GBYOUTH AUGUST UPDATE

Thanks for your patience.

This has been the most challenging season for leadership.  As we evaluate the information and metrics associated with Covid-19, we encounter data that is constantly in flux (sometimes by the hour). The flux has not expedited our plans to get NextGen—GBYouth—back on campus.  We have actually constructed several restart plans that were inevitably scrapped.  We share the collective confusion and frustration with our parents as we continue to live in the difficult tension between gathering and safety for our children.

How we are currently navigating.

We want to take this moment however to communicate logistically where we are regarding the interaction of our student body:

IN-PERSON EVENTS:

What’s happening: 😄

As we cautiously dial back in the gathering of our congregants, we are planning the following two events for GBYouth: a promotion Sunday in the middle of August and a Back To School Gathering at the beginning of September.  These events give us a point of connection while we continue our evaluation.

1. PROMONAR - SUN AUG 16 @ 10:30A. This event will take place in David's Place Chapel during our normal worship hour.  The event, for both new 6th grade students and their parents, will serve as a promotion celebration and orientation seminar for the youth ministry.  Our social distancing will parallel the procedures of our corporate worship service.
   

2. B2S GATHERING - WED SEP 02 @ 6:00P. This event will take place in David's Place Chapel during our typical Common Ground worship hour.  This event, for all 6th-12th grade students will serve as a test for gathering back on Wednesday nights.  We will follow Gillionville NextGen screening / social distancing procedures for the safety of our leaders and students. 
   
   Please see our events calendar for further details here on our website at gbyouth.org/events.

What’s not happening: 😔

The following weekly events and activities remain off-line:

• COMMON GROUND (as a weekly event), 

• Sunday AM SMALL GROUPS, 

• Sunday PM DAVID’S PLACE.  
  
  We will communicate when we plan to restart these gatherings.  Thank you again for your patience!

VIRTUAL EVENTS:

STUDY! 🧐

Our current study series is CANCELED: Christianity in a Cancel Culture.  Now more than ever, our students need help navigating a volatile and contentious culture.  This six-part study series will help them understand the current dynamics to better love their neighbors and share the gospel. View our series videos online on YouTube.

FUN! 😎

We have created a virtual game to go along with our CANCELED series.  Our C3 CANCELED Competition goes live WED AUG 05, providing a variety of interactive challenges to keep our students connected and engaged at the start of school.  See our game page at gbyouth.org/challenge for details.

Please stay tuned!

We do hope that our in-person gathering will open and increase as we push into the fall. Please stay tuned to GBYouth.org and our social platforms for the latest information.

I love your hearts,
Bryan

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* All events/activities scheduled during the Covid-19 pandemic are subject to change.

RECOMMENDED READ FOR PARENTS: REWIRE YOUR HEART

Find it on Amazon.

Rewire Your Heart: Replace your desire for sin with desire for God
by David Bowden
(241 pages)

My Recommendation:
I would like to highly commend to you Rewire Your Heart from David Bowden.  Bowden is a Masters of Divinity student from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as a noted international speaker and spoken-word performer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  He has also written two earlier volumes There Were Words and When God Isn’t There, which I haven’t read as of yet.

Bowden writes with a rich, illustrative simplicity. He delivers a careful examination of how we perceive and experience sin.  Rewire helps the reader understand how sin is fundamentally an affections issue; it is fundamentally a matter of desire, want and trust.  This proper understanding of sin gives way to the proper way of (successfully) combating it.  Rewire culminates in what Bowden calls “(re)evangelism,” that is, the gospel (re)ordering of the affections to delight in God.  Please don’t be fooled.  While this sounds very basic, and maybe it is, Bowden demonstrates how easily we can get it wrong and how wonderfully God gets it right. 

How this (especially) relates to discipling our teens:
As we discussed in our February breakfast Parentnar, middle schoolers often encounter a season of (re)evaluation of their relationship with God.  I typically see this occur around thirteen years or eighth grade.  Often in counseling conversations, the student expresses skepticism of the (authenticity of) an earlier, childhood conversion.  This can be for a variety of reasons: 

1. (Re)evaluation is a natural by-product of pubescent, logical development and autonomy onset. The student is asking the whys for the whats. As Dell Tacket would say, “…do I really believe that what I believe is really real?”

