I'm not a parent of teenagers...they are now young adults, and so I know how much your children mean to you.  And as much as I don't want to admit it, I know that parenting a teenager is a lot more challenging than parenting a two year old!  You need help, and we at Bible Baptist Student Ministries want to do everything we can to come along side of you in what you're already doing to raise your children up in the faith. 

Anytime you need to talk, need someone to vent to, or if you have questions about any random thing... we are here for you.  There is a lot that we can learn from you, and hopefully we can be of encouragement to you as well. 

These years are a fun and exciting time but there are also times of frustration and confusion. BBC Student Ministries Student is here to assist in navigating through some of these situations. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

Thanks for loving your teenagers and letting us love them too!

God Bless - Ray Cabrera

Do What Parents Do
God chose parents to be the primary spiritual influencers in their kids' lives - for good or bad. Even though parents shouldn't oursource this primary responsibility to the church, as youth workers we can pattern our ministries after the example set by good parents.

Paul himself did that, as he explains in 1 Thessalonians 2:7: "But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her children." This is the ministry of grace and acceptance. "We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children," he continues in verse 11, "encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." These are the ministries of affirmation, presence, and instruction in Christian service.

Notice the order of these ministries, which is not insignificant. Grace and acceptance come first, followed by affirmation, presence, and finally, instruction in the Christian faith. In youth ministry (as in parenting), there's a tendency to skip the first four and move quickly to the instruction. But Paul knew better. Good parents and good youth workers sow seeds of faith in fertile soil that has been cultivated by the hard work of spending time with teenagers and loving them gently into a relationship with God.

- Wayne Rice (Taken from a recent article in GROUP magazine)