Dan Gould

Tag: Fusion Student MInistry

  • Creating a LOW 2 NO budget Retreat with Maximum Impact!

    This past weekend was our second year to host ONE Retreat for our Fusion Students.  All of the prayers, recruiting, planning, and dealing with last-minute changes all came together when that first student arrives with a huge smile on their face excited about the weekend. As a leader, it can be challenging to offer a life changing event, let alone, a retreat, when money is tight.  However, it can be done.

    Here are a 3 things I have learned over the years:

    1. STAY LOCAL!
    The temptation is always to go somewhere else and not utilize the facility and people who are within your own church. Students don’t mind grabbing a sleeping bag and crashing on the floor of someones house, they just enjoy the time together. But this not only creates momentum in your group, it allows others within your church get involved in the weekend! This creates a church wide vibe about the Student Ministry.

    2. USE YOUR OWN LEADERS!
    The temptation is to bring in known speakers, worship band, and even professional leaders. However, doing so, limits the ripple effect from the weekend! The speaker will leave to speak somewhere else, the worship band will lead worship somewhere else, and the professional leaders, more than likely Student Pastors you may know, will return to their Students within their Student Ministries. The only people who remember details of the retreat are the students and a handful of leaders.

    When you use your own leaders, it allows what happens at the retreat to affect other areas of your ministry. It brings the student and their leaders together because they have shared in the same experience. Conversations can be deeper, laughter can be richer, and commitments can be stronger.

    3. USE RESOURCES WISELY!
    The temptation here is to be over the top! However, over the top cost a lot of money and limits who can afford to go to a life changing weekend. A lot of cost can be sucked into facilities, transportation, food, housing, equipment, print materials, and personalities. Much of this can be minimized by using resources wisely!

    With today’s technology you can use a podcast of some of the best speakers in the church today at the click of a button. There are people/parents of teens in your church that would open their homes for students to stay in over the weekend. There are other volunteers in your church that would be willing to cook some meals for individual groups, or participate in a large cooking team for each meal. Parents, Leaders, and other Church Members can provide transportation to & from the Church to the Host Home and an afternoon activity if you choose to have one. When it comes to facilities and equipment, they are already set up because you use them every week!

    These are just some things that I’ve learned over the years as we try to maximize our resources to create life changing events for students. Please note, having low to no budget, or using any of these steps doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. You just provide high quality with minimal cost and more participation!

  • SEVEN – week 1: Gluttony

    SEVEN
    Gluttony
    10.24.10

    Galatians 5:16-25

    WHAT IS GLUTTONY?

    • Gluttony is EXCESSIVE eating and drinking!

    The Bible names gluttony as a sin associated with wastefulness, stubbornness, rebellion and disobedience. It exists on the same level of drunkenness (Deut. 21:20-21).

    “The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.”  Duet 21:20-21

    In fact, gluttony is more dangerous than drunkenness because it goes on with no one taking notice.

    Gluttony is not the indulgence of sinful things, but the over-indulgence of things lawful. In food, drink, even recreation and work – gluttony, in principle, involves the mistreatment of the good things that God has given us.

    Gluttony is seldom, if ever, admitted to, confessed and repented of because it is the norm. Think about it for a minute, how many times have we stuffed our faces and then boasted about how sick we feel after-wards.  But if we’re not careful …

    • Gluttony can lead to OBESITY!

    Top ten Fattest Countries

    1. Nauru
    2. Federated States of Micronesia
    3. Cook Islands
    4. Tonga
    5. Niue
    6. Samoa
    7.Palau
    8.Kuwait
    9.United States
    10.Kiribati

    Top ten Fattest States

    1. Mississippi
    2. Alabama
    3. Tennessee
    4. West Virginia
    5. Louisiana
    6. Oklahoma
    7. Kentucky
    8. Arkansas
    9. South Carolina
    10. Michigan tied with North Carolina

    Texas is #13

    It all starts with a chubby baby,

    then leads to an overweight kid,

    that turns into an overweight adult,

    that hangs out with overweight friends.

    Truth be told, something needs to change. This is something that we have allowed to get out of hand one small bite at a time.  As Christ Followers we need to be setting the example instead of stating excuses.  But before we can, we need to understand why its important.

    WHY IT’S IMPORTANT NOT TO BE A GLUTTON?

    1. Our bodies are the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

    “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

    2. We are called to have SELF-CONTROL!

    “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)

    “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”  Proverbs 25:28 (NLT)

    3. So we don’t cause others to STUMBLE!

    “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:32-33 (NIV)

    HOW DO I AVOID IT?

