ONLINE YOUTH Group WEEK 3 - MINISTRY RECAP

We had our third week of online youth group. It's feels like with each week I learn something new. Last week I tested a new software that allowed me to run our program on Facebook like a slide show. The software integrates video, images, live camera feeds, and audio while streaming. I will share the software in tomorrows blog post. In the meantime, here's a quick rundown of Tuesday Nights student gathering.

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Date: Tuesday, March 31ST, 2020
Theme for the Night: C3Students LIVE
Series Title: The God of Great Things
Message Title: The God of Great Things.

Countdown Video: 
 - Star Wars Would You Rather Countdown - DYM.

Welcome Video: 
​ - I welcomed everyone to our Facebook LIVE and gave a few minutes for everyone to say, "hey"!
 - I started a new bit to encourage students to utilize the chat feature and interact with our leaders and each other. It's the Question of the Night! This weeks question was, "What are you missing most during the quarantine?" I had the students put their answers in the comments in capital letters so they stick out. I then checked and read the answers throughout the first half of our program.

Announcements:
 - On The Back Porch With Jay Higham, ZOOM Drop In.
 - Holy Week Hang Out, Daily Bible Readings on Instagram starting Palm Sunday.
 - C3Students Online for Tuesday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook,
 - Encouraged everyone to stay connected through social media.

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Game:
​ - Story Charades: I picked up Story Charades from DYM. I modified the slides to fit our screen, and put 10 phrases on screen for the students to act out, record, and text to me. We offered a $10 Chick-fil-A gift card as the prize and told everyone that to win, they had to submit all 10 videos. We would then take the 10 videos, review them, drop them into a montage, and post for everyone to see. The winner would be picked using the following criteria;

• participation and submission of all ten phrases,
• creativity,
• usage of props, and
• overall Charade ability.

 - The students (and leaders) did a great job. You can see our video montage by clicking here; C3Students Story Charades.

WATCH OUR STORY CHARADES MONTAGE

Worship:
 - This week we added the element of worship to our online gathering. I asked our Student Worship Leader to record a video of her leading a worship song. I was then able to drop the video into our program. You can see the video below.

Message:
 - The God of Great Things.
 - Tonight we talked about the God of Great Things. I started by highlighting some of the things we see God doing in scripture, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. I said that it's easy to see what has done when we look in the Bible and read the stories, but sometimes it's a little more difficult to see God doing great things now, especially in light of what's happening right now (Covid'19). 

 - To help the student see the great things God is doing, I asked some of my leaders to share a time when God showed up and did something great in their lives. Three leaders sent me their stories on video. They were perfect. I dropped them into our program and we were set.

 - After our program ended, we invited the students to join us for an After Show gathering on Zoom. A handful of kids popped in to chat. It was a test-case for next week as I attempt to offer an opportunity for students to connect with a small group.

 - A change I made for this week was to record my message, well, at least the first 10 minutes of my message. The three testimonies totaled about 15 minutes (approximately 5 minutes each). The last couple of weeks I've felt like I was rushing the message time. So I decided to record it. This allowed me to be relaxed, focused and less rushed. It made for a more enjoyable and fun experience. I was able to focus more on the students and interact with them in the comments.

watch our student gathering

It was another great night with our students and leaders. This weeks success is driving me to keep improving what we're doing. I am looking for new ways to engage and interact with our students. And, I'm anxious to try out small groups in Zoom. I'll let you know how it goes!

 - jay
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Meet Jay...

Jay Higham is a veteran youth worker of almost 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 Covenant Community Church, in Wheeling, WV. Jay has been married to Amy for over 21 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.

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