FOR PARENTS

Welcome to the Parent Section. Useful files and information will be posted below.

Online Registration (Click to register for a trip/event online)

Rebel Base Loves Parents

On behalf of rebel base student ministry staff here at The Woodlands UMC, let me just say “thanks” for being the best parents in the whole wide world! We love and respect you guys so much and count it a privilege to come along side you in ministry with your sons and daughters. If you don’t know it already you will soon discover that youth ministers make a lot of mistakes. Our hearts are usually in the right place but let’s face it… we can sometimes let parents down. Maybe it’s poor organizational skills, our over-the-top approach to reaching students, our always spontaneous way of doing things, the way we expect you to read or minds, or the fact that we can be the most attention deficit people on the planet. But whatever we’ve done to disappoint you or let you down you’re always unconditional with your love and support. You will never know how much that means to us. Hey, we all know that you are the real youth ministers in your kid’s lives. Brain, Tom, Halley, Leslie, Zach, Lori and I are just excited to have the time we have each week to support you in any way we can. It’s always great fun, eternally rewarding, and a privilege we never take for granted. We enjoy so much the opportunities God gives us each week to serve the most incredible junior and senior high school students in America! Just wanted you to know that we appreciate you and that we think you are the absolute finest bunch of Mom’s and Dad’s on planet earth!

Bob Swan

When Youth Ministers Don’t Connect

There are some wonderful things about serving in a large suburban church. I certainly don’t need to remind you of the state-of-the-art facilities, daily programs, large staff, and diverse ministry opportunities. But there can be a down side to all this. Sometimes large churches can be a little difficult when it comes to connecting relationally. A sense of community is so powerful in a young person’s life and sometimes larger churches have to work extra hard to make that a reality. As we strive to create a sense of community, sometimes we notice students falling through the cracks. Some kids are just not socially wired or maybe their just extremely introverted. Maybe it’s the fact that no one from their school is involved or maybe the culture of the youth ministry is just not what they are looking for. Or dare I say that maybe they’re just not interested in spiritual things. There are a myriad of reasons why teenagers choose not to be involved in a particular student ministry… way too many to mention in this article. But one of the reasons may be the youth minister!

That’s right, I said it… sometimes the youth minister is the problem. I have been doing student ministry for some 30 years now and I can honestly say that for every dozen or so kids I really connect with there are always a few who loath the ground I walk on. I use to worry about it so much, taking it all very personally and wondering weather I was even fit for full time youth ministry. But what I’ve come to realize is that no matter how hard I try, some kids are just not going to connect with me or me with them. That’s why we try and have a wonderful array of talents, gifts, personality types, and interests among our full time and volunteer staff. Our hope and desire is that there is someone here at Rebel Base who can connect on some level with your teenager. If this article strikes a chord, how about giving me a call on my direct line and we can talk about it 281.297.5941

Bob Swan