Lesson 15. Find your weekly "release" and guard it against all else.

All working people need a release- something that allows them to get away from the frustrations and stresses of the work week and focus on something completely and totally different. A release gives every part of your body a break- your mind, your emotions, even your physical body. It also gives you something to look forward to, a "goal" that you "earn" each week after 5 days of the 9-5.

This is just as true for ministers, if not more sometimes. For ministers, our job spans multiple environments. When we're at the church, we're on the job. When we're at home we're on the job. When we're out with family or friends, or even just out by ourselves...sadly, we're "on call." There are jobs like this, too. My uncle Bobby was a claims adjuster for Union Pacific, and phone calls in the middle of the night were simply part of the job. Ministry is no different...even Youth Ministry. The flip side of really "being there" for your teenagers is that once they trust you enough, there is no time that they won't call you. And don't think I'm complaining...I'm not at all. I enjoy being there for my junior high kids, day and night. I really truly do. But you must be prepared to be on call 24/7.

THAT being said...ministers need a release each week. Some ministers I know go golfing...some fish...some simply work around the house. My release is a little different. It's a combination of two of my very favorite things: running and Seinfeld. I run each day after work, letting everything from the day work its way out of my mind. Then, each night, from 10-10:30, I set aside these special 30 minutes for the greatest TV show ever, Seinfeld. With these two things in place, I make it through my week.

Let nothing take away your release. You must guard it-pardon the pun-religiously. Your brain and your body truly need these releases to get away from the day to day trials. Let nothing, except emergencies where you are certainly needed, take these away. And if things come up that require your presence (funerals, hospital needs, etc) find time to make up for your release time. It really is that important.

When you enjoy your free time, you enjoy your job. :)

Lesson 14. Summer Camp

Greg’s Top 20 Things to Make a Great Youth Camp (after 14 years, 30+ weeks at 3 different camps, and holding every position imaginable)

1. Hand-picked staff, as opposed to a blanket sign-up sheet. Sign-up sheets are for campers, NOT staff
2. Meaningful worship times that are truly separate from the other activities (sports, crafts, etc)
3. Each director/leader/head counselor knows his or her role specifically and what they are responsible for
4. LOTS of prayer before and during camp!
5. Options during free time (pick-up sports, outdoor activities, crafts, cards and games, etc…otherwise kids will sleep or just sit in their bunks)
6. A very full schedule, but with enough time for each activity to be enjoyed and time allotted for transition between activities
7. Strong song leaders
8. Dynamic speakers (I’m available most weeks…haha, just kidding)
9. A consistently positive staff who are always pumped about camp every day (even when they’re dog tired) Tired and cranky staff bring about tired and cranky kids
10. Good weather…
11. A location that (after several years) becomes a part what camp is all about…familiar buildings, food, staff, etc. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION…the kids will subconsciously associate location with everything about camp…smells, buildings, trails, etc. You move locations, you have start over…trust me I know
12. TRADITIONS…probably the MOST IMPORTANT…start them now. Songs, cheers…give everything a name. Familiarity gives kids something to look forward to each year. They come back to experience what they enjoyed the year before
13. ADVERTISING…posters, flyers, banners…getting the kids excited well in advance…and don’t disappoint
14. the more the merrier…we brought 184 kids and 50 staff from 10 different churches last year. Our church alone brings 75 kids
15. familiar people…give alumni and former campers-turned-counselors a chance to be at camp and talk about their memories
16. GOOD FOOD…we left our first camp in OK because the food was worse than the Harding cafeteria…kids and esp STAFF will always come back for good food. The place we’re at now has ham and cheese croissants, chicken enchiladas, and freshly grilled hamburgers (on a charcoal grill!)
17. DYNAMIC PRAISE…can’t say it enough. You MUST have strong song leaders and dynamic speakers who will leave an impact
18. Variety/Talent Show…always a plus for kids to show off their talents. But keep it clean, efficient, and select the acts before they go on
19. A leadership that gets along like old buddies…A leadership that LIKES each other will show in every aspect of camp, and the kids can tell, too
20. A camp SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD…take cell phones, mp# players, iPods, radios, computers…etc AWAY from kids for the whole week. They’ll kick and scream…too bad. Keep the worldly stuff out for a week and watch God go to work!