Youth
Message from our Youth Director: Click on blue link:
Hi parents!
This has been a unique time for all of us, and I'm sure for many of you the shutdown of schools and businesses has resulted in stresses above and beyond normal life. The closure of your students' schools undoubtedly has a major impact on your family and family life. I have been thinking of all of you and praying for you as this season has gone on. I have also been working to consider options for supporting you and supporting your students during this period where direct in-person contact must be kept to a minimum. I have talked with other youth leaders who are dealing with the same issues and sought information from them on ideas for moving forward!
To that end I want to do two things. First, I want to share some thoughts on how to connect our youth to me and to one another. Second, I want to ask you for ideas you have on what would be most beneficial for your students and for your family as a whole during this time.
One, I want to remind all of you that parents and students have open access to me and to one another through the Slack App we have set up. If you have not registered on the app, or your student is not yet on the app, please see the attached file for more information. Also, please contact me through my email or phone number to get set up or for more info!
We set up this application for our communication in order to avoid the pitfalls of open and insecure social media use, as well as to increase transparency and accessibility for parents. Keeping our youth safe online is a priority for me, and Slack is a helpful tool for decreasing risks normally associated with social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Tik-Tok.
Two, I would like to set up a live chat with students where we can do a youth group lesson and conversation together as we would at a normal youth meeting. I am looking into what tools would be most useful for this.
Three, I would like to reach out to students individually over Slack, phone, or video communication in the following weeks. Due to technology differences, this may need to be done on different apps (e.g. Facetime for iPhone users, Duo for android apps, Skype, etc). I am looking into the best way to do this, and I would love to hear feedback from you on how best to reach your child.
Four, I would like to reach out to you, parents, directly and individually to check in on how your student is doing and how your family is doing. This is an avenue for me to gain insight into how best to care for your youth as well as how to pray for your families! Each of us has specific hardships, especially during this time, and if there are ways I am able to help you individually I would love to.
Five, I would like to provide your students and your family as a whole resources for doing family worship together. In a season where normal options for corporate worship are limited, family worship becomes even more important for us. I hope to furnish you with resources and assistance in planning and enjoying family worship time.
Finally, I want to ask you to comment on what would be most helpful and beneficial for you and your students during this season! Every student is unique, and every family is unique. Some of your students may be mostly bored, others mostly anxious; some may be relishing the alone time, others squirming to get out and see friends; some families may be celebrating the slowing down of life, while others may be feeling the pressure and discomfort of having so many people to care for individually. Wherever you and your family are right now, I hope that both myself and the church can be of service. We care about you and want to meet you where you are, and this extends to your students too.
I continue to pray for you and look forward to connecting with you more in the near future. Again, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions, comments, prayer requests, or anything else.
In your service,
Will Osborn