    1. THINK right!

    “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians 3:2 (NLT)

    2. EAT right!

    “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.” Daniel 1:8 (NLT)

    3. EXERCISE right!

    “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” 3 John 1:2 (NLT)

  • Don’t miss this!!!

  • ONE Retreat 2010

    Wow, what a great weekend!!!!  I know I had a blast and I think students did also.  We learned so much together and had awesome times of worship.  Here are some things that I am taking away from the weekend.

    • We have faithful leaders that really do care for our students and want to see them know Christ Personally and Grow in Christ daily.
    • Our Student Staff will go to the enth degree, by praying, planning, staying late, working hard to make sure everyone has an encounter with God and an opportunity to respond to Him.
    • Live worship with video teaching worked well for each session and our students learned a ton from each speaker and worship experience!
    • Life Church’s One Prayer resource is a great FREE tool not only for adults, but for student ministries also.  Here is who we used:
      • Session 1 on Friday Night – God is LOVE! – Craig Groeschel
      • Session 2 on Saturday Morning – God is STRENGTH! – Francis Chan
      • Session 3 on Saturday Night – God is HERE! – Perry Noble
      • Session 4 on Sunday Morning – God is GREAT! – Steven Furtick
    • Toilet papering someones house and forking someones yard is not the best way to show someone you love them.  To really show it, send them a card or buy them a gift. Trust me I know!
    • During the afternoon activity we learned by experience and a little competition that Communication and Encouragement makes a team function properly and effectively causing them to accomplish more at a faster rate than others.
    • Students long for Authentic Leaders and Real Community. So do I!

    It truly was a great weekend!!!!  Thanks to all that made it happen!  Please join with me in Praying that we live out the things that we heard and experienced!

  • Weekend Rewind – 12-20-09

    Well this morning marked the last Fusion Worship Service for the year and the conclusion of our CHRISTmas series.  I thought today went well.  It was good seeing some of our former students, who have graduated and now in college, back leading and attending today! Here is the outline and the songs we sang today!

    CHRISTmas
    God becomes Man …
    12.20.09

    To be our SACRIFICE!

    Have you ever sacrificed something for someone else?  I am not talking about killing the neighbors cat, (show picture of cat) we’re not talking about animal sacrifices here, we are talking about you giving up something for someone else?

    Isaiah 53 (NLT)

    CHRIST BECAME HUMAN BECAUSE …

    • We NEEDED HELP!

    “No one is righteous — not even one.” Romans 3:10 (NLT)

    * One of the joys of being a dad is when Josiah says “Daddy can you …”

    • We needed a PERFECT SACRIFICE!

    Will you circle that word “PERFECT”, Have you ever tried to be perfect?  It’s pretty tough … think about it …

    * We try to look perfect

    * We try to talk perfect

    * We try to have a perfect game

    The fact is, no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to be perfect ALL THE TIME!

    ”For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”  Hebrews 10:10 (NLT)

    • We need a MEDIATOR!

    * If we break the law and have to appear in court we have an option to represent our self or have someone else represent us and plead our case.

    * Old Testament High Pries

    “Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.” Hebrews 5:1-2 (NLT)

    * Jesus is now our High Priest

    “There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” Hebrews 7:23-25 (NLT)

    WE SHOULD …

    • Admit we NEED HELP!
    • Believe Jesus CAN HELP!
    • Confess we AREN’T PERFECT!
    • Don’t try to do it ON YOUR OWN!

    SONGS FROM TODAY

  • Weekend Update 12-13-09

    Hard to believe Christmas is almost here!!! As a matter of fact, this weekend will be the last Fusion Service of the year! Wow!!! Special thanks to all that made this past weekend happen flawlessly while my family and I were in Missouri. We had a great trip! Even though I got sick, it was good to see family and friends. Congrats Mike on graduating College!!!!

    This weekend I will wrap up our CHRISTmas series! If you haven’t been in a while, we would love to see you! If by some chance you missed last week, here’s the video intro from the talk Chris gave! It’s a great teaching on the fact that Christ became man to show Humility. I have also thrown in the announcement video so you can know what’s going on!!! Hope you’ll join us this weekend!!!

  • Mark your Calendars

    Brace yourselves, January 3rd, 2010 will be Student Invasion Weekend at Grace.  It will be the first weekend of the year and Fusion is taking over the Big House.  Tyler and the student band will lead in musical worship and I will do the teaching during both services.  We are really excited about it and hope you will make plans to attend. We’re encouraging all the student to sit in the middle front section as a group in both service.  I promise this will be a weekend you don’t want to miss!

