Update for Saturday, June 30

Saturday

The team got in at 3:00 pm. It’s always fun to see their bugged-eyed look of students as they walk off the bus to get to Our rooms were ready for us, so everyone was able to get a long-awaited shower, unpacked, and a tiny bit of down time. We then headed over to the nearby Manhattan Mall where we had Supper at the food court.
Then, it was time for our first Subway ride uptown to 57^th Street and 7^th Ave. to the Calvary Baptist Church for our Opening sessions. 51 Northern Indiana teens and leaders navigating through a NYC Subway station for the first time together is… interesting.

No major mishaps; except we’re hoping Reid we will find Reid soon…
(Leslie, Reid made me write that.)

Opening session was fun, powerful and insightful. The Talk was titled Almost Everything You’ve Ever Thought About Evangelism Is Wrong. Ed Short (NYGO Director) shared the following myths we buy into about Evangelism:

It’s about heaven and hell.
No, it’s about God’s desire to have a relationship with people.

It’s about looking at what you get from God.
No, it’s about looking at who you get to hang out with.

It’s about making a decision.
No, it’s about becoming a Christ-Follower; becoming a disciple of Christ.

It’s about a moment in time.
No, it’s understanding evangelism is a process which culminates in a moment in time.

It’s highly confrontational and stressful for both individuals.
No, it’s highly relational.

The results are up to you (Be careful. You can mess it up and be responsible for someone ultimately going to hell)
No, it’s up to God because it’s a supernatural process.

It’s about quoting lots of bible verses to prove your point.
No, it’s about sharing your life experience with Jesus and sharing a few verses that explain a relationship with Christ.

They also took some time to walk through HOW we are going to do this while in New York City. I am very encouraged and love the approach of the NYGO staff. It’s all about taking time to get to know someone, and finding out how you can help them see a need for Christ in their current situation.

After the session, we headed back to the hotel for a little time together as a group. We took time to debrief the day. At the end of every day, we are having students take time to journal on their experiences, then sum up the biggest lesson for the day with a sentence, story, or scripture. This is to help them at the close when they process how they are going to take this home.

It was a great start to the week.