| TheSource4YM.com | |
 | Jonathan’s Resource Ezine |
Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
| In This Issue |
- FEATURED: My Two Cents about “TWO BROTHERS”
- SOMETHING YOU CAN USE: Two Sample Outreach Ideas That Work
- LAST CHANCE FOR YOUR OWN SCREENING: This Thursday Entries Are Due- We are Rewarding You for Your Ideas – We Want Your “Outreach Event” Ideas and are Offering a Great Prize for the Number One Idea!
- A GREAT NEW RESOURCE COMING NEXT WEEK: Our New “Growth” Curriculum Page
| If you aren’t a subscriber of this EZINE and would like to subscribe – it’s free – just pop on www.TheSource4YM.com and sign up in the upper right hand corner. |
| FEATURED: My Two Cents about “TWO BROTHERS” |
Maybe you’ve seen the previews, maybe you’ve seen the specials on animal planet … “Two Brothers” hits the theatres this Friday. Is the film worth seeing?I must admit, my expectations for the Universal film “Two Brothers” weren’t too high. I mean, how are two tigers going to entertain me for 109 minutes?
Well … they did. And the film far exceeded my expectations.
Set in the jungles of Southeast Asia, “Two Brothers” tells the story of Kumal and Sangha, two twin tiger cubs separated from their parents and each other at a young age. Both are raised in captivity; one to be a fierce fighter, the other is domesticated by life in the circus. When they are fully grown, the brothers find themselves reunited-but as forced enemies pitted against each other. “Two Brothers” is a beautiful story of the power of friendship and the bond between brothers.
I think you will like this film:
First, the film doesn’t have anything objectionable in it. Heck, I know Southern Baptists that wouldn’t boycott this film. (Props to my Southern Baptist brothers, you know I’m just clowning!) It’s a relief to have a film that you can actually feel comfortable taking your kids to. And I was relieved to find that the film did NOT go some of the funky “spiritual” directions that I feared it might go. I heard one preview say something about “the spirit that connects us all.” I thought, “Great, another film with the theology of ?Brother Bear.'” But the film didn’t go there- it was just a fun animal flick.
Second, the film was very touching. The tigers will capture your heart. Every kid leaving the theatre will want to discard their pet Dalmatian they acquired years ago (a day after seeing another film) and now get a pet tiger.
Third, the performances were strong. Yes, the two leads were tigers. But the tigers and the humans gave convincing performances-so much that you can’t help but wonder how much was scripted and how much was just following the exciting lives of two tigers.
Rarely does a film hit the theatres that I would actually feel comfortable taking kids too. Put your fears aside. This is one you can take advantage of for some good clean fun.
FAMILY DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR THE FILM
CLICK HERE FOR HOW YOU COULD WIN
YOUR OWN PRIVATE SCREENING OF “TWO BROTHERS”
WITH YOUR YOUTH GROUP OR CHURCH!
| SOMETHING YOU CAN USE: Two Sample Outreach Ideas that Work |
Most of you have seen the contest we’re having that ends this Friday, June 25th (CLICK HERE). We’ve been collecting “Out of the Box Outreach Ideas” for the CD we’re going to release with Jonathan’s new book this December. Here’s a sneak peek at a couple of good ones you can use:
Ben Pun, Chinese Baptist Church in Houston sent us the Slam Dunk Contest outreach idea. He’s done an event like this and gives credit to Chinese Christian Union Church in Chicago for this idea, because, in his own words, “I stole it from them.”
- The idea is to bring in an adjustable basketball hoop. Students can enter the slam dunk competition at either 7, 8, or 9 foot divisions. You can format the contest however you like; the NBA Dunk Contest has each contestant perform 3 dunks and then a championship round with the top dunkers. Some High School and even Middle School students can do some pretty neat stuff when the hoops are lowered. This event attracts a lot of people to watch, so we have an evangelistic message at the end.
- Call up a local neighborhood ministry, store or facility and do a clean up day with your youth group. Our youth facility is right next door to the local Pregnancy Care Center. To help apply “love your neighbor as yourself” our youth group volunteered to clean their entire building for free. With fifteen teenagers it took less than two hours to sweep, mop, clean toilets, take out trash, vacuum, and even take some pictures in the process. Now it’s a tradition in our youth group. We do it once a semester and have become very close with our “neighbor” in the process. Even better, the idea has sparked interest in doing this for others as well.
