The Vision Blitz

Starting in January of 2008, the Overflow Student Ministries will be making a push to emphasize the idea and vision behind OSM, as well as the WATER concept that keeps it on track. The project will be - for a lack of better words - a media blitz that will involve the students, leaders and parents creating awareness of OSM's ministry to students in the church and the community.

The project has actually started, with the students' coming up with a new logo. The logo contest started last week Sunday and will run until Sunday, November 11, after which the students will vote on the logo they feel should represent the student ministry. As a litlte bit of added incentive, the prize for the new logo will be a gift book from Consolidated Theatres.

We will use this logo on publicity materials and promotional items that will help to keep the Overflow and WATER concepts in front of us, reminding us of why we do what we do in the OSM. Some of these items may include a visitor gift package, t-shirts, WATER bottles, pens, event flyers, mailouts, posters and banners.

One of the ideas that's being tossed around is having the Vision Blitz launched at Cornerstone the very first Sunday of the year, with the students handing out WATER bottles that have the OSM logo and WATER acronym printed on them. And, that would only be the beginning. There's talk of an Extreme Makeover... you know, Youth Room Edition...

Vacation, postponed activities, upcoming activities, etc.

Here are some updates on things that are coming up:

1. I'll be on vacation from October 21 to 27. There will be no Creative Arts Team on Wed., Oct. 24, but there WILL be Wednesday night Bible Study. Thanks to KT Brown, who will be leading out that evening!

2. Reserve the Veteran's Day holiday for a possible trip to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. We're trying to get all the details, but we do know that active-duty military members will be able to get in free, and dependents do have to pay. But, what we are trying to confirm is how much (full price or half-price) and how much civilians have to pay.

3. We will soon be exploring options for a new logo for the student ministries. This logo will be placed on much of the promotional material, as well as some personalized items, that goes out from the ministry. We may even have the students come up with it themselves! Stay tuned!

4. The Creative Arts Team will soon be sharing some special music on the first Sunday in November in both worship services. If you'd like to join them in sharing "Made to Worship" by Chris Tomlin, we meet every Wednesday at 5.30 in the youth room. Also, soon afterwards, we will be sharing another skit, sometime in November, hopefully.

An Overflowing Vision

(The following is the full version of an article that will be published in the November 2007 newsletter of Cornerstone Fellowship Mililani Mauka)

Since the close of an eventful summer this year, the youth, parents and leaders of the Overflow Student Ministries met on several different occasions, sharing with each other their impressions of what God is doing in the lives of students and their families at Cornerstone. Through surveys and face-to-face meetings, we all are getting a little better idea of where the ministry is heading.

One Sunday morning we had 17 students fill out a survey with questions in all kinds of categories – God, family, friends, church, self-esteem, etc. – and responses of course varied.

But, when asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the youth group, some of the common responses included that though we have good, easy-to-understand Bible studies and great leaders, we need to work more on bringing in more students with outside activities and interactive discussions. Activities that the students wanted to see more of included camps, movie nights, lock-in’s, theme park and concerts.

The leaders met at their regular monthly meeting on September 15, and we all met with the parents following the Sunday morning worship service on September 16th. Both groups were asked a simple question: What do we want our students to look like, after they have been through the youth ministry and have become adults? Responses were remarkably similar between the two groups.

There was a desire for students to first of all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Then, a firm foundation in Christ is crucial, as well as a faith that becomes their own. As adults, they will be able to make wise, godly decisions and stay connected with others in the church and in ministry.

A follow-up question was then asked: What is necessary in order to see that vision come to life? A vital part of that is earnest prayer for the students. Also critical to achieving that vision is having students interact with others that live out their faith, whether that was in church or in the public eye. Developing student leaders and providing parents with resources were other common responses.

It was obvious that there was a great vision that was being cast, and there was a need to carefully consider all of what was being mentioned. To turn the student ministry into what we had discussed would be a great undertaking and more discussion would have to take place.

So, the leaders met once again, as did the parents. As a result, the vision was honed just a little further, and this is what it looks like:

The vision of the student ministries at Cornerstone is that the student will gain a firm foundation and personal faith in Christ that will enable him or her to make godly decisions as an adult who makes an impact on the world.

Program-wise, by this time next year, we can see about 40 students coming regularly to Sunday morning Small Groups. There will be at least one fellowship gathering a month, as well one service project just as frequently.
One of the major elements of this vision, however, is that there will be a student leadership team in place who will eventually become the front-runners of the student ministry.

That leads us to the spiritual aspect of the vision. We can certainly see having an active core of at least 20 students, as well as a good number of emerging student leaders and campus missionaries.

The acronym WATER – Witness (evangelism), Ally (fellowship), Treat (service), Equip (discipleship), and Revere (worship) – will serve as the very essence of the Overflow Student Ministries, as it helps to keep all our activities and events on track.

There will be many different activities and events that will go into seeing the vision become a reality. Some of them are well-known and familiar, such as the 30-Hour Famine, SURGE, and the regular Bible studies. But, there are other possibilities on the slate, such as adopting the district park facilities, a WATER blitz, and an extreme makeover of the youth room!

The next several months will be an exciting time, as God stretches, challenges and grows us into the student ministry He wants us to be!

For more on the Overflow Student Ministries, check out http://www.overflowstudents.org/.