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What would compel a group of adults, most in there 40’s, to spend the weekend with a bunch of teenagers? Not only that, but to be limited to only a couple hours of sleep each night. Plus be willing to go amongst a couple thousand teenagers—fully aware of the potential smell. I will share what is the sacred payoff for youth workers and volunteers, because you are investing in our youth.

This weekend was our annual Christian concert weekend at Rock the Universe at Universal Studios in Orlando. With the exception of the year of the hurricanes, we have participated in this event every year. Some have questioned the value of taking the youth to a “concert.”

The folks at Universal Studios would not release the total number in attendance, not even for this newsletter or the council report. However, with considerable badgering, they did say that I would be correct in reporting that it was in the thousands. So what is the value of having our youth be in a place to witness thousands of other youth singing praises to God and Jesus? Or the value of hearing life-changing messages from talented and gifted musicians that have sold platinum albums. This is certainly in opposition to the messages they receive from MTV.

For instance, in a song by Jeremy Camp, there was a geography question, “Just how far is the East from the West?” The answer to the question: “one scarred hand to another.”

One musician said a prayer that “we all be bold to the gospel, Lord show us your glory.” Here are some messages our kids received during this weekend event:

• “If you don’t have God, you don’t have anything.”
• “It is a reminder God is still there with me.” (that is from a college student who came down to join us)
• “Seeing all those people into Jesus and all types of people into Jesus.”
• “One song can change a life.”
• “Nothing else matters but God.”
• “God is a wonderful artist, God made a masterpiece of me”.
• A favorite message and prayer that touched an individual
  student.

I witnessed a lonely teenager that the Holy Spirit spoke directly to. I saw him weep with release as he began to experience God’s amazing grace. I held back my emotions as I received sacred pay off only available for those who do this ministry. I got to witness the Holy Spirit at work many times during this weekend. During a Third Day (one of the featured bands) concert, there were thousands of hands in the air releasing their burdens and receiving the blessing as they were singing the name of Jesus. The music stopped and nothing was heard but the sound of thousands of teenagers singing the name of Jesus— with their heads bowed and their hands lifted up. This was such a powerful sound that flooded the crowd with the Holy Spirit. Even without the light sprinkle, the pavement would have been wet with the tears of a thousand teenagers and adults. This is the sacred payoff for us — we get to witness to the work of the Holy Spirit transforming the hearts of these students! The voices of thousands of teenagers praising God and giving glory to Jesus—for that moment had to drive the devil away so that a moment could bring peace to the troubled soul.

Having witnessed this weekend and seeing our youth in that environment, a price or value cannot be put on this event. In the lives of our young people, it was priceless!

4 Given,
Jimmy Smith,
Director of Youth Ministry

June/July News

Extraordinary things are happening for us in youth ministry. By the time most of you read this we will be on our way for the first mission trip done by the youth of this congregation. In some ways this seems to be a momentous occasion! On the other hand this is what we have been about all along. When the council changed titles to mission teams, did they know it would be a step in this direction? At the time the Congregation called Jim and later Pastor Shelly, did they know it would be a step in this direction? As Bonnie stepped up to be our parish nurse, did she know that her son would be doing a mission trip? Did the volunteers in the office and around the church, who play a key part in passing on a “vibrant faith” along with all the ministries and mission teams, know we were all working together to send us all on a mission, not just our youth group?

All of us have our own mission field. Our workplace, the places we find recreation, and most importantly our homes. Let’s start with the most important of these, our children; we have an obligation to raise Godly children. This current generation may not be able to relate to words like duty, delayed gratification, or self sacrifice, but the recent coaching session with Paul Hill reminded me “faith is caught not taught.”

We often hear media define Christians in a negative way. We bring so much of this on ourselves. For instance, we would just as soon put down another denomination than to stand up for unborn children, or the fact that divorce is as high in the church as it is in the unchurched. Remember the readings from recent Sundays about the fruit. That is what will define us.

We don’t have all the answers, to pretend we do takes away from what we do have. Grace, for when we screw up. Faith, for when we don’t know the outcome or the answers. Love, as the cornerstone. This mission trip is the fruit! The fruit is from parents raising Godly children, and for a congregation who steps up to help. It’s the fruit of those who are financially blessed and their hard work being used to help pay for things like this. It’s the fruit of our tithing, and it’s the fruit of a committed and hardworking staff, both paid and volunteers. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who put it on a young girl’s heart to want to push her and her peers into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who is working to accomplish this. It will be the fruit of this congregation on display for some folks in West Virginia who have only heard of Our Savior Lutheran in Vero Beach from the occasional phone call back home.

In addition, the youth are helping us with the worship at Horizon Bay assisted living facility. We have many of other things going on. Wow, I can’t even imagine what God has in store for us!


4 Given,
Jimmy Smith

River Rat Ramble 2009 Pictures

River Rat Ramble is coming along. We have a convoy of six vehicles, and thirty-eight people going. To me, it looks like we’re planning a small invasion. Soon as the vans pull up, all those kids flood out after being cooped up for the trip. Now more than ever we are using those camps scholarship dollars. Thank you for helping send some kids. It is one less burden for the families that are struggling right now, knowing that their kids don’t have to miss out on this mountain top experience.

