to God while on that trip. Sam, who was primarily concerned about himself prior to the trip, was crying and praying over students who needed God’s touch. Sam who struggled with the message about Christ stood up declaring an interest in entering vocational ministry.

Time will tell what will come of Sam’s life but one thing is for certain. God used a lightning bolt to grab his attention.

What has God used to jar you recently? What was your response?