Newsletter Articles
Youth Ministries by Shawn Sislo
09/22/2009 -
July 2010
The Authentic Worshiper
Recently during our Activ8 Wednesday night services I talked about what it means to be an Authentic Worshiper. The word authentic means “not false or not an imitation.”
Our first goal in Activ8 Youth Ministry is to introduce students to God. We want to connect our students with God. Why? Because God is the key to authentic faith. Those who worship other god’s are not authentic worshipers because the gods they worship are not authentic…they are imitations of the real God. The God of the Holy Bible is the only one true authentic God. He is not a false god or an imitation of another god. He is God, and it is He we worship.
Let me suggest to you 6 signs of an Authentic Worshiper:
1. Praise
An Authentic Worshiper is one who is full of praise. It doesn’t matter how this person feels, he praises God for who He is and not for what He can do. Authentic Worshipers seek God’s face and not His hand.
2. Prayer
An Authentic Worshiper is a person of prayer. They believe prayer is the greatest untapped resource of the Church, and they use it. They believe prayer makes the difference.
3. Humility
An Authentic Worshiper is a humble person. They do not “think of themselves more highly than they ought (Romans 12:3).” They recognize that God is God and they are merely man.
4. Meditation
An Authentic Worshiper is one who loves the Word of God. I believe your love for God is shown by how much you love the Word of God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The word “Word” is capitalized and is talking about Jesus. If you love Jesus you will love the Word of God.
5. Commitment
Christ was committed to the cross for us from the very beginning (1 Peter 1:20). An Authentic Worshiper understands that reasonable worship is giving God a commitment to love and serve Him until his dying breath.
6. Transformation
When we worship God with everything we have and with all we are transformation will take place in our lives. We will not be the same. Our lives will be transformed from the inside out.
This is the type of worshiper I want to be.
What about you?
June 2010
All We Have Is Now
Well, it’s official. I’ve got one month under my belt, and it went by fast. It’s been a month of getting settled in, learning new things in the office, running youth services, planning events, attending events, going to meetings, having meetings, spending time with family and friends, and much more. The month of May flew by and here we are at the beginning of a new month. As time seems to fly by I’m reminded that All I Have Is Now.
Yesterday is gone. It’s history. Tomorrow is coming, and yet, we are not guaranteed tomorrow. All We Have Is Now. I’m not saying to live for the moment and ignore the consequences. I’m saying to live in the moment and receive the blessings that come with it. Don’t wish a day away. I have a habit to look toward the future and forget to live in the moment, and as a result I miss an opportunity to impact someone and make a difference.
If I could sum up in one sentence what I am trying to say it would be this: “Live like Christ is coming back today, plan like He’s coming in 50 years.” I think that approach reminds us that today could be our last, and we need to be ready and enjoy the moment we are living in. But it also reminds us to prepare for the future…to invest in the younger generation…to support the work of missionaries…to be connected in a local church.
In our fast pace culture, most often we are trying to get all that we need to get done so our future will be better off. That is very important. But don’t forget to live in the moment and enjoy the time you have today. Remember, All You Have Is Now. Tomorrow is a gift. What can you do with the little moments you have now?
May 2010
Youth Ministries!
Develop, Equip and Reach! The title of this article is my personal life mission statement. My mission is my compass and it helps me to remember what I was created to do. Let me explain my mission statement, but first let me quote Ephesians 4:11-12 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Develop disciples and leaders: Christ commanded us to make disciples. I don’t think he meant for us to develop a 100 different discipleship programs and hope disciples are made. I think we miss what Christ was asking us to do. We should really look at the discipleship process Christ used on His disciples, and use that method, however, that’s a topic for another article. On the other hand, I believe Spiritual leaders are developed out of becoming a disciple of Christ. My goal is to first develop disciples, then to develop them to be powerful leaders in their sphere of influence.
Equip disciples and leaders: There are two parts of “preparing God’s people for works of service (v.12)” First, we must develop disciples and leaders, then we must equip them. If we achieve the disciple and leader making, but fail to equip disciples and leaders to do all they can to expand the Kingdom of God, then we haven’t done our whole job. What do I mean by equipping? Equip with our time, with finances, or with any other resource we have that can help them. My goal is to prepare disciples and leaders by equipping them with resources that will help them achieve what God wants them to do.