While I’ve been through tough times before, it’s harder for me now because I am the daddy, the title that holds the most weight and reward. When I compare the things I know about God with the things I don’t, it seems I know very little. But I do hold to idea that God knows what it is to be a father. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray what was the first line? I have faith in God the father. I choose faith over fear, not blindly
but based on historical references of my own life. Remember where faith has led you and where fear has led you. (Sola Fida, “Faith alone,” was the motto of the reformation). That faith leads us on.

Planning for the mission trip to West Virginia is moving forward. Our chaperones are lined up and our youth are ready to go. In addition we are trying to coordinate with some churches in West Virginia to see if their youth group will help. We are in the process of pricing materials. For the porch we prefer the composite recycled material over the pressure treated wood because of its durability. However, we don’t like the price difference! Yet I have learned when doing these kind of things, it’s ok to dream God-size dreams, not Jimmy-size dreams. That, I must say, is one of the benefits of the job. I get to see a glimpse of God doing the extraordinary above and beyond my ability to imagine it. Notice I said imagine not thought, my ability to imagine exceeds my ability to think. (Or so I was told in school.) Ideally, we would like to purchase the materials and have them delivered.
Lowes is one hour away while Home Depot is four hours away. Plan B is to trailer the needed supplies in.

Another important aspect to the mission trip is prayer. I was reminded how every day while the family was at Wartburg, some folks would come by the church and pray for us. I would ask that our church pray for us as well. We, in turn, will have a team of prayer warriors, and we will do a prayer walk where we walk and pray throughout the hollow. It works!

I wish you could get inside my head and see how this trip will help our youth develop into Christian leaders and deepen their faith. I wish you could get inside my head and see how this will impact a family and even a community. I wish you could get inside my head and see what this will do for youth group and youth ministry. Ok everybody out of my head… it is crowded in there! Even though this is by far the toughest thing we as a
youth group have tackled, I am excited! I want Our Savior Lutheran, Vero Beach, to be excited by what we are doing! We’ve been working toward this for years. It is a good thing that we have a healthy church that can send us out!!! If you have any questions about this or anything else regarding youth ministry ask me, or better yet ask a youth.

4 Given,
Jimmy Smith

River Rat Ramble

Youth Group is in full swing once again, with 20 kids hanging out with us on our first night back from the Christmas break. We have had a lot of new youth show up. Some are friends of the kids that normally attend and some are new to the church. Also, the group from Sebastian keeps getting bigger and bigger. If this keeps up, the Esleboughs are going to need a tour bus. The Wednesday night dinner helps get kids to attend. All of this good Christian fellowship is helping to strengthen our youth group and our congregation.

River Rat looks to be huge for us again this year. We expect this to be another record setting year. Typically, River Rat is the highlight of the year. However, this year we are working on something additional for our high school youth. We are working on developing spiritual maturity and leadership. We are in the planning stages of taking them on a mission trip.

We will be heading to West Virginia this summer. Instead of the typical high school camp we opted to do a mission trip. Our high school kids are ready; the years of doing Youth in Action have certainly helped prepare them. The family we will be helping out is the Muncy family. Bill Muncy is an out of work coal miner. After having triple bypass surgery a few years ago and now battling cancer in the kidney, he is unable to return to work. He will have it removed prior to our trip. He has a daughter Sasha, who is in the 8th grade. He has been married to Ruthie, well, for as long as I can remember. The Muncy’s home survived the flood a few years ago. When organizations came in after the flood, he deferred their help to other folks in the hollow. The porch needs to be replaced and preferably a less steep set of stairs. The siding is falling off and missing in some places. The bottom floor still needs to be dug out again. He is still a little reluctant to take some help. One of the reasons he is willing to is because of his wife and daughter. He wants to get some stuff done in case the surgery doesn’t get the cancer. The other reason is because he knows what it will mean for our kids.

Times are hard. Some say they are the hardest we’ve been through in two or three generations. There are people we sit next to who are losing their homes and/or jobs. I learned how to deal with hard times up in “the hollow”. We were poor—we just didn’t know we were. Faith and family were priorities. Exercising our faith in action together as a team and meeting people like the Muncy family will be a wonderful experience. While there is a great value to be in a place worshiping with thousands of Christians like Rock the Universe, going back in “the hollow” and God with their hands will be an experience that these youth cannot get anywhere else.

In addition, this will bring hope to the hollow. But hope is not a good word for the folks I know up there. Hope doesn’t require action, as in: “I hope I win the Lottery” or “I hope I beat this cancer.” That’s different than “I pray God helps me through this, but either way I know He’s in control”. Maybe we can bring our faith in action— encouragement from seeing some kids from a church 900 miles away, responding to the love of Jesus, reminding them of what it means to be the church.

4 Given,
Jimmy Smith