FloridaYouth.net

As the final service came to a close, our speaker, Mike Dsane (pronounced “Johnny”) challenged students and leaders to surrender their lives to Christ!  It was the culminating call of a spiritually dynamic weekend focused on passion, balance and surrender in the Christian life.  The worship band, The Outpouring, led the closing song – Chris Tomlin’s version of Amazing Grace.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s presence this year, as I watched young people come to the front of the stage to kneel and pray with each other and with adult leaders, as others stood with hands held high, tears flowing and hearts open, singing in affirmation, “My chains are gone; I’ve been set free; My God, my Savior, has ransomed me …”

Many lives were impacted as our convention speaker and conference leaders effectively spoke to the three themes taken from the words of John the Baptist, “He (Christ) must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30).”  I wish I could tell you the stories of the five young people who let me know that they had accepted Christ and committed their lives to Him for the very first time!  I would love to share with you the heart-felt devotion of 37 other students that had recommitted their lives to Christ.  24 other young people indicated a need for prayer concerning their futures, family concerns and grief, school and friends, stress and spiritual growth.   These 66 students represent a small portion of the young people who took next steps in their relationship with Christ at SYC ‘09.

Denny Huebner, Pastor of Oak Grove Church of God in Tampa, challenged the SYC group to give a missions offering again this year in support of youth ministry in India and student ministry leadership development here in Florida.  This year’s goal was $3,000.00.  The 2009 offering totaled  $3,100.00!

The Wyndham Orlando Resort provided excellent facilities and services for our worship and conferences as well as a variety of recreational activities: ping pong, billiards, soccer, swimming and beautiful grounds just for hanging out with new and old friends! 40 students participated in the first SYC 5K “Fun Run” with State Pastor, Dr. Greg Wiens.  Garrett, from Bayside, crossed the finish first at 19 min. 20 seconds, two minutes ahead of Dr. Wiens, who came in second!  Could there be a rematch in 2010?  About 40 students played basketball, too.  The “vintage” adult team played the youth 3-on-3 tournament winners. I’ll let you guess who won that matchup!

My deepest thanks go to the SYC Staff, Student Ambassadors, pastors and leaders, FLCOG office team and others who teamed up with God’s Spirit to make this convention a great success.

I want to conclude with the words from Scott, one of our audio technicians.  He turned to me during the Saturday night service as he looked out over the crowd and said, “This is incredible!”  I didn’t know what he meant so I said, “What do you mean?’  He said, “It is incredible how God is moving through everything that is happening this weekend!”  I couldn’t have said it better myself.   In December, I will post an SYC ‘09 highlights video on the State Ministry website – www.flcog.org.  Hopefully, this will give you another view of a great convention.

For Christ’s Kingdom,
Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor and Coach

SYC FUN FACTS
*2008 Attendance: 812 (34 churches)
*2009 Attendance: 788  (31 churches)
*12 churches attending in 2008 did not attend in 2009, equaling 217 participants
*6 churches that did not attend in 2008 attend in 2009, equaling 65 particpants

We are 20 days away from the 2009 Florida Church of God State Youth Convention!!  It is going to be a great and life-changing experience for all who attend.  Many local church youth groups have already registered!  There is still time to register.  We’re expecting 900-1000 students and leaders - make sure your group doesn’t miss this important youth event - Nov. 20-22, 2009, at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, Orlando, FL.

Here is a list of Saturday morning conferences and leaders for this year …

Time Title Leader
Sat. 9:30 a.m.        Breakout Session 1

Middle school    1: Relationships: Middle School Only Mike Dsane

(A conversation with our convention speaker about relationships in Middle School and biblical principles to help guide us)

High school       1: The Ultimate High (Passion)                           Bill Collins

(Youth experience intense feelings that often end.  We will look at a formula for a rush like that could last forever.)

High school       2: The Ex-Factor (Passion)                           Ashley Snyder

(We all have “ex’s” but the question is, what holds your love now?)

High school       3: For athletes: Balancing the Physical & Spiritual Greg Wiens

(a conference for athletes to look at balancing the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives.)

