- Youth Ministry Need To Know Numbers
by A. Allan Martin
Whether you are a local youth leader with a handful of teens or a conference
youth director coordinating youth events for a region of the nation, having
the right tools at your finger tips is vital to making a positive spiritual
impact in young lives. Those tools may be resources, or answers to your
questions, or simply knowing who to call in the event of a crisis. Here
are some "power tools" for youth ministry that are just a touch
tone away.
WHERE TO GET ANSWERS TO YOUR MINISTRY QUESTIONS
- > SDA PlusLine: 800-SDA-PLUS
Got questions? SDA PlusLine is by far the most effective information service
we have got! Looking for a speaker for a retreat? Trying to remember the
name of that excellent youth Bible study? Need the address for that summer
camp in North Dakota? The SDA PlusLine will more than likely have the answer,
and if they don't, they are eager to hunt down the answer for you. Director
Rich DuBose and his staff are tops in getting you the information assistance
you need.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SERVE
- > YouthNet: 800-331-2767
Are your youth eager to serve others? A wide range of service opportunities,
both domestic and international, are now available at this one-stop "service
shopping" number. YouthNet brings together the best student missions,
group workcamps, taskforce, and other service events, "networking"
organizations like Maranatha, ADRA, Habitat for Humanity, Service Station,
and many more to offer you and your youth a diverse array of life changing
service opportunities.
TRAINING TO STICK OUR NECKS OUT
- > Center for Youth Evangelism: 800-YOUTH-2-U
Help your youth take the lead. Equipping youth and youth workers to take
spiritual risks for Christ, the Center for Youth Evangelism (CYE) provides
methods, resources, and leadership in training young people in effective
youth to youth evangelism. Youth Summit, Giraffe University, and the Giraffe
Society are among the various exceptional services provided by CYE.
THE BEST OF THE BEST RESOURCES
- > Youth Specialties: 1-800-776-8008 / Group Publishing: 1-800-447-1070
From mixer games to talk sheets to clip art, Youth Specialties and Group
Publishing are, in my opinion, the gold medalists in providing you with
quality youth ministry resources that are relevant, practical, and appealing
to young people. Youth Specialties excells in materials geared towards
junior high and senior high youth, while Group Publishing offers strong
resources for children's ministry and young adult ministry. Both organizations
also sponsor excellent youth ministry training events/conventions which
are spectacular in equipping and energizing you, the youthworker.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CRISIS ON YOUR HANDS
- > Minirth Meier New Life Treatment Centers: 1-800-NEW-LIFE
Along with the camp outs, the lock ins, and the pizza feeds, youth ministry
also carries the important responsibility of assisting young people and
their families through times of crisis and extreme stress. Minirth Meier
New Life Treatment Centers (MMNLTC) have facilities throughout the country
and are known for their Christian approach to crisis intervention and mental
health. MMNLTC can also provide you with referrals for other helping resources
depending on the problems you encounter.
Your ministry to young people is so important! These five "need to
know numbers" will hopefully be the right tools to give you more support
in your efforts to touch young lives. If you are interested in more numbers
that may help you out there is a directory called, "toll free directory:
hotlines and more" available online in CompuServe's Adventists Online
Forum. This directory listing provides toll free hotlines, 800 helplines,
infolines, youth/young adult ministry resources and more. To become a member
of the Adventists Online Forum, call 800-260-7171. If you simply would
like a copy of the directory, call SDA PlusLine, 800-SDA-PLUS, and they
can help you access a hardcopy of the directory.
A. Allan Martin is co-founder of dre.am VISION ministries, a para-church
agency dedicated to nurturing and empowering young people in Christian
lifestyle and ministry. dream_VISION_ministries@CompuServe.com
