News & Notes for Parents

Impact and Spring Retreat

2011-03-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Online registration is now up for the Spring Retreat and for Impact.

The Spring Retreat is our ministry's annual retreat to Palmetto Bible Camp for a weekend. It is a fairly relaxed weekend where we try to encourage our students to deepen their spiritual relationships and responsibilities to one another and challenge them to think and grow in their faith. We will leave on Friday, May 13th after school and arrive back in Summerville on Sunday, the 15th in the afternoon. The cost for the weekend is $45 and the registration deadline is May 1st.

Impact is the Bible camp hosted at Lipscomb University. There are two weeks of Impact, one for Junior High students and one for Senior High. Jr. Impact is June 17-20th and the cost is $150. We will leave Summerville on Thursday morning and spend the afternoon playing on the lake at Kim's parents' house in Macon, GA. Then get up on Friday morning in time to be in Nashville for the start of Jr. Impact at noon. The students will return on Monday the 20th in the evening. As the Jr. High students are traveling from Nashville to Summerville, the Sr. High will be on the bus headed from Summerville to Nashville. The cost for Sr. Impact is $205 and they will return on Saturday night (the 25th). Impact is one of those events that almost has to be experienced to understand. It is a week full of high-energy entertainment, of deep Biblical study, and passionate worship. Most of all, it is a full week where students can devote almost all of their time to looking at who they are and who God desires them to be. Because Impact is such a powerful week, it always fills up quickly. As such, even though the event is not until late June, the registration is due on April 27th. Don't miss out!

Guys' Retreat

2011-03-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, the guys are going to go camping at Santee State Park for our Guys' Retreat. We will leave on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 and be back by 7 pm on Sunday. Earl Wigger will be speaking to us on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

The guys need to bring $5 to help pay for food, a Bible and a sleeping bag:

Some other stuff they may want:
Athletic clothes
A flashlight
Water

If you have not signed up and want to go, contact either David Salley or Patrick Miller.

Girls Retreat

2011-02-27T00:32:00.000-05:00

Next weekend, all the girls are invited to a retreat at our house (the kids and I are getting the heck outta dodge) for a retreat where Kim will be speaking about the theme "Trusting God". Everything starts at 7 pm on Friday night. There will be snacks, but the girls should eat dinner before they come. They will need a sleeping bag, pillow and blanket, a Bible, notebook, towels and shower stuff. Also, they need to bring $7 to go skating at the Ice Palace on Saturday, plus some extra money for snacks if they want. The girls will be dropped off at the building in time to be taken home after morning services on Sunday morning.

Are You Ready?

2011-02-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

With Winterfest over and the weather finally deciding to behave like it's South Carolina again, it can only mean one thing: Spring is nearly here! With spring comes some extra craziness to the Youth Ministry calendar, only to be followed by more insanity in the summer. Here are a few things to mark on your calendar so you're sure not to miss out on them:

March 4-6, Girls' Retreat: At the Kirbys' house

March 6, Spaghetti Dinner to raise money for our mission trip this summer - right after morning services

March 12-13, Guys' Retreat: We will camp-out on Saturday night and return on Sunday evening

March 20-24, CrossTraining: A week-long event where students stay at the church building to learn about and practice spiritual disciplines.

March 24, Dinner with the Hilltoppers: Each year we finish CrossTraining by eating a potluck dinner provided by the Hilltoppers. We always have a great time getting to know some of our older brothers and sisters, and the food is always wonderful. This year, the teens have decided to honor the Hilltoppers by having a song service where the Hilltoppers get to pick the songs. Everyone from the Youth Ministry is invited to attend, even if they are not able to attend all of CrossTraining

April 15, 30 Hour Famine: In an effort to raise awareness about world hunger, we will do without food for 30 hours. More specific details will follow soon.

Spring Break: College trip: I am still hoping to do a tour of Christian colleges over spring break, but I will need to find out soon who wants to go and when their spring break is. If you are interested in going, leave a comment or shoot me an email.

May 13-15: Spring Retreat: Our annual trip to PBC to get away for a weekend. This year Jeff Upton from Bowie, Maryland will be coming to speak to us. Look for online registration to be up soon!

Winterfest Information

2011-02-15T21:52:00.002-05:00

It’s almost here!

