What I learned at Bus Convention

Here are a couple items I learned from each workshop I attended at Bus Convention. Of course there was much, much more but I won't bore you with all of it. The words in quotes are taken directly from the handouts provided by the speaker, everything else is from my handwritten notes and may be paraphrased. There are cd's of the sessions available it you are interested.
1. Discipling Teens, Chris Cravens:
--Relationship is more important than resources.
--Discipling/Mentoring means bringing them close enough to view God's power in your life.
2. Teaching a Combined Class (more than one age group), Arlene Booth:
--85% of people who become Christians, do so between the ages of 4 and 14.
--Greet each child when they arrive. Be genuinely happy to see them and praise them for making the effort to come to church.
3. Teaching 9-12 Year Olds, Elaine Spangler:
--This age group is especially concerned with finding friends, having fun, being included, and being noticed.
--Be attentive to their likes, dislikes, and desires but base your ministry on what they NEED.
4. Teaching Music Principles to Teens, Garen Wolf:
--Does God care about music? He mentions it over 600 times in the Bible. It must be pretty important.
--"Teens should not be forcd to only sing "adult" songs or to sing only hymns and gospel songs out of the hymnbook. There are many songs written in appropriate styles that fit the good news of the gospel."
5. Teaching Techniques II, Barry Mason:
--If you teach to the boys, the girls will come along. If you teach to the girls (have mostly girl activities) the boys will think it's sissy stuff and won't follow.
--If you can only do two things, make it stories and songs. These will be remembered longer than anything else.
6. The Power of Events (Youth Camp, Youth Challenge, Rallies, etc), John Manley:
--He asked how many had made major life decisions/changes at an event. Well over half the crowd raised their hands.
--However, it is the process of your regular ministry in the local church that lays the foundation for an event to be effective. This process is to the event what a foundation is to a house.
7. Working With Difficult Children, Barbara Baker:
--Use as many different visual aids as you can to get and keep their attention.
--"...[Chilren with ADD] can learn to focus when they're motivated, confident, and involved in an active-learning environment that addresses their need to move and touch."
8. Bore No More--Preaching to Teens, Travis Johnson:
--Be real/genuine/transparent/authentic. Share some of your own struggles and how you are dealing with them. Don't pretend to be perfect. Teens have a hypocrite radar!
--You may feel like an "8-track preacher in an Mp3 world" but God's presence transcends everything. Don't just bring young people to Christ, bring Christ to them.