Reach the lost: The last command Christ gave before ascending into heaven was to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15).” This one doesn’t take any explaining. All of us are commanded to reach the lost. I have made this a part of my personal life mission statement because I believe the lost are very close to the heart of God. I have a passion for world missions, and this passion I hope will be ignited in the hearts of the students in Activ8 as well as the adults of Central.
Develop, Equip and Reach. This is my mission. I’m very grateful for Levi and Emily, and how they have served Activ8 with excellence. I have been looking forward, for some time now, in joining the youth leaders as we together serve students in our community. I’m also excited about coming along side Pastor Tom, and helping him accomplish his vision for Central Assembly of God.
See you around. Shawn Sislo
All of the articles below were written by Levi La Porte...Our interim director of Youth Ministries at the time they were written.
April 2010
Activ8YM
www.yausa.com/campusmissionary
facebook.com/activ8ym
It seems like just a short time ago that Pastor Tom approached my wife Emily and I with the prospect of leading our youth here at Central Assembly. God placed the burden in our heart and when this situation presented itself, we knew that God was opening a door for us to serve Him and His people here in Superior. We’ve spent several amazing months serving as the leaders of Activ8 Youth Ministry. We will soon have new leadership under Shawn and Carolina Sislo. Emily, myself and our faithful youth leaders will continue to mentor our youth in their relationships with Jesus, and prayerfully, as a result, they will live a life that will reach a lost world. I believe that Activ8ym, like the rest of our congregation here at CAG, is hungry and ready to grow in our ministries. These ministries don’t run themselves though, they require laborers. I’m encouraged to see laborers alongside me in ministry every week as they walk in to our youth room and serve our kids. Katie Moench, Elizabeth Reichert, Dave and Emily Hammersborg, Marie Miller, Adam Krych, and my wife Emily show up every week and do whatever I ask them to do in service to our youth. They are quality individuals who are willing to serve and sacrifice in order to give our youth a chance to know and experience Him. As Christians, we strive to be more like Jesus. So here’s the challenge: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Our church provides so many areas to minister and serve; whether God has given you a vision for a new ministry or to play a role in a current one, your church needs you. Emily and I want to thank our youth leaders who help us carry this load and look forward to continuing to serve as Shawn and Carolina begin to lead. I challenge you to begin to think about where you can serve our church and have an impact for Jesus. We need you!!!
March 2010
Activ8 Youth Ministries
Do you ever find it interesting when God uses the unlikely things in life to teach you something? Have you ever realized that God will occasionally use the most unlikely thing to speak to you or someone who we consider much lower than ourselves to help us learn a life lesson? I recently shared a message at Activ8YM titled “Five Things We Can Learn from a Prostitute”. Now, originally the youth thought like most anyone would, saying, “What would we possibly want to learn from a prostitute?” I assured them that while there are many things that we don’t even want to think about, there are certain lessons that we can learn concerning one specific “sinful woman” whose story was told in Luke 7:36-50. I encourage you to read the full passage in context. In this passage we are told the story of a “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus’ feet while He was dining at the house of a Pharisee. The following are the points that I expressed to the youth and how we could apply these to our own lives:
1. She was desperate. She didn’t have anything to lose. She was at the bottom and went to the right place for help because she went to Jesus’ feet. Are you desperate for Him?
2. She had her fill of life in the fast lane. She delved into what the world had to offer and was tired of it, and that is what brought her to Jesus’ feet. Have you experienced what the world has to offer and still come up empty? Try Jesus.
3. She was living in sin and she recognized it, that’s why she came to the feet of Jesus. Many of us minimize our sin, but like the prostitute we need to see our sin as sin and confront it when we come to Jesus.
4. She didn’t wait until she got her act together to come to Jesus. Many of us say, I need to stop this bad habit or sin before I can surrender to Jesus. Learn a lesson from this “sinful woman” and come to Jesus so He can help us out of our sin!
5. She wasn’t influenced by her surroundings. She was in the house of the religious leaders. Most would feel ashamed or embarrassed by who is around them, but she had to get right with Jesus.
I encourage you to take a quick inventory of your life. Be honest with yourself and ask, “Is there anything that I can learn from a prostitute?”
