State of AHYEAH Report 2008

State of AHYEAH Report 08’


Looking Back

As the new youth minister, I have only briefly participated in this year of 08’. At my arrival in June, I was blessed by the condition of the youth group. Their socks have been rocked off by the former youth pastor and her husband for quite some time now. They have nurtured these young men and women and poured themselves out for them. I feel that I am stepping into rather large shoes. At my arrival, I was almost immediately accepted by the youth. The transition was well planned and executed. Within the first two months the torch had been officially handed to me, and the responsibility was daunting. However, they are in God’s hands and not mine. To my understanding, the number of youth has decreased due primarily to 10 of them graduating. It would also seem reasonable that the natural tension accompanying the transition in leadership has yet to rebound. However, since my time here I have seen substantial growth in the youth’s spiritual lives. Camp ignited their passion for Christ and Christian fellowship. This was closely followed by a sermon series titled “Living Life Stoked” which was kicked off by a back-to-school event called “Back to School Battle Cry.” This was an intense twenty four hour event where the youth, along with the leadership, fasted, prayed, worshiped, and fellowshipped. This launched the school year with Christ-centered stoked lives. To say the least, they hit the ground running. We have since continued the “Living Life Stoked” sermon series which discusses people in the bible who lived life radical for our God, Yahweh.

Looking Forward

This year will be focused on the basic Christian principle of discipleship and one-on-one ministry with the youth. This will be accomplished with a base core that will be taking on one to three disciples and pouring out completely into them. We will then, transition those disciples to also being disciplers of two or three disciples.

Also, there will be a balance between ministry to ourselves and to others. And that will be balanced between domestic and foreign. We will be having regular AhYeah services and Wednesday night refreshers for ourselves, but also one major outreach to a selected ministry here in OK and a Saturday devoted to inner-city ministry at West Tulsa UMC. At the first AhYeah of every month, I will be presenting the youth with a foreign ministry that needs help either in monitorial needs or supplies. On the last AhYeah of each month we will be donating that need to them. This will bring awareness to ministries outside our normal paradigms, and also urge youth to give something of themselves.

There will also be a balance between “come” events, which will attract non-believers from the neighborhoods and schools, and the events for those already committed to Christ and in regular attendance to Abiding Harvest. During the week, the core leaders will be meeting with their disciples on a regular basis, leading a third group even deeper into Christ and leadership in His body.

I propose that we double the attendance to AhYeah services (25-30 to 55-65), and be attracting one to two hundred to checking us out through our major “come” events (Fantastic Friday on Wednesday). I also propose, that through raising up disciples who will become contributors to the adult body at Abiding Harvest, we will provide five or six cell group leaders by the fall of 09’.