DONE!

Yes, our annual youth rally called "Akastasia" is over. All of a sudden, we had about 180 guests from Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and South Dakota.
I love youth rallies.
It always starts off with everyone being a little awkward. They haven't seen each other in a month or more...some since summer camp. As the weekend progresses, you can see people loosen up, and maybe even establish new friendships.
This year was tough. Garrison's hospital stay put me WAY behind schedule on the planning. Several last minute decisions and phone calls had to be made. Our tradition of ice skating on Saturday did not happen this year. Several of our Christian colleges could not afford to support us financially.
But God LOVES showing up when we're worried about the way things will turn out!
A couple at our church offered to help pay for the t-shirts. I told them their offer could not have come at a better time since other financing did not work out. When the bill came in, I emailed them with the total and told them any amount would be appreciated. They paid the whole bill.
I also worried about our entertainment and game times. Soul Concern from York did an awesome job filling in almost last minute. And as far as games, teens would rather just hang out sometimes than be forced to play games.
Robert Cox did a PHENOMENAL job of speaking, as usual. He knows what struggles people are facing, and challenges them to face those struggles with God's help. His church families have such great stories.
And to top it off, one of our teens, Lucas Anderson, was baptized. He accepted God's grace, and committed himself to living a radical life for Jesus Christ. Then, after the teens had gone to their host homes, a lady from Kansas was baptized, too!
Several people sought me out to tell me what a wonderful rally it was. All I could do was shrug my shoulders, smile, and say, "It wasn't me. God was here and made this rally more than I ever planned or hoped for!"

Planning a Youth Rally

Where do you start? Is there a master list to follow? Here are some tips I've used (stolen) in planning several youth rallies now:

1. Plan your theme and speaker well in advance. We try to have next year's theme and speaker ready to introduce by the end of this year's rally.
2. Give your teens appropriate responsibilities. Some teens can take on more responsibilities than others. For example, you probably shouldn't give a teen command of the budget for your youth rally!! On the other hand, you might have some talented artists who can perform or make artwork. My teens have shot the Rules video each year, and really impress me each time.
3. Involve your whole church. This is a great opportunity for people to see you (youth minister or volunteer) in action. Use them to house teens, serve food, lead a discussion or class, registration, driving...the list goes on.
4. Give yourself plenty of time to plan. I have a list that I start working on over a month before the rally begins. The stress will fade away as you cross the items off that list!
5. Be flexible! Things WILL go wrong! Teens will take their cues from you. If you think things aren't going well, they might think the same thing. Evaluate each rally when it's done, and remove or rework those things that didn't work.
6. Keep Jesus by your side. Remember what your rally is all about. It's not about showcasing your talents, or getting people to like you. Point them toward Christ.

In case you're wondering, I DO have several lists that I use to plan and execute our youth rally. If you think it would be helpful, let me know and I'll send them to you.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go sleep one more time before a hectic weekend begins with a LOT of teens and a LOT of Jesus!