Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Mag Report - simply jr hi newsletter from Group

Group partnered with Kurt Johnston and Scot Rubin to put together a newsletter for jr hi/middle school guys/gals like me and I just finished reading through the first one. I wanted to comment like I did groups last magazine (click here to read my report of that magazine).

What I liked: There was a lot I liked but I'll put down one key thing that really stood out to me. Alan Mercer wrote a wonderful article of encouragement on jr hi small groups. Small groups work for middle schooler but not the way we plan them is the essence of this article. "Maybe the lesson needs to take a back seat to helping kids find a safe, comfortable, and accepting environment where they can just be junior high boys." I really like the idea of setting our "agenda" aside and focus on the kids to make lasting impact.

???: The stats'n stuff really didn't click for me as to what use they might have in a middle school ministry. This could just be me but I'm not sure where I would use or say, "Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." by Mitch Hedberg. Again this could just be me.

Key statement: Douglas Rose - Handling conflicts in the partnering with parents section says this, "...your partnership with parents can be one of the most successful partnerships of your ministry."

Something creative: Here is a section called plug 'n play that shares "great stuff you can do with your junior highers." I thought the game: Hula Hoopdy by Chad Swanzy is very creative and something I'll try in my group some day. If you want to know more about Hulat Hoopdy or anything about this newsletter click here to find out more info.
I really like the idea of having something out there that focuses on middle school ministry thanks group and simply jr hi.

2 comments:

chad said...

glad you liked the game man i got tons more under "group games" on the blog...

peace!

Mark E. Eades said...

Thx Chad for the comment and keep the games (and comments) coming. I enjoy hear about and trying out new things to make a difference in a Middle schoolers life.

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