We leave for Winterfest on Friday at 8 am, so please be to the building by 7:50 at the latest. If at all possible, please try to turn in the medical release form tomorrow night, as this will help us get on the road quicker on Friday morning. If for some reason circumstances have changed and you will not be able to attend this weekend, please let me know as soon as possible so I can make the proper arrangements and not pay for tickets to Winterfest that we don’t need. If you need a letter to get an excused absence for school, please let me know. Some schools only require a note from the parent and some schools are out for a teacher workday on Friday anyway, so check with your school.

If you are curious about the line-up/schedule, you can go to www.winterfest.org

to check it out. If you want to attend the Sixteen Cities

concert on Friday, the tickets are $12 extra, and that has to be paid in cash.

Items to make sure to bring with you:

Warm clothes – you will be standing outside for long periods of time. The weather is supposed to be pretty nice, but bring something for rain, just in case.

Money for 7 meals.

Extra money for snacks and any junk... uhh... I mean, souvenirs you may want. Winterfest T-shirts are $12 if you want one.

Snacks – it is much cheaper to bring them with you than to buy them there.

Bible, notebook, pen

Any PG or G movies we may want to watch as a group on the bus.

Items not to bring with you:

Weapons (this includes pocket-knives) – No buying knives or Airsoft guns at the stores in Gatlinburg

Drugs or Alcohol (did I really have to write that?) – if you are taking any medication, let Greg and your chaperone know

MP3 players, Portable Video Games, Personal DVD Players – Cell phones will be permitted except for during specific times – but do not bring headphones for them. Part of the purpose of Winterfest is for you to spend some time growing closer with your Church family.

Other rules to be aware of:

Outside of the hotel, students are to be in groups of no less than five, or with an adult at all times

Students in 7th or 8th grades have to be in a group with 10th graders or higher, or with an adult

Your assigned chaperone should always know where you are

In the hotels, students of the opposite gender are only allowed together in the living area of the suites, and only then if an adult from our group is with them.

Students are not allowed to go into another group’s hotel room unless an adult from our group and their group is with them.

You will be expected to be on time and ready to go at all group meetings.

You will be expected to treat everyone with respect. This includes chaperones, other students, and all hotel, restaurant and convention center staff.

Do not damage any property. If you do damage something, you will be expected to pay for the repairs.

No Public Displays of Affection – this includes leaning on each other in the bus. This trip is designed for you to grow closer to God and the entire Youth Ministry, not as a romantic getaway for teenage love, or an opportunity to find new romantic interest.

No complaining.

There will be times where you are asked to put away your cell phones or leave them in the hotel. Please respect this rule – it has a purpose.

A note for parents:

Parents, please go over the rules with your students and make sure they understand them prior to leaving on Friday. If you have any questions about them, please feel free to contact me. There will be times where your child will not be allowed to have their phone on them. I will have my phone with me the entire weekend, so if you have an emergency in which you need to contact your child, call me at 843-568-6962 and I will get you in touch with your child as soon as possible. We will return around 7 pm on Sunday evening. The name of the hotel we are staying in is the Gatlinburg Towne Square.

Girls Midnight Madness (Time Change)

2011-01-24T09:53:00.000-05:00

This Friday night the girls are having a Midnight Madness. They will be staying at the church all night to enjoy being girls together. Bring a friend, $5 for food and some nail polish.

Also, I earlier had the time wrong. On the calendar and newsletter it said 9 pm to 8 am, instead it should have read 8 pm to 9 am. I apologize for the mistake.

Winterfest Reminder

2011-01-11T13:19:00.000-05:00

Remember to sign up for Winterfest by tomorrow to save $10!

January Stuff

2011-01-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

2011 has arrived! Here are some things you need to know for this month:

Cell Groups: This month we are studying the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. We will be specifically talking about the importance our moral integrity and our humility plays in teaching the world about the gospel. In I Thessalonians 2:8, Paul tells the Thessalonians that he and Silas loved them so much that they were willing to share not only the gospel with them, but also their lives. They invited the Thessalonians to not only hear about the gospel, but to see what it looked like in a real life. My hope for the students is that they will be able to put flesh on the gospel, so the world around them can experience the wonder of the gospel from their influence.

If you want to follow along with the reading, the reading plan can be found here.

Midnight Madness:
The guys have one from 9 pm to 8 am on January 21st and the girls have one the next week at the same time. Students should invite a friend to come with them and bring $5 to chip in for food.

Winterfest Deadline:
To get the cheaper rate for Winterfest, you must register by January 12th, with a $25 deposit. The price before January 12th is $85, and after it jumps to $95. The final deadline is February 2nd.