High school       4: Just Do It (Balance)                           Aaron Cochran

We will look at balance in 5 areas:  Spiritual (healthy habits and relationships); Emotional (How we see ourselves); Social (Being real in your world); Mental (Finding ways to stimulate growth and passion); and Physical (Taking care of the things that God has given you)

High school       5: Just Seems A Little Weird (Surrender)               Chris Watt

(We will look at discovering who you are, not worrying so much about what others think, being grounded in grounded in Christ, surrendering to him and not losing ourselves in the  world.)

High school       6: Give It All You Got (Surrender)               Jeffrey Compre

(Allowing God to be Lord in your life and given him every care that your carry)

Sat. 10:40 a.m      Breakout Session 2
High School       1: Relationships: High School Only Mike Dsane

(A conversation with our convention speaker about high school relationships and biblical principles that shape our relationships)

Middle school    1: The X-Treme Rush (Passion)                          Bill Collins

(What is it like to live on the edge, to push the envelope, to go farther than you thought you could?  Let’s see how x-treme you can be.)

Middle school    2: Jump (Passion)                          Ashley Snyder

(Are you the first to JUMP for your passion, or do you wait for the crowd?)

Middle school    3: For athletes: Balancing the Physical & Spiritual Greg Wiens

(a conference for athletes to look at balancing the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives.)

Middle school    4: Just Do It (Balance)                          Aaron Cochran

We will look at balance in 5 areas:  Spiritual (healthy habits and relationships); Emotional (How we see ourselves); Social (Being real in your world); Mental (Finding ways to stimulate growth and passion); and Physical (Taking care of the things that God has given you)

Middle school    5: Good For Great (Surrender)                      Chris Watt

(Middle schoolers can get too caught up in being “good” or “bad”.  Are kids bad, or do they just put themselves in some bad situations that lead to bad decisions.  Everyone has the opportunity to be great and to lead others to great when they surrender to Gods plan for them.)

Middle school    6: Give It All You Got (Surrender)                       Jeffrey Compre

(Allowing God to be Lord in your life and given him every care that your carry)

These Youth Conferences were developed by 2009 SYC team members, Bill Collins (White Chapel -Daytona) and Jeffrey Compere (15th Ave. - Ft. Lauderdale).  Thanks guys!!!  They have done a great job of identifying conference leaders and conferences themes that will harmonize with the service themes related to developing passion, balance and surrender in the Christian life of students.  Each conference will be age level specific this year.  Conference descriptions will be available in November on this website for further clarification of each conference.  New this year - All conferences will be digitally recorded (audio) and available on the youth ministry website after the convention for use in ministry and by students.

Pray for these conference leaders as they prepare!!!

Bill Ferguson, State Youth Pastor and Coach

Worship Band and Friday Night Concert Artist

The Outpouring

http://www.myspace.com/outpouringworship

Saturday night Concert:

Hip Hop Artists: The Street Disciples

www.myspace.com/thestreetdisciples1

Saturday Night - Special Jammin’ Appearance

Above and Beyond Basketball Ministry

We are excited to welcome Mike Dsane, speaker for the 2009 Florida State Youth Convention, Nov. 20-22, 2009.  He will be sharing on the themes of “Passion,” “Balance,” and “Surrender” in our Christian life.  Mike says,

“ God has been teaching me these three powerful lessons and challenging me to find the next level in Him…My passion is to be a part of the epic novel that God is writing on the heart of my generation … I am an ordinary guy, who serves and extraordinary God, who has given me big dreams and an even bigger mission – to be a leader in my generation.”

Mike has spent much of his adult life speaking to students.  After graduating from the university of Oklahoma in 2003, he became a pastor to students.  Mike is a gifted communicator and has been a frequent speaker to students at various high school and university assemblies and campus activities.  He has spoken numerous times at Mid-America Christian University and is a popular speaker with the student body.

In 2007 Mike became young adult pastor at Northplace Church, where he leads “Twenty Twenty,” a ministry that reaches young adults on the north side of the Dallas, TX Metropolitan area.

