Small Group Strategies by Laurie Polich and Charley Scandlyn Two authors offer their combined 30-plus years of experience to equip you with a strategic plan for small group ministry. A perfect balance between theory and practical application, these creative ideas and activities will foster a passion for God in students. Get a FREE sample from Small Group Strategies here! Learn more about and purchase Small Group Strategies here. High School TalkSheets Lesson 8: The Sunday Edition If you have students who are only at church because their parents made them go, then this lesson is perfect for you--and them! Download High School TalkSheets Lesson 8: The Sunday Edition for only $0.99 here. Crazy Knickknack Winners! A pair of Texas youth workers took home the prize with the craziest office knickknacks in youth ministry. Connecting Homosexual Students to God's Love: NYWC General Session speaker Andrew Marin challenges you to begin building bridges with homosexual students. Church Economic Woes: Some churches are fairing better than others in this tough economy. How is yours doing?   NYWC: Youth Workers Give Back Once again, we here at YS have been brainstorming ways to give back to the communities we visit for NYWC. Here's where you come in... Learn more about ways to give back today! PlanetWisdom UPDATE On the PlanetWisdom student tour this year, Mark Matlock and his team will be discussing Unlikely Heroes and how you can experience transformation through wisdom and the life of Christ. Are you an unlikely hero? Take a picture of yourself posed as a super-hero and then upload it here. You may find yourself on the big screens at this season's PlanetWisdom Tour!     Support Team Oestreicher: The whole family is raising money for Walktheirwalk this weekend. See how you can be a part of their trek. I'm Not Well Suited to be a Rock Star Reflecting on the autographs and pictures of the YS Convention in Argentina, Marko wrestles with being recognized. Class of 2012: With school now in full session, check out these fun facts about the freshmen class. How Video Games Blind Us With Science [Wired] Connecticut Teen Rewarded for Ethical Essay [Connecticut Post] American Adolescents Are Generally Happy [Peoria Journal-Star] Teenage Suicide Rate Remains High [NY Times.com] Blog Post of the Week: Matt Cleaver | theology. youth ministry. life. DCLA 2009 - BE LOVE SERVE * REPEAT - Living into the Mission of God Save the Date! DC July 10-13, 2009, LA June 25-28, 2009 Get all of the details here. Watch our Carpool Video! Click here to see a message from Tic. Turkey Chases Cop Watch the Video Now! Full Time Student Pastor The Church at Riverland Terrace, James Island Baptist, Charleston, SC Facebook Group Facebook Page MySpace Page Twitter YSJay Twitter YS_Scoop To view an online version of the YS Update, click here.   ©2008 Youth Specialties :: 300 S. Pierce St. El Cajon, CA 92020 :: 888.346.4179 PASS IT ON: Want your friend, pastor, neighbor, or someone else to be as clued-in as you are? Forward the YS Update to them. They can join the YS email family and get their own subscription to the YS Update at youthspecialties.com or by clicking here. *LINK DISCLAIMER: This is the stuff our lawyer wants you to know. Read on if you enjoy legal jargon or if you just want to know everything you can about why we do what we do at YS. The YS Update provides links and resources that reflect today's culture and thoughts on youth ministry. We don't promise that you'll agree with (or like) everything we link to, but we put them here anyway because we believe it may help you, your students, or your ministry. We try really hard to send you to "safe" sites (without pornography or offensive images), but occasionally we may link to a site with some bad words. Also, remember that what one person finds offensive, another may find funny, or vice versa. So we apologize in advance for anything you may not like or agree with that we link to here. We're just trying to get valuable information into your hands! Oh, and just so you know, YS doesn't necessarily agree with and/or support everything we link to, as well.