Welcome back to our Thursday installment of the Ministry ReCap! Here's a quick look at what we did this week at our student ministry activities.

High School Ministry :: Tuesday Night
Game Time: Soccer (broke the gym clock)
Snack: Chips, soda, water, coffee drinks
Announcements: We had 3 announcements
  - Winter Retreat, February 26-28, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - 2016 Winter Jam, January 30, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - After Dark, February 5, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - The Jesus Centered Life, Week 3
     - Jesus and His Friends
Total Student Count: 15

Junior High Ministry :: Wednesday Night
Game Time: Jedi Dodgeball (kids choice)
Snack: Klondike Bars, Fruit Punch, Water
Announcements: 
   - Winter Retreat, February 26-28, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - After Dark, February 5, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - Who is God? God the Father, Loving and Perfect (JR High LIVE)
Total Student Count: 33

Things we're working on...
This past Sunday, the Elders rolled out a new vision statement for the entire church. We in the student ministry department are reworking some of our ministries and programs so that we fit inside the visions goals and priorities. I will be updating you as we make changes. But you can look at Monday's post where I started sharing some thought on church vs. student ministry visions. You can read it here...Is the Church Vision Your Student Vision.

Adult Leadership Recruiting...
We are also in the throws of recruiting adult volunteers to work with both the HSM and JHM programs. Are goal is to recruit 6-8 adults to work with HSM, and 10-12 adults to work with the JHM.

Student Leadership Ministry...
And next week, we hope to launch our new Student Leadership program. I'll share more on that later next week.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check in next week to see what we're doing.

- jay

Vision. For many of us, we are tasked with the responsibility of casting vision for our student ministry. From purpose statements to core values to models; there are plenty of resources available to help the youth worker dream, craft, visualize, and launch a purpose/vision statement. But how many of our statements support the over riding church statement.

I remember early in my ministry career casting vision that focused solely on the ministry, mission and growth of the student ministry. The purpose statement was tailored to what I envisioned the student ministry should look like, based on what other student ministries were doing.

A number of years ago, while transitioning from one ministry to other, I started rethinking how I thought about vision casting. I didn't want to find myself as an island within the context of church ministry. I wanted to understand the direction that the leaders of the church were heading, and structure the student ministry to follow with the church. However, there wasn't much of a vision emphasis due to the church being comfortably established and healthily growing. I found myself taking their purpose statement and forcing it into what I knew, shaping it to reflect what I wanted.

But here I am a few years later, once again in transition, and once again tasked with vision casting. Only this time I'm doing things a little different. In God's perfect timing, the church that I am currently serving is launch a new vision and ministry strategy. The leadership had been hard at work, praying and seeking God's direction for the church, I just had to wait a little while as they finished up crafting the vision and establishing the ministry priorities. Coming into the position, I was determined to work within the context of the new church vision, and I'm glad I waited.

This weekend at our annual congregational meeting, our lead pastor and the elders shared the new vision with the church. I had the opportunity to see the final product days before the meeting, which allowed me to start praying and dreaming. The vision is solid. It gives the church a specific direction for ministry. The goals and priorities have been clearly presented. And I am excited about where the leadership believes God is leading the church.

It didn't take long to see how the student ministry fits into the church's overall vision. Very quickly and very easily, we were able to express the vision in terms that work for student. And because I waited to make any changes to the student ministry, I can now bring some fresh ideas into the ministry because of how they support the church's vision for ministry. While the church leadership establishes the vision as our new direction for ministry, I am able to come alongside our elders and move the student ministry in the same direction. No more Mickey Mouse ear's and no more ministry islands. Now our student ministry reflects the vision and ministry of our church.

How have you handled the vision casting and purpose statement writing in your context? Have you found it easier to take the books that have been written about purpose and vision and ministry models and apply it to your ministry? Maybe you've found that your church's vision is out of date or less than effective, what are you doing within your student ministry in the way of vision and purpose? Or maybe in your context, the church has a great vision and ministry. What does that look like for you and your student ministry?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please share your situation and what you're doing in terms of visioning and purpose setting! Leave you're thoughts and comments below!

​- 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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com!

This week has turned at to be quite a week. As I look back over the last couple of days, I am amazed, again, by God's faithfulness in the busyness. This week ended up becoming a pretty week. From meetings with staff, to conversations with church members, to planning, studying, preparing, teaching, and being with students, it's crazy how many got done. And now that I'm looking Friday, with still a few things to complete, I am feeling pretty accomplished this week.

So today I want to take a look back at the week past and highlight some of those favorite moments.

Lessons this week...
1. Treasure the Unexpected Office Drop-in Visits.
I don't think there has been a week yet, where I haven't been blessed by a visitor who popped into my office to say hi. Some visits have led to wonderful conversations, great laughter, and much needed encouragement. Some visits have been 15, 20, even 30 minutes or more. While others were just quick, "Hello's", or "Praying for you." or, "Just want to know we love you." moments. Each one this week has been sweet and special and I am treasuring these wonderful moments.

