In my first countdown to NYWC post, I shared a video created by the NYWC staff and the host team, which shared a few fun things to do while in Cincinnati! [ CLICK HERE ] But today I'm here on site, in Cincinnati, as we get ready for this years national Youth Workers Convention!! We arrived late in the afternoon of Tuesday, found our hotel, got settled, and then rushed off to join the rest of the volunteer team to begin our orientation. Since then, it has been a flurry of excitement as the team works to get the convention center ready to welcome and host the thousands of youth workers who will flood Cincinnati in just a matter of hours. This is my 8th year returning as a volunteer to help the YS staff; 4th year as a member of the main stage team. All total, this year will be my 16th convention. I've been attending since 1999, and have been apart of the convention through it's many, recent transitions. I always get a little anxious when I hear about transition, simply because of how important YS and NWYC have become. NYWC has been a significant staple throughout my ministry career. It has shaped how I think, practice and pass along youth ministry. The convention has served as a place for training, mixing practical tips with solid educational materials. NYWC has been the igniter switcher, keeping me fired up and excited about my ministry. It's a constant in my ministry. And now here I am again. I am very proud to say, we have a great weekend ahead. From the seminars to the Big Room general sessions, the exhibit hall to the book store, the HUB, sanctuary, prayer room, and the Idea Lab, we are ready! Ready to welcome, serve, care for, and celebrate YOU, the youth worker! So please know that... We are praying for you. We are excited to meet you. And we can't wait to see you! NYWC 2016. Cincinnati. Arise! - jay
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I was planning to share this post a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to add my support for the upcoming National Youth Workers Convention, by sharing news and promos that the NYWC planning team has been posting. Now with the National Youth Workers Convention just around the corner, it's time to get excited about the convention! So keep an eye out for a short series of blog posts that share news from NYWC, and some of my thoughts on the upcoming convention.
In this first post, Youth Specialties published this video a couple of weeks ago, sharing a few fun things you can do or check out while in Cincinnati, OH! Check it out!
Thanks to YS, and the city host team for sharing some of the things that make
Cincinnati a great place to visit.
There is still time to register and join us for this years, National Youth Workers Convention! Myself, along with a couple thousand friends will be participating in the 4 day convention taking place in Cincinnati, OH. Come learn, experience, and be renewed.
Click on the ARISE graphic below to visit the official National Youth Workers Convention website for all the details, lists of speakers, seminars and exhibitors, registration, hotel, and other news! And we'll see you in Cincinnati! - jay
If the video doesn't appear above, click on the link to watch on my YouTube channel.
I know, I know, I'm a little late in the announcement depart. It's been a couple of weeks since my friends over at Group/Simply Youth Ministry announced the return of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference (SYMC). Nonetheless, I wanted to take a few minutes to share a little about what this means! I was introduced the SYMC in 2009. At the time, I didn't realize how much I needed a conference like SYMC. I had been in student ministry for a long time. And I had attended the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) for years. At that point, I was volunteering with NYWC. But that year, SYMC made a huge impact on my heart and my ministry. I am pretty sold out to NYWC. It was NYWC that really helped me develop, grow, and mature as a youth worker. I've often said that I've learned more attending NYWC than anywhere else. It's why I return every year as a volunteer. But SYMC offered me something different. I was in a place in my ministry where I began wondering about my role in student ministry. An opportunity had come to that would require that I step away from student ministry. That year at SYMC, I heard God tell me my place was with students. That year, God used SYMC to wreck my world, then rebuilt and reignited a passion for students again! I even have a red a sofa in my office to remind me of the impact. SYMC boasts, The conference for youth workers by youth workers. This is so true. After the 2009 conference, I found myself working with the "In The Trenches Team" (ITTT or IT3). The "In The Trenches Team" is made up of youth workers; some are full time, some are part time, and some are volunteers, but each one is committed, not just to their students, but to youth workers. It's this teams that comes along side the SYM/Group staff to help talk, dream, pray, prepare, plan, and lead the conference! I was blessed to serve with these amazing men and women for 3 years, helping and serving with the 2010 and 2011 conferences. There are a number of great conferences that youth workers can attend. But there is something special about SYMC, and I think it's in the fact that youth workers are an integral part of what happens at SYMC. After taking a couple years off, SYMC is back, and I for one am very excited to see it return. A little smaller, a little more intentional, a little more focused on the heart and health of the youth worker, SYMC will no doubt offer her attendees a weekend of training, resources, and soul care. SYMC will take place October 7-9, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency O'Hara in Chicago. (Which is a great location due to everything happening in the hotel.) Now I haven't decided if I will be attend this years conference. If money weren't an issue, I'm sure I'd be there in a heart, no questions asked. But I am still committed to serving at NYWC, so I have yet decided if I will be attending. However, based on what I am hearing it will be a great conference. Take a few minutes to go and check out the SYMC website. Get to know the conference, and prayerfully consider make SYMC your conference destination this fall! - jay Jay Higham is a 24 year veteran of student ministry; having worked with students in the local church and Christian camping settings. Jay is currently the Youth Director at Hickory Church, located in Western PA. Jay has been married to Amy for 19 years. Together, they