One of the first todos when I arrived here in Buffalo was to have a monthly newsletter for my teenagers. For my first two years, I faithfully published a monthly newsletter. Usually, I would write a short thought in it, find some interesting articles or humorous stories that they might be interested in, or find something that would help them defend their faith. After about 2 years of doing this, I stopped and many of the teenagers were disappointed.
Well, a couple months ago, the Lord laid it on my heart to once again start our youth newsletter called "The Youth Challenge." I've based it on 2 Timothy 1:8, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." This has been a goal of mine to help our church's young people not be afraid when others ask them about their faith in Christ. I know of a few teenagers who have said that these newsletters have been an encouragement to them.
It does take a bit of time to create a newsletter. I really don't do a lot of fancy graphics or such, but making it look sharp and helpful to the teens. Yes, it's not always easy, but I certainly enjoy to here their excitement when the newsletter is handed out.
I create my "The Youth Challenge" using Microsoft Publisher. I have included content from many Christian websites as I am allowed and I make sure I give credit to the author. I included upcoming activities as well which works as a good way to communicate to them. The ideas here are really endless. If you are a pastor, maybe consider sending out a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter to your church congregation. As a child, I remember my pastor sending out a weekly newsletter and it was always fun reading it after my parents were done with it.
If you do have a newsletter that you produce, why not share it with us and tell us how you create your newsletter and your newsletter tips. Just post in the comments below.
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