2. Enjoy the Ministry Firsts.
After 24 years of ministry, I know there is still much more to learn and experience. This past week I had an exciting ministry first. We welcomed a young mom to our youth ministry. I was so excited! It was a special moment and a reminder of what student ministry is all about.

So as I sit here at my desk, with reports of incoming snow that will bring the weekend to a crawl, I'm working to wrap up the remaining items that I need to complete. But I can't help reflecting on the very many sweet moments that came this week.

I hope you share in the wonderful blessings that God pours out on those He loves. And if you're in the path of the mega snow storm, I hope you're safe and warm!

​- 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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com!

Happy Thursday, and thanks for stopping by the blog today. As we do every Thursday, I'm sharing this weeks student ministry activities.

This week turned out to be a short week. After welcoming our high school ministry on Tuesday, we ended up canceling our junior high ministry on Wednesday night due to a snow storm that blew in  doing the rich hour. We are located in an area where the roads (especially some of the back roads) aren't always easily traveled. And one of my policies is to never willingly put a student or their family in a position of risk or harm. So I usually lean towards caution when considering whether or not to cancel a ministry event. Wednesday was such a night. The snow fell fast and the road turned gross pretty quick. So no youth group.

But we did meet with our high school students and had a great night. Our numbers are beginning to rebound after the holiday break. This past Tuesday we had a pretty good turn out.

High School Ministry :: Tuesday Night
Game Time: Jedi Dodgeball
Snack: Klondike Bars, chips, soda, water, coffee drinks
Announcements: We had 3 announcements
  - Winter Retreat, February 26-28, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - 2016 Winter Jam, January 30, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - After Dark, February 5, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - The Jesus Centered Life, Week 2
     - Jesus and His Parables
Total Student Count: 18

Junior High Ministry :: Wednesday Night
CANCELED DUE TO SNOW STORM
Game Time: 
Snack: 
Announcements: 
  - 
  - 
  - 
Teaching Message:
  - 
Total Student Count: 00

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check in next week and see what we're doing.

A question for you...
What are your winter weather cancelation policies? Share in the comments below!

- jay

One of the things I am trying to do this year is to utilize Instagram as a means of communicating with our students. So just for fun, here are a few of the Insta-Messages we sent out this week! To see any of our Insta-Messages live, follow me at, @jayhigham. (I'll follow you back!)

The easiest thing for us to do, is to simply move on and get back to life as though nothing ever happened. Well, that's not as easy as it sounds. It's been almost 4 weeks, and we're still dealing with some of the effects of our week 17 miscarriage.

On yesterday's vlog Amy and Jay talked about grief and loss as they continue to work through this time together.

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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com!

For the first time in years, and I mean years, I've decided to purchase prepackaged curriculum. Why? And What? Well, I went with something I know and trust.

Throughout my 24+ years of student ministry, about 85% to 90% of what I have taught to students I have written. Bible Studies, Series, stand alone lessons, retreats...I've even written a full vacation bible school curriculum. I have researched and studied, prepared and planned. And I have invested a great many hours in writing and creating. 

I've done this because I love it. I love working the creative juices and developing materials that lead students closer to God. But as I settle into my current ministry, I am quickly realizing that there are more things I want to do with and for my students. I'm juggling two programs; a Junior High Ministry, a High School Ministry, and I am teaching Sunday school. I have to recruit and build a leadership team. I need leaders and volunteers to work with students and help is other areas of the ministry.  And I am quickly picking up other responsibilities around the office and church. On top of this, I want to focus more time on being students. So the idea of writing curriculum is a bit overwhelming to say the list. 

Starting this January (2016), I will be using the Junior High LIVE Curriculum, by Simply Youth Ministry & Group Publishing. The LIVE Curriculum came out a number of years ago as an ongoing program for small groups that allowed youth workers and youth pastors to plan, schedule and share the teaching materials with their small group leaders. Being web-based made it easy for small group leaders to download the teaching materials and use them without the hassle of printing numerous copies and getting them to your leaders.

​The Junior High materials offer the user 2 years of teaching materials that build upon each other. You can simply go with their structure or rearrange to create a program unique to your group. I have already gone through the lessons and order them to suit our needs. I ordered and grouped a number of series together, left a few spaces open for holidays and events, and even scheduled a few fun nights along the way. By the time I was finished, I had planned our teaching calendar through 2018. With all of that done, I can now focus more time on caring for students and leaders, dream and cast vision, and build a stable, sustainable ministry for long-term ministry.

We've just started using the LIVE materials, and I am really excited. With the pressure of creating multiple lesson plan lifted, I am already finding myself with a little more time in my day. So far, I've really liked what we've used. And as I look at what's coming up, I am confident that our students with get great Bible teaching in fun and creative ways!

​I don't think I'll ever stop writing and created my own materials, but having the LIVE Curriculum around is a real help. So thanks to my friends over at Simply Youth Ministry, for creating a resource that I can trust and my leaders can use.

Check out the LIVE video below and see just how easy it is to simplify your planning. Click on the LIVE logo and learn how you can try the curriculum for 30 days, free!