February 2010
Living with Standards That God is Worthy Of
Well, here we are at the beginning of February and I want to ask you: “How are you doing on your New Year’s resolution?” To be completely honest, I didn’t make a resolution this year. As the end of 2009 approached I really tried hard to think of a resolution, but nothing came. I looked for one thing in my life that I really wanted to change, but I stopped and thought to myself about how meaningless it would be if we resolved to focus and change one area of our lives while other areas of our life become neglected. My mindset about the traditional New Year’s resolution began to change and God laid on my heart a concept for the New Year that I want to propose to you. This is by no means a revolutionary idea or something that I claim to have invented myself. Rather, it is a lifestyle approach that should be taking place automatically when we make Jesus the Lord of our life. I challenge you to begin Living with Standards That God is Worthy Of.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, it’s not just a change that takes place in our religious preference, but it’s an entire lifestyle change. This change not only dictates where we spend our Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, but it changes how we behave and every choice that we make - even the minor ones. Often during worship I think, “What can I give, say or do to give Him the praise that He is worthy of?” But the honest truth is no physical thing we give, or word we say or song that we could sing fulfills all that He is worthy of. The only thing that we could give Him that begins to touch all that He is worthy of is our absolute everything!!! We need to Live with Standards that God is Worthy Of! We need to give Him praise in the most public and private parts of our lives. It’s definitely not easy, it will take work, it will require sacrifice and discipline, but it’s what He is worthy of!
January 2010
Youth Convention
Week after week I have done my best to stress to the youth that gather on Wednesday nights that we want our meetings to consist of two different elements. First, I tell them that we come together to have fun and enjoy the company of other young people who believe as we do. The next thing we seek is practicality or the application of the Bible to our lives. Recently, we had the opportunity to attend an event that allowed us to do just this.
On October 30th the Activ8 Youth ministry packed willing members of the youth group into three minivans and journeyed south to La Crosse, Wisconsin to meet up with nearly two thousand young people that attend youth groups across the state. This event is known as Youth Convention.
There was definitely plenty of both fun and practical application in this conference that covered three days. We attended services with an awesome worship band named “The Spark” who played worship songs in a style that lent itself to the youth of our culture without losing the power of the real reason we sing.
Messages were shared by a dynamic speaker by the name of Jason Maupin. Jason had the great ability to use his testimony as an example to the youth who are experiencing what he had at one time. Many decisions were made for Christ over this action packed weekend. The speaker closed out the weekend on Sunday morning with a message that sent the kids home with a mentality of “never give up living a life for Jesus!” He told the story of David and Eleazar (2 Samuel 23) who, by themselves, fought an overwhelming number of enemies. No matter how tired, overwhelmed, outnumbered or tempted to quit they felt, they kept swinging. While living for Jesus, our culture is constantly bombarding us with messages to take the easy way out and give up and no longer defend what we believe. This is where we learn a lesson from David and Eleazar: KEEP SWINGING!!!
It was a great weekend and I laugh inside when I consider that many people wouldn’t even consider spending time in an arena with extremely loud music and thousands of screaming kids, but it’s exactly the venue that God needed to touch the lives of the young people and convince us to KEEP SWINGING because the cause is worth it!
December 2009
Learning from Teaching (by Jesse Taylor - Youth Sponsor)
About four months ago I got involved in Activ8 youth ministry at Central Assembly of God and I was excited to contribute to the spiritual growth of the young people in our church.
As I started to attend youth group I was blessed by the youth and youth sponsors that attended. I soon found that Activ8 is a place where any person could come and learn about Jesus Christ. This was a place where a person would feel comfortable and accepted, but at the same time be pushed to know God more.
At the end of last month I had the pleasure of going to Youth Convention with a dozen of our youth and several youth sponsors. This experience was great because I had the chance to see the “Heart” of the youth of CAG and the youth across the area. I saw young people searching for God and finding Him. They were chasing after Him and catching Him! They wanted more of our Savior and I loved it! After seeing the passion and power God displayed through youth at Convention, I realized that I was learning as much as I was teaching.
God showed me the power of young people “sold-out” for Him. He showed me the impact that youth have on each other and how they can change the world today and for generations to come. Seeing God work in the hearts of our young people made me ask the question, “How can I foster that love and enthusiasm for God in my own life?” I love how God teaches me, when I am trying to teach others.
I encourage you to get to know the youth at CAG. Support them as they find their identity in Christ. Teach them how to love God……..and learn from them.
