Earlier this summer, my youth leader and I came up with the idea for a newsletter for the youth group…yet it’s so much more than a newsletter. He named it The Fire Escape, and I went right to work on it. In one section, we write about issues that we as teens face in our everyday lives. In another we list events the youth group will be participating in and/or attending (such as this year’s Acquire the Fire tour). We have a “Salvation Corner,” where I leave a short salvation message for those readers who may not have accepted Jesus, and we have a prayer list. My email address and phone number are always included so the other kids can let me know if they have any prayer requests or suggestions for the next issue. For fun, we schemed up a character we call “The Snipe.” What The Snipe does is good things for people, to reflect the love of Christ….but what The Snipe REALLY loves to do is pull practical jokes on people.
***Just this past Friday the thirteenth, a woman who works with the youth group named Darlene and a friend of mine named Taryn and I went out after midnight to the house of a couple from church (whom we KNEW had a good sense of humor) and COVERED their mailbox with silly-string. We then left a big cardboard sign that read “The Snipe.” For the next week, The Snipe was the talk of the youth group!! lol***
NOTE: In order to keep from getting in trouble, The Snipe ONLY pulls pranks on people within the church, and ONLY on people who have good senses of humor.
We also include a page (or two, if needed) of pictures of things the youth group has done within the month – I find that the pictures are a hit with the youth group.
*********************************************
Recently I wrote an article that was too big to fit the format for the Fire Escape, so I’ve included it as a letter instead. It’s called “The Challenge,” and it’s pretty much just that- a challenge to Christian teens to become bolder in our faith, to speak out for Jesus, to not be afraid to reflect Jesus in everything that we say and do.
If you’d like a copy of “The Challenge,” email me at the address provided above.