2. A simplified childhood understanding of the gospel has not made robust application to a (radically) more sophisticated teenage reality.  Consider the thrust from G.I. Joe and Barbie to hormones and social media—Chuck-E-Cheese to Eighth Grade Formal.

3. The barometer for the relationship is based upon the student’s works (or lack thereof).  Works equals salvation (in that order).  “I sin so I must not be saved.”

Rewire Your Heart is a great aid for moms and dads navigating the third reason—the works-based barometer.  The student typically thinks this way: poor performance = poor relationship (or vice versa).  The focus is on the external v. the internal, the actions v. the heart, what he or she does v. what God does.  The temptation is to think, “if I clean up my conduct then (eventually) I will clean up my heart.”  There can be a quick—maybe subtle—slip into a works-based theology or what Bowden calls our tendency towards “self-salvation” in these middle school years.  Rewire provides great source material in talking with your child at this time and in this area.

My Hesitation:
My only concern with recommending Rewire is its incorporation of adult subject matter that might warrant editing by mom and dad along the way. So parents give it a read first before handing it off; your discretion is advised.

Sharing resources:
We strive to pass on helpful resources to our fabulous GBYouth parents.  I would love to hear your feedback on this book.  Also, please let us know if you come across something that you think would be of benefit to other parents of teens!  You can drop me a line at bryan@gillionville.org.

GBYOUTH ALUMNI DECEMBER GRADUATES

GBYouth College Leader (and graduate) Taylor Wright. Picture credit: Belinda Wright.

View fullsize

Ms. Taylor Wright

It is our great delight to watch our students grow through and beyond our youth ministry. It is especially joyous to see them achieve great and wonderful things as they push out into the world.

This month, we celebrate Taylor Wright who graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi State University with a degree in Animal Dairy Science. She will spend spring back here in Albany (hanging with us at GBYouth) before beginning Vet School this June. We couldn’t be happier for her accomplishment and the road ahead!

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GBYouth College Intern (and graduate) Will Sewell. Image at article banner by Wes Sewell.

Article on Will at Valdosta.edu

Mr. Will Sewell

We are also excited for our college intern, Will Sewell who graduated Summa Cum Laude this month with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in communication, emphasis in organizational communication. He is also the recipient of the Fall 2019 President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the College of the Arts.

We are equally pleased to announce that Will has accepted a part-time position here at Gillionville, serving as assistant to our next gen ministries, while he pursues a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

NEW HOODIES IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

The all new COMMON Authentic 8.25 oz. ring spun hoodie.

New brand. New apparel. New store.

GBYouth is excited to announce the opening of our new online store! You can find buttons, stickers, tees and our all new COMMON hoodies, just in time for the holidays!

GBYouth students voted for the top two COMMON designs available now in black and gray. Vote for a different design? Don’t sweat it! Other tees are sure to follow!

The all new COMMON Block 6.5 oz. combed cotton fleece.

These new hoodies are available for a limited time! Order yours now by clicking below to go to the online store!

INTRODUCING CHURCH CENTER

INTRODUCING CHURCH CENTER

Church Center is a new, easier way to connect, register and pay.

Gillionville is excited to announce a new way to register and pay for our events and activities. Whether registering for a lock-in or summer camp, paying for a small group book or David’s Place meal, Church Center provides fast, efficient registration and payment features.

No more re-entering your personal and payment details, again and again, registration after registration.

When we say it’s fast, we mean. it. You can register and pay for an activity in just a minute or two. You simply select your activity, attendee name, method of payment and you’re done!

How to use Church Center.

To use Church Center, simply download the app from your phone’s app store. Follow the in-app instructions to quickly set up Church Center on your mobile device. Once you are logged in, go to events to select the activity your want to register and pay for.

Never have cash on hand? Neither do we.

