General Information:

Youth Pastor Name: Joe Campetella
Youth Group Name: H2O – Here to Overcome
Church Name: Souls Harbor First Pentecostal Church
City & State: Belleview, Florida

Questionnaire

IO: What is your average youth attendance?
JC: Seventy-five

IO: Average age?
JC: Fifteen

IO: What do you do for outreach?
JC: Block Parties—one every two months; CRT (Critical Response Team) led by Jessica Hughes every other Saturday to follow-up with visitors’ outreach; campus ministry (ROC –Realizing Our Cause); and weekly Bible studies at retirement homes.

IO: Do you have a prayer meeting for the Youth? 
JC: Thursday nights.

IO: What is your youth group’s claim to fame? (If you’re gonna brag on your youth group, you’re going to say…?)
JC: Everywhere they go, people know they are going to have a breakthrough!

IO: What do you do to retain those who join your youth group? Bible studies? Small groups?
JC: We initiate Bible studies with our visitors and take them through foundational studies.

IO: Is there a “hangout” for your youth outside of church?
JC: Yep!  My house.

IO: Do you guys do crowd-breakers or is that a thing of the past? If not, what has filled the place of crowd-breakers?
JC: Crowd-breakers will never be a thing of the past!  Daniel Autrey emcees our youth services, and Hannah Billingsley and Donnie Ellis work the crowd icebreakers, which are always energetic and fresh!

IO: I hear you guys have an awesome air bands competition? Tell us more about that.
JC: Air Bands is a once a year competition where teams of young people compete in three categories: 1) prop creativity, 2) musical synchronization (ability to lip sync and fake play with the soundtrack), and 3) crowd involvement. HUGE VISITOR TURNOUTS!!!  TONS OF FUN!!!

IO: Do you have other events like the air bands competition that you put on for your youth group?
JC: We plan the BIG FOUR every year:  one major youth event per quarter!  In 2008: first quarter = Youth Explosion Conference ; second Quarter =  Home missions; third quarter: R.O.W. (Reaching Our World) trip to Nicaragua (one hundred received the Holy Ghost and many miracles including a paralyzed kid jumping out of a wheelchair); fourth quarter: District Holiday Youth Convention.

IO: Do you meet on the same night as the midweek service for the whole church? What day is that?
JC: No, Thursdays are specifically youth nights

IO: Do you guys have a youth choir?
JC: Yes; we sing every Tuesday night.

IO: What style of music does your youth group like? (Contemporary, Rock, Gospel etc.?)
JC: All.

IO: If you could narrow it down to ONE song, what would be the Youth Group’s “Anthem” or favorite?
JC: “This is How We Overcome.”

IO: Do you have a worship band? What style do they play?
JC: Several bands; gospel, contemporary, rock, funky…

IO: Is the emphasis in your youth services more outreach driven (pushing for young people to get the Holy Ghost) or more discipleship driven (ministering/developing/maintaining those already a part of your Youth Group)?
JC: Both! We have seen the greatest outpouring of the Holy Ghost on visitors when we preach the strongest on discipleship.

IO: How many youth staff members do you have?
JC: Eleven.

IO: As a Youth Pastor, what is your vision for your Youth/Student Ministry?
JC: H2O Vision

First: Souls Harbor Vision—To model the Book of Acts church

Second: H2O Sub-Vision—To be an example to the believers!

I Timothy 4:12: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

• Word – thought, motives, ideas, plans
• Conversation – how we fellowship with each other
• Charity – how we think about each other
• Spirit – our relationship with God
• Faith – our work for God
• Purity – our resemblance to God