Why Rural?

As identified by the US Census, at least 56 of the 95 counties in Tennessee are considered Rural, that’s 58% of our state. Over half of our state is rural, and yet most of our energy is spent on promoting youth ministry practices that are only effective in suburban or metropolitan communities. Even some of the nations leaders in children and youth services, acknowledge that we have vastly ignored the rural areas of our country:
· “Rural America is the most neglected geographical area of our nation.” Young Life Exec. Vice-President Verley Sangster. He further states, “…In fact, rural communities contain many of today’s and tomorrow’s hidden people.”
· “The problems of rural areas and communities have been grossly overlooked by our society. These problems, especially those surrounding adolescents need immediate attention.” Director of National Rural Development Institute
· Rural children’s problems today will affect the entire nation in 21st century. We cannot afford to let a single child languish by the wayside.” President of the Children’s Defense Fund.
· The consequences of putting rural children last on budget and public policy agendas are evident: early victimization leads to long term economic, physical, and spiritual damage to children and the state.” “Children Don’t Wait” Wisconsin Children’s Audit Manual.
· “If people continue to shove kids underneath the table, they will wake up to the realization that all the kids we “throw away” are coming back. It’s sort of pay now or pay later.” Bill Harris, Found of KIDPAC.

The counties that lay within the Murfreesboro District of the United Methodist Church are 95% Rural according to the US Census. Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and LaVergne are the most populated cities within the Murfreesboro District, and also the closest to a metropolitan area. All of our youth events have been held in these three cities, most of our district’s paid youth staff are in these three cities, and yet these three cities make up only a small portion of our district’s local churches. We put almost 100% of our focus on the suburban areas of our district that make up only 5% of our district. We are forcing 95% of our district to drive approximately 40 minutes or more to attend district youth events. Many of our rural churches have no Youth Ministry, or have less than 10 youth attending their youth programs.

Changing The Focus
I believe, we must change the focus or our district, and hopefully our conference. If we begin helping our rural churches to realize their great youth ministry potential, we can bring about great changes in our churches and in our young people. Many or our rural churches are doing the best they can, but are still walking blind in the realm of youth ministry.

I believe we need to begin focusing on the 95% in the Murfreesboro District, and I know that I am not alone in this belief. My proposal is to begin Small Church Youth Ministry Covenant Groups. Groups that can come together by geographic location help each other, meet together, and share ideas. We must train and equip our rural churches in youth ministry, and bring them together to serve their geographic area. Instead of having 5 churches within 15 miles of one another each serving 10 youth or less, why not have one dynamic youth group serving 40-50 youth, each still with their own unique home church? Below I’ve listed a few points worth considering as we step out into the wonderful world of rural youth ministry.

What Makes Rural Youth Ministry Work
· Congregations shouldn’t try to copy suburban models. They should meet local needs and interests.
· Ministry should be primarily relational, not programmatic. And these relationships must reach across generations.
· Ministry should reach beyond the church building and into the everyday lives of young people.
· Young people should be valued for who they are and where they are in life. Children and youth are encouraged to use their gifts in practical ways.
· Youth ministry and leadership development are virtually synonymous. Young people are encouraged and needed to take leadership roles as soon as they are ready.
· Most small congregations already provide rich opportunities for mature faith formation. Faith and action are connected over time in a community that lives with high levels of interdependence and accountability.

Rural Community Model

In smaller rural community settings it is not feasible or affordable to hire a full time youth worker or evangelist to pull in vast numbers of new youth. In cases like this, it is possible for rural community churches and concerned adults to unite across church lines and work together to reach their community for Christ. This is a grass-roots locally owned model that requires communication and cooperation among local churches and community leaders. Together, they program events, give direction, and do local youth evangelism to reach the youth of their community. Ask yourself, if you were a new youth in a small community, would you want to attend a youth group with 10 people or 50? Most youth I know would say 50. Once we attract those youth, we can begin to make great changes in their lives, and do wonderful work through Jesus Christ.

First of all, less face it, I numbered this worship idea, but it may be the first and only worship idea I ever post.

Anyway, last night for youth we had one last worship service before the Senior High Mission Trip. Instead of the typical “face forward and watch the stage” worship that we typically do, we instead gathered around an altar that I had arranged on the floor. We naturally formed a circle on a cross, 3 candles, and a fishing net that I had set-up on the floor as a small altar. As students gathered for worship I handed them each a small 6in x 6in cut of a fishing net, I asked them to simply receive the net and not ask questions. I would explain later what the nets were for.

Our Scripture for that night was Matthew 4:18-22:

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

I read the scripture in a Lectio Divina style, and then explained to the youth that the nets represented something they needed to lay down to follow Jesus. That they had the opportunity that night to take their nets to the cross, lay down whatever they needed to lay down, and follow Jesus. The youth had an opportunity to sit and pray in silence for a few moments before a few began to take their nets to the cross, more and more followed, and soon the cross was full of nets.

We ended with singing Amazing Grace.

