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Class of 1994 Bible Study Reunion

Filed Under: Youth Ministry by Jodie — 5 Comments
20 March, 2007

Bible Study Reunion March 2007

On Saturday night I had the great privilege of meeting with eight of the original gang from the youth Bible study I led from 1989 to 1994. A couple of the guys couldn’t make it due to geographical challenges (Perth and New Zealand!), but for the rest of us it was great to share stories and reflect on the past.

It was great to find out where these guys are in their walk with Jesus, and it gives me lots to pray for them, both as a group and individually.

Thanks to Ben for hosting the night, and Rob for the tasty dessert… mmm….

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Lightning strikes Sydney!

Filed Under: Photography by Jodie — 1 Comment
12 March, 2007

Lightening strikes Sydney on the 4th March 2007

On the evening of the 4th March, Sydney copped a pounding from a sustained lightning attack.

Due to a scene reminiscent of ‘These are a few of my favourite things’ from the Sound of Music, I (and my family) were unable to sleep through the noise and light.

So, I grabbed my camera and tripod, and took several shots using a long exposure and a repeated auto-timer. This shot was the brightest, and demonstrates the intensity of the attack. This was taken from our home in Sylvania Heights, looking West towards Oyster Bay and beyond.

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Year 13 2007 Kicks Off

Filed Under: Year 13 by Jodie — 10 Comments
12 March, 2007

Year 13 2007 Kicks Off! 

Year 13 has started for 2007 with a terrific weekend away, followed by two great weeks of lectures. The gang of 26 students and 4 staff have quickly settled in to what is shaping up to be a great year of service and growth.

Many of the changes for this year have been received well, including the new online learning and the introduction of the ‘Doctrine’ course.

Stay tuned for more updates, especially as we start to lock-down some of the new changes for 2007, including a local alternative to the Africa mission, plus other surprises!

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New Website for Sylvania Anglican Youth

Filed Under: Internet, Sylvania Anglican, Youth Ministry by Jodie — Leave a comment
18 February, 2007

Thanks to the ease of WordPress, I’ve put together a quick website for the youth ministry I lead at Sylvania Anglican. Check it out by visiting www.sylvaniayouth.org and tell me what you think!

The beauty of WordPress is that I can give all the leaders passwords, and they can help me keep the site up to date. I think one of the great advantages to using a CMS (Content Management System) is this ease of entry and editing. I remember in the not-so-old-days that to update a website required major HTML editing, with FTP and all other primitive nasties. Now, those days are behind us.

We’re also planning in time to convert our website to use the upcoming www.cyiada.com platform. Check out that blog to find out what is being planned!

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Schools in for outreach

Filed Under: Schools Ministry, sydneyanglicans.net, Youth Ministry by Jodie — 1 Comment
12 February, 2007

Here’s an excerpt from today’s sydneyanglicans.net article on Schools Ministry entitled ‘Schools in for outreach’ in which I am quoted: 

Involving youth ministers in school ministry is one of the main strategies for reaching school students, says Year 13 Director and Youth Ministry Lecturer at Youthworks College, Jodie McNeill.

“One of the best connections a youth minister can have with unchurched teenagers is to teach high school scripture.

“Not only do you potentially get an extra hour a week to disciple your church kids, you also get to meet their friends and tell them the gospel.”

Jodie adds that getting students on board to reach their friends is an important factor.

“Youth ministers must not only work hard at making time to teach lessons, they should also be active in recruiting volunteers to join them in this remarkable mission field.

“There is probably no better way to link with high school kids than to teach SRE (Special Religious Education) in their schools.”  

Any comments or thoughts? Participate in the special forum for this topic which I am moderating at www.sydneyanglicans.net.

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