Youth Workers: Embrace The Pandemic For Viral Ministry To Parents. . .

In times like these, we are given the gift of coming to terms with what really matters. I know that’s happening for me. My habitual daily diversions and idols are getting exposed. . . and that’s a good thing. And when God in His mercy and grace exposes and removes our idols, He also exposes our deep, deep need for Him. It’s been rising to the surface for me. And I don’t know about you, but the Scriptures have been coming to life for me in new ways over the past few days.

Somehow, I can’t help but believe that the good thing God is doing in my life is a good thing He’s doing in the lives of our students and their families. I’ve had contact over the last few days with parents of young and old alike. One common thread I’m hearing is that many of them feel like they’re coming to the end of themselves. They’re cooped up, running out things to do with the kids, and losing their patience.  I get it. But oh how I wish and pray that parents would see this time with their kids as a gift. We now have time to chat with each other, eat together, sit at home rather than run all over the place in different directions, and. . . most importantly. . . focus on what really matters. In our lifetime, this is certainly the most concentrated and intense time in which to take advantage of our freedom to run to God, throw ourselves into His Word, and trust in His promised provision of all good things for our good and His glory.

Youth workers. . . isn’t this what we’ve all been praying for?!? Albert Einstein was right: “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity.”

So. . . the time is ripe for us to encourage and equip parents. And, with the gift of technology with which to communicate and stay in touch, we find ourselves in a season where ministry to parents will thrive like never before. . . if, of course, we seize the opportunity.

If you’re like me, you’ve spent years letting parents know that they are the ones God has called to be the primary force for the spiritual nurture of their kids. We are there to assist. Now, they are seeing the need. They have the time. And, their kids are ripe to go deeper into who God is and who we need to be as His followers.

In an effort to encourage and resource you as you encourage and resource parents, we’re ramping up our efforts at CPYU to make it easy and cost-free for you to connect them with encouragement and resources. Take four minutes to check-out this message I posted yesterday. I’ve mentioned some ways we can help you in your efforts with parents. And, after watching the video, scroll down for links to everything I mention.

  • Our monthly CPYU Parent Page is now free on a month-to-month basis. Download the March 2020 edition here, and come back to cpyu.org next week to get a free download of the April edition.
  • We’ve set up a page with an abundance of content to designed specifically to help you navigate your students and their parents through the Covid-19 pandemic. You can access is here. We’ll be adding to it daily so check back regularly. We are making sure that there are lots of resources that you can pass on to parents to help them lead their kids through this in ways that foster spiritual growth.
  • We just dropped two episodes of our Youth Culture Matters Podcast that deal specifically with what we are facing in our world, our ministries, and our families. Episode 100 is “What Should I Do Now? Youth Ministry In A Coronavirus World.” It features a helpful discussion with several of your youth ministry peers that’s incredibly rich. Episode 101 is a conversation with Christian Counselor and author Dr. Ed Welch that’s all about how to prepare parents, kids, and ourselves to deal with the anxiety we face. . . “Turning To Christ With Our Anxiety.”

Please know that we are praying for you and we ask that you would do the same for us. Let us know how we can best serve you in this time of tremendous ministry opportunity.

God bless you friends!

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