Photos on facebook

2010-12-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

We have pictures up of this last weekend's activities on facebook. If you don't "like" the youth ministry's facebook page already, go do it now!

Babysitting

Progressive Dinner

December Stuff

2010-12-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that we are now well into the last month of 2010. I hope that as this year winds down, it finishes on a high-note for you and your family.

Here are some things you need to know about for December:

Cell Groups:
We are in the book of Colossians this month. You can find the reading plan online here. If you are on facebook and haven't liked us yet, go do it now! You'll get status updates right in your news feed about things going on. Just one more way to stay in touch. In Colossians, we will be looking at the difference between following rules and putting your sinful nature to death.

There will be no cell-groups on the 22nd or the 29th. We will all meet at the building instead.

Fundraising:
We are trying to raise money for our Mission Trip next summer. This trip will take us to several different locations to witness first hand how God's people are addressing different needs in different communities. This Friday night from 6-9 pm we will be babysitting at the building for donations so that parents can go out and do some Christmas shopping, or just have a night to themselves. You can help us out in two ways:

1) Encourage your child to come help us. Even if they don't think they will be going on the Mission Trip, their service will help others go serve.

2) If you know anyone with small children who maybe could use a few hours away, please pass this along to them. If you were feeling really in the Christmas Spirit, you could offer to drop in the donation for them.

Progressive Dinner:
We are making some changes to the Christmas party this year. On Saturday night, we will all meet up at the church building at 5 pm. We will then load up in the bus and head to 3 different locations for dinner. First stop, the Richardsons' for appetizers and games. Second, the Lesters' for a devotional and the main course. Finally, to the Kirbys' for dessert and the gift swap. The teens are to be picked up at our house between 8:30 and 9 pm. Kids need to bring a $10-or-less gift and they are supposed to "dress to impress". That last part is Brooke Miller and Olivia Cook's rule, not mine :).

Canned Food Drive

2010-11-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Tonight and Thursday at 6:30 we need as many helpers as possible to collect canned goods in Briarwood to go into our Thanksgiving baskets.

November Cell Groups

2010-11-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

It's really hard for me to believe that we are already into November. This month brings us to Philippians. If you want to read along with the cell groups, you can download the reading plan here. Last night at Sanctuary, I conducted an experiment on stage and read out-loud tomorrow's reading. It took me all of 27 seconds, so please don't buy the excuse from your kids (or from yourself for that matter) that they (or you) don't have time to read this month.

Reading through Philippians several times over the past month, it was extremely difficult for me to try and break the book down to one, bite-size 20 minute chunk to give to the teens this month. There are so many verses and passages from Philippians that could easily translate into sermons by themselves. Looking at the book as a whole though, I think I discovered somewhat of a thesis statement in 1:9-11 where Paul reveals what his prayer is for the Philippians. He tells them he wants them to abound in love and knowledge so they can determine what God wants from them. He wants this for them so that they can be perfect for the day of judgment and have productive lives in the meantime.

He continues on to tell them how they will be able to accomplish this, or rather how God will accomplish it within them. In Chapter 2 he tells them that they must be like Christ. As Christians, this should not surprise us that in order to be a disciple of Christ, we should in fact, aim to be like Christ. I think the problem is that sometimes we get confused about how we are supposed to be like Christ. Fortunately in Philippians Paul spells it out for us. He doesn't want us to be like Christ in terms of walking on water, or feeding crowds, or healing the sick. Which is good, because I have found that I am not very capable of those things. Instead, he spells out what part of Christ's nature we are supposed to imitate: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant." We are to imitate his humility as a servant. That is something we all can do. No one needs a master's degree to become a servant. We not only are to be God's servant, but a servant to everyone else as well. This is the overarching, counter intuitive message of Philippians. The more we empty ourselves of power and prestige, the more contentment we will find in Christ. It is the "secret of being content" that he writes of in 4:12. The world around us tells us that contentment comes in our circumstances - our power, our prestige, our wealth, our comfort, our relationships. But the truth is that if our contentment is found in Christ, and not these passing things, then we truly can be content in all situations.

This month we will be focusing on the role of contentment plays in our walk of discipleship with Christ.

The first week the questions will center around what we have received from Christ and how we can pass those blessings along to others.

The second week we examine whether our contentment comes from Christ or from something else.

There will be no third week because the night before Thanksgiving there will be no cell groups.