November 2009
“The Waiting Room”
I recently stumbled over an interesting fact while browsing the internet. I learned that Adolph Hitler addressed one million people at once! It took the crowds twelve hours to get in place for the address and again, twelve hours to leave the venue! Yikes!!! Some estimates say that there were as many as 3 million people at President Obama’s Inauguration. As I was thinking about this, I became somewhat jealous. That’s right, I said I was jealous. Jealous of the opportunity these men had to address so many people and how they could influence so many.
From there, my thoughts drifted to the crowds that Jesus spoke to. There are many stories that speak of Jesus preaching to the multitudes or addressing crowds numbering in the thousands, but what really amazes me is the amount of times that Jesus ministered to the small numbers and sometimes even just one. Time after time, we read about Jesus speaking with one man, going somewhere to heal one child or even spending time reaching out to one outcast like He did with the woman at the well. It’s more amazing to me that Jesus, being God and the most influential One that ever lived, spent so much time with individuals.
This is a topic that we have been stressing on Wednesday evenings at Activ8 YM. The God that we serve is huge and all powerful, yet He is personal and cares about the things that go on in our day to day life. He desires and is capable of a personal relationship with each and every one of us.
That is why we are starting a new program at Activ8 YM called “The Waiting Room”. We will be meeting prior to youth group from 6 pm to 6:20 pm every Wednesday evening to wait on God and the things that He has for us. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to meeting with a God who, although he can reach the masses, still chooses to impact our lives on a personal level. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6
www.yausa.com/campusmissionary
facebook.com/activ8ym
October 2009
Activ8YM
Well, it’s official! Emily and I have one month logged into the books as the interim youth directors at Activ8ym which meets on Family Night every Wednesday in the youth room at Central Assembly. We’ve been blown away! We are surrounded by a great group of people (both youth sponsors and students) who have been touched by God and are hungry to experience more of Him!!! We have seen the touch of God on them and we can only imagine the impact that these talented and anointed students can have as they permeate the world in their everyday life! That is exactly why we’ve spent the first month of the school year teaching our youth how to become campus missionaries.
When the students decide to make campus missions something that they want to do, they are accepting personal responsibility to attempt to reach the lost of their generation and do their part to fulfill Jesus’ great commission. In turn, they are cementing their beliefs and disciplines at a young age that will last a lifetime! A campus missionary commits to the following five disciplines to reach the lost:
PRAY daily for friends, teachers, school administrators, and others who need Jesus' hope.
LIVE a real, consistent Christian faith by reading, studying, and memorizing God's Word and spending time in personal worship.
TELL her/his friends about Jesus.
SERVE in or begin an active campus club.
GIVE time and finances to promote Jesus' hope globally.
We see so much potential in the youth at Activ8ym. We know that God is alive in them and has them in this place and time of their lives for a reason… to glorify Him and reach more that will do the same. We will continue to share more about Campus Missions at youth group on Wednesday evenings. If you have any more questions about campus missions feel free to contact us here at church or visit www.yausa.com/campusmissionary.
P.S. Check us out on Facebook!! www.facebook.com/activ8ym
September 2009
Activ8YM
To quote a Bob Dylan song, “The times they are a changing.’” The month of September marks a time that kids dread. We go from sleeping in on summer mornings to waking up at the crack of dawn to wait for the school bus. The time that was passed on the soft sand of the beach will be taken over by long hours in a hard desk. Students will long for the days when they had nothing to do when the homework deadline is looming. Yes, the transition from summer vacation to the rigors of the school year can really be a shake up and often we get into the mentality “I just need to get through this!” As the times and routines change for your family, I challenge you to embrace it.
As Christians we are ambassadors for Christ. We have been paid for by His blood and as the Bible puts it, we are “alive in Christ”. Just like ambassadors from the United States go to foreign nations to represent the interests and principles of our nation, we as Christians need to be going about our lives representing the interests and principles of our leader, Jesus Christ. We should live as Jesus lived. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52). Students, Jesus was at one time in the place where you are now and this is what He did. He grew in knowledge, physically and had great relationships with God and with mankind. Let this be the example that we strive to live by! In everyday life seek to excel in all disciplines whether they are physical, mental, social or spiritual because we are representing Jesus and that is what He did.
So as the school year begins, don’t just pass the time away, but seize it and make use of every opportunity and use it as a chance to represent Christ. No matter what you do, from homework to sports, friendships and your relationship with Jesus, push it to the limits and make the most of it for the name of Jesus. He will bless you for your efforts and at the same time be blessed by your efforts.
Always represent!!!
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