It was with a mixture of sadness and excitement that I announced on Sunday my resignation as Associate Pastor at Rock Harbor Church. It has been my distinct pleasure to serve along side the wonderful people of Rock Harbor as we worked together to make a difference in the community of Sherwood and beyond. My family and I are grateful for the opportunity we have had to be a part of this wonderful community.
In recent months the financial, and personal needs of our family have grown and have driven us to seek the Lord in how these would be met. The way in which He has chosen to meet these ever growing needs can only be described as a God thing!
It has been through a great deal of prayer and listening to God that we have come to this place. It has not been an easy decision, yet one in which He has clearly led. We are saddened to say goodbye to our Rock Harbor community, yet at the same time excited about joining God in what He is doing in and through the community of Foothills Community Church in Molalla, Oregon.
Beginning on October 11 I will be taking a bold new step in my life. It is on this day that I will be following God’s lead in stepping out of the student ministry world as I begin my new role as Associate Pastor at Foothills Community Church. It is with eager anticipation that I move forward in my mission “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12).
To my family at Rock Harbor, know that you are loved and will always hold a special place in the hearts of my family. It has been an absolute joy and privilege to join with you in moving God’s Kingdom forward. To the students of Rock Harbor Student Ministries, my life remains open to you. Never hesitate to contact me. I am but a text message, Facebook message, email or phone call away. You are loved. Remain in community with one another and stay close to your leaders. They are fully committed to loving and caring for you. They are the best!
To our new family at Foothills, we are filled with anticipation as we look forward to joining you in your mission to reach the thousands of unchurched people in your geographic area with the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and to equip them to experience His presence and demonstrate His power. We look forward to doing life with you and experiencing the kind of community that comes from together seeking the heart of God.
The ride continues. Bring it on!
A New Chapter Begins
A Summer To Remember
As summer comes to end, I find myself with a mixed bag of emotions. I am sad because it is my favorite season of the year and I hate to see it go. I rejoice because as I look back over the last three months of ministry, I sit back and celebrate; celebrate all the great things God has done in the life of Rock Harbor Student Ministries.
Through all our different events and gatherings, relationships were deepened. We grew in relationship with one another, we grew in our relationship with our God. It's been good!
Here is a look into the summer of 2010...
As in all of life, with the close of one season, a new one emerges. As we move forward I am confident that the good work God has begun, and continues to do, will continue long into the next season and all those that follow.
Grub Camp 2010
Over the last 20 years I have been taking students up to Indian Henry Campground on the Clackamas River, to take part in what has affectionately become known as Grub Camp. Today I returned from yet another great time on the river.
There is nothing quite like getting a bunch of guys away from their usual settings and routines to spend some quality time together. We laugh, we play, we have great conversations, and so much more.
I loved the words of one parent after her son returned home, "He came home desperately stinky and filthy and just happy as all get out. Thanks Pastor Brian!" Love it!
We have two slogans for Grub Camp. They go up as boys and return home men, and What happens at Grub Camp stays at Grub Camp!
Due to the the second slogan, I can't tell you everything we do, but this year's video should give you a pretty good idea.
Read more Grub Camp experiences here, here and here.
Dividends of Ministry
In my 25 years of ministry I have known many people. Serving as youth pastor in six different churches has afforded me the opportunity to enter into and enjoy the relationships of many. Not all have lasted. Some have. It is the relationships that last the test of time that are the real blessing.
Twenty one years ago I served as youth pastor at Gladstone First Baptist. It was my first full time ministry. I often marvel, and at the same time feel so blessed, that a church took a chance on a young 22 year old with very little experience. It was a great time; certainly a learning one! What I love most, is the fact that I am still in relationship with many of them.
This last weekend we once again got together. How fun to see and hear of all the changes that life's journey has brought. How great to see all the young families, many of which are loving and are serving the Lord.
All of us in youth ministry know that one rarely reaps in the same season in which we sow. It is often years later that we see the dividends of time invested in students lives. I am so thankful for what I saw this last weekend, and pray that God continues to do great things in and through all of our lives.
What a privilege and honor it is to play such a strategic role in the lives of young people. I am blessed.
Sometimes It Blows Up In Your Face
Student ministry has been my life calling. It is what God has called me into, and I couldn't be more thankful. What an awesome privilege it is to be used of God to be a part of a person's spiritual journey, especially at such an important stage of life as adolescence.
Not everyone understands why I do what I do, and for as long as I have done it. I have been working with students for over 20 years and I still get a charge out of a good water balloon fight with them.