Babysitting On Saturday

2010-10-27T09:48:00.001-04:00

This Saturday we will be babysitting for donations to raise money for our summer mission trip in 2011. We need as many people as we can to come help. Parents are always welcome to help out as well!

Please let me know if you are able to help.

Cell Groups in October

2010-10-07T16:36:00.000-04:00

Ephesians: "Immeasurably More..."

This month, we are taking a look at Paul's letter to the Ephesians in cell groups. What strikes me about this letter is the language that Paul uses in describing God and the life that is offered to us through his Son. The first 3 chapters are full of phrases that attempt to capture the scope and grandeur of God. He writes things like:

He has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing.

...to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us... that he lavished on us.

...his incomparably great power.

He writes about the glorious, unsearchable riches that God has for his followers.

He writes about his mighty strength and great love that makes us alive.

I think Paul does this because he thinks the Christians in Ephesus need to be shaken awake. In Revelation 2, the messenger Jesus sends to the churches tells the Ephesians pretty good things. He brags on them for their perseverance and for their purity, but then he changes tune and says, "This I have against you, you have forgotten your first love."

This is all a matter of interpretation, but the picture I get of the Ephesians from the Bible is that they were what we would likely call pretty good people. Ephesians is much more positive then many of Paul's other letters. If I were going to receive a letter from Paul, I would much rather get Ephesians than what the Corinthians got. But knowing human nature, knowing the Christians I have worked for and worked with, knowing myself, I know that there is a danger in being "pretty good". I think of myself as a pretty good guy. A good Christian. I don't smoke, don't drink, I'm faithful to my wife, I'm attentive to my kids, I try to be compassionate to the poor, etc. I don't write any of that to brag (more on that later). I write that because I know the inherent danger in it. I have to remind myself on a regular basis that the life Christ offers me is fuller than what I am prone to settle for. My life is good, but it's not "beyond anything I could ask or imagine" as Paul puts it in Ephesians. There is something wider, longer, higher, and deeper than the life I could so easily settle for. The gospel is not about living a pretty good life. The gospel is about part ownership in a Kingdom that is literally limitless in resources and power. It is about an ongoing, vibrant relationship with an all powerful God who sacrificed himself to bring us back to him.

And this gospel is for everyone. One of the things that seems to blow Paul's mind the most is that Jews and Gentiles now had the same access to Jehovah God. He writes in 2:17 that Christ came for those who were "far away" and those who were "near". (I can never read that verse without thinking about this, is that so wrong?) The Gentiles were far away from the One true God. They knew little, if anything about his laws, his demands for sacrifice, his very nature - but through Christ they were welcomed into his love. The Jews were nearer because they knew the Law, but there was that pesky little problem of actually being able to do what it said. Although they were nearer to God in their understanding, they were no less in need of a savior. In our world, I believe some of us are fortunate to be in situations where we are nearer to God. For example, my parents had me in church, ALL the time. They not only taught me a lot about what the Bible said, but also they taught me how to put it to use. More importantly, they have given me a great example of what that looks like. They have loved me and encouraged me in faith. This is why I don't brag about being a pretty good guy as I defined it above - it's because I have had a lot of help along the way. I wish everyone had that experience - but sadly that's not the case. Some people are in situations where they feel far, far away from God. It may be because they have grown up in a family that just doesn't know God, or a family that claims to know God but has fallen so short of what it really means to belong to him that it's made it hard to see God as real. Or it may be because bad decisions that person has made have taken them far away from what a God-honoring life should look like. Whatever the reason, those people are promised a full, glorious life in Christ just the same as those who feel near.

In our world and culture, it would be easy to read the first 3 chapters of Ephesians and get a misconception of what Paul is talking about. When we read about glorious and unsearchable riches, or about mighty power, or about a God who is able to do more that we can ask or imagine, we might be likely to picture a God that will make our lives easy and wallets full. That's not it at all. In fact, Paul starts chapter 4 with a stark reminder of his current station in life - a prisoner of the Roman Empire. The power of the gospel is not in what it can offer us from an earthly perspective. Instead it lies in what it can do in the way we live the lives on Earth that we have. The last 3 chapters of Ephesians tell us what we should do in response to the power of the Gospel described in the first three. Paul instructs them to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received" and goes on to describe what that would look like. He gives them example after example of things that need to be removed from their life and what they should be replaced with. He tells them, for example to stop stealing, but instead to work so that they have something to give to someone else in need. Not only are Christians called to stop sinning, but we are called to be an active positive force in the world around us.