Who “lives” near your church or youth facility that you can be a good neighbor to? Give them a call and offer to do something for them (anything!) for free. You’ll be amazed at the relationship that could develop.
| LAST CHANCE FOR YOUR OWN SCREENING: This Thursday Entries Are Due-We are Rewarding You for Your Ideas- We Want Your “Outreach Event” Ideas and are Offering a Great Prize for the Number One Idea! |
AND … just because we like to hook you up … send us your idea for a great outreach event, and you are eligible to win your own private screening of the new Universal Pictures’ film “Two Brothers,” hitting the theatres June 25th.
DOES IT COST ANYTHING?
No way. It just takes a few minutes, and it’s free. And you know what Jonathan always says, “If it’s free … it’s for me!”
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?
Just send in your best idea for a great outreach event by midnight on June 24th. (Read “TO ENTER” below for more details about submitting your idea.)
THE PRIZE:
The winner of this contest will be selected on Friday, June 25th, opening day of the Universal picture “Two Brothers.” The winner’s youth group, church … you name it (as long as they fit in the theatre), will get THEIR OWN PRIVATE SCREENING of the movie at their nearest major theatre the following Saturday morning, July 3rd.
WHO IS ELEGIBLE?
Any youth worker in the United States, volunteer or paid, who currently ministers to youth. (Out of the U.S: We’d still love you to submit your ideas to possibly be included in the C.D.; we just don’t have access to any private screenings out of the U.S. Sorry.)
TO ENTER:
It’s simple. Just follow steps A, B and C.
- A. Check your calendar- all entries are due by midnight on June 24, 2004, Pacific Standard Time. We will call the winner that weekend.
B. Read the following description of “Out of the Box Outreach Events” so you know what we’re looking for:
How many of you are tired of the same ol’ thing? When it comes to an outreach event, how many of you just book a band, book a speaker … and that’s it, right? Well, even though that may work, why not think outside the box. I mean, isn’t there something else we can do that would draw kids together so we can point them to Christ? There it is … that’s our definition. An outreach program is an event or weekly program that you use as a means to attract those who don’t know Jesus, and point them toward Him. So those are your parameters. We want to hear your idea of an event or program you have seen, something you have attended … or even an event that you are thinking about doing, but haven’t done yet. It doesn’t matter. What is your idea of an event or program that you could use as a means to attract those who don’t know Jesus, and point them toward Him?
Examples: Neighborhood Light: A church group in Ohio did a one week service project called “Neighborhood Light.” High school students signed up for a one week “day camp” where they worked on houses in the neighborhood, houses that needed repair or major yard work. The repair was done for free- just as an act of love and service. Result: Many in the community visited this church, wanting to learn more about these people that cared enough to serve the community.
50’s Night: A youth ministry in Arizona rented a local restaurant and had a “50’s night.” 50’s music, waitresses on roller skates … you name it. At the end, a speaker shared the Gospel, how Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Result: Many kids gave their lives to Christ that night and started attending the youth group.
The Anti-Super Bowl Party: A group in Cincinnati planned their “Anti-Super Bowl Party.” This event targeted local skaters who weren’t into the Super Bowl. The church brought in all kinds of skateboard ramps and equipment on Super Bowl Sunday Afternoon. They also had activities like “the TV Smash,” and the “Skater Field Goal Attempt,” a contest who could jump their skateboard over the highest marker off a ramp into a foam pit. (Yes, they had quite the liability policy.)
C. Click below to enter your idea. Just fill in all your information, fill in your idea and hit the submit button on that page. That’s it.
And even if your idea isn’t the winner, it may just be included in our “Out of the Box Event Ideas” CD coming out this December with the release of Jonathan’s new book, “Reaching Out to Unchurched Teenagers” from Youth Specialties/Zondervan.
| A GREAT NEW RESOURCE COMING NEXT WEEK: Our New “Growth” Curriculum Page |
You’ve waited long enough- next week you’ll have it!
You’ve seen our “TOPICAL CURRICULUM” page on our web site. This page has always had two choices, “OPENERS,” which are discussion openers, and “OUTREACH AGENDAS,” which are complete agendas for your outreach program.
But what about your “GROWTH” program?
OUTREACH AND GROWTH are two different things. OUTREACH PROGRAMS have the goal of attracting kids that don’t know Jesus, and pointing them toward him. These programs will have basic Gospel messages and opportunities to respond in a commitment to Him. GROWTH programs have the goal of helping your Christian kids grow and draw closer to God.
Next month, we will be launching our GROWTH PROGRAMS page, under “Topical Curriculum.” Our goal is that this page will provide FREE quality discussion ideas, small group questions and content you can use for your weekly GROWTH program.
Find more outreach curriculum and student leadership
curriculum in the three books available on our
“Only Page With Resources For Sale”
(CLICK HERE)
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Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.