SYMC is a wrap. A couple people asked about our sample timeline for big event fundraising stuff. Here it is. My usually witty commentary, and simultaneous harassing of Andy, will have to wait for tonight. I am beat.

Sample Schedule:

Fall Event – Yard Clean up for church and others

Sports stadium venue (running concessions)

2 Christmas events (Parents Night Out, and a vendor-based Christmas bazaar)

January missions appeal to the congregation, including direct support letters

Valentines night out

Sports stadium venue

Pre-selling bags of mulch, and/or installing it

Spring Auction

Andy Brazelton – nice guy with a violent streak. We’re yakking it up in the SYMC conference hotel, being all nicy nicy. Then he throws ice on my lap. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he did missions in a culture where that was considered a social greeting.

We launched 1byyouth at this conference, and the buzz is so unbelievable that we’re awestruck at the craving for this kind of thing in cities all across the country. And not just the huge cities. Everything from New York City to Lancaster, PA to Plymouth, WI and everywhere else.

So if you’re reading this (and I know that Andy is), then know that we’re working hard at coming to your town as soon as you’ll have us. Contact Tim ( tkurth@group.com) if you’d like to have one at your town.

And I ate my first vanilla tart today. It tasted like something I’d prefer not to eat again. Someone told me it’s made out of beans. Is that true? A dessert made from beans? Disgusting. Why not just serve a bowl full of lettuce flavored ice cream?

Great last full day at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. We had many, many good conversations with youth leaders who want to get their kids serving.

It’s very refreshing to discuss service with people that already know & believe how important it is. It’s exhausting when you need to convince a person that youth missions are an important part of a student’s faith development. I love talking with a youth pastor who loves kids and loves seeing them serve others.

The last day is tomorrow. We get to do one more seminar. It’s basically Missions 101…all you need to know to plan your next mission trip.

It’s after midnight, and I’m all tucked in at the Doubletree in Chicago at SYMC, along with Tim Kurth in the bed next to me. (As compared to ‘next to me in bed’ – which he is not. ) He has taken a break from wearing flannel for the night. You can all rest knowing that Tim “FlanMan” Kurth is off to a good night’s sleep.

Awesome day – tons of new and familiar faces. Great conversations, and lots of fun . Given away tons of shirts, foam planes, VW Workcamp minibuses, buttons, and other paraphernalia. I may have even spelled that word right.

My big takeaway from today, missions-wise is that mission trips are just tons of work. I mean – it’s good, valuable, life-changing work. But it’s work. Lots. And youth people aren’t the best at asking for help, so we internalize the stress and play the part of the hero – determined to succeed even if it nearly kills us.

So hey – just ask for help. From God, from people around you, friends, co-workers in ministry, organizations, experts, whatever…

It’s okay. It’s good. Good night.

Wow, what a day! The first day and night of Simply Youth Ministry Conference was amazing.

We led a discussion on The State of Youth Missions. It was a great time discussing the amazingly good things that are youth mission trips. And we talked openly about where we still need to improve. Thanks to all who attended.

And then…

Doug Fields helped us launch 1 By Youth from the main stage at the opening General Session. What an honor to have Doug involved with this new ministry. He set the vision… 1 Million Serving! After the General Session, we hosted a Kick-Off meeting for anyone interested (we were “competing” against a screening of To Save A Life, a performance by The Skit Guys, denomination receptions, etc.) and over 100 people came to find out how to take this new idea to a movement. Awesome!

Check out www.1ByYouth.com and let me know what you think…

Our building (the top-secret underground Group headquarters) is buzzing with people getting ready to take off for SYMC . We head out to Chicago in waves – the early contingent on Wednesday, then more on both Thursday and Friday. Maybe the bigger buzz is happening all around the country, as more than 2300 youth workers are getting ready to go to the Windy City. (OK – lots of youth workers haven’t even started packing yet – but we know they will – at least 30 minutes before they have to leave for the airport.

And if you’re in a hurry – don’t be like this guy.

Besides the fact that the conference is a blast, and that we’ll get to eat some great Chicago food, we are super-pumped in the Workcamps world. Three out of the four of on this blog, Jeff, Tim, and I are going. We’ll be doing a heart to heart discussion panel about the state of youth missions, two workshops on youth missions planning and fundraising, and having a lot of conversations with youth workers from all over the country and the world. That’s the kind of stuff that gets us excited.