are raising 5 kids, (4 boys and 1 little girl). Jay is passionate about student ministry, family ministry, and sharing with other youth workers. You can learn more about their ministry to the family by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com! Have you ever gotten sidetracked? You know, you're focused and moving forward when all of a sudden, something pops up and you find yourself distracted, questioning, wondering, and waiting for what to do next? It happens in the office. You're working on materials for the next youth gathering when a Facebook notification pops up on the screen and you click on it to see what's happening. The next thing you know, 20 minutes has passed as you jump from feed to feed to feed. Sidetracked. Or when you're meeting with your ministry team to work on plans for the upcoming retreat and the topic abruptly switches from afternoon game planning to a discussion on the new Avengers trailer that just hit the internet. Sidetracked. Or when you are with your middle school ministry talking about God's sovereignty and someone farts. Yeah, good luck coming back from that. Sidetracked. Sidetracked. At some point we all find ourselves a little sidetracked. Usually, we can find our way back after a few minutes of distraction. Sometimes getting sidetrack is a good thing. I know I find that when I hit a writers block, a little distraction is welcomed. But what about when you face a distraction in your life, and you find yourself sidetracked in a significant way? Sometimes a distraction like this can be devastating. So just recently we encountered a couple distractions that could have caused us to be a bit sidetracked. Since the beginning of the year we have found ourselves dealing with a couple issues that have caused us to take a step back look at what was happening around us. It threw us into a time of prayer as we tried to discern what God might be teaching us or leading us into. And while I can't talk about the details of what sidetracked us, I do what to share some of what we have learned and are learning because of the sidetrack. 1. Don't be Distracted By Distractions - We've been in this place before, something surfaces that causes us to hit the pause bottom and take a careful look at what's happening. The trouble comes not in the distraction, but in how you handle the distraction. You see, you will experience distractions, the trick is not to allow the distraction to stop you from doing what you have been called to do. You have to stay focused at what is front and foremost. Career, family, commitments, all of these must be maintained and followed through. The danger comes when we prematurely shut down or begin to neglect our responsibilities. So when the distraction comes, if you feel like it's something to consider, do so. But not at the cost of what you're already doing. 2. Move from Distraction to Discernment - Sometimes God allows the distraction because he's about to do something new and exciting in your life. And sometimes, the distraction is just that, a distraction. You need to know which is which, and that only comes through prayer and discernment. When a distraction arises, recognize it, and bath it in prayer. Not once or twice, but as an ongoing conversation with God. Ask him to give clear direction. Pray that you would not be distracted from what are already priorities in you life. And pray for wisdom to be poured out on you. With prayer and discernment, I think it is also extremely important to seek wisdom and counsel from godly men and women who can be trusted, who will pray with and for you, and will give you solid unbiased advice. Having a trusted person who can help you discern God's activity in your life is huge. And helpful. 3. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. - If you are married, you probably already know the importance of communication. But when your facing an issue that might significantly sidetrack your life, it is all the more important that you communicate, and communicate often with your spouse. I know for my wife and I, when distractions arise, we do our best to set aside time to seriously discuss the matter one-on-one. As information comes and goes, it is important that new information is discussed and properly considered. And in the end, if a decision is to be made, you know that you have done your very best to communicate well. If you're not married, then be sure that you are talking this through with a parent or a trusted friend. These people have a great advantage to see into your life in ways you may not be able to. That can be super helpful. Distractions don't have to lead to getting sidetracked, if we keep everything in perspective. But when we do find ourselves sidetracked, it's good to know that we can right our course and push on. Now on a personal note; yes, we have had some distractions of late. A number of things have surfaced in the last couple of months that have caused us to wonder, question, and even doubt. But we are committed to not allowing any of these distractions to sidetrack us from what God is called us to do in the present. Instead, we have applied the very things that I just shared, and we are trusting that God is at work in some significant and amazing ways! And what we expect to see on the other side of all of this is the wonderful evidence of God's amazing grace and extravagant love. And that is what I would hope and pray for you was well. - jay Jay Higham is a 24 year veteran of student ministry; having worked with students in the local church and Christian camping settings. Jay is currently the Youth Director at Hickory Church, located in Western PA. Jay has been married to Amy for 19 years. Together, they are raising 5 kids, (4 boys and 1 little girl). Jay is passionate about student ministry, family ministry, and sharing with other youth workers. You can learn more about their ministry to the family by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com! |
AuthorJay Higham is a veteran youth worker of over 30 years; having worked with students in the local church and Christian camping settings. Jay is currently serving as the director of family ministry at a church, located in West Virginia. Jay has been married to Amy for over 25 years. Together, they are raising 5 kids, (4 boys and 1 girl). Jay is an aspiring author, blogger, speaker, vlogger, and social media junkie. He is passionate about student ministry, family ministry, and training youth workers to love and serve their students with passion and excellence. Archives
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