2009 SYC will be held at the beautiful Wyndham Orlando Resort, 8001 International Dr,  Orlando, FL 32819; (407) 351-2420. This is a  phenomenal site - maybe the best we’ve had.  The resort offers a great ballroom for our main services, excellent conference space, newly renovated rooms, and some nice amenities - 3 pools, workout rooms, miniature golf and other activities.  It is located north of the Rosen Centre and Rosen Plaza, where we have been for the last two years.  The Wyndham is across the street from one of the coolest McDonald’s in the world, as well as other fast food restaurants, with access to the I-trolly and I-drive.  It should be a great location!

O.K., the date for convention is Nov. 20-22, 2009.  This is the weekend before Thanksgiving day.  The per person registration cost will include a room for 2 nights (with 2-3 other persons from your youth group), and entrance to all worship services, concerts, conferences, & hotel amenities.  Each person will also receive an embossed wristband I.D., a ticket for the all-convention lunch buffet, and a convention t-shirt (for those registered by Oct. 20, 2009).  Here is the cost schedule* for SYC 2009:

Early-bird Registration (Postmarked by Sept. 30) $125.00 per person
Registration (Postmarked by Oct. 20)                            $130.00 per person
Late Registration (Postmarked after Oct. 20)                 $135.00 per person
Day Attendance Registration (no hotel room)                  $85.00 per person

*Individual registrations within your group can be transferred to another group member prior to the start of convention.    In cases of medical emergency or family death, a full refund will be given to students in this situation.  After Oct. 20, 2009, a $100.00 per person back-out fee will be charged to your church group for students who have registered but choose to “back out” for other reasons.

I’ll update this site soon related to convention theme, speaker, worship band, concerts, conference themes and schedule.  A registration packet will be available for download in early August from this website.

I look forward to seeing you at SYC 2009!

BIll Ferguson

State Youth Pastor and Coach

Florida Church of God Ministries

Youth Pastors, Group Leaders, Adult volunteers and Student participants,

The 2008 Florida State Youth Convention was a great event! We want to learn from what happened. Would you take a brief survey that should take less than 5 min? Your insights, suggestions and opinions will help us make the 2009 Florida State Youth Convention and even better convention!!

Tell your friends who attended Illusion ‘08 to help us by taking the survey. Oh by the way, the 100th survey-taker will win a new Ford Mustang!!!! O.K., that wasn’t true - but we still need your help. Thanks. Here’s the link to the survey (just click):

Click Here to take survey

Hope to see you and other leaders from your group at FSLI - Florida Student Leadership Institute - February 27-28, 2009. FSLI information will be coming to your church in early December.

Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor and Coach
Florida Church of God Ministries

Youth Leaders and Students,
THERE IS STILL TIME & ROOM TO REGISTER FOR:

Illusion ‘08
Florida State Youth Convention
Oct. 31, Nov. 2, 2008

For last minute registration and information please contact me a.s.a.p.!!!!
You won’t want to miss this convention

Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor
c-786-521-1505
o-305-388-4518

Illusion ‘08 is quickly approaching!!!!

This Friday, registration forms and deposits ($75.00) per person are due.  Please send these items by mail to:

Tiffini Brown, convention registrar, 1012 Mohican Blvd, Jupiter, FL 33458.

Most importantly, if you are sending a check by mail with your forms, please put it in the mail by Friday and then Fax or email copies of all forms to Tiffini, tiffinib@gmail.com or fax: 561-622-4382.  This is a new fax number -the old published number has had problems.
**We must have registration forms and the housing list by Oct. 10, because we have a block of rooms reserved with our convention hotel at a rate that is half the normal rate for the time.  We must know who will be needing rooms by this date, because the hotel will release our rooms (that are not reserved) by then to the public at twice the cost.  I will have to pass this increase on to those who don’t identify their participation with us by then.

Thanks for your help to get these forms to us on time!

Praying for a great convention!!!

Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor and Coach
Florida Church of God Ministries

Dear Youth Ministry leader,

I hope this comes as good news to you.  I emailed the info. below to church offices last weekend and hopefully you’ve seen it.  If not, the SYC registration deadlines have been moved back!!!  Here’s the scoop:

Because this is the first year that we are moving State Youth Convention off of Thanksgiving Weekend to an earlier date - Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, we are extending the registration deadlines and eliminating registration late fees (for this year) in order to give youth groups and teens every opportunity to get registered, etc. for SYC ‘08.  I don’t want anyone to miss this awesome convention that is developing because of early registration deadlines!!  This gives each group 10 days from today to identify their group participants (10 days past the original deadline) and over two extra weeks to pull all the funds together.  Please pay close attention to the deadline schedule below so that the appropriate forms get to us on time!!!!

