Some things I am thinking to do:
– Family BBQ for fun and fellowship (we have been doing this toward the end of each school year, but I want to maybe do this at the beginning next time. It is for youth and their whole family and we usually do softball or kickball and maybe some sack races, etc. too.)
– A night, early on in the school year with youth and their parents to talk about plans for the upcoming year and have parents and youth sign up for ways they want to help. (We did this on a Sunday after church a few years back, but this time I will try to do it on a normal Wednesday to not have one more thing to do.)
– A two month (maybe little longer) study with parents and their youth on our regular Wednesday nights. We would have game, worship, and message all together, then have small groups with parents and their youth to go over the passage from the message. (This would take place in the spring so kids would have already had the whole fall to have just youth messages and small groups.)
– And, in general, I plan to be in touch a lot more with the parents to talk about where their kids are and encourage those who are Christians to be the key spiritual leaders for their kids. (Instead of me getting with their kid to talk about doing devotions, having a relationship with Jesus, etc., I can talk to the parents and they can get with their kid.)