One thing I love about student ministry is the privilege it is to belong to a tribe of other youth workers who feel the same calling and, well ... just get it. A group of people that understand the value of giving of one's life to the task of coming along side teenagers and leading them into a relationship with the God that created them and loves them more than they know.
Each year Youth Specialities opens their doors to my tribe. The National Youth Workers Convention is a time for thousands of youth workers to get together to be refreshed, recharged, challenged, and encouraged. Read my thoughts and experiences at past conventions here.
I love the promo video produced for this year's convention. It's a great picture of what I do, but even more the power of what happens when others get it. Sometimes it just blows up in your face!
Building A Youth Ministry Team
If I have learned one thing in my years of doing youth ministry, it's that it can't be done alone. The youth pastor who thinks they can do it all, and be all to all students is only fooling themselves. It is for very good reason that God has uniquely gifted all believers. Check out 1 Corinthians 12.
Yesterday I had the privilege of being the guest on Tim Schmoyer's LIVE YM Talk leading a discussion on the importance of building a youth ministry team. It was a great conversation with youth workers from around the country.
We covered topics like:
- Why building a team is so important
- Ideas for promoting unity, training, and working with their schedules
- Good and bad reasons why someone might serve
- Answered questions from the chat audience
You can hear it here or grab it in iTunes.
I Passed!
I have been asked many times through out the years why I have given myself to working with teenagers. I have always had a pretty impressive list to share that confirms my calling. I now have one more reason!
I passed the teenage audio test! There are actually frequencies that most people over the age of 25 are unable to hear, and I am happy to report ... I can!
Created by Train Horns
How about you? Did you pass? Let me know!
HT to Adam McLane
Another Day in The Office
For the last couple of years Aaron and I have put together a year end video greeting for our students. We could not feel more blessed to work with such an awesome group of students and staff.
I now present the 2008 year end greeting ... "Another Day in The Office."
Investing In Leaders
A video tip I put together on the importance of investing in leaders has just been featured on Tim Schmoyer's site Life In Student Minitries.
If you are a youth worker and are not familiar with Life In Student Ministry, check it out. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tim at the National Youth Workers Convention in Sacramento a few weeks back. He has a giant heart for student ministry, both students and leaders. His site is filled with great thoughts, conversations, and resources for those that are committed to ministering to students.
If you are here as a result of Life In Student Ministry, welcome! I welcome your thoughts and comments on what you see.
Letter from Student
Today I received a letter from a student of mine that graduated just a few short years ago. It is one of those letters that all youth pastors hope for, but seldom receive. It is the kind of letter that I look at and tell myself....it's all worth it. It's a letter that serves as a reward of sorts for the time spent investing in the lives of students.
I share the letter, with her permission, hoping it will encourage all that work with students. It is my hope that God will use it to do two things. One, encourage. I hope that it will be an encouragement to you to keep doing what you are doing. It is a real reminder that we don't always reap in the same season that we sow. It's a reminder that our words and actions do get through, even when we are tempted to think that they are not.
Second, may it serve to remind you of the importance of longevity in ministry. Real discipleship does not happen over night. Life may be full of quick answers, and fast service, but ministry is an area that is not quick and can not be hurried. It requires faithful commitment and steadfastness.
Here is what she wrote.
The youth group that I was involved with in high school is what started the process of taking my faith seriously and making it my own. I was really ridiculous in high school; drama followed me every Sunday and Wednesday night. My youth pastor and his intern never gave up on me or told me to leave though. I relied a lot, in a good way, on the intern and his family, even now. His mom was a youth leader for a short time and very involved in the church, so we still saw her around regularly. We girls loved going to her house to help her with chores or just talk about life women to women.
The leaders were not as permanent as the youth pastor and intern who took over as youth pastor my senior year. College students came and went every few months as helpers and Bible study leaders. After a while, I got tired of starting over with someone new and having to open up and repeat my life story to so many new leaders, so I just stopped talking to them the latter half of high school. I am aware that it was my own choice to close my self off to new relationships. I think my life would have been a lot different if there had been a female leader who stayed with me all four years; someone whose mistakes I could learn from, who I could pattern my life after and who invested their personal time in me on a regular basis.