One more thing we’re excited about is being launched at the conference. 1byYouth – a one-day service project that’s launching in Indianapolis, IN and Manassas, VA  in the spring, and then nationwide in the fall. Entire neighborhoods [...]

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My thoughts have been with everyone in Haiti for the last several days.  As many of yours have as well.  What a horrific tragedy.  The questions are already coming in to our office, “Are you going to have any trips to  Haiti?”  And that poses a dilemma for us.  We didn’t have any ministry partners in Haiti before the disaster.  And it doesn’t feel right to try and connect with people at this point who have way to much to do besides take calls from us…

So here’s what we are doing and I encourage you to do the same for now.  We are giving as individuals and as an organization to our friends at World Vision.  World Vision was on the ground from the beginning and is doing all that it can to bring aid.  We also have a relationship with Compassion International and I know that they have been involved from the beginning as well.  The people at World Vision and Compassion are amazing, passionate followers of Jesus that will be doing everything they can to bring healing and hope to Haiti.  Please consider supporting them during this incredible time of need.

There will be time to go and help in Haiti… and that time will last for years!   The ability to travel there and help will start very soon.  My suggestion to all of us would be to offer financial support to those best positioned to help during this time.  And consider going [...]

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I’ve been a part of lots of conversations about mission trips.   The toughest convesations alway center on the idea of ”what is a mission trip”.  In these conversations someone is making the point that “something” is not a mission trip.  And it’s always things like…  If you don’t share the message of salvation, it’s not a mission trip.  If you don’t serve those with the biggest need, it’s not a mission trip.  If you don’t go to the part of the world that has the most important issue, it not…  You get the idea.  These conversations are interesting and even necessary to make sure that all of us are doing our best to truly reach out to anyone that God is calling us to…  but… these conversations have always frustrated me.

Those who are most aggitated during these conversation appear to be far more concerned about what a mission trip cannot be rather than all the amazingly good things that they could be…  I’m far more interested in attracting as many people as possible into the amazing experience of serving someone else.  So, admittedly my definition of what a mission trip is may be a little more “open-minded” than even some of my friends who organize mission trips.  For me – any trip or event where we, as Christians, are serving another person is a mission trip.   So, with my definition, the following would qualify:

• a  2 week trip to Kenya to lead a VBS in the slums of Nairobi
• a 1 [...]

  Continue Reading “Missions? Domestic or International or (fill in blank here)…”

I’ve had several conversations over the past few weeks about the cost of missions. A good friend and I discussed trips I’ve taken to Africa. In Africa they often say it would be so much better for them to get the thousands of dollars per person spent for an American to come there as a direct cash donation instead. I agree. What I try to explain is that unless someone comes to Africa and has a hands-on experience they will be hard pressed to send over thousands of dollars as a donation. In that case the expense to go and see bears fruit much beyond the trip. Fruit that would not have otherwise been harvested.

Another conversation had to do with the rising cost of domestic missions. With gas costs fluctuating, material costs rising and other economic factors it’s hard to maintain or reduce the cost of organizing a mission trip. With the economy in turmoil it’s harder to find the funds to go on a mission trip. More and more people are asking, ‘Is it worth the money to go on a mission trip?’

For some this is a legitimate question. Your personal financial situation has changed and you simply cannot afford the money it takes to do mission. For many, however, it’s often an emotional response to difficult times. Their financial situation is the same as always…maybe even better…but the hard times in which we live cause us [...]

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As the New Year dawned I was once again on the road for missions. I attended the Urbana conference hosted by Intervarsity every three years. This year it was in St. Louis and nearly 20,000 college aged Christians gathered to consider mission work. There were to many opportunities to count.

After the conference I hit the road to keep looking for communities where a new single day of service, 1 by Youth, can be launched. Soon I’ll be returning home.

What has struck me about missions is that there are really only two things necessary to make mission happen. Need and Desire. Initially you might think that need is on the side of those you’ll serve and desire is on the side of those coming to serve. If you’re thinking that, you’d be half right.

Need goes both ways. Yes, there’s no mission without people who need help…spiritual, physical, emotional, etc. But there’s also no mission if those with the resources have no sense of need to help. If you’re into mission you might be surprised by this, but there are a lot of good people who claim to be Christian and really have no urge to help others in substantial ways. Perhaps they have the misbegotten notion that missions means a huge commitment of time, expense and travel to a distant land. For whatever reason there’s no need.

As for desire, there are a lot of people I’ve met in desperate [...]

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