I was afraid it might come off as corny to the youth, but they all really seemed to enjoy it, and get something out of it. A few even commented to me that that’s exactly what they needed before this summer’s trips.

So we’ve been using the re-configured Sunday School room for a couple of weeks now, and it’s working great! I rearranged the couches and chairs on the Senior High side into a long rectangle shape. We are all closer, facing each other, and I think people feel less secluded. Talking of course still happens, but it is far less and easily controlled with a simple, “be quiet”.

I still have more issues to tackle in the youth center, but at least the Sunday School situation is now taken care of!

Yesterday I ranted about my Sunday School / Youth Center problem, and today I’m actually making some progress. Here’s what I’m coming up with so far:

1. My current room configuration in the Youth Center sucks.
2. Apparently one way to subtlety decrease discipline problems, increase attentiveness, and make everyone feel more connected to the lesson is to decrease your zone of proximity - the space between you and your students. Ironically Microsoft has a good article on it here.
3. Another way to engage your older students, (senior high age), is to set the room up in a circle or a curve. I’ve heard for years that a circle is a better learning environment, but there is also actually research to back it up. Older students remember things better, pay attention more, and are more engaged in conversation when they are in a circular formation. Students also remember things better if it is presented to them on a circular board or piece of paper… I wonder if I can get the Trustees to springs for a circular white board?
4. Younger students pay attention more and have less discipline problems when they are in a more structured seating arragements; e.g. rows of chairs, or sat around a table.
5. Students learn better when a certain portion of the room serves a specific function. For example, we should create a specific area that is seperated from our Sunday School section for the video games, ping pong table, foosball table, etc. Students perform better and pay more attention when they know specifically what their environment is for, and there are no mixed signal.
6. And just to keep me grounded and remembering that this is still a youth group, not a college class, here is a great article on setting up a good youth room.

If you want some really great articles on classroom design you should visit Franklin Hill & Associates. They’ve been designing classrooms in cutting edge schools for a long time now, and they’ve written quite a few articles on the matter.

With all these things in mind, I’ve begun reshaping things in the youth center. I still have a very difficult task before me though. The room must still meet several different needs, but also be set-up so that those needs are met effectively. Meeting classroom needs effectively means addressing the list I’ve created above, but I must also find a way of meeting worship needs effectively also. That will be part 3.

I really like design. I’m not afraid to admit it. I LOVE designing things. I have to constantly hold myself back from re-designing web pages, and if I had money I’m sure I would constantly want to re-design rooms within our home. I love to design invitation for my daughter’s birthdays, our family Christmas card, and the occasional card for a friend. I really, really like design; and yes I am straight.

Design should, in my opinion, serve two purposes:

1. It should look good. Why bother designing anything if it’s going to look like crap? People are most comfortable with something when it looks appealing to them. You don’t see any restaurant using a big pile of crap as a logo do you? How many people have crushes on Angelina Jolie vs Sandra Bernhardt? People like pleasant looking, feeling, smelling things.
2. It should serve a purpose, and serve it well. A good design not only looks good but serves a purpose. A good greeting card will not only look nice, but also convey a message. A well designed web site will look good, but also easily provide the user with information. A well designed computer will be pleasing to the eye, but also be easy to use. People like things that serve a purpose, and that serve that purpose well, (Apparently except when it comes to slinky’s).

Anyway, here’s my issue:

Every Sunday morning I try to teach a lesson to the 9th-12th grade youth. Some youth, really pay attention, some try to pay attention but seem easily distracted, others just sit and talk with friends, and some just sit there and stare hoping to not be called upon.

Each Sunday is a struggle to actually teach the lesson. Constant interruptions, people talking, items being thrown, etc. keep us from really engaging in a lesson. Furthermore, it seems like some of the youth just simply can’t pay attention, they try… but something is keeping them from it. How Do I solve this?

I’ve tried switching curriculum, changing teaching styles, engaging more people in teaching… nothing seems to work. Then I decided to put on my designer’s hat. I decided that perhaps I needed to better design the environment around us for Sunday School. You see, the youth center is a multipurpose room. Sunday mornings we divide it into two rooms to create Sunday school rooms, Sunday evening we have it all open and it serves as a game room, a small group meeting space, and a worship space. Really all of these areas of our ministry are suffering because the space is well designed for any of these, but the area that suffers the most is Sunday school. The senior high Sunday school section has video games, TV/VCR/DVD stand, a book case, Foosball, air hockey, couches, and sometime a ping pong table. The space definitely does not serve either of the two purposes of design. No wonder the youth can’t concentrate, and I keep feeling frustrated. The space doesn’t feel like a class, doesn’t look like a class, and doesn’t function like a class.

My solution will hopefully be to re-design the space so that it functions better as a Sunday school space. While I’m doing that I will also be thinking about ways that the whole space could better serve worship, and small groups. Luckily it’s Summer and I won’t have to worry about indoor activities until the fall.

