seeing in a mirror dimly » youth

Pilgrim’s Podcast #33: Adrian Foxcroft, The Nugget, Youth Ministry

Mark — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:46:10 +0000

Ok folks, here’s a cracker poddy with an absolutely top bloke: Adrian Foxcroft.

He’s a good mate of Steve and mine from Moore College, and is aiming to work in the Anglican diocese of Sydney. Particularly though, Adrian (“The Fox”) is keen for youth minstry and aims to spend his ministry life doing just that. I’ve got tonnes of time for a bloke who’s keen and passionate about dedicating himself to a particular ministry, and so this interview is great and encouraging!

We get to know The Fox a bit, but spend a bunch of time chatting about his latest endeavor to reach out to young guys and girls: The Nugget. It’s a short Vodcast (Video-cast) which can be found in the New and Notable section on iTunes, and also from Podomatic. Basically, Fox’s aim to give you a “Nugget” of gold from the Bible and unpack it for you – all in less than 5 minutes! It’s great. Engaging. Simple. Applicable. And fun. Check it out!

Also, we give a bunch of overdue shoutouts, and have some hilarious banter. Enjoy!

The Nugget:
http://thenugget.podomatic.com/

Listen:

Pilgrim’s Podcast #28: Dave Miers, Youth Ministry, Humble Orthodoxy & Snoring on Trains

Mark — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:15:29 +0000

Warning: This was one rowdy podcast!

Steve and I sat down and chewed the fat with Dave Miers. Hailing from the Central Coast (home of the Bears NRL team coming in 2012), Dave currently studies theology with Steve and myself at Moore Theological College. He’s got a whole lot of youth ministry under his belt from working at CCEC, and is a keen thinker and passionate guy who loves Jesus. In fact, if you’re up at Katoomba Youth Convention (KYCK) this year you’ll see and hear him as he preached the Word to us. He’s a top bloke, and a fella who I’m glad to be spending eternity with.

In this cracker of an episode, we have a whole lot of banter. That’s a given. But Dave talks to us about his story in becoming a Christian, and he tells us a little about his passion for youth ministry. What’s the highlight (in my opinion!) of this episode that Dave shares with us what he thinks about Humble Orthodoxy. Not being arrogant jerks who have the truth. Nor being softies who love anything, except the truth. It’s both: humble orthodoxy.

Get into it. It’s a great podcast!

Download:

Rice Youth Sydney 2009

Mark — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:28:00 +0000

After another encouraging night at a RICE gathering, I’m convinced that this is a truly wonderful ministry!

Two weeks ago was the RICE Vision night held at MTC. They packed the house! Steve Chong opened, Sam Mak delivered, John Woodhouse endorsed, and a whole host of other people chimed in with introductions to the many different facets of the RICE ministry (Marriage Counselling, Conferences on Desires and Giftings, Theological training etc!).

And tonight a gathering of nearly 60 leaders of differing youth groups arrived to join together in thinking through how to reach the youth of Sydney with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m very keen to see our youth from St. Anne’s, Strathfield joining in this Gospel work with the hope of seeing many from the local area coming to a saving relationship with our Lord. And I’m praying that our Sovereign and Almighty Father might send His Spirit powerfully in order to do this!

Schaeffer on the Unease of the Next Generation

Mark — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Over at the Sola Panel, Andrew Barry has written a gracious and thoughtful short piece on some of the dangers in the current wave of Unease in the Next Generation. If you haven’t read them, can I encourage you to. In fact, I think they are applicable to the current generation too!

From the many young Christians I’ve worked with over the last years, I’ve not seen many putting substance over style, or commending rather than contending – though I must admit that some I’ve come across do those things. Actually, some of the most passionate advocates of this New Calvinism are serious readers and thoughtful Christians. And where there is a disdain for previous generations (and I know that exists), perhaps a healthy dose of some of Robert E. Webber and a short trip to L’Abri UK might help…? I’ve found that using the Prayer Book in creative ways is seriously appreciated by the younger evangelicals!

Anyway, I’m not so sure that the current movement of younger Evangelicals is just reacting against Evangelical culture, but mainly acting from the external forces coming from society at large. Whether it’s an anti-institutionalism, or anti-simplistic-meganarratives, or anti-propositionalism – the last thing we want to do is to convey a message of “Shut-up and sit-down, Billy.” That’s why I think it’s a great start that Moore College has tried to listen to some of the younger evangelicals and enable them. Wouldn’t it be great to see this energy and enthusiasm channelled in a good direction for the Lord!

This quote of Francis Schaeffer from The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century, is helpful here:

“One of the greatest injustices we do to our young people is to ask them to be conservative. Christianity today is not conservative by revolutionary. To be conservative today is to miss the whole point, for conservatism means standing in the flow of the status quo, and the status quo no longer belongs to us. Today we are a minority. If we want to be fair, we must teach the young to be revolutionaries, revolutionaries against the status quo.”