Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Ideas Library: Planning Details
If no one has ever planned a camp, weekend meeting or a retreat, then they can easily get caught up in all the details of everything and end up spinning their wheels… essentially not getting anywhere. Everything from goal setting to vision to implementing a schedule for the event is drawn out and made easy to access. Sparking interest and combining people by playing icebreakers is a sure way to start the event off right, but their needs to be intentionality and authenticity from the leaders. There are creative ways to make up the rules for the event, either by letting the group make their own corporate rules or just making 2-3 sweet and simple rules. I appreciated the idea of the youth leader making “love letters” to send out the parents after returning, simply complimenting the student on behaving, making a decision, being a servant, etc. As a teenager, how were you involved in planning events like this, if at all and how are retreats built so as to encourage spiritual health and growth?
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I have never personally planned an event like this. Reading through this section makes you think about how all the little details can get in the way of the ministry side of it. Details aside, these events are a wonderful place to allow the teenagers in your group to grow spiritually. Being intentional about providing space for them to grow is essential. We all remember coming back from retreats with this spiritual high, which is great, however I liked the idea of a post camp cookout to show pictures, recap and drive home the message or theme of the retreat one more time. This way the students who may have grown so close to God when away from everyday life can get an opportunity to learn how to continue to grow even away from the camp setting.
ReplyDeleteEmily Grubbs
ReplyDeleteI remember being involved on the leadership team in my youth group, but I don't specifically remember planning a retreat. I think that retreats should be designed and built with the students in mind, as this event is ultimately to benefit their spiritual growth. Getting away for a few days from the craziness of everyday life is a great way to grow spiritually. I agree with Jake in the sense that after a time of growing in relationships and with God, a post-retreat event is a great way to continue that spirtual high. While we want to focus on the students growing closer to God throughout the retreat, it is also necessary to help them learn how to continue that growth in their everday lives.
Hmmm... I think that it would be neat to have input from the students on different activities or themes for the retreat. Trying to work on the details can get crazy and I like that idea about the letters to the parents. It not only encourages the parents but also the students. I also like the recap of the retreat. And I agree with Emily, we also need to focus on the growth of everyday life when the spiritual high is not there.
ReplyDeleteJessica Smazenko
ReplyDeleteI don't think I was ever involved in planning a camp or retreat. But, I really like the idea of having students put their 2 cents in. I can agree that sometimes the details seem more pressing than the "ministry" side of things. However, I think that with experience this will get better. One thing that I really appreciated at our camps, was that they did a spiritual survey at the end of the week. They asked how our family lives were, if we made any commitments and then to put what church we attended. These would be given to our youth pastors and they could follow up, so that when we came off of that spiritual high, we would have someone to support us. I really like the idea of a post camp cookout to go over things one more time and connect again outside of the camp/retreat setting. If following up with students is not intentional, then it will not be done.
I was never involved in planning a retreat, and to be honest I never really wanted to help. I did however feel like I was a big part of retreats because sometimes I would help lead certain small things that didn't take as much work. Now I definitely think my retreats helped foster spiritual growth because thats what we did while we were at the retreats. We met together, prayed together and worshiped together. On top of this we got out of our comfort zone so we could experience God better than in our daily life.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was still attending my youth group at church the leaders always asked us what events we wanted to do throughout the year. The youth would suggest what they wanted to do and the youth leaders would plan the events. The leaders would make sure that everything was prepared and ready before camping or the retreats. If they didn't then things would be hectic for them during the trip, but they would have the canoe trip set up, they would have the medical forms ready, and they would have the devotions and worship prepared all before leaving for the trip. Not only were they organized with the trip events, but they were also ready spiritually. They had the tough questions and answers ready, and they had a great way of getting discussions moving. So in order to have a successful, relaxed time as a leader we need to be ready before leaving for the event, and we also need to be ready spiritually in order to have deep, spiritual discussions with the youth.
ReplyDeleteZachary
ReplyDeleteI have co-planned one event in my life. In high school I was on student government and we planned a spiritual retreat for the 7th and 8th grade. This event was highly effective and students really grew together as a class as well as individuals. My friends and I made sure everything we did had a very distinct purpose so they could out of the retreat what the intention was for them to get out of it. I really like the idea of the students being able to put in their own simple ideas or rules. That allows them to take responsibility for the weekend. I have learned that, with many students, if you express faith in them and then allow them opportunities to step up, they usually rise to the occasion. So it could be really great to ask for their ideas and then at the end of the week to get some honest feedback. Another key component, as mentioned above, is followups or another type of get together that allows the kids to continue to grow as well as provide ways for them to feel support as they are back in reality away from the great spiritual retreat.
When I was still in the youth group I never really helped plan a retreat but Travis would always ask my input after the retreat. He would take me out golfing or to get something to eat and just get my feedback on what went well and how things could be changed and if I was sticking to the things we talked about during the retreat. He was seeing if I was still feeling the spiritual aspects after the retreat. I think that getting input before and during a retreat from students would be very helpful when planning spiritual retreats. If you know what they want to get out of it before going and meet with them afterwards I feel it will help to make it last longer.
ReplyDeleteI was never apart of planning a retreat in my youth group.
ReplyDeleteUsually retreats are spent away from the town, in a different town, this is to set the students away from their everyday lives. There are sessions where students encounter God where they usually dont and times when the students are intentional about being with God and listening. I think that retreats are a great way for students to have time with God and with others from church who also want to encounter God. There is usually worship time with is a special time for the students, also a message for the students. I think overall retreats help students get to a place where they know that God is there with them.
My youth group could be seen as growing in terms of moving from the old style to the new style. We had three different youth pastors in my time there (and from what I've heard just got a new one over the fall), so there are always changing styles. I hope that this is showing the volunteers and students themselves to be in a way independent of the pastor, and still able to function without him or her. In any case, my first youth pastor had set up a student leadership program which I was a part of. Unfortunately, he let that group slip to the wayside with only a few meetings that didn't really seem to get much done. I would have hoped that the next pastors would have taken advantage of the group already being formed, but it seems they never knew about it and never used it. That was the closest that I've seen students having a part in creating events in my youth group, other than giving suggestions for concerts and what not.
ReplyDeleteI planned a few events in youth ministry already, and some were great but others were a total flop. I think some of the best events I had planned were the ones where I had a group to help plan or I had some type of book or paper to help with the details. There have been times when I planned something on my own or without a book and I always forgot some important item at the last minute. I find that it helps with the organization and the overall event feeling when you use something to check yourself to make sure you covered all your bases.
ReplyDelete