I am going to overstate the obvious in this issue of my e-letter to make a very important point. High school graduations affect parents too! In the last e-letter issue, I encouraged all youth workers to make much of graduations. This event is indeed one of the very few “rites of passages” in today’s American culture. But, here’s something else that I failed to mention last time: graduation is a big deal for the parents of graduates too.
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RBP has currently released six titles in our series of teaching materials for youth groups. RBP’s FaithBuilders: Bible Studies for Youth are available in three general categories: doctrinal, topical, and Bible book studies. This new series is creative and very well done. I encourage all churches to order all six studies for their students now! The titles that are available now are some of the most relevant and applicable studies for today’s youth ministry (God’s Will, Prayer, The Church, Ephesians, Worship, and Spiritual Maturity.) The price is an affordable $9.99 for a four-lesson study. Each lesson is presented in a clear and easy-to-use format and contains reproducible handouts for your students. (The handouts are also available on our Web site for those who have purchased our materials.) For more information on our youth products, visit our Web site. To order FaithBuilders: Bible Studies for Youth or any RBP products, call 1-800-727-4440 or e-mail your order to rbporders@garbc.org.

If you have recently purchased any of our new FaithBuilders Bible studies and have used them with your students, we need your input. We’d also like to know how you have been using FaithBuilders and if you have any suggestions for improvement.

Please take a few moments and click on the following link to complete a brief survey. Your feedback will help us evaluate how we are doing on this strategic new product for youth groups. (If you have already filled out this survey you do not need to do it again.) Faith Builders Survey

As an extra thank you, one customer who responds to this survey will receive a FREE copy of the FaithBuilders of your choice.Thanks for your help!

In the late 1970’s, Joseph F. Kett wrote what was to become a classic work in the field of youth sociology. His premise in Rites of Passage was that American adolescents go through certain social “rites,” or rituals, as they mature into adults. My own training and experience in this field has led to me to believe that high school graduation is probably one truly significant rite of passage that almost all American teenagers experience. Indeed it is probably the most anticipated event so far in their lives. That’s why I encourage church workers to make much of high school graduations. Graduations are a big deal to your students, and they can be times of celebration and anticipation in your church as well.

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As you make final plans to prepare for your summer program, consider using the RBP Student Ministries Real Faith In-Depth Study for your small group or discipleship ministry. This summer the In-Depth Study features an inductive Bible study on the subject of “Choices.” The student workbook correlates with RBP’s senior high Sunday School curriculum, yet it takes the students deeper into their own study of this strategic topic. The IDS material encourages your students to learn how to use some of the key Bible study tools that are available today (such as Bible commentaries, Bible handbooks, Bible dictionaries, and Bible atlases). One added benefit of the In-Depth material is that the correct answers to the Bible study questions are found in the RBP Real Faith Lessons teacher’s book that you are probably already using in your senior high Sunday School class. For more information, visit our youth ministries Web site.