Pastor Ron's Canadian Youth Worker Experience

Back in early December, 2008, I had the privilege of attending the Canadian National Youth Workers Convention. A smaller scale version of the National YWC that is held in the U.S. and which I've attended about 7 times now.

I left for the convention on Wednesday, December 3rd, travelling to Whitby where I visited with my Brother and sister-in-law. VERY early in the morning [and I'm no morning person] I got up to travel to the Toronto Airport to pick up Rick, a good friend and fellow Youth Pastor from Alberta.

We spent the morning getting reacquainted at a McDonald's near our hotel. That was sure nice. Rick is a great guy. Full of life. Takes life as it comes. He's also wise : ) The time flew by very quickly.

Near noonish we traveled to the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel to check in. A very nice hotel on the waterfront of Lake Ontario.

Parking is at a premium downtown, of course. I chose the self parking option, but the lot was full at the time, so I was forced to park my car in a precarious spot until the evening.

Here are a couple of pictures of our hotel room. Very nice. Clean. Somewhat spacious.

Here's Rick, modelling for me as I get some room pictures.

The rooms don't come cheap, and we Youth Pastors don't always have the funds to go to these kinds of events, so I tried to double up with others. It turned out that I ended up sharing a room with three others.

Now here's the dilemma that guys run into. Four grown men sharing a room with two double beds. For girls there is no issue. For guys there sure is. Knowing this, I offered to sleep on the floor, as did Reuben, another Youth Pastor from Alberta. Here he is just before lights out. A precarious place to be if you ask me : ).

Oh, yeah. Back to our Thursday. Once we checked in, we headed over to one of the many banquet halls in the hotel to gather together with about 75 other Christian Reformed Youth Pastor/Workers/Leaders for a four hour time of networking and training. We covered topics like Intergenerational Ministry, Mission Trips, Youth Pastor Sabbaticals (or Extended Professional Development Leave as mine is called), and Young Adult Ministries. It was good to meet some new people, reacquaint myself with those I hadn't seen in a while, and see the CRC's Canadian contingent of Youth Workers all expressing their hearts and sharing their dreams.

After all that hard work, well, it was time for something to eat. That can prove to be difficult at conventions like this. Not always eateries that are close by. Several of us took a VERY cold walk down the street and found a Quizno's where we sat down for a bite. It looks like Reuben is trying a new way to drink his pop.....hmmmm. : ) Once back in the hotel, I made my way to the bookstore. I always try to browse through the bookstore at the beginning of a convention and let God lead me to books/topics that are pertinent to me at that time. This proved fruitful once again.

As we walked home, we noticed a nice small breakfast place nearer the hotel. This became our morning hang out. Not busy [funny with over 700 other youth workers at the conference] and good food.

Here is rick and Brian getting ready to eat.

This was Rick's breakfast EVERY morning. A creature of habit, but only in certain things.

We also took advantage of the restaurant in the hotel on evening. All you could eat buffet. Yummy.

After all the seminars, main sessions, and late night entertainment concluded, many of us would travel to the hotel bar and continue our networking. Lots of great discussions and learning moments. The place is always busy. People coming and going. Seems like all the sports teams that play the Toronto Maple Leafs stay here too.

We saw the Washington Capitals being ushered up the elevators to their rooms one night. On another, Rick and I met two members of the New York Rangers [I think that was the team] in the elevator. Very nice people.

We also saw the two NFL teams that were playing at the Roger's Centre [a.k.a. Sky Dome]. People everywhere. I wondered how many of them were truly happy with their lives, their money, their fame. . .

Here's a picture of the main hall in which we held our main sessions. These sessions consisted of some awesome Praise Bands that led us through some amazing worship times. A main speaker would also challenge us. There would be some comic relief through several Christian Comedian groups.

Here is a group called "Lost and Found" that I really like. I learned about them about 8 years ago. Funny as anything, but GREAT songs with some potent messages attached to them. Other songs are just sheer fun.

Here is the lead singer from Starfield. We got to see them up close and personal. An amazing worship band. Full of God's Spirit as they led us through some wild times, and very worshipful times as well.

Here is a picture of "The Skit Guys". Yep, Hannah and Joy, I got to see them LIVE. Even got to shake their hands. They are one of the funniest Christian comedy acts I've ever seen. ADHD for sure. Powerful messages though.

Those are just some pictures of the time I spent at the convention. Gives you a flavour of where I was. There was much more that pictures don't do justice too.

Many different seminars and main speakers challenged me on many different fronts. Some that I took were 1. How to Minister to Unchurched Youth 2. Youth Pastor/Senior Pastor relations (they can always be better) 3. Finding Funding for outside the box ideas. 4. Junior High Ministries. 5. The Scandal of Grace Then there were the main session speakers that stuck out for me:

1. Shane Claiborne - founder of the Simple Way and author of the "The Irresistible Revolution." He was amazing to listen to. His walk with God is close, practical, and challenging. I also went to a late night session in which he spoke about his work.

2. Tony Campolo - up close and personal. We were in the front row and almost got spit on by him : ). He, as usual, challenged us all in our youth ministries. He's always amazing to listen to.

3. An interview with William Young, author of THE SHACK. That was wonderful to hear. The most humble man I've ever heard speak. Having read the book, it was neat to hear him explain it further.

4. Listening to an interview with Brian, a Christian Youth Specialist who ministers to teens with same-gender attraction. He also struggles with same gender issues himself. This was a very interesting time. You could feel the uncomfortableness in the room rising as Brian shared his life and struggles. He was VERY nervous speaking to us, but I gave him credit for doing it. It allowed for some lively late night debate with our group later in the evening.

5. Another session with Mike Pilavachi. I've heard Mike speak a couple of times before and he's always very funny. He makes the Bible come alive in ways I've not experienced from anyone else. His humor has made me see the Scriptures in very human terms, something which I really appreciate.

Some other highlights of the Conference:

1. Meeting former Toronto Maple Leafs player Borje Salming [well, not personally, but he walked by me].
2. The worship times with the various worship bands. Amazing!
3. Meeting many new people in Youth Ministry
4. Having Rick call me from our room while I was in the bathroom of our room. (It was hilarious...ask me about it sometime if you want to.)
5. Rick deciding to get autographs from common folk as others were trying to get autographs from some of the NHL and NFL players. It was a hoot to watch.
6. Meeting my Aunte Mary at the convention.
7. Meeting a young person from my Sarnia days who is now a Youth Pastor! Cool.

Some notable quotes I picked up:

1. Jesus ate with all the "wrong" people.
2. We need to change before we can lead.
3. None of us are Christ alone, all of us are Christ together
4. Many young people leave our churches with wings, but without roots!
5. We need to cultivate danger in our Youth Ministries.

All in all, a great time to get away, rejuvenate and reflect on my work as a Youth Pastor/Pastor of Congregational Life. I thank Calvin CRC for giving me the opportunity to go, and trust that this time will benefit both myself, and our church as I continue to minister in and through it. And Finally, I wish to share with you my Ode to Rick. I hope you like it man! Rick, Rick, he's the man. He can meet people like no one can. With that infectious smile, And boisterous greeting all the while. You can't help but feel comfortable around Rick. You taught me a great deal during our time together. To take life as it comes no matter the weather. When an opportunity presents itself, You grab it off the shelf. Rick, Rick. A thoughtful sort. Yet he loves a good hockey game and many others sports. I enjoyed our challenging conversations which often times felt like oblations. You are a free spirit, Rick, that is right. Thanks for allowing me to once again see you in that light. It was a privilege. Ron. : )