Kevin's home pageSharing practial applications of Biblical directives through the written and spoken word.Kevin Ophoff photo
10 Ways to a Great Youth Group.

Sunday School Lesson Plans to download

Making a Great
Youth facility

Leading a Middle School Youth Group

Volunteer Sunday School Teacher Page

Coconut Mountain Communications banner
Home Page Coconut Mountain Communications Rachel Page Coconut Mountain Communications Kevin's Page Coconut Mountain Communications  

Help and encouragement for Christian Youth Leaders

Sunday School ClassKids (especially teens) are some of God's greatest creations. Why do people always roll their eyes and think I'm nuts when I say that? Kids are dying for grownups to treat them with respect, take them seriously, and care about them. If you do that for them they will do that for you.

Of course, it also helps if you genuinely like kids. They can tell. "Kids will be what they think you think they are." The kids were an important part in helping me cope with the loss of my own daughter. I did not hide that from them and they were pleased to be helpful in that way. To learn more about that read my article, "Buckets of Love".

In addition, my Sunday School class was held during the church service, right after the worship time, so they got out of having to sit through sermons that were way over their heads. Word got out about this. Kids invited their disbelieving friends to see for themselves. They told their parents they wanted to come again. The parents told me they were delighted that their kids actually wanted to come to church. These families became regular attendees.

We continued the class year-round instead of breaking for the summer. We experienced a huge jump in attendance over the summer, and enjoyed an extraordinary spirit-filled time.

Anyway, if you other youth leaders are wandering around the internet you must be looking for something: encouragement, group ideas, lesson ideas. Feel free to poke around my stuff, download what you might be able to use.

I got a lot of ideas from other websites myself but I never found a curriculum or a lesson that was just what I wanted so I always wrote my own. The kids seemed to like them. After awhile they would prefer to skip my lame games, just sit down and get into the lesson. Sweet.

My wife and I also teach parenting classes (click here for info on that) because sometimes the best way to help kids is to help their parents.

For more Sunday School lesson plans and Youth Group information visit my website "Sunday School Lesson Connection" by typing http://sundayschoollessonconnection.com/ into your web browser.

 

I have refered to this valuable book countless times. It's a great resource when you hit these hard problems. If you stay in Youth Ministry long enough you will encounter these challenges.
The Youth Worker's Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

The Youth Worker's Guide to Helping Teenagers in Crisis

Anyone who stays in youth ministry long enough will encounter significant crises. Family break-ups, substance abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, cutting, suicide, gun violence…But without proper and immediate care, crises like these can cause years of emotional pain and spiritual scarring in students.Rich Van Pelt and Jim Hancock want to help you prevent that from happening. Through their experience and expertise, you’ll learn how to:• Respond quickly and effectively to crises • Balance legal, ethical, and spiritual outcomes • Forge preventive partnerships with parents, schools, and students • Bring healing when damage is doneWhen crises happen—and they will, ready or not—there are practical steps you can take. Van Pelt and Hancock provide field-tested advice and specific, biblically based guidance for each stage of crisis. Keep this book on hand as your go-to resource when you need it most. Rich Van Pelt trains and motivates thousands or educators, professional counselors, and youth workers every year in adolescent crisis intervention. His expertise springs from three decades of youth work and more than 10 years with youth in the Colorado Department of Corrections. He is president of Alongside, a Denver-based leadership training organization, and is national director of ministry relationship at Compassion International. Rich makes his home in Denver, Colorado.As a youth worker, Jim Hancock experienced most of the crises in this book and has helped kids, families, congregations, and schools with crisis prevention and intervention. From his home in Leucadia, California, he applies that experience as a writer and filmmaker (Good Sex, EdgeTV), helping youth workers avert and respond to crisis.


IBSDirect.com is the best source for Bibles I've ever found.
Contact Us

Copyright 2007 -Coconut Mountain Communications, LLC; All rights reserved.
About us / Contact us / Privacy Policy / Statement of Faith / Copyright