Youth Ministry Resources Galore
	Ryan's E-Update from Pastor2Youth.com

• The $5 Youth Ministry
  

• Finding Rest in the Summer
  
  
• Snapshot Web
  
  
• Pastor2youth.com Discussion Forum


• LIVE Curriculum
  
  
• Lost Password? ID? Need Help?
  
  

     Greetings Pastor2Youth.com Member/Subscriber,

     There is always new information to share about what is happening at Pastor2Youth.com. It is a joy to be able to share with all of you the exciting things happening and the new resources available to all users. I pray that you will find this information useful and will be blessed by the features and resources at Pastor2Youth.com that are intended to help you in your ministry to youth. Please allow me to share with you some news and announcements about the highlights, help, and resources at your disposal.

"Finding Rest in the Summer"
by Mike Kupferer

     "Summer is a busy time for youth workers. But even during this season of the year, you don't have to become overwhelmed and exhausted. You can survive summer and feel rested as the school year starts again. I want to suggest five things you can do this summer to help find that rest you deserve and need.

1. Continue to take your off day.
You are taking an off day, right? I don't mean just having a day you call your "off day" but continue to come into the office, make phone calls, and check email. I mean a real off day, one where you spend time away from youth ministry responsibilities. If you don't have one of those days, stop right now and figure out how to start. (Do not worry, we'll still be here—floating around the Internet when you get back.)

The summer isn't the time to start working 7 days a week. (Unless you're at camp or a trip, which just means you need to take an extra day off afterward.) Taking a day off every week in the summer helps keep you from wearing yourself out physically and emotionally. When you take an off day, you will notice an improvement in your ability to minister on the days you're working.

2. Take vacation before/after the busiest time of the summer.
With so few weeks to get everything done during the summer, it's tempting to neglect taking vacation. Why would any youth worker take an entire week away from the students when this is prime time to minister? Because that youth worker knows the impact of the rest of the summer depends on it. Obviously I'm not suggesting you randomly (foolishly) pick any week during the summer to take vacation. There are certain weeks that will be better than others. You can't take vacation during the week you're helping with VBS or camp. And it might not be wise to take vacation the week before a mission trip or week-long conference.

Try taking vacation a few weeks before a big trip, that way you still have time to take care of any final details. Or if the first part of the summer is event heavy, wait to take your vacation after its all done. This will give you a chance to relax without any need to think about an upcoming event. Whether you take your vacation before or after a busy season doesn't matter, what does matter is that you take vacation.

3. Take a day trip with the family.
Take your family out of town and just enjoy some time together...."

Read the Rest of the Article HERE...

Many of you know that creating a website for your ministry can be a time consuming challenge.  You have to go through the process of finding the right package, the right host, and the right format, etc.  Then there’s maintenance.  Will you have to pay a developer every time you want to make a change?  If you have a volunteer maintaining the site for you, will you be able to ensure that the site is up-to-date and looking good?  Seems overwhelming doesn't it?  Well, it doesn't have to be any longer.

Snapshot Web (a partner of Simply Youth Ministry) has been around for several years and now it just got better!!! If you are looking for a powerful, easy-to-use program for developing a stellar website for your youth ministry or your church, SnapShot Web has it all for you!

I have loved using SnapShot web for developing my own youth ministry website (stmarktxyouth.org).  It’s so easy to use and so powerful that I can either update it quickly and easily myself, or hand it over to one of my students to update.
One of the best ways for you to get a sense of what you can do with a SnapShot Website is to take a look at some of the sample sites that they have highlighted at SnapShotWeb.com.

In fact, they’re so confident you’ll love it that they’re now offering a 30-day risk free trial.  Seriously, you have to check this out.

