plan of action for our teens

1. Bible Study.

Here are a couple thoughts for this next year.

• Dennis Clark will be carrying the overall responsibility for the teaching.
   
• I would also suggest that several other Fathers of teens be called upon to teach at times. These Dads could teach an individual night's study or a short series. It seems important to allow many Fathers to be involved in the spiritual instruction of their sons or daughters.
   
  Dad's need to be teaching, instructing and guiding. And it would be good for our youth to be listening to their fathers in this context. We need to be leading them. Just as we have taught Sunday School, I think that Dads need to also have an opportunity, if they want it, to be involved with their teens.
   

• Every Wednesday night, I would also encourage not only group prayer with all of the teens and discussion of that night's lesson, but also a brief testimony from a teen. Tuesday night could be a great place for every teen to have a chance to share how they came to know Christ. Just one testimony a night. Five minutes long, at the most.
   
  It would be good practice for all of our Youth. Every young man and woman needs to know how to share their testimony in a straight-forward way, stay on track and to be able to speak before their peers.

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2. Outreach Activities

I would suggest at least three activities during every calendar school year. Activities designed as a place where our teens can bring their friends to this party or event and at that party there would be good food, good fellowship and the gospel would be shared! We have had Snow Tubing, Cook-outs, Costume parties, Christmas parties.

Our teens must be involved in sharing their faith! We need to provide places and events where they can bring their friends and speak up for their Lord, together. Our teens cannot have a "Christian ghetto" mentality where they just hide out with their Christian friends. I would stress these three outreach activities and to do them well!           
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3. Conferences

Getting away for conferences are critical in shaping the spirit of our children. Extended times away can really leave lasting soul impressions. With this in mind I would propose the following:

• Friday Night Lock-In. Early in the school year (late August / early September) it could be very strategic to have a Friday Night Prayer Meeting for the fall term. We would just do it locally for the Prairie View youth. We could provide supper that night and then prayer and sharing and encouragement. There would be some teaching, singing, worship, etc, but mainly a lot of prayer. It could go till Midnight and then the boys and men would head to another house to sleep and the girls would stay where they are. Then meet again for Breakfast and a brief time of prayer and wrap up and sharing the following morning. It would be cheap, local, easy to organize, and focused on prayer in light of the school year dead ahead. This is not an Out-reach conference.
   
• High School Leadership Training (HSLT). This conference is almost a week long and is designed for the serious High School Christian. At this conference there is a lot of teaching and a lot of opportunity for our Youth to be involved in sharing their faith. It costs about $200 and represents a pretty significant commitment from each of our Youth, especially when they go out sharing their faith. (cold turkey) This is not an Out-reach conference. This is only for the committed Christian.
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4. Service

A hallmark of our church's youth has been their willingness to jump in, roll up their sleeves and work. Without our teens and their service, we probably would not have a church. I do not want to lose this aspect of a teen's spiritual growth. Just as we have had many opportunities to serve over the years - we need to give our teens opportunity to genuinely roll up their sleeves in the service of the church. In fact I want to increase it all the more. I don't think it pleases the Lord, nor builds our youth, to treat them like "prima-donna's."

"The thing that impresses me most about America, is the way parents obey their children." -- Duke of Windsor

"The best security I can give my children is an unquenchable thirst for hard work." -- anonymous

Our teens need to continue to serve in our church. Sunday morning set-up, tear-down, setting up chairs, showing hospitality to our church's visitors (especially those teens that walk in the door with their parents), helping out with Nursery, Promise Land, performing musically with the worship team, etc. God will bless them.

Because of their excellent service and good work habits and their lack of "cliqueishness", (they are great at reaching out to new teens that come around) - I really don't think our youth take a back seat to anyone. They are exemplary.

"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
-- Matthew 20:26-28

"Neither intelligence nor talent is as valuable as the knack for hard work. Give your child this knack." -- anonymous

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5. Leadership Development

Every year we always need to be re-grouping and looking to our upper classmen to set the pace. Our Juniors and Seniors need this opportunity. Just as the last five high school graduates have been very involved in serving, coordinating and leading, so too, we need to ask the next group to "step-up to the plate." They need to be brought into this kind of planning. But they also need to be guided. Often there is a lot of energy and ideas, but very little follow through with teens. They are often taught to brainstorm in high school, but they don't always get a lot done. They might get excited and want to do a lot, but very little gets accomplished without our guidance.

Summary

Just to review -- Men, we can't assume that our teens will turn out without our serious involvement. These five points deal with "all the bases."

1. Regular Bible study and fellowship.
2. Out-reach in their own world and field-their high school.
3. Conferences, get-away's, where their heart can be deeply challenged.
4. Mucho, mucho service and work. Not just sitting around and hoping
   someone entertains them.
5. Leadership development of our upper-classmen.