Don't Lose Them!

If you have attended Shabbat Service at our congregation you probably noticed that the children stay with their parents during the service time. This is because we do not hold Shabbat School or have a nursery. This is one of the unique qualities of our community and one that we have been criticized for. We believe that this is one of the essential elements in keeping our children in the Church once they become young adults.

There's a new book out by the president of the Barna Group, David Kinnaman, called You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church...and Rethinking Faith. For the past five years the Barna Group has been researching young adults who have dropped out of the Church in order to find the reasons why. This book is a summary of what they learned and some suggestions on how not to lose them in the future.

I haven't read the book yet, but I have read a sample chapter, some book reviews and some related articles. From what I've heard and read, it seems it all boils down to building and maintaining relationships with the young people in the Church and helping them to feel like they are part of the community. This is precisely what we are trying to achieve by keeping the children in the entire service and allowing them to participate.

Below is a suggestion from a ministry leader that supports our position. This idea was posted on the Ideas for Finding a Generation page in the youlostmebook.com website.

Share the Youth Ministry Load

Young people need to feel connected in authentic relationship with as many mature Christians as possible. For too long we have been fooled into believing that hiring a cool youth pastor and a dynamic children’s director will be enough to create transformed, life-long disciples in our kids.

Relationships that are built in age-segregated church compartments result in graduating high school students who have no significant relationships to call them back to the Body. Why would they want to come to a place where no one even knows their name? Instead, we need to teach entire congregation how to become a vital part of the ministry to our children and youth so that real, face-to-face, authentic, life-long Christian relationships can grow between the generations. A congregational commitment to do whatever it takes to raise our children in the faith must begin with the senior pastor and flow out to every adult in the body!

What if we started by hanging a mirror in the church entry with “Our Youth Pastor” in large letters printed on the top so that whenever any adult looked in the mirror they would see their own reflection?

Lorraine Frey

Educator, leader and trainer for The LOGOS Ministry

Related Links:

You Lost Me,
By David Kinnaman

Five Myths about Young Adult Church Dropouts,
November 16, 2011, The Barna Group

What Teens Aspire to Do in Life, How Churches Can Help,
June 14, 2011, The Barna Group

New Research Explores How Different Generations View and Use the Bible,
October 19, 2009, The Barna Group



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Gearing Up For Chanukah

Chanukah 2010
Michaela (12), Aaron (4), Miryam (6), Isaac (8),  Maya (10)

It seems like the Moedim ended just yesterday and now Chanukah is right around the corner. It will be here before we know it. Time goes by so fast nowadays. I can’t believe we’ve been walking in Torah for 11 years now. My oldest is now 13 years old. We began our Torah journey when she was two. My children only know and remember a Torah lifestyle. Baruch Hashem. You could say that we are pioneers in our family. We are starting a new way of life and set of traditions for our children. Can we pull it off?

All of the ‘adult’ Israelites that Adonai brought out of Egypt, died in the wilderness. They never saw the Promised Land because of their sin. Their children, however, who came out of Egypt and those born in the wilderness, were able to enter the Promised Land with Joshua. However, once Joshua and this generation died, the next generation fell away from Adonai. The Scriptures say that they “did not know the LORD or the work that He had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10) How could they not know Adonai or His work? Because they did not witness the wonders that Adonai did in Egypt or in the wilderness; and their parents must not have taught them.

This fact inspires me to continue to diligently teach our children about Adonai and His Son, Yeshua. I pray that our children walk in His ways all of the days of their lives. I pray that they continue these traditions and pass them along to their children and their children’s children. We’ve been given a multigenerational faith. We’ve got to live it if we are going to pass it on and keep it alive.

“For I have chosen him,

that he may command his children and his household after him

to keep the way of the LORD

by doing righteousness and justice…”

- Genesis 18:19 (ESV)

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Comic Book Maps and Such

Baxter Building Cutaway - Fantastic Four #3

I stumbled upon a blog, Comic Book Cartography : A Collection of Maps and Diagrams, and I've spent some time looking at the images and reminiscing about my old comic book collection. The blog only has about nine pages and I don't think it is being updated anymore; but the pages it does have are filled with cool maps, cut-aways and diagrams. I used to get lost in drawing diagrams like this when I was a kid. I had a roll of butcher paper and would tack a long strip on my bedroom wall. I'd recuit my brother and some friends to spend hours with me drawing our own worlds or crazy inventions. I think I'm going to show this blog to my boys.



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Paul Wilbur at Beth Abraham

I've been to a Church in the City event in their old building and I saw the old BMH synagogue before it was refurbished; but I have not been inside it since it was finished. We recently went to Shabbat Service at Beth Abraham for the first time. Beth Abraham started their Shabbat services in the refurbished synagogue a few weeks after were started meeting in the famed The White Building. We've been so busy for the past three years that we've never made it down there to see it. Anyway, I met Pastor Stew and he invited us to the Paul Wilbur concert this Friday. We will probably go, even though we just saw him at Roeh, because Bubbe is a huge Paul Wilbur fan and when he's in town, she's there. Anyway...

In case you've never been to the refurbished Beth Abraham synagogue, let me tell you, it is an awesome facility! Check it out - click on the photos below to see a larger view:

The historic BMH synagogue is refurbished.

The windows and the lights are originals! 

If you've never been, what better time to go and see this beautiful facility than when Paul Wilbur is in concert? They've got a pretty good sound system too!

Paul Wilbur : Concert in the CityFriday, November 4th, 2011
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Admission is FREE

Church in The City - Beth Abraham1580 Gaylord Street
Denver Co 80206

Rock Shabbat at Beth Abraham! When ya see me at the show, ya better holla at me!

Related Articles:
Denver church restores synagogue, Denver Post (03/28/09)
Then, BMH; now . . .church in the city, Intermountain Jewish News (11/20/08)



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The Pagan Origins of Thanksgiving?

The Four Turkeys of the Apocalypse?

In my previous post about the pagan roots of Easter, Christmas, Valentines Day, and Halloween I thought it was safe to make the following statement:

"Unlike Independence Day and Thanksgiving,

the origins of these four holidays have pagan roots."

But a few folks on facebook said that I was 'ignorant' for believing that the roots of Independence Day (4th of July) and Thanksgiving were not pagan. I thought it was a joke but they were serious and very passionate about their position. One of them hopes that God will have mercy on me because of my ignorance. Another said ignorance is no excuse. Uh-boy.

I don't have time to address this, but I did find an article that does address Thanksgiving:

Is Thanksgiving Day Really Pagan? (PDF, 102 KB)
by William F. Dankenbring

I don't know who the author is or what his other beliefs are; but after I skimmed this document I thought it was a good analysis and response to the claim that the origins of Thanksgiving are pagan.

As far as the 4th of July is concerned—I cannot fathom the idea that anyone would consider the commemoration of the independence of our nation as pagan. It simply boggles my mind, but as I found out, there are folks out there who really do believe this. In my opinion, this is so far off the mark it doesn't even qualify as straining a gnat.



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