​- 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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com!

So in my commitment to read more this year, I thought it might be a good idea to keep you updated with the books that I am currently reading. At the beginning of the year, I shared a blog post listing 20 books that I plan on reading in 2016. It's not an extensive list. I read in post somewhere where someone was planning to read 100 books in a year. That's not me. 20 is a good goal.

As we turned over the new year, I finished my study through the book, Sustainable Youth Ministry, by Mark DeVries. I say study, because more than simply reading it I studied it; like a text book. (But that's another blog.) My point is, with that book complete, I was ready to pick up titles for 2016.

I picked up Jeremiah's book, one because I really enjoy his teaching, insight, and wisdom. But I also knew I could trust his study, interruption and presentation of the topic. I am about halfway through the book and I can say, it was a great choice for the topic. I know there are a great number of books on the topic of angels, but what I really love and appreciate from Jeremiah is that everything he presents comes with a full Biblical support. Dr. David Jeremiah looks at what the bible presents as evidence for angels and angelic activity then explains it's impact, connection, and meaning. I'm using the book to outline for my student examples of angel encounters, not based on story or or modern day encounter (not that they may be true) but on Biblical testimony. I also plan on using the book to help give a little more understand of who angels are and what their role in God's story is.

We've got a ways to go in understanding who, what, and why angels exists, but at least I know my source is scripture and not someones ideas and thoughts.

Now, I'm just a couple chapters into the book, so I can speak with great authority just yet, but I can say, that Rick's approach to the idea that even smaller churches can support a thriving student ministry excites me. In my short time at my present location, I have already discovered that the student ministry is full of potential. With that discovery, I want to do the best I can to make sure we do all we can as we think about sustainable student ministry. So if learning how think smaller helps, then I am all in to learn what I can.

So I think I'm off to a good start; tackling two important topics. So far, both books are excellent in their own respects. Both books are easy reads. Both books are serving to expand my thinking, my training, and my ability to be a better youth pastor. And both books come very recommended!

- 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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com and www.TheGoodHusbandBlog.com!

One of our goals for 2016, is to share our family story with other families. We love the family, and how God has designed the family to work. And as a married team for the last, almost 20 years, we've decided to share our experiences and all that we've learned (and are still learning) with other parents and families.

Our hope is to not just talk to parents, but engage with them in an ongoing conversation through topics suggestions, questions, comments, and idea sharing. We don't claimed to be experts, simply a team who love Jesus, love our kids, and want to be the best parents God will help us be.

Our plan is to post a new, family vlog every Tuesday. Topics will be a mix of our own ideas and ideas that are shared by viewers.

Today's vlog starts with a comment shared by a viewer on how we met, then we share a change we've made in our Christmas Gift Giving practices.

Please take a few minutes to watch today's Family Vlog!

Thanks for watching!

We'd love for you to join our conversation. Please share your thoughts, comments and questions below or on our Youtube page.

​- 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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com and www.TheGoodHusbandBlog.com!

We're back! Another new year, and another fresh start for our student ministry. This past week we jumped into 2016 with both feet! I'm excited about what God is doing, and how He is leading us to doing something new.

Both groups this week kicked off new series. The High School Ministry launched a 6 week study utilizing the Jesus Centered Life materials put out as part of the LIVE Curriculum, published by Group. And our Junior High Ministry started the LIVE Junior High Ministry curriculum.

So let me just run down this past weeks student gatherings for you.

High School Ministry :: Tuesday Night
Game Time: Volleyball (we had a smaller than usual group out this week)
Snack: Cupcakes, chips, soda, water, coffee drinks (we're so healthy)
Announcements: We had 3 announcements
  - Winter Retreat, February 26-28, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - 2016 Winter Jam, January 30, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - After Dark, February 5, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
Teaching Message:
  - The Jesus Centered Life, Week 1
     - Who Do You Say I Am?
Total Student Count: 12

Junior High Ministry :: Wednesday Night
Game Time: Steal the Bacon (we went old school on our students)
Snack: Cupcakes and drinks
Announcements: We had 3 announcements
  - Winter Retreat, February 26-28, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - After Dark, February 5, 2016 [ CLICK HERE ]
  - A Baby Sitting Service Opportunity
Teaching Message:
  - Who is God? Introduction Week.
Total Student Count: 38

Later next week I plan on sharing why I decided to go with the LIVE Curriculum, along with some thoughts on how we are planning to use the materials with our students. So be sure to check in next week!

Thanks for stopping by.

What are you teaching as you start the new year? Share in the comments below!

- jay

The 2016 Winter Jam Tour is coming to Pittsburgh! 10 artists. $10 at the door!
The line up is amazing! Check out the promo video and the flier below!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Console Energy Center!
Doors Open @ 6:00 p.m. // Show begins @ 6:45 p.m.
http://2016.jamtour.com

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 caring for the hearts of husbands. You can learn more about their ministry to the family and husband by visiting their family blog at, www.TheHighamFamily.com and www.TheGoodHusbandBlog.com!