What is STRETCH?

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

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

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?

The Big Game…

Summer is here and now the students are hanging out outside again. It wasn’t long ago that our video game room was packed and people were lining up waiting for there turn in Halo. Now basketball, football, and ultimate Frisbee are the in free time activity. I love playing outdoor sports despite the need for 600 mg of Advil the next day.

When it comes to competition, I suppose I’m not a typical athlete. I don’t really care about winning or losing. Don’t get me wrong I love to win… but I don’t get mad and stuff if I don’t. This is not the case with many of the students and even many of our leaders. They have something to prove; we have professional scouts coming to our property on a weekly basis (definite lie there).

Here are a few basic suggestions for your next big game…

Try to provide two of every sport. Have one for the athletes who love the thrill of competition and who want to win badly. Have another court/field for people who want to goof off and learn the game.

Choose the typical last student first. When it is time to choose teams and the students line up have the captains pick the students that look straight down at the ground, the ones who usually get picked last. They love it.

Ensure everyone touches the ball/disc. During our games we typically have an every other possession approach in which we alternating trying to score and trying to involve. We typically say things like “all touch” meaning that before we score everyone has to possess the ball/disc.

Create heroes. There is nothing like watching the most shy and timid student score some points. They might as well have caught the winning touch down at the Super Bowl. Make these moments come true for as many students as possible.

Remember you’re old now. You don’t have to be the best. It’s not worth the pain the next day. Take it easy on yourself.

The Evangasmack

Proverbs 12
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

When was the last time you “got smacked?”

Last week at our Staff Lunch we all got a good lashing on the topic of evangelism. The smack didn’t come in a verbal assault delivered by our Senior Pastor but in one simple question presented by him. How many people in the last year have you brought to Christ from outside of the church? This question was difficult for me because I had to report a goose egg, A BIG FAT 0!

The way the question was asked took away the conversations I was able to be a part of as a result of students bringing friends to the ministry. I couldn’t count the conversations I had with adult visitors of the church. I simply couldn’t count the conversions that resulted in other people doing the hard part of getting people to church in the first place.

Understand that this question wasn’t asked in a competitive nature. We don’t have a big score card posted in our staff office with check marks next to our names for all the conversions we’ve been a part of (But man that could be a sweet deal! Instead of check marks we could do crosses! AWESOME!). Instead, it was a way to communicate “speed of the leader, speed of the team.” If we expect our volunteers and other attendees of our church to bring others to Jesus, then we need to be sure that we are able to communicate our own stories of doing so. We need to be able to share rejection stories of the times people weren’t interested in hearing the message and to be able to share all the joys and pains associated with being an evangelist.

So what are your conversion stats looking like? Any crosses next to your name? Do you remember what it feels like to meet a neighbor, build a relationship, and share the message of Christ? Do you remember the passion that occurred when a friend met God for the first time? I look forward to hearing your future stories and being motivated to do the same!

Welcome to Disney

Welcome to Disney,

Okay so the impossible happened… I am now a Disney fan. After spending a week there, I now think it is an awesome place to vacation. I have been one of those bah humbug Disney kinda guys until now. A few years ago I went as a guest as some friends and thought the location was great, but I never could understand why people were wowed by silly characters. My wife in particular loves the little winged demon called Tinkerbelle. Although it will be years before I cover my body in mouse ear parafanalia, I certainly have an appreciation for Disneyworld.

While there I went on a “Keys to the Kingdom Tour.” http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/tourDetail?id=KeystotheKingdomTourPage&bhcp=1

On the tour you are given some “insider” information. It’s the kind of stuff that if I told you, I would probably get my blog shut down. Okay, that’s a whole lotta dramatization. Truthfully, it would be a whole lotta typing.

Many of the things revealed on the tour are worthy of discussion but here is something that I would encourage you to reflect on. While on the tour they told us the four keys to the kingdom. Our guide explained that they are the keys to a door with four locks. She continued, “If one key is missing then the door does not open, symbolizing a less than “magical” Disney experience.”

The four keys were simple… not a list of 10 or 15 but a simple list of four:

• Safety – the number one priority of the day
• Courtesy – all cast members (employees) must treat every visitor as a guest and be hospitable
• Show – every aspect must be tied together to build a theme
• Efficient – the park must run smoothly
  

I would suggest doing an inventory of your ministry on those four simple things. As a church we must always question our spiritual direction, as a church, we must always keep the other four in check to pursue excellence.

Graduation Event

What are you doing to recognize your seniors for graduation? Over the years we have done a variety of things to give these students the props they deserve. Here is a short list of ideas that perhaps you can utilize.

– Personalized Elements – Ask all the seniors to contribute all their favorite personal pics and songs and have them loop in the beginning of the service. You could also create a “Know the Seniors Quiz” including questions about favorite quotes, best memories, etc.

– Have someone write a letter to them – Every graduating student is honored by someone reading a letter about them. The student can choose anyone they wish. Typically it’s a parent, but there have been many ministry leaders, teachers, and even fellow students chosen for the letter writing. There won’t be a dry eye in the place!

– Make it a banquet – Allow the seniors to invite guests, serve awesome desserts (or even a meal), and bring a little formality to the event. We seat people at round tables and spice up the room with decorations.

– Give meaningful gifts - Give them something they will keep for the duration. I’ve went to Five Below and bought little items to utilize in an object style lesson, but for the past two years I’ve kept it simple. Every senior receives a Bible (This year it is the TNIV College Edition – see resource list) with a personal message from me written on a blank cover page and a devotional of some sort. Hopefully with a message inside they’ll never get rid of it J

– Give them a gift from everyone – Give other students and adult leaders the opportunity to write all the seniors a message. You can simply put up a piece of poster board up at the event or like my friend Tony in MD, you can purchase a blank journal from the dollar store have these books available for an entire month at youth group.

– Pray for your seniors – Gather your seniors in a huddle and send them off in prayer.

Hope you have a great event!