This month in cell groups, the discussion questions will revolve around the following:

Week 1: Have you forgotten your first love?
Week 2: Do you feel like someone who is near God, or far away?
Week 3: What do you need to remove from your life, and what does it need to be replaced with?

NALOPKT

2010-09-29T18:02:00.000-04:00

NALOPKT: Do you have any idea what that means? Don't worry, you're not alone. It is in fact text lingo for "not a lot of people know this." If you don't believe me, you can click here for proof that I didn't make it up. It was also the theme for Restore 2010 this past weekend in Myrtle Beach. The overarching idea of the weekend is that we as Christians have important knowledge that very few people know. As the latest Pew Research poll results have made the rounds on the news, it has become clear that even many professed Christians don't know the real truth behind Jesus. To get a better idea about Jesus, we talked about the 7 statements made by Jesus while he was on the cross, or as David Skidmore, the weekend's speaker put it, "the seven messages made by the man in the middle"

They were:
fthr 4giv them, 4 they don't no what they're doing.
i tell u the truth, 2day u will be w/ me n pradise
wman, bhold ur son, son bhold ur mother
omg, omg, y have u 4saken me?
i thirst
it is finished
fthr, in2 ur hands i commit my spirit

The teens were encouraged to text message these to themselves rather than take traditional notes. On the first night, they also were encouraged to send a text message to a friend who they knew to be struggling with their faith, and to stand up if a response was received. By the time worship ended, there were dozens of students standing as they had text conversations with their friend about what they were doing in Myrtle Beach. The teens were given a scriptural view of our Redeemer in the 7 messages of the cross. A savior who was obedient, even when he didn't understand. A savior who would not return evil for evil. A savior who even in the midst of the worst suffering one could imagine, thought about the well being of others. This, I believe is the Savior the world needs to see in our lives and in the lives of the students in our ministry. It is not always easy to see God at work in our world, but he can be found. At one point, David compared finding God to the art of Chinese artist, Liu Bo Lin (you may have to look closely at some of the pictures to see what I'm talking about). It is possible to see God in the world around us, but some times it takes slowing down enough to look. It is our job as Christians to make God more visible in the world around us. Every act of righteousness, every act of kindness, generosity, love, that we do in the name of Jesus helps us point the world to Creator of the Earth and the heavens.

One of the things I loved about this weekend was the challenge for teens to engage in meaningful conversations not just with the people on the retreat (we had great devotionals in each room every night where we did just that) but also with those who were not on the retreat for whatever reason. I'm not sure what it is about us, but there seems always be a part of us that fears a changing world. We worry about kids having instant access to each other all the time through their phones, and it's a valid concern, but I think we need to have the vision to see the good that can come through new resources. Near the end of the weekend, one of the teens from our group told me that since Friday night she had been engaged in an ongoing conversation with a friend about her friend's doubts about God. While she was telling me about the conversation, she kind of smiled and said, "Greg, I am going to have to really step up how I live my faith if I am going to be the right kind of example for my friend." Such a statement made me so extremely proud and grateful that God let me be a part of what went on in Myrtle Beach last weekend.

More Restore Information

2010-09-21T11:47:00.002-04:00

The final details about Restore are available here.

September Cell Groups

2010-09-14T12:51:00.000-04:00

September - Galatians "Inside Out"

Cell groups have now, finally, officially begun. Last Wednesday, we had our first Sanctuary of the school year. Sanctuary is where all the groups meet to worship together and to make sure we are all more or less on the same page. Starting tomorrow, individual groups will meet together in various places around town. Each month this year, our cell groups will be taking a look at a different epistle from the New Testament.

First up: Galatians (the Roman and Corinthian letters would be too long to try and hit in just a month)

As a disclaimer: Parents, understand that Cell Groups are not "Bible Class" or even "Bible Study". Cell groups' main purpose is to provide teens a community in which to live out their faith. Looking at Galatians, and the other epistles serves to generate a conversation about how the Bible might apply to them and their situations. In order for there to be any genuine discussion about these scriptures, they must be read outside of cell groups. I encourage you to encourage your teens to read the book each month that they will be discussing in cell groups. I also encourage you to read along with them, so you can continue the conversations at home, or have conversations that time won't afford in cell groups. One of our Servantship Team members broke the book of Galatians into a monthly reading plan. It works out to about 5 verses a day - so I don't think it is too huge a time commitment.