Honesty was always a part of the youth group staff. During the "talk" portion of our Wednesday night meetings, the staff were not afraid to be open and talk about subjects they knew we were dealing with at home or school or work. I always liked the talks about real-life better than a Bible lesson. One time a speaker from the local Crisis Pregnancy Center was brought into talk to us very bluntly about sex. I really appreciated her frankness in answering our questions and appropriately sharing her own experiences in that area. Junior year I remember the intern pastor sharing about his past struggle with porn. That totally blew my mind because I thought everyone who worked at a church was perfect. At first, I was mad that he shattered my image of him, but it led to me being ale to hear other people's struggles in a less judgmental way and realize that just because one is involved in ministry does not make them any less susceptible to sin.
I am very thankful for the different ministry situations we as students were given to participate in. High school is where a lot of my passion for things, especially ministry wise started. For two summers, I went to Mexico on the typical mission trip that almost every Oregon teen goes on. During high school we were in our community a lot doing retirement home visits, our church's homeless outreach, game times to invite our unchurched friends to, the 30 Hour Famine, and odd jobs for people who lived near the church. At the time, I did not see any point for my involvement in these activities, but now I see that each occasion was another small piece of the puzzle that is coming together as a passion for cross cultural missions and being less judgmental of people.
I would be a very different person if people at church had written me off as someone who would never change. Since last year, I have worked with older elementary and middle school students. Already, I see girls who are a replica of me at that age. Because of my personality in high school, their rude behavior does not offend me me and I can relate to them on a more personal level. Having so many leaders cycle through my youth group has shown me the importance of long-term investment in young people's lives and makes me want to be a youth leader when I am done with Ecola.
May we never forget the impact we have on the lives of people. May we remain faithful to the call that he has placed on each of our lives.
Guy Time
For the better part of 20 years I have been taking middle school boys camping at Indian Henry Campground on the North Clackamas River. We call it Grub Camp. A time to get away and just be guys. No girls, no showers, not really even any manners. Good times! I even did a Grub Camp Reunion a couple of years back with some guys I took some 15 years earlier. Read about that incredible weekend here.
We tell guys that they go as boys and come back men. Kind of a rite of passage if you will. We fish, we swim, we jump off high rocks and logs into the icy cold river, we sit around the fire, and for the more gullible among us, we even go on snipe hunts. This last weekend we did it again!
What a great weekend it was. We did all of the above and loved every minute of it. This year was extra special as we also had the opportunity to baptize one of our students in the icy cold river. Always exciting to see a new and changed life!
90 Years of Journey
I along with 5 other guys spent the weekend camping. It was a return to the past yet also celebration of the future. Fifteen years ago we camped together, I as their youth pastor and they as my students. This last weekend we returned to the very same site for a return of Grub Camp.
We indulged in many of the same activities that we enjoyed many years ago, catching crawdads, eating crazy things like "garbage eggs", playing with fire; you know...good guy stuff! The highlight of the weekend though was hearing the stories of life. Each of us shared our last 15 years, thus 90 years of journey.
The stories were incredible. They were filled with joys, trials, heartache, tragedy, and triumph. There is no better story than real life. What made all these stories so great is that they all intersected with God's story. Some later than others, yet they all did.
What an awesome priviledge to have been a part of each of their stories and to see how God has worked deeply in each life over the years. Truly a demonstration of the truth of Philippians 1:6, that "...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
We plan to return next year to celebrate even further all that God has continued to do and to enjoy the relationships that He has blessed us with.
Check out the slide show of the weekend that Adriel put together.
To view or download a higher quality sequence click here.
Grub Camp Reunion
For the better part of 20 years I have been taking middle school and high school boys camping at Indian Henry Campground on the North Clackamas River. We call it Grub Camp. A time to get away and just be guys. No girls, no showers, not really even any manners. Good times!
We tell guys that they go as boys and come back men. Kind of a rite of passage if you will. We fish, we swim, we jump off high rocks and logs into the icy cold river, we sit around the fire, and for the more gullible among us, we even go on snipe hunts.
Well this weekend I do it all again, but not with middle school or high school students but with grown men, men that were once boys in my ministry. It was 15 years ago that we went to Grub Camp together. This weekend we're going back, back to relive the fun, and relive the memories.
One of the most rewarding aspects of youth ministry is witnessing what God has done and is doing in the lives of students after they graduate out of our ministry. I love when students come back and share the things God is doing in their lives. This is just such an occasion.
There is a principle that says, your never reap in the same season that you sow. There is a lot of truth to that. In youth ministry the fruit of ministry is not always immediately seen, but it is often seen in later years. I look forward to sharing our lives with one another this weekend, and praising God for the things He has done and continues to do.
.png){kind=icon}
Copyright © 2013 | brianeberly.com