Operation Barnabas and a...Rodeo???

Operation Barnabas orientation will be held at Grace Church in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Over 100 students and adults will spend two weeks learning music, puppets, drama, witnessing tools and preparing their hearts for summer ministry. But more than that, the group will learn ministry first-hand.

Knowing that this large group would be available, Grace Church decided to use them in a unique way—to help put on a rodeo Sunday afternoon and evening, June 24. Read more...

Also, sign up for Operation Barnabas tour emails.

FREE Youth Group Curriculum

CE National is writing and editing youth group materials that are available FREE of charge.

This material is biblically-based and culturally relevant to students today. Lessons are well-written and easy to use.

This week's feature is the 3-part series "Are You Walking With a Limp?". This series will help students understand the importance of communication with God and give practical ways to spend time with God.

Many other lessons are available on the CE National resources page.

Hmmm... What's in a Name?

Evangelicals' Definition, Identity Differs

According to research by The Barna Group, although the media are quick to refer to surveys describing the behaviors and opinions of “evangelicals,” the term should be noted as perhaps too encompassing. A full 38 percent of the population accepts that term. However, Barna’s two decades of research has distinguished the “self-described” evangelicals from what he refers to as the “9-point evangelicals.” Read more at www.willowcreek.com.

CE National Corporation Meeting

The CE National Corporation meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007, at the Equip 07 adult conference. There will be a dinner (picnic style) outside starting at 4:45pm with the meeting immediately following at CE National's Russell Center. The meeting will end around 6:30 p.m. with dessert. Tickets for the dinner will be on sale through the Equip 07 website.

Youth Ministry Position News From YouthNet

• Chris Brenneman is the new Youth Pastor at Grace Brethren Church in New Holland, Pennsylvania.
• Brian Mayes is the new Youth Pastor at the Brookville Grace Brethren Church in Brookville, Ohio.
• David Nicodemus has resigned from Gateway Grace Community Church in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania.
• Doug Kegaraise is the Youth Pastor at Grace Brethren Church in Lititz, Pennsylvania and Andy Brightbill has moved to Associate Pastor.
• Troy Seyfert has resigned from Richmond, Virginia to go to Northpointe Community Church in DeWitt, Michigan. (Ed Short is the Senior Pastor)
• Kevin Lilly has resigned from Community Grace Brethren Church in Warsaw, Indiana.
• Kevin Ibanez has accepted a position overseeing family life ministries at Flipside Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
• Adam Johnson is serving as the Youth Pastor at Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania.
• Lee Strappello is the Interim Youth Pastor at Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania.
• Mallory Nixon has resigned from the Strongsville, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church and is a volunteer overseeing junior high ministry at Grace Church-North Campus, Akron, Ohio.
• Mike and Connie Pumphrey will be coordinating the 412 Commission program this fall for CE National which will be held at Grace Community Church in Goshen, Indiana.
• Nathan Wells is helping to plant a church using young people while he is overseeing youth ministries at Ashland Grace Brethren Church, Ashland, Ohio.
• Rich Yauger and his wife Carol recently had a baby boy and Rich continues to go through treatment for lymphoma cancer.
• Brent Saba is raising financial support to help oversee training at the Urban Hope Training Center in Philadelphia. Part of his responsibilities will be youth.
  

'Open Door' Prayer Partners For Urban Hope

"...pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message..."
Col. 4:3

We praise God for those who have responded to the call for Open Door Prayer Partners for Urban Hope. It was encouraging to have several commit to pray. Urban Hope is still seeking people who will pray daily and specifically for people in the Urban Hope community who do not know Christ, "'that God may open a door" in their lives for His Message.

If you are serious about committing to be an "Open Door" prayer partner please email jason@urbanhope.net. We will connect you with the name of someone you can pray for and the team member who is working with them. Thanks for prayerfully considering this.

YouthNet Encourages the Strengthening of Church Youth Ministries

Michael Saldivar, Ron Shank, Bob Hetzler, and Ken Matteson were some of the youth workers at YouthNet that recently met at CE National in Winona Lake, Indiana. The two-day YouthNet meetings always include updates of what is happening in the youth culture, accountability, prayer times, and idea exchanges.

Some of the topics at this meeting related to changes in Momentum and the planning for the National Youth Ministries Conference held at CE National, January 14-18, 2008. The group also discussed Bible Quizzing and Nurturing Abilities for Christ (NAC). There were reports on national youth events, the 412 Commission, website plans and youth training.