Church Center allows you to pay electronically with a debit card or Apple Pay. So your meal at David’s Place is covered with just a few clicks. Never worry about having cash on hand again!

Got Questions? We’ve got answers!

New tech can be a little confusing. Just drop us a line if you need clarification about the Church Center app or how we are using it for GBYouth!

DRUM STRUM HUM

WORSHIP THIS MORNING was a praise to God’s glory and a testimony of His faithfulness. Following the tremendous leadership of Danny James and the continual success of Drum Strum Hum, our platform was full of young people in various stages of development and discipleship.

New comers such as Luke Bergrab, Ian Harding, Karen Kitchen, Noah Turner (sound) and Caleb Haynes, joined our worship team just this year.  Several of them came through the Drum Strum Hum program. 

Others such as Taryn Harding and Sadie Haynes have been devoted to the GBYouth worship ministry for a few years now.  In addition to their instruments, all of these students are learning technical proficiencies that are state of the art, such as multi-track, on-song digital music interface, in-ear click-track and cue, and digital board/sound management. 

Others yet, Brynn Sammons and Will Sewell have graduated out and serve in campus ministries and churches off at college. All of our development and discipleship launches them forward with passionate readiness to serve for wherever God leads. 

THAT IS THE GOAL. THAT IS OUR JOY. 

The platform today presented this entire spectrum of development. And it was just wonderful thing to behold. 

SOLI DEO GLORIA. 

Bryan

Photo credits: Misty Kitchens

EVERYDAY QUESTIONS

EVERYDAY QUESTIONS

As part of GBYouth's Senior Exit, we are launching a new small group for high school juniors and seniors.

Life’s biggest questions are being asked all around you. Are you hearing the questions? Are you ready for the conversation?

Everyday Questions is RZIM’s new, video-driven, small group curriculum designed to equip young Christians for engaging gospel conversations. Students will learn how to respond to people around them who are searching for answers.

Collaboratively developed with input from the senior pastor of a growing evangelical church, Everyday Questions will prepare students to faithfully love their neighbors and share the gospel in today’s complex and ever-changing world. 

FOR CO-ED, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS

MONDAYS
MAR 19 - MAY 21
7 - 9P
Coffee & desserts provided.

The Haynes' residence
125 Willow Lake Drive, Leesburg.
 

SIGN UP TO JOIN BELOW:

MCNAIR / LOCKE FAMILY HOUSE FIRE

GBYouth is raising financial support for Sydney & Hayden Locke and the McNair family who lost their home and car to a devastating fire on February 18. There are three ways that you can give support:

(1.) Purchase gift cards to retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target where the family can begin replenishing clothing and household necessities. 

(2.) You can also contribute directly online to their GoFundMe account to do the same: https://www.gofundme.com/sydney-lockes-family-house-fire

(3.) Pray for them as they engage the long process of rebuilding their home.

Thank you so much for supporting this sweet family!

Bryan

MEET BRIAN PUCKETT

Brian Puckett and family.

Brian Puckett: our 2018 DNow guest speaker.

We are so excited to have Brian Puckett come speak both nights at our 2018 DNow.  Brian is a friend of the Gillionville family having preached and led worship a number of times over the years.  He is true to the Word, preaching with a warm and engaging style that our students enjoy.  His ministry passion is discipleship, hands down.  This past Tuesday, I had the opportunity to catch up with Brian to share some breakfast, talk about student ministry and our upcoming DNow.  The following is gleaned from our conversation:

BRIAN'S FAVORITES (because you should know for the Pop Quiz):
FOOD - (pointing to these Pearly's) Buttermilk biscuits.
TEAM - Georgia Bulldogs (I knew I liked this guy).
PLACE TO VACATION - Daytona Beach.
FAVORITE HOBBY - Guitar, reading & farming.

