Chris Fane's Student Ministry News

Hey there... just letting you know that I'm shutting down the blog. I've been running it as an experiment for the past month or so and even with egadideas.com linking to it, it really hasn't gained any traction. It's averaging about 18 people a day. I guess people aren't looking for this kind of info so it's better if I just let it go. Thanks for coming by though...

- Chris

FROM: CHRISTIAN TODAY / BY: COURTNEY LEE

According to a survey conducted with the Church Army and Premier Christian Radio, a majority of Christians do not find it easy to share their faith.

The survey was launched to test reaction concerning evangelism and faith sharing across the UK. The results concluded that Home Mission is seen as very important by 76% of respondents, but 47% often feel ill-equipped to share their faith.

David Coleman, the Communications Manager at Church Army said "It's exciting to find out that so many Christians want to share their faith. Home Mission is core to what Church Army does and Church Army Sunday provides a focus for us to encourage and equip Churches to get more involved in sharing faith through words and action."

"Premier's research has enabled us to gain a solid understanding of what Christians across all denominations are thinking about sharing their faith. We hope as a leading Christian home mission agency Churches will look to Church Army Evangelists to find examples effective ways to share faith in everyday situations."

Christians from a variety of denominations including Anglicans, Roman Catholics, free churches, Pentecostals, Baptists and Methodists reflecting the broad listenership of Premier joined the survey, which identified that 65% of respondents were aware of Church Army, although not so well informed about its focus on home mission and the theme for Church Army Sunday.

"We are in a unique position" commented Premier Chief Executive, Peter Kerridge "We are able to reach the whole of the Church, not just in London but across the entire country. It is Premier's responsibility to encourage the Christian community to take an active role in Home Mission. This is one of the key reasons we have selected Church Army as our Home Mission partners."

Church Army Sunday, supported by Premier Radio, will be held on September 24th 2006, where churches will have the opportunity to review Church Army's work and to consider providing prayerful or financial support. The theme of this year's Church Army Sunday is 'Get OUT More' - and to challenge churches to undertake an appropriate mission activity and make a difference in their community.

>>ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

FROM: CHRISTIAN POST / BY: ELAINE SPENCER

Two opposing voices are rising up among Baptist circles over the highly publicized 'exit strategy' from American public schools, setting the stage for another showdown at the upcoming Southern Baptist Annual meeting in June.

By the end of last week, more than 200 pastors, teachers and lay leaders signed onto a pastoral letter supporting public education that was issued a month ago. The letter, issued by the liberal Baptist Center for Ethics, called on supporters to pray for public schools and challenge religious voices that "demonize public education."

While the letter did not point fingers at any specific group, it referenced the call by some Southern Baptists for a mass exodus from public schools as the main need to support public education.

"Public education is ground zero in America's culture war," said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. "It's the place for fundamentalists where faith and science clash, church and state collide, racial/ethnic diversity and cultural purity war."

The movement for an "exit strategy" began two years ago amid rising concerns among conservative Southern Baptists over what they believed was an infiltration of the homosexual agenda in public schools.

While a resolution calling for a massive exodus failed to pass at the 2004 SBC annual meeting, a more toned-down resolution urging churches and parents to investigate their public schools was adopted in 2005.

Last month, the conservative "Exodus Mandate" announced that a resolution has been submitted for consideration at the 2006 SBC Annual Meeting calling for churches to "develop an exit strategy from the public schools that will give particular attention to the needs of orphans, single parents, and the disadvantaged."

"The resolution also urges the agencies of the Southern Baptists Convention to assist churches as they develop their exit strategies and commends Christians working in government schools," according to Exodus Mandate.

The resolution will have to be approved by the executive committee before it heads for a vote during the June 13-14 annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. A simple majority would pass the resolution.

>>ORIGINAL POST HERE

Sorry for the lack of updates this week... it's been a ridiculously hectic few days. I'll be back Monday though!

- Chris

Jonathan's site would occassionally lag and slow down a fair bit when search for game ideas. They've just moved the site to a new server for a speed boost.

www.TheSource4YM.com is now faster, better, and more reliable!
Luckily... many of you didn't notice that we weren't!

I'm embarrassed, but in the past few months, our web site had been lagging on occasion. People would click on one of our buttons for free game ideas or curriculum... and wait... and wait.... and wait...

NOT ANY MORE! As traffic to our web site has increased, so has our need to expand. Last weekend we just made the switch! We took our entire web site and moved it to a faster, more reliable dedicated server. The site is more responsive and gives you what you need when you need it. This switch was made possible by invisible donors, so we don't need to ever charge you for our resources.

Our email is also more reliable. If you've emailed us in the last month and haven't heard back... please email us again. We lost quite a few emails in the switch (thanks to our old, unreliable web server).

We're glad to serve you even better. Free quality resources are our specialty. Thanks for using The Source as your resource for youth ministry!

Sincerely,

Jonathan McKee
President
The Source for Youth Ministry

FROM: CBS NEWS / THE EARLY SHOW

Survey: One-In-Eleven Teens Suffers Physical Abusive Relationship

(CBS) Dating is an inevitable part of growing up for teenagers.

What parents and teens may not think about is the possibility of abuse.

A recent survey from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one-in-eleven high school students has been a victim of dating violence, such as hitting, slapping or other forms of physical abuse. Those teens are also much more likely to report binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fighting and sexual activity.

In response to these findings, the CDC launched an initiative called "Choose Respect. It's an effort to reduce youth dating violence.

Psychologist Ileana Arias heads the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

She stopped by The Early Show Monday to discuss warning signs that teens may be in an abusive relationship, and what parents can do about it.

>>WATCH THE VIDEO SEGMENT HERE

FROM: LIFEWAY STUDENT MINISTRY

In this episode we discuss the issue of preparing for summer in student ministry - especially as it relates to preparing for summer student camps or trips. We talk with several members of our Student Events team, here at LifeWay, about the ins and outs of preparing for camp, how to get your students and parents ready for your trip, as well as an inside look at the hearts and passions behind those who are responsible for bringing us Fuge camps & events each year. Find out how to obtain additional free camp-preparation resources for your student ministry as well.

>>CHECK OUT THE PODCAST HERE

FROM: ABC NEWS PRIMETIME

Is Oral Sex Really Sex, and How Do Boys Use Sex Against Girls?

May 17, 2006 — What happens when 14 teenage girls get together for a sleepover?

Naturally, they tell secrets about their lives, and some talk about their first sexual experiences.

"I didn't really like the person that I lost my virginity to," said Tiffany, one of the girls at the sleepover. "I'm kind of shaky about it. He really started ignoring me. And I was just, 'What the heck is your problem?' And then we got in a fistfight, and we stopped talking for seven months."

Watch "Primetime" Thursday, May 18, at 10 p.m. ET for more on teens and sex. On Thursday on ABCNEWS.com, we'll have the second part of this story on what parents really know about their teens' lives.

"Primetime," along with Seventeen magazine, recruited a group of girls to participate in a sleepover to talk about what sex means in their lives. Their parents also participated, by joining the group later to see what their daughters had said.

The parents said that, for the most part, they had an open relationship with their children and talked about sex.

According to an ABC News poll, about 90 percent of parents nationwide say they've spoken to their teens about sex. Only half of their teens agree. So whatever parents think is "the sex talk," it doesn't seem to register with their kids.

Atoosa Rubenstein, Seventeen's editor, says girls today are forced to grow up faster than in the past.

"Everybody always wants to be accepted by boys," Rubenstein said. "And everything is accelerated and more intensive. But I don't think it's any different than when we were younger and we wanted boys to like us. It's just today boys are asking them to do things that just weren't part of the picture back then."

>>READ THE REST OF THE REPORT HERE

FROM: CBS EARLY SHOW

Parents Trying Ignition-Locking Devices In Vehicles As Deterrents

(CBS) More and more parents are breathing new life into an old problem: teens drinking and driving.

As The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports, nearly 17,000 people are killed by drunk drivers in the United States every year.

Frequently, courts order repeat offenders to install breathalyzers in their cars.

Now, Kauffman points out, some adults are volunteering to get them. And others are insisting their teenage sons and daughters have them installed in their vehicles.

Steve Carter calls the breathalyzer he bought on his own for his car "a constant reminder, you know, to keep myself sober."

