Many times over the years church members came to me and said something along the lines of the following: "I love reading your articles in the church newsletters and the bulletin, and I love trying to keep up with what our youth are doing. But it's like you people speak speak a foreign language! So many weird titles and abbreviations. I just can't keep up!" They often looked like the man pictured at right, confused and afraid (That man is actually Pat O'Brien, a member of our YMT at WMUMC, and that picture was taken on a Myrtle Beach trip- so he WAS confused and afraid!). So today, for those who read this blog and wonder "What does that mean?" I offer a partial glossary of terms and acronyms I used through the years. As you will see, I LOVE abbreviations. I hope this makes it easier to keep up with year #2!!!
YFYF- Young Friends Youth Fellowship. This was my name for our primary Sunday evening programs at both New Garden Friends Meeting (NGFM) and Springfield Friends Meeting (SFM). We never said each letter individually- it was always pronounced "Yuf-Yuf." Also see UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship).
SCUBA- Spiritual Concepts and Understanding Biblical Approaches. This was a bible and book (The Screwtape Letters) study we did at NGFM on Wednesday nights, trying desperately not to make it sound like a class. It was just much cooler to say "I'm going to SCUBA tonight- wanta' join me? Plus the name was an inside joke to our group at the time.
2nd Heziciah- A fictional book of the bible, the use of which was taught to me by my pastor at NGFM, David Bills. It served many purposes over the years- to fool people and thus encourage them to learn more about actual scripture; to give emphasis to wise sayings and truths that are not actually from the bible; and to make fun of my own "wise" sayings. For instance, I might offer my opinion on a song, and then say "Blessed is he who changes the radio station when rap music is heard- 2 Heziciah 4:12."
Burger Doodle- Any fast food place within a short driving distance of the church. We used to go eat once a month following YFYF at NGFM and SFM, and we always went to Burger Doodle!
TNT- That New Thing or The Next Thing or whatever I decided it meant! It was our award winning outreach program at SFM; I also used the name later on at the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee (FUMC-K) and the Union Church of Hinsdale (UC).
SHO-Time- Senior High Only Time. This was a night out at dinner for high school students, begun at SFM and perfected at FUMC-K. This ministry was great for relationship building, and I used it at UC, Wesley Memorial UMC (WMUMC) and Trinity UMC (TUMC) as well.
ICU- Intensive Care Unit. Based on an idea found in the book Spiritual Growth In Youth Ministry by J. David Stone, this was a leadership team of students who were charged with taking the pulse of our youth ministries and serving the students who attended- or in some cases, no longer attended. I began trying this as far back as NGFM, and tried it at many other stops along the way. It worked for a while a SFM & WMUMC, and worked best at FUMC-K. It never quite became what I wanted it to be, but when it functioned properly it was an awesome ministry!
I will stop there for today. I would love to hear which ones you remember. Join us again tomorrow for more terms and learn that a Blizzard Run has nothing to with skiing, that Graceland was not just Elvis' home, and that Happy Hour has a place in student ministry! Blessings to you all! (For Part 2, click here!)
Because of Jesus,
If you were to enter the Jones house between 6 AM and 8 AM on pretty much any Monday-Friday, you would find Marilyn and Will getting ready for work and school. You would find me fixing breakfast. And you would find our TV set to ESPN2 and Mike and Mike in the Morning. I have been watching Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic for years, both for sports news and their great sense of humor. They are quite famous, appearing on TV and radio four hours a day, plus the occasional SportsCenter and other specials. They get to attend events and do things (broadcasting Monday Night Football and throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field, for instance) that most of us can only dream of. The get more than their share of glory. They also get bashed by others in media on a regular basis for a variety of reasons. A couple of weeks ago they shared a story that really hit home with me, and I wanted to share it with you today.
It seems that the Mikes had a scene in the current movie Just Wright. They played themselves, doing their show and trashing the basketball playing main character of the film. The scene is pivotal to the plot; after hearing the guys kill his rep on air, the player retreats to his house, where he is shown sitting in his bedroom watching a narrated documentary on jellyfish. It sets the scene for his comeback, which is the primary storyline of the movie. Golic (the big Mike) went to see the movie opening weekend with his family, and sat in the theater afterwards to see his name in the credits. He saw hundreds of names roll by, but no Greeny or Golic. He saw the "Jellyfish Narrator" credited by name, but no mention of his own. It seems that their pivotal roles had gone uncredited- and neither of them were happy about it!
Their story made me think about my life in student ministry. When you plan major trips and events and things go right, you bask in the glory. When things go wrong, you suffer the embarrassment and humiliation. To those around you it must seem like you live your life in the spotlight. But the fact is, the most important things you do as a youth pastor are things that very few people know about. Maya Angelou (Thanks, Brook!) once said "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." That is a brilliant description of youth ministry. The true ministry of a youth pastor takes place in-between the big events and programs. That is when you can truly show them Jesus. It takes place when a student gets dumped by his girlfriend and they call you for advice. It takes place when a student's parents are splitting up, and he shows up at your house to talk. It happens when they have partied too much and can't drive home, and they call you for a ride. It happens when a young lady travels thousands of miles to see her boyfriend, only to find him with another woman- and she needs a shoulder to cry on. It happens when a 16 year-old girl has a wreck and doesn't know what to do, and she comes running into your office looking for answers- and hugs. True youth ministry takes place when the students understand that you love them and will be there for them. No judgement, no condemnation- just love. The church does not see or read about these moments, but the kids know. And Jesus knows. This is the uncredited glory.
I remember in the early 1980's at New Garden getting a call from a young woman whose ex-boyfriend had shown up at her house drunk and violent, and I went to get him. I remember driving across Tampa to pick up a young woman from Wesley Memorial after her father had thrown her out of his house. I remember a long conversation with a young man whose family and friends had bailed on him, and he was thinking abut throwing his life away. You know what all of those situations had in common? They all took place AFTER I was no longer the youth pastor of the students involved. To know that I had a lasting impact on the lives of some of the youth I ministered to was all the credit and all the glory anyone could ask for. I no doubt failed more times than I succeeded; but I hope I showed the students I served that Jesus will never fail them. That was always my goal, even if sometimes I lost sight of it. Today and everyday I thank God for the opportunities He gave me to impact the lives of students in Jesus' name. Like Greeny and Golic, my name (and the names of countless other youth pastors) may not always show up in the credits here in this world, but, because of Jesus, I know that "When the roll is called up Yonder I'll be there..." And that is all the credit anyone could pray for!
Because of Jesus,