  • The Revolution Begins

    Tonight, Stephanie and I are hosting a group of students that have been meeting together for the last 11 weeks on Sunday Night and doing a daily study from a work book called Max Q.  I know, the title is riveting!  But when you understand what Max Q is, the title makes sense!  11 weeks ago we had an open call to any student that was willing to take on this challenge and be a student of influence.  Here is what we introduced to them 11 weeks ago:

    MAX Q
    Becoming a Student of Influence
    Week 1 – Introduction

    Christ is the strongest, grandest, most attractive personality ever to grace the earth. But a careless messenger with the wrong approach can reduce all this magnificence to the level of boredom. ~Jim Rayburn

    The real problem of lost teenage America is not a lack of evangelism but a lack of substance in the Christian students who live, study, and play among them. ~ MAX Q

    As we begin this journey together our desire is that your Character would be stretched, encouraged, and challenged.  At Fusion, we believe we begin to develop students of influence only as we choose to put our focus on the character of our students rather than the charisma of our environments.  The breadth and power of our students’ influence on their unbelieving friends are directly proportional to the depth of the content of their character.  And the effectiveness of our ministries in influencing the unbelieving student culture is absolutely dependent upon the character of our core students.  Our goal in this process is that each of you would take the steps to become what we call core students.

    Why Max Q?  Max Q is a term used in the space-shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  You see, roughly one minute after launch, a space shuttle must withstand a condition of extreme force called “maximum dynamic pressure” – “Max Q” for short.  This is the critical point in flight from an aerodynamics perspective.  It’s when the most stress is placed on the vehicle.  It happens just after the shuttle goes supersonic, at an altitude of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (5 -7 miles up).  Mission success demands that all systems on the space shuttle perform at the highest level.  When designed properly, prepared carefully, and executed perfectly, the shuttle and its crew safely reach orbital velocity of 17,600 miles per hour at about 8½ minutes after launch.

    Our role in your development is difficult, yet so significant.  We (your leaders) must create  ministry environments that develop students who can withstand intense pressure.  Students who can be light in dark places. Students who will not waver from their faith while they passionately pursue relationships with their lost peers.  Students who know how to gain influence and earn the privilege to lead.  That’s our desire as a ministry and the question we ask you before we go any further is this . . . Are you willing to be that type of student?

    If the answer is yes, here’s where we have to start.

    1. It has to start with us your leaders!  Our leaders must make a commitment to model, lead, challenge, encourage, correct, and hold you accountable to the things of Christ so you can be the person of influence God is calling you to be.
    2. It starts with you! You have to be willing to be stretched, lead, challenged, encouraged, corrected, and held accountable to the things of Christ. It is going to take some work, there will be times it may be hard, to be honest, they may be times that you want to quit or disagree with the process … but I promise in the end, God will use this process to teach you what it means to be faithful, what it means to be a person of Character, what it means to be a person of influence, and what it means to be a person that is used by God.

    The students that are coming over tonight desire to be used by God.  They are a work in progress and some of them will move on to mentor the next group of students that will take Max Q in the spring.  Some will retake Max Q because of their lack of doing the daily study or missing too many sessions.  Regardless, tonight marks a starting point for our ministry to begin developing student leaders.  In the Spring, I will offer this to our adult leadership team. We will meet at the same time as the students.  Josh Harris who has been shadowing me in these last 11 weeks and will lead the next class of students through the material while I lead the adults through the materiel.  (by the way, I think every adult should go through the class, these principles aren’t just for students, they are for anyone that wants to be influential.)

    I am so proud of the students that took this serious, didn’t give up, and are seeking ways to be an influence in the arena of life that God has placed them.  I am excited to see what God does through them and He uses them to advance His Kingdom!

  • Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor

    Saw this awhile ago but saw it on a friends twitter and it’s relevant to what we are talking about this weekend in Fusion.  Enjoy!!

  • Galveston Mission Trip – Day 4: Obedience

    “I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,[e] that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world,[f] to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

    16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.[g]17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’” Romans 12:13-16 (NLT)

    Today we took most of the group to the construction site and sent the rest to VBS. At the site, half of the group worked on painting the house while the other half worked on the fence.   However, we didn’t get the all clear for digging until late afternoon.  We took a volunteer team and worked until 8:45 to dig holes and set post so we could finish the fence Wednesday and Thursday.
    At VBS they doubled their number of kids, which created some excitement.  After VBS that crew worked with the University Baptist Church and cleaned a yard in the community.

    Here are some pictures from the Construction site: