Student Leadership: Day 3

Another full day for our team here at the PDYM Student Leadership Conference. Highlights included a morning session on the theme of ministry, a morning and afternoon filled with real-life, hands-on, student-led ministry projects, and an inspiring evening with a 15-year-old having a global impact.

MINISTRY/Erik Rees, speaker

• Only you can be you
• Ministering in your "shape" is a form of stewardship
• Learning who you're NOT is vital
• When you do what God designed you to do, the benefit is pleasure
• I must SURRENDER my life to God
• What do you listen to when the music isn't playing?
• I must SEIZE my S.H.A.P.E. from God
• Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences
• Are you "in" shape or "out" of shape?
• I must SERVE people for God
• Do. Try. Fail. Grow.
• As you serve others, you'll begin to see how God can use you to do incredible things
• Take one step forward to serve
• I must STRENGTHEN my life with God
• Does anyone in this world know you as well as God?
  

MINISTRY PROJECTS
Morning activities included a PB&J-making station, a station where students discovered how far spare change can help people in the Third World, a room where students wrote letters to "ignored" people and groups, and a spot for organizing used shoes that have ben donated to help homeless people.

In the afternoon, our teams all left the church campus and went out into Orange County. We were assigned the task of collecting spare change from people. The students were in charge -- totally! Basically, I was their driver, their chauffeur. Wow, did they enjoy that! Most of the time, I just sat in my car waiting for them to walk around and ask folks for spare change.

EVENING SESSION/Zach Hunter, speaker
Zach is an incredible kid. He's 15 years old. He's written a book. He speaks to crowds of thousands on the topic of freeing modern slavery victims. He motivates teens to collect spare change to help free those slaves. Tonight, Doug Fields did an interview format with Zach, keeping the service flowing well. Zach also took questions from students and adults in the crowd. Here are some highlights from his presentation and discussion:

• Loose change is underestimated, just like teenagers can be; people often don't expect much from loose change or teens
• Go find one thing you're passionate about, and research it, and live for it
• Passion is something Satan doesn't want us to have
• Tech gadgets can become an antiseptic that makes us apathetic
• So much suffering remains in the world because we're not willing to be used by God
• There's nothing I can give to God that He doesn't truly already have
• This generation is dying in a desert because of thirst for real ministry, real relationship with God
• See a need, get your passion stirred, and do something about it