- Baptist Press - https://www.baptistpress.com -

Sunday School Board unveils youth ministry Internet site

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–A new site on the World Wide Web for church youth workers, parents of youth and teenagers recently went live on the Internet, according to Craig Kendall of the Baptist Sunday School Board’s Bible teaching-reaching division.

“YouthScape” was created and will be maintained by the youth biblical studies section of the BT-R division. The Internet address is http://www.youthscape.com, and it can also be accessed through the “Touching Lives” section of the Sunday School Board’s corporate Web site, http://www.bssb.com.

According to Kendall, the site coordinator, the initial release of YouthScape went live Jan. 13, and continual expansion of the site is being planned.

The site includes the following sections, some of which are in the beginning stages of development:

— Bible Study: An introduction/overview of youth-related products (dated curriculum and undated Bible study products) available from the BSSB’s Bible teaching-reaching division.

— Youth EXTRA!: Contemporary teaching helps related to each of the Sunday School Board’s three Bible study curriculum lines for youth (Life and Work, Family Bible Series, Explore the Bible Series). These files will be posted on Thursdays — 10 days before the date of the
actual Sunday school lesson. EXTRA! supplemental teaching helps for other age groups will be added to the Sunday School Board’s web site later this year as well as continuing to be posted on SBCNet on CompuServe.

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— Youth Are: Highlighting of a teenager who is leading Bible study for other youth in their area. Content of this section will change often.

— Evangelism and Missions: Information about evangelism and outreach helps for youth workers (paid and volunteer), youth parents and teens; links to the youth evangelism office of the Home Mission Board, World Changers (Brotherhood Commission) and Youth Ministry Online
(Woman’s Missionary Union).

— Leadership Development: Helps for youth workers (paid and volunteer), youth parents and teens who lead youth.

— Special Events: Information about youth-related activities and events, such as “YouthLink 2000.”

— Recreation and Fellowship: Information and ideas to help youth, youth leaders (paid and volunteer) and youth parents incorporate recreation and fellowship into their Bible study ministry.

— Centrifuge and Crosspoint: Information about these two BSSB-sponsored camps for youth.

— Know Christ: Information about how to become a Christian.

— Hot Product: Highlighting of new resources available for youth Bible study. Each resource will be reviewed by a youth worker (paid or professional), a youth parent or a youth. Contents will be changed regularly.

Kendall said he hopes YouthScape will eventually become “a comprehensive entry point into all Baptist Sunday School Board-related youth ministry areas, with hyperlinks to other SBC youth-related sites on the Internet. “We want this to be one of the first places people turn for youth-related information and resources on the World Wide Web,” he said.

According to Baptist Sunday School Board webmaster David Haywood, the addition of YouthScape is part of a gradual development of the board’s Internet presence. Future additions in 1997 will include web pages from the discipleship and family magazine department, Baptist Book
Stores and Lifeway Christian Stores, Centrifuge, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Genevox Music Group and the adult and children’s sections of the Bible teaching-reaching division.

In addition, the board continues to coordinate SBCNet, a private forum for Southern Baptists on the CompuServe computer network.
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