GBYouth enjoyed a special Mission’s Night at this week’s Common Ground. Kate Lundberg, Assistant Director of Called to Care (C2C), spoke to our students about her agency’s services for vulnerable children in the greater south Georgia area.
All that's coming up and going down.
GBYouth enjoyed a special Mission’s Night at this week’s Common Ground. Kate Lundberg, Assistant Director of Called to Care (C2C), spoke to our students about her agency’s services for vulnerable children in the greater south Georgia area.
Youth ministry is often times experimental in nature. Teenagers, by design, are quite adventurous and welcome new things. Recently, we began testing a new format for Common Ground. While the front-end of the service remains the same with student-led, contemporary worship, the study aspect has changed significantly. We have switched from a sermonic, pulpit-oration to a socratic, dialogue format. Students no longer sit in lines, but in circles; they have moved from rows to around tables.
Why would we make such a change?
Several reasons. Teenagers are in (what a Classicist would call) the rhetoric stage of their academic development. This means that they are ready to discuss and debate the concepts and information that they have mastered. They are eager to test the connections they have made along the way. With this in mind, the socratic format challenges them to participate and engage the scripture, theological ideas, cultural relevance and personal application head-on. Finally, we believe this makes the information most sticky (memorable) following the session—which is exactly what we want. Dialogue helps to form critical thinkers who can articulate ideas winsomely.
What do students think?
The feedback we have received from our students has been overwhelmingly positive. In a recent survey, one student wrote, that the new format “allows a wonderful balance of student discussion and teaching and it does a good job of creating a casual, but serious atmosphere.” Others responded that they favored the new socratic method, “cause there is more connectedness,” and “more involvement;” “you have to be active.” It is rewarding to see students excited about learning and taking ownership in the study. Our young people are incredibly intelligent, insightful, and contribute well to the discussion.
Bryan Haynes
PC: photos by Amy Haynes
HERE ARE THE 3 THINGS you need to know right now FOR CAMP!
Gbyouth is working to support Called to Care as they minister to foster children of all ages in our area. All children deserve to receive love and care, especially those who often times are scared and alone facing circumstances many could not imagine. The Lord calls us to be His hands and feet to those who are broken and hurting. As a youth ministry, we are especially sensitive to children and youth in the foster care system in our community and desire to show them the love of Christ. As Called to Care’s website says,
“With your help, we can positively impact children’s lives by offering love, support, and the family they need. Ultimately, this opens the door for us to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ through the gospel.”
1. If you are interested in giving a monetary contribution toward the purchase of pajama for children entering into the foster system, please do so by visiting our contribution page at church center.
2. If you would rather purchase and donate new pajamas, simply bring them to the youth building on Sundays and Wednesdays. Called to Care currently needs pajamas for middle and high school children.
The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher gives excellent insight to the post-Christian world. While this book has a few years on it (2017), its cultural critique and call to action is spot on.
#Christianity #church
Most recently, our designers gathered to conduct and edit on-camera interviews. The students were asked to share some basics about their spiritual background as well as their aspirations for the coming year. The project ultimately provides an inspirational, testimonial component to our current Common Ground teaching series: SERVANT. The goal of this DSN project was multifold:
THE BIG IDEA: We can use our creativity to share our/God’s story.
Learn how to speak in an on-camera interview.
Learn about multi-camera capture and 3-point studio lighting.
Learn basic post-production editing skills.
Check back often to see more student interviews!
Design Lab is an immersive, creative, discipleship platform. Students learn how to use imagination and technology to worship and serve The LORD through visual media.
Yet another historic spike in CoVid-19 cases has placed an undeniable strain on our local medical community. Phoebe Putney has been very transparent in communicating not only the logistical stress on our healthcare system, but the emotional toil it has taken on our healthcare workers. On September 1, Phoebe advertised a call for cards of encouragement for its medical workers. GBYouth immediately responded. We took Wednesday’s Common Ground session and chose to worship instead through service to others. Our students created dozens of handmade cards with scripture encouragements for our local doctors and nurses.
This summer, GBYouth sponsored a backpack / school supply drive to benefit our neighbor Live Oak Elementary School. Sterling Cannady and Bryan Haynes delivered hundreds of supplies, on behalf of Gillionville, to support students in need.
Gillionville has been a Partner in Excellence with Live Oak since 2014.
Partnering with Sherwood Church and The Lord’s Pantry, GBYouth spent a warm Saturday morning serving hundreds of food boxes to neighbors in need.
HEAD HEART HANDS
Service is a vital part of the GBYouth ministry. Being on mission with Christ is the natural outworking of following Christ. (James 2.18).