Home » Ministries » Youth Ministry » Fuel Magazine » All Issues » Fuel Autumn 2007 : Mission Possible » Ideas for local, national, and global

Ideas for Local, National and Global missions

Mission Possible: Local

Show your young people that making a difference locally is an important part of our Christian journey by offering them opportunities in your youth ministry to take up the challenge.

  1. Have your youth group run a holiday programme for children in your community. Teenagers can be great leaders as well as having heaps of creative ideas. They’ll have fun, grow leadership skills, and have a chance to make a difference in your community
  2. Give your youth group the challenge of serving a group in your community – this could be elderly people, families in need, disabled young people etc. Let them decide who they can serve and how, then help them put it into action.
  3. Let your young people plan a community outreach event – this might be a games night, sports tournament, dance, service project etc. to connect with young people in your community. Explain the purpose of the task and let them do the rest!

Mission Possible: National

Take up the challenge of making a difference nationally by connecting with other youth leaders and community workers who are making a difference all around Aotearoa. We can learn from each other, support each other, share ideas, and together achieve mission possible.

  1. Get in touch with Pressie youth leaders around New Zealand by coming to Connect 2007, getting in touch with the Presbyterian Youth Ministry Office (youth@presbyterian.org.nz), and subscribing to the youth connection email list (www.presbyterian.org.nz/2096.0.html)
  2. Connect with others involved in youth work in all sorts of contexts throughout New Zealand through the new National Youth Workers’ Network (www.youthworkers.net.nz)
  3. Bring your youth group to regional and national events where they can be exposed to the bigger picture and meet other young Christians. This could include Parachute or Samstock Music Festivals, Easter Camps, Faith Festivals, regional youth services or other events happening in your area.

Mission Possible: Global

Show your young people that making a difference globally IS possible by offering them opportunities in your youth ministry to take up the challenge.

  1. Give your youth group the challenge of making your church a Fair Trade Church – let them plan how to encourage your church to make a difference globally through informed consumer choices. See (http://www.tearfund.org/Campaigning/Trade) for ideas.
  2. Challenge your youth group to raise money for a specific project overseas. Give them responsibility for how you raise the money. Your church might already have a relationship with a community project overseas, or you can contact the Global Mission Office for ideas.
  3. If you’re thinking big, contact the Global Mission Office to find out about taking your youth group on an overseas short term mission experience

Jo Ryan

Jo Ryan our former PYM administrator is an active member of StudentSoul who’s currently studying in Dunedin. She is a definite changemaker promoting knowledge and action towards issues affecting us on local, national, and global levels.

Last year we at YET (Youth East Taieri) have been challenged by a quote from Tony Campolo that Lloyd Martin shared at Connect06

"Young people don’t leave the faith because it’s too hard, they leave because it’s too easy"

Is it inherent in young people that they love a challenge – in our consumerist, self-centred, comfortable Kiwi world are we making things just a little too pleasant, safe, warm and cosy?

My colleague challenged his intermediate group with the call to serve others this term – one community student who comes along went away and organized to sell pizzas he made himself. He came back the next week with $100 to buy sandals for leprosy victims. Another group (again interestingly community students) organized themselves to do crafts & baking and got permission to sell it at the local new world – they raised $70. Another group did housework for a day and raised funds for leprosy sufferers overseas including buying a t-shirt they all signed to send over with the money to say who they were.

The year 9-11 youth ran a goat fund all year (just giving some coins each week of YG) so at the end of the year we sent away enough $$$ to tear fund to buy 5 goats and change 5 families lives dramatically.