TESTIMONY:
Brian grew up in a dysfunctional, non-Christian home. “My first church experience was a Vacation Bible School in 6th grade and that’s when (for a season) we started going to church as a family.” Brian prayed to receive The LORD later in 7th grade, but by that time his family had stopped attending. “I prayed to receive Jesus, but had no way to get back to church. Someone gave me a Bible, but I really didn’t know what to do with it; how to read it.  So I was just kind of stuck.” And Brian was stuck for next several years until, as a Junior in high school, he began to really walk with the LORD. “I struggled with all the temptations that high schoolers struggle with. But in 11th grade, I was singing with the youth worship team, and there was this one particular song surrounding Psalm 139 that really gripped me. In that Psalm the writer asks, ‘where shall I go from your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence?’ I was convicted and repented of my sin and took ownership of my relationship with the LORD.  At that point, I could drive myself to church.  I became involved and began to grow in the LORD.”

MINISTRY:
Brian has served in Collegiate Ministries with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board for four years, as the campus minister at Albany State and Georgia Southwestern State University. Prior to college ministry, Brian worked for eight years in Youth Ministry, most recently at First Baptist Church in Ty Ty, Georgia. While serving there, he was also a volunteer campus minister at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia. Brian holds a master of divinity degree from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. 

A MOST MEMORABLE (MAYBE EVEN EMBARRASSING) YOUTH MINISTRY MOMENT:
“Introducing a food challenge--and trying to be cool--I ate a live worm on stage in front of my students.  I gagged.  That thing was movin' all the way down and I almost threw up.”

WHY EXPERIENCES LIKE DNOW ARE VALUABLE:
“DNow is valuable in that it gives you a focused weekend—that is, time out of your normal routine—where you are with the people closest to you; you can be vulnerable.  And it is that combination, it’s really the perfect recipe of time, opportunity and place for God to work in your life.  Over the years I have seen a lot of people saved—some even called into the ministry—at experiences like DNow.”

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REGISTERED YET FOR DNOW?

National Champions: Bigger Than the Moment

By: Amy Haynes

As an alumnus of the University of Georgia, I was elated to have my team in the National Championships and was equally crushed when we lost (and even more devastated to realize 1980 was 37 years ago—I remember the Coke bottles and am pretty sure a few people I know still have a couple).  We were SO CLOSE!  But as I replayed Tua Tagovailoa’s first comments after winning and Jake Fromm’s words following the Rose Bowl victory, I realized something was happening that is way bigger than the National Championship Game.  THERE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO LOVE CHRIST AND ARE NOT ASHAMED TO LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH.  

So often, we hear statistics about how kids leave the church once they graduate from high school and we look around and see the state of our culture; and, if we aren’t careful, we can become cynical and pessimistic.  While the statistics are probably true, and the culture is certainly not Christian, I am here to tell you that we have an amazing group of young people who love the Lord and who are willing to do hard things to live lives that tell His story.  As a youth ministry worker, homeschool mom and classical education tutor, I work and live with some of these remarkable people every day.  Celebrity culture, reality TV and virtual relationships have become iconic symbols of self-absorbed, lazy teens and twenty-somethings who are all dreaming about their 15 minutes of fame.  But, as Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm have shown us, there is a unique group of bold Christians who, when given a microphone and an audience of millions, do not hesitate to give the glory to God and point to something much bigger than the moment.  These “true freshmen” (…if I had a nickel for every time the announcers said that…) did not hesitate to minimize the impact of their efforts and maximize the greatness of their God.

So, the most dramatic points I see in all of this are that: 1) God’s story is so much more important than any other story, and 2) those of us who love Christ and strive to live our lives for Him are not alone.  I hate to admit it, but sometimes my self-centered ego cries out to God like Elijah did, and I can think that I’m totally outnumbered and incredibly isolated.  

I’d like to encourage the Christ followers who are older—pray for our young people.  Talk to them.  Invest in them.  Encourage them.  Share the wisdom the Lord has blessed you with.  To the Christ followers who are younger, do hard things.  Be bold for the Lord.  Use the platform He has given you to bring Him glory.  For all of us, Tagovailoa’s Twitter bio is a perfect summary: “1 Corinthians 2:9  Him Before Me”.  May each of us seek His glory above all.  

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

#NationalChampions #GoDawgs #RollTide #JakeFromm #TuaTagovailo