This summer, students from BigStuf Camp have committed to go home and raise over $1,960,450 !! They have already connected with students in Kenya by sending 23,304 letterpics to kids there!
Here is our encouragement to the youth pastors who will now help these kids see their part in the bigger picture to bring their dreams to reality!
In student ministry, the week after camp is always interesting:
You are still getting used to life without references to Justin Bieber, Harry Potter and Lanny Donoho..
Your renewed fashion sense is being ridiculed by your friends (“I don’t care how cool Kristian Stanfill looks in it, it doesn’t look good on you!”).
Half of your students’ relationship statuses have changed on Facebook.
For you, Student Pastor, your job has just begun.
You are fully aware of this truth.
You are aware of years past when you saw the fires of camp quenched by the floods of “real life.”
You are aware of the students who seemed to be authentically changed who haven’t been back to your church in months.
You get it.
You hope this year will be different but your experiences tell you otherwise.
In John 6, Jesus has attracted quite the crowd.
The problem with crowds is that they get hungry.
Naturally, Jesus wants to feed them all: 5,000 men plus women and children.
The disciples would love to go to town to buy food for everyone but there is no way they can scrounge up enough money for that many people.
Then a boy offers his lunch.
Silly boy. A lunch? For thousands of people? That’s cute.
You know the story, everyone is fed.
Not just fed, but Thanksgiving dinner fed.
We don’t know the boy’s name.
He is not the point of the story.
He did not perform the miracle…Jesus did.
Students who want to Do BigStuf will soon come face to face with their “5,000.”
They will recognize the enormity in their dreams.
And many will realize they cannot scrounge up enough money, so they will give up.
Many will realize they cannot scrounge up enough money, so they will give their lunch.
It is your job to remind them about their fish and bread.
Help them find their “lunch.”
Praise them when they come forward with the little they have.
Point them to the truth that Jesus performs miracles, we just give Him fish and bread.
via Jeremy Gardner