I plan on making posts as I re-invent the space, maybe it can help someone else out… you never know.

Perhaps I’m really slow, and everyone else already knows about last.fm… but I just discovered it. Here’s what they say about it:

Last.fm is the flagship product from the team that designed the Audioscrobbler music engine. More than ten million times a day, Last.fm users “scrobble” their tracks to our servers, helping to collectively build the world’s largest social music platform.

Last.fm taps the wisdom of the crowds, leveraging each user’s musical profile to make personalised recommendations, connect users who share similar tastes, provide custom radio streams, and much more.

Founded by Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel and Richard Jones, we are a London-based company with a music-obsessed team of developers and creative professionals from around the world.

It’s never been this easy to share your taste and discover new music. Welcome to the social music revolution.

More or less, it’s pretty awesome. Check it out: http://www.last.fm

Zombies and Zombie protesters alike overtook Nashville last Saturday….

What this is really about, I have no idea, but thanks to Gavin for the link.

Full Flickr Set

So I heard about the China Earthquake this morning on NPR. Oddly my first thought was about the Summer Olympics. Not about the thousands of people who lost their lives, not about the millions more that will be effected by the aftermath… but about the Olympics.

I felt pretty bad about that until I Googled news results for the quake, and the first news articles that I found were not about the death toll, nor about the devastation, but about the economy. I have always loved David Wong’s article What is the Monkeysphere, but today gave me a startling realization that my MonkeySphere is very, very small. My thoughts went to the Olympics because that is what I am most closely associated with:

->Brett -> Tennessee -> America -> American Olympic Team

Perhaps if I had ever been in an earthquake, I would more closely identify with these people in China… but I haven’t, so I can’t. It seems that the majority of American people, don’t even attempt to identify with them since our first news articles analyze how this quake will affect our country.

It makes me wonder… how can we expand our monkeysphere, and the monkeysphere of the next generation?

It’s odd that our Senior High Mission Trip is going to the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, but we will be working in Kansas. Even more odd is that we will be spending our free day in Missouri.

Anyway, I received our complete paper work for the trip today… it’s a book. I have to read, and fill out forms from a book! I’m not the best at paperwork anyway, (thus why I’m blogging instead of doing it), and for me to read through a BOOK for mission trip paperwork… that’s just crazy talk.

Oh well… I better get to my book if these stinkin’ kids want to go on mission trip.

Our churches Youth Sunday is coming up this Sunday; you know that time of the year when our youth are paraded in front of the congregation. What that means for me, is that I am quite exhausted.

I think it’s the best thing to do, but it’s also the most stressful when you let the youth to truly decided on virtually everything for Youth Sunday. The Scripture, the message, the skit, the movie, the songs, etc. Almost everything the youth put together. I have just been running myself ragged making sure they are actually putting it together. Anyway, I’ll probably be comatose on Monday.

Oh… here’s the video we made. It’s not the best, but for our first attempt at green screen, I think it turned out OK.

Click Here Since I Can’t Get The Thing To Embed!

Last fall, (when I wasn’t updating this site), I created a site for some friends of mine and myself to post just random stupid stuff: Jeff Vader. You should probably click on that link and look at it. Just a small disclaimer, if you know me you know that I am not a conservative, unfortunately a few of my friends are. So if you read any close-minded, conservative crap in any of the posts, just know that I two think they are stupid posts. Honestly though, most of the posts are pretty funny.

So I’m walking around Kroger today, picking up a few things. I’m walking along, minding my own business when suddenly I turn the corner and there is the most disgusting sight I have ever seen: An awkward looking middle school girl eating a GIANT pickle with a little bit of pickle juice dripping down her acned chin. ((shudders))

Now, let me clarify something: I hate Pickles. I think Pickles are absolutely disgusting, and I really can’t stand the giant snack pickles that the prepubescent spawn of satan was eating at Kroger.

Just a side-note: while doing ungodly experiments in the 1400’s a satanic cult decided to place cucumbers in a bitter liquid they had invented from the pure urine of satan. The Results: PICKLES! Let this be your warning Earth!

So I’m currently watching Frosty The Snowman with Anna. Did I mention that it’s April? Besiades the fact that we watched Frosty approximately 50 billion times during the Christmas season, now we have to watch it during spring also. Frosty makes me wonder though… if a snowman really came to life, it would scare the living crap out of me, especially a living snowman in April. I shall leave you with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsRY_cfb9Og

I’ve decided that blogging doesn’t have to be complicated. Before I always wanted to make a good/funny/intelligent post. That’s a lot to live up to. No More! I will no longer be a blogging loser! I will post every time I go pee-pee… well maybe not, that would just be weird.

So it’s pretty much been forever since I’ve posted anything; what can I say I’m not a blogger. But I will continue to try.

I am seriously considering getting a new domain name. This one seems long and complicated, though I still love it. The only problem is, is that most short easy domain names are already taken. Jerks!

Anyway, this is hopefully the first quick post in what will be many new posts.