what I learned over summer 2009!

I am in fall mode. I cannot help it. August comes and to me all I can think about is a new season of ministry, fall retreats, REMIX coming back, football, football, football, and school starting back. I thought this week on the blog I would look back at the summer and look forward to some new things we are focusing on with Relevant Student Ministry. We really have some big announcements to make at the end of the week BUT you will have to wait for that. (to make that clear we are still working details!) Tonight I want to look back at the amazing summer we had. Yes I did learn some things so I dedicate this post to that, WHAT I LEARNED THIS SUMMER...

• CAMP is an amazing week to connect with students. I needed to be reminded of that this year. When you have been in student ministry a while (10 years) you need reminders. We watched God work in the hearts of students at high school and middle school camp. Never discount what God can do in a life over a week.
  
• Connect Events worked for us (just fun events for us to connect with students like the theme park, game night, etc.) so glad we were able to bring students together just to connect all summer.
• Interns...are AMAZING. Nate and Lauren did amazing work all summer and went all out to invest in teens all summer. It was a great start to the intern process here at GCC.
  
• Momentum...I have been told by teens all summer that they cannot wait for REMIX to come back this fall. We have gained momentum by taking time off. Less is MORE! (yes I am glad Remix is back too!)
• Speaking...loved getting to speak at 2 camps this summer. It was great to connect with leaders and teens at both camps. Thanks Spring Creek, One Church and FBC Owensboro for letting me be a part!
• Family...loved having Chelsea and the girls at one of the camps I spoke at and our high school mission trip to New Orleans. It was great to have them with me serving. When I can have my kids with me at camps or trips I am going to try to make it happen. It works for our family.
  
• Flip video...having the flip video camera made getting great video all summer so easy. I also fell in love with IMovie 09 on my mac. Video updates from our events really helped us let folks back home know what was going down.
  
• Serve New Orleans...was amazing. Our team faced some challenges but going back to the same community to serve again this year was so rewarding. It was amazing to see kids this year we met in 2008! Committing to a city and investing is the best way to do mission trips with students. Stoked about 2010 already.
• Making memories matters...summer is a great season to make memories with teens. In the summer we help students have incredible relational and spiritual experiences. When I talk with former students we always go back to memories of past experiences. What we do during the summer matters. Summer ministry is significant. We have some crazy stories from this past year from all our events (bull horns, bathroom emergencies on vans, prune pong, where tennis shoes are made, RUDE) but you had to be there to get it!