The new deadlines:

By October 10 -

a) A convention registration form and a housing form for your group must be faxed (561-575-4091) or scanned and emailed toTiffini Brown - tiffinib@gmail.com**
b) A deposit check ($75.00 per participant) must be mailed and postmarked by Oct. 10, with any other convention forms (FSLI, 3-on-3 bball, New Way, SYC Ambassador recommendations)

By October 31 -

a) The balance ($60.00) due at convention registration table, Oct. 31 upon arrival.
b) There will be no late fees for this year’s convention if balances are paid on Oct. 31; after convention there is a $15.00 per person late fee.

**I must have registration forms and the housing list by Oct. 10, because I have a block of rooms reserved with our convention hotel at a rate that is half the normal rate for the time.  I must know who will be needing rooms by this date, because the hotel will release our rooms (that are not reserved) by then to the public at twice the cost.  I will have to pass this increase on to those who don’t identify their participation with us by then.

I need your help: Please help me get this info. out to other youth ministry leaders in the state - forward this email to your colleagues.  I greatly appreciate your help.

Blessings,

Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor and Coach
Florida Church of God Ministries

Dear Youth and Leaders,

I’m excited about Illusion ‘08, this year’s State Youth Convention. FYI - This convention is not being held on Thanksgiving weekend!!!!  Check out the information below.

Illusion ‘08 is going to be a high energy, captivating, God-event for the youth of our state!  You won’t want to miss it!!  For more information, go to the “SYC info” button on this site and you’ll find a complete, downloadable, 20-page registration packet (with group registration and housing forms, Florida Student Leadership Institute forms, 3-on-3 b-ball tourney registration, New Way state choir audition form, conference info. and more).  Here’s a snapshot of our leadership and events:

Illusionist Brock Gill will be our main service speaker on Friday night and Saturday morning. For a video clip of his performance go to www.brockgill.com.  He is amazing!   Brock will also perform in a live show late night Friday (like a concert … only he doesn’t sing. He does illusions that will blow you away!).

Also, Rev. Suzanne Haley, a dear friend and colleague, will be our speaker on Sunday morning.  She will lead our Youth Ministry Institute for adult leaders during the Saturday night breakout conferences, as well.  Suzanne is our national Director of Leadership Development for the Church of God and a champion for young people.  Suzanne and Brock will undoubtedly inspire all who attend.

Breakout Conferences for youth will focus on “Everyday Illusions” — materialism, images and expectations of what is “beautiful or handsome,”  living life on-line, relationship issues, etc.  These conferences will help expose these illusions and point to Jesus’ way, perspective and life, which is real life and real perspective.

Collin Moneymaker and band from Miami will lead worship this year.  Collin led worship for Anderson University’s Open Door while attending college.  He will connect the themes of each service with high energy and relevant worship experiences, utilizing a variety of musical styles and genres. It is going to be an awesome experience!!

Convention Text: Ecclesiastes 5:7:  “Against all illusion, fantasy and empty talk, there is this rock foundation: fear God. (Message)”
Convention location: Rosen Plaza, International Dr., Orlando, FL
Date: Oct. 31 - Nov. 2
Cost: $135.00 per person - this includes registration, lodging, entrance to all services, breakout conferences, a ticket to an all-convention pasta and salad luncheon on Saturday, and more. Registration deadline is OCTOBER 15 (or a late fee will be applied).
Who can attend: 6th - 12th graders and adult leaders
Deposit:- $75.00 due with registration form, Oct. 1; full payment due Oct. 15.

Please help get this information out to your group members and friends, a.s.a.p!  If you have questions, or need more info., contact me.  I hope to see your youth group at SYC ‘08!

Bill Ferguson
State Youth Pastor and Coach

billf@flcog.org
www.floridayouth.net
www.flcog.org