Here are some of the things that you’ll get with your SnapShot Website:

• Professionally designed templates in over 50 great designs & colors – plus we're adding new templates every quarter.
• An easy to use content management system to meet all of your web needs.
• The ability to add unlimited pages with all kinds of features such as Calendars, Surveys, and Discussion Boards with a few simple clicks.
• A quick and simple way to share photos, videos, and podcasts with a process that's just about as easy as you could imagine.
• Access to login and manage your SnapShot Website from anywhere in the world.  It's web-based so there's no software to install.
• The tools you’ll need to create custom templates that incorporate your logo and colors and match the look and feel of your community.

Pastor2youth Discussion Forum

Pastor2youth Discussion Forum

     Did you know that Pastor2youth.com has a discussion forum? I am surprised at how many users have never noticed the link to the discussion forum on the homepage.

     The pastor2youth discussion forum is an excellent place to share ideas, get advice and feedback, to ask questions, to receive encouragement, and so much more! We currently have over 26,200 posts on over 2,600 different topics. In addition, there has developed an incredible "family" atmosphere on the forums, which have provided for lots of great discussions, fun, laughter, and sharing of all kinds of resources.

     I want to encourage you to stop by (click on the “Members Discussion Forum” link in the left-hand column) to share questions, encouragement, wisdom, and more with each other at Pastor2Youth.com.

     This is one of the ways in which we are working to make Pastor2Youth.com more than just resources, but a community of individuals who work with youth sharing life togethe. Be sure to visit and join in on the conversations.

     You can access the discussion forum by going HERE!!!

LIVE Curriculum

LIVE Curriculum
(Click on any of the graphics below
for the free demo or to sign up)

We’ve created Live Curriculum as a cohesive, four-year plan for your small groupministry, using a 36-week ministry year. The lessons are designed to flow fromone topic to the next, and each year builds on the previous years. But we knowthat every ministry is different. That’s why we give you the option of takingit apart, shifting around the pieces, and using the lessons in whatever orderyou’d like. You can pick and choose which lesson you want to use when, if that’swhat works best for you and your ministry. It’s all good!

Youth leaders will experience a bountiful abundance of benefits. (Wasn’t that the name of an old hymn?) Because you’ll have your long-range plans locked down, you can devote more time to equipping your volunteers and building excitement in students about upcoming topics through creative promotions. And of course, you’ll save yourself countless hours of planning.

But wait! There’s more! You know what your small groups will be discussing six months from now, so parents will gain more confidence in your ministry, and along the way, you’ll provide them with resources to spark conversation and dialogue in the home. And if we’re serious about getting families involved in our youth ministries, how can you go wrong with that?

You save hours of planning time. Your leaders are trained and prepared to teach. Your students are active and involved. And their parents become your biggest supporters. That’s a win-win-win-win! (We checked; it’s legal to have that much winning anywhere and everywhere!)

Lost Password? ID? Need Help?

Has it been a long time since you have been to Pastor2Youth.com? Have you forgotten or Lost your Username? Are you having troubles with your password? Don't let that keep you away. If you have forgotten or are having any problems logging in to your account at Pastor2Youth.com, just send an e-mail to Help@Pastor2Youth.com with your need and I would be more than happy to help you out.

Another reminder as well: You can personalize your password to make it easy to remember for the future. Once you log in, click on the "My Account" link in the left-hand column. Inside there, you will find a link titled "Change Your Info". If you click there, you can personalize as much of your account information as you would like, including the option at the bottom to change your password. Enter the new password twice and push save - then you don't have to worry about trying to keep track of, or remembering, that crazy automated password you received when you first registered at Pastor2Youth.com.

If I can help you out with any of this information, please don't hesitate to let me know.

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      Thanks again for all you do to further the kingdom in your ministry! Please be sure to stop by often for all of the recent updates at Pastor2Youth.com, and don’t forget to continue sharing your resources so that others may be blessed by you!!! Don’t ever hesitate to contact me either.

     Keep an eye out for more E-Updates to come helping you make the most out of your onlline experience as you search for Youth Ministry material to help you. We are excited about some of the things in store in the near future!!!

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Ryan's E-Update from Pastor2Youth.com

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