TEAMsupport - Growing - Building - Reaching

Mike Orr
Youth Ministries

Growing, building, and reaching - these are challenging words God has been bringing to the forefront of my mind.  I believe God is giving us an opportunity to evaluate our youth ministries and challenge them to become more effective. 

Growing – Challenge the youth in your church to grow from a Youth Group mentality into a Youth Ministry mentality.  Yes, there is a difference.  A youth group is about the next event whereas a youth ministry is about actively fulfilling the purposes of God.  Proverbs 4:3-5 tells us, “When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: ‘Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live.  Get wisdom!  Get understanding!  Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”

Building – If we want a growing youth ministry we have to have a solid foundation to build on.  Part of that foundation comes from the experiences your youth will share together with God.   These experiences will also build trust and accountability among your youth.  When a battle from the enemy arises, and it will, you have a better foundation to fight the enemy.  Luke 6:48 reveals the benefit of a good foundation – “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”

Reaching – Now comes what many consider the most challenging aspect in youth ministry.  God has called us to go into the world and share the good news.  Matthew 28:18-20 instructs the church (and youth), “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  This can be a challenge, but when we have grown into a youth ministry and built our ministry foundation on the Solid Rock of God, He will lead us to the people and communities to reach and He will help us with creative ways to reach them.

God bless you, Great Lakes Region.  I hope you will accept the challenge and begin building, growing, and reaching in your youth ministries.

TEAMsupport

Mike Orr
Youth Ministries

Going Higher

We just wrapped up our last Michiana Youth Revival and God has been amazing.  God has called Michiana to a higher level in our relationship; higher with Him. 

In keeping the vision God has given us, we continue to see what our ministry can be.  We are seeing the potential of what God has for us; walking through the open door God has set before us.  God has called us to prepare our fields for the rain that is coming.  We have prayed for God to open up the gates of heaven and we must be prepared to receive it.  God has set a narrow path before us that leads to the place He has for us.  When we hunger to be in His presence we will always want more of Him.  My prayer is that God will continue to draw us closer to Him; continue to call us higher in our relationship with Him. 

Matthew 5:1-2
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them…

May we catch the example of the disciples!  We have to go where God is if we are to receive what He has for us.  Together, let’s go higher and experience what God has in store for us.

Never Take God Out of the Equation

Mike Orr
Youth Ministries

1 Samuel 17:45-47 
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

David discusses no one else but God.  This is more than “David vs. Goliath,” this is: “God-focus vs. giant-focus.”  David sees what others don’t - ‘this is God’s battle, not mine’; and refuses to see what others do - ‘the giant is too big.’  In his book, Facing the Giants, Max Lucado observes, “All eyes, except David’s fall on the brutal, hate-breathing hulk.  All journals, but David’s ,describe day after day in the land of the Neanderthal.  The people know his taunts, demand, size, and strut.  They have majored in Goliath.  David majors in God.  He sees the giant, mind you; he just sees God more.”

Just coming out of Winterfest with the theme, “The Journey” and going into revival - “Going Higher”, I challenge you to keep God in everything you do and allow him to minister to you.

A Victorious School Year

Mike Orr
Youth Ministries

Our young people are now in full swing for their school year.  A couple of months ago I heard a back to school sermon calling for teens to have a victorious school year.  I have been thinking a lot about this and believe our young people are empowered to have a victorious school year when they are surrounded by the prayers and love of each and every one of us. 

Consider Ezekiel’s vision in the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  God spoke to him to prophesy to the bones – “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

Their schools are like this vision in the valley.  Many of our young people are attending spiritually dead schools where they receive pressure for being a Christian.   For the most part, God is being taken out of the schools and our young people have to deal with this everyday.  They experience everything of the world thrown at them and they are trying to follow the path God has for them. 

Michiana, I’d like to challenge you to pray for our young people.  If your local church doesn’t offer prayer partners for your young people, then be proactive and become one for one that God draws your heart to.

You may be asking, “How do I become a prayer partner?”
1.         Pick a young person to pray for
2.         Exchange phone numbers and addresses so communication can transpire as desired
3.         Pray for them daily
4.         Communicate often, especially when a big event (concert, test, birthday, etc.) is approaching.

Our young people need our support, so let’s join together and pray for them.

The Youth Experience

Our young people want to experience God for themselves.  This is why the theme for the 2007 youth rallies is called, “The Youth Experience”.  Michael W. Smith has a new song recently produced called, “Come to the Cross.”  A line in the song says, “…no matter what you’ve done, there is room at the cross.”  We have to get back to the basics and rely on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we come back to the cross.  God has placed this song on my heart as the theme to this year’s “Youth Experience”.   Please join me in prayer for our “Youth Experience” and help plant a seed in our young people to… come to the cross.

• May 12 - Sodus, MI (Safe Harbor Church)
• June 23 - TBA

April 2007 Michiana New

Mike Orr
Youth Ministries

I thank God for the opportunity my wife, Beth, and I had to be a part of the first Michiana Winterfest - Elevate.  We had an open forum discussion asking the youth in the region to ‘dream with me’.  I wanted them to see what visions God was giving them for their local youth groups.  I have to tell you, God is really putting the hunger within them to experience Him for themselves.  They want to be where God is.  Some of the visions were…
†  youth groups of 75-100
†  more mission opportunities
†  youth-led devotions

They also dreamed of fellowship times, but not for just the purpose of having a good time, but to show the love of God to their un-churched friends who do not presently attend on Sunday mornings.

During our prayer time, I encouraged them to search out God’s will and direction for their dreams.  I also asked them to write letters to their youth leadership, sharing the dreams God has given to them.  Many of those letters have been passed on to their leadership

Joseph had a dream and he stood strong on it.  When good times and bad were happening around him, he knew God had a plan and he never gave up on that dream.  He may have been a slave and spent time in prison, but he knew God was in control.  I challenge our youth to not ignore their dreams but to share them with their local church leadership and pursue to live their dreams out. Our young people have God-sized dreams for their churches and youth groups.  As leaders, we need to help feed them and push them to strive to walk with God and see those dreams become a reality.

I invite you to pray with me that our young people will dream God’s dreams and that we make our churches a place for them to live these dreams out.