The device won't let the car start if there's any alcohol in his system.

"I'm not invincible," Carter, who lives in Colorado Springs, told Kauffman, "and, if I continue behaving and continue drinking in this manner, it's gonna kill me."

Or, Kauffman observes, someone else.

She says Carter's been to jail three times for driving under the influence.

He describes his violations as, "High speeds; tried to take a 90 degree, you know, city block turn and slammed headlong into a building. … That could easily have been another person."

Carter admits he shudders to think about it.

"It seems to me," Kauffman surmised, "that what's going on here isn't the punishment aspect, after you've gotten in trouble. It's the prevention aspect?"

"Oh, absolutely," Carter confirmed. "I think people can follow my lead, and I think we'll have a lot fewer drunk driving deaths."

>>READ THE REST OF THE REPORT HERE

FROM: ABC NEWS

Saudi King Tells Newspapers to Stop Printing Pictures of Women As They Can Lead Youth Astray

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia May 16, 2006 (AP)— King Abdullah has told Saudi editors to stop publishing pictures of women as they could make young men go astray, newspapers reported Tuesday.

The king's directive, made in a meeting with local editors, caused surprise as the monarch has been regarded a quiet reformer since he took office in the ultra-conservative country last August.

In recent months, newspapers have published pictures of women always wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf to illustrate stories with increasing regularity. Usually the stories have had to do with women's issues. The papers have also started publishing a range of views on causes that are not generally accepted in Saudi Arabia such as women having the right to drive and vote.

The king told editors on Monday night that publishing a woman's picture for the world to see was inappropriate.

"One must think, do they want their daughter, their sister, or their wife to appear in this way. Of course, no one would accept this," the newspaper Okaz quoted Abdullah as saying.

"The youth are driven by emotion … and sometimes they can be lead astray. So, please, try to cut down on this," he said.

Although the king has broached topics such as women eventually acquiring driving licenses that were previously seen as nonstarters, his instruction to editors indicates that Islamic conservatives remain a powerful force in the kingdom and brake on reform.

The country adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women are not allowed to vote and stand in municipal elections the only type of election permitted in the kingdom.

>>READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

FROM: USA TODAY / ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — Teen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize, a survey released Tuesday showed.

For a third straight year, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America study showed that about 1 in 5 teens have tried prescription drug painkillers such as Vicodin or OxyContin to get high — about 4.5 million teens. It also indicated that many teens feel experimenting with prescription drugs is safer than illegal highs.

Forty percent said prescription medicines were "much safer" than illegal drugs, while 31% said there was "nothing wrong" with using prescription drugs "once in a while." The study further found that 29% of teens believe prescription pain relievers are non-addictive.

"It's really a case now of accepting the fact that it's here," Partnership President and CEO Steve Pasierb said. "Clearly, this is a true problem in American society."

Although this was the group's 18th annual survey, it marked only the third year of compiling figures on the abuse of legal drugs. In 2003, the study found 20% of teens had tried the prescription drugs Vicodin, OxyContin and Tylox. Over the next two years, the numbers remained fairly consistent.

Pasierb said it was a good sign that the prescription drug numbers had not increased, but warned parents that the source of drugs is now the family medicine cabinet more than any dealer. The study found 62% of teens said prescription pain relievers are easy to find at home. And 52% say prescription pain relievers are "available everywhere."

"That's why we're putting a lot of our attending on educating parents," Pasierb said. "They don't have a frame of reference in a lot of cases. This kind of behavior (prescription drug abuse) didn't exist when they were teens."

A study by the University of Michigan, released in December, also indicated that American teens were smoking less and using prescription drugs more. It found 1 in 10 high school seniors had experimented with prescription painkillers.

The Partnership survey put teen smoking at 22%, down from 23% last year and 42% in 1998. The number of teens drinking in the past 30 days was down from 33% last year to 31%; in 1998, the figure was 42%.

The 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study surveyed more than 7,300 teens in grades 7 through 12, the largest ongoing analysis of teen drug-related attitudes toward drugs in the country. Its margin of error was plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

The non-profit Partnership for a Drug-Free America was launched in 1987.

>>ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE