I wonder if you made it to the end of the year. Maybe it was a bit of a struggle and you were mightily relieved when you knew you had a month off in August. Perhaps you have slight anxieties about what the young people will get up to over the summer and whether they will come back motivated to serve God or their faith will have diminished.
These are pressures we all face in youth ministry but I wonder if they occur because of our failure to finish a year well. Maybe a celebration like a dinner in the post-exam period would have been a good way to finish and give some words of encouragement to maintain their walk with God through the summer. But one of the most crucial activities at this time of year is. . .
Evaluation
One of my pet aversions is when evaluation is done by someone who knows little of the work. But I remain convinced that some reflection on the year that is past can be of great value. It is best done with someone who will ask the hard questions about what has been achieved, but a period of reflection (without over introspection) will be good for you. What kind of questions do you need to ask yourself?
