About ten years ago, Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren was published. It would later become a best seller and influence the lives of millions. Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. His youth pastor Doug Fields, wrote the book Purpose Driven Youth Ministry.

Here’s the description from Doug Field’s site.

Doug Fields wrote Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry to communicate what he believes are the key ingredients to building a vibrant youth ministry that glorifies God and changes kids lives. The book outlines the essentials for building a healthy, youth ministry that is purpose-driven. If you are passionate about building a ministry that fulfills the five scriptural goals of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and worship, you will discover a proven, team approach that reduces burnout and incorporates the strengths of the church as a whole. The book is a flexible and exhaustive approach to building a healthy youth ministry based on nine components

• Power of God
• Purpose
• Potential Audience
• Programs
• Process
• Planned Values
• Participating Leaders
• Parents
• Perseverance

If you are a VCYC officer, a youth involved in the church looking to understand the difference between ministry and activity, a youth director or pastor, I highly recommend that you purchase this book. You are bound to walk away with several nuggets that will shape your youth ministry strategy and make you more intentional about youth ministry structures! Frame your faith.

Vajaah
VCYC President

“Hey there! VCYC is using Twitter. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Join today to start receiving VCYC’s updates.”

The Varick International Christian Youth Council is now micro-blogging on Twitter. Stay up to date with Winter Meeting information, share your ideas, get uplifting tweets, youth ministry ideas, scripture blurbs and more! Are you on Twitter? Follow us! We’ll follow you!

Can you tweet a sermon in 140 words? We’re going to try!
Don’t know anything about Twitter? Look at the bottom of this page to see our updates!
@vcyc

Annually, at the Christian Education Department Winter Meeting a monetary award is given through the Varick International Christian Youth Council in celebration of the life of Roosevelt L. Thompson.

Roosevelt L. Thompson, the son of Rev. and Mrs. C.R. Thompson, was born on January 28, 1952, in Little Rock, Arkansas. There he attended Central High School where he excelled academically, achieving remarkably high scores on the National Merit Exam and receiving the distinction of being named a Presidential Scholar. Roosevelt was extremely active in the community and served as a leader for the student body, on newspaper staffs, and as the governor of Boys State.

After graduation, he matriculated at Yale where he continued to add to his legacy of scholastic achievement, service, and overall success. There he majored in history and political science with plans to still further his education abroad at Oxford University in England. While at Yale, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa scholastic fraternity and a recipient of the widely renowned Truman and Rhodes scholarships. Additionally, he headed service programs in New Haven and counseled college freshmen.

Roosevelt, a member of Payne Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church was also the parliamentarian of the National Christian Youth Council of the A.M.E. Zion Church. On March 22, 1984, Roosevelt L. Thompson died in an automobile collision traveling from Arkansas back to Connecticut, and it is in the honor of scholastic achievement, leadership, and service of which he was committed to in life, that the Varick International Christian Youth council makes available an award.

Ready to apply? Download and share the application.
RLTAwardApp2009.pdf

We’re rounding out this Christian Education Quadrennial in Dallas TX! The VCYC Executive Committee is looking forward to this meeting and we began thinking about the framework a week after the last Winter Meeting!

If you don’t have all the information that you need, then don’t forget that the Christian Education Department of the A.M.E. Zion Church has a SEPARATE website for its meetings! Check it out –> www.cedevents.org!

Winter Meetings, without winter weather! Yes!
I’ll see you in Dallas!