Paul was someone who understood transformation. I think most of us are pretty familiar with Paul's conversion experience on the way to Damascus, but I think sometimes that familiarity might cause us to forget just what a monumental transformation it became. Not only did Paul go from killing Christian converts to becoming one himself, and eventually losing his own life for the cause - he went from a Pharisee, a group that taught that their narrow interpretations of the Law were the only way to be right before God, to the "Apostle to the Gentiles" who advocated on their behalf that they did not even have to follow the Law. Paul's message to the Galatians, as I understand it, is that outward symbols and practices are not the key to a transformed life. Near his closing remarks, he tells his readers that he boasts in only in the cross of Jesus Christ (6:14). In the chapter before, he writes to them that the only thing that has value is faith in Christ that expresses itself in love (5:6). The problem in Galatia, as it was in much of first-century Christianity, was that there were people saying that in order to receive Christ, believers had to be circumcised, or in other words, they had to observe an outward symbol on the Old Testament Law. Paul's argument was that this argument was only made to appease outward appearances, so that the Jewish Christians could "boast in the flesh" (6:13) of their gentile converts. What Paul understood, and wanted the Galatian Christians to understand is that transformation doesn't come from practicing a set of "thou shalls" and "thou shall nots". True transformation comes from a life lived in obedience to the Spirit that comes by the grace of Jesus. In chapter 5, he lays out what an untransformed life looks life. It's a life consisting of immorality, greed, selfishness, fighting, etc. (5:13). He then contrasts it to a transformed life, which consists of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Our actions matter. As Paul says in the last chapter "God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." If we live a life that is all about indulging our selfish desires, there is no reason to suspect that we won't bear the consequences of our selfish behavior. But our actions are more than a means to an end. Our actions are an extension of who we are. If we truly want to live a redeemed, transformed life, then we have to be intentional about changing our spirit.

Week 1 of cell groups will deal with questions on "sowing to please the Spirit." How do we change our spirit, or souls, or hearts, or whatever you want to call it?

Week 2 will deal with questions regarding expressing our faith through love. How do we do good to all people? How can we especially do good to the family of believers? (6:10)

Week 3 will deal with questions regarding our focus. How do we not get distracted from doing good? How do we keep ourselves from forgetting that we aren't saved by our actions, but by our relationship to Christ?

Cell Group Leaders Kick-Off Tomorrow

2010-08-31T13:36:00.000-04:00

Come join your teen and cell group leader in the Youth Room tomorrow night at 7. The evening will be designed to be first and foremost informational. I believe that one of the most important thing that needs to happen in youth ministry is for the parents to be informed and involved - so please make every effort to be there. We will talk about cell groups, but also about other changes (tweaks might be a better word here) made for 2010-2011.

As this is such a largely informational meeting, please leave a comment or contact me if you have any specific questions you would like to be addressed tomorrow night.

I hope to see everyone tomorrow!

Cell Group Kick Off

2010-08-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, September 1st we will have our Cell Group Kick Off in the Youth Room at 7 pm. Make sure you come and meet your child's cell group leader. Even if you already know your kid's cell group leader, come anyway so that you can discuss with them where the group will meet and how your child will get there and back each week.

On September 8th we will have our first Sanctuary of the year (where all the teens meet in the Youth Room for a worship service) and on the 15th our cell groups will begin.

Restore Information

2010-08-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

Restore registration is due on Sunday!

Go here to register online.

Also, my computer died, and it dragged my contacts list of parents for e-mail reminders. If you'd like to receive reminders, send me an email at gregpkirby@gmail.com.

Also, don't forget you can sign up for text message reminders by sending SCOCYM to 41411 in a text message. It's free.

Restore Information

2010-07-25T17:53:00.000-04:00

Click on this link to download information about Restore. You don't want to miss this trip. It is always a good time, and more importantly, of great spiritual benefit.

If you have any further questions, or trouble downloading the file, let me know. Also, there are copies of this outside the youth room on the table by the pink box.

This week....

2010-07-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

is busy. On Monday, for the Jr. High, we have M&M Monday at 11. We will go get lunch and then go see Despicable Me at Oakbrook Cinemas. Tickets at that theater are cheap, so they shouldn't need much money - about 10 bucks for lunch and movie ought to do it (that is, unless they want snacks at the theater, then they probably should bring about $50:)). On Tuesday, as always, we have Beach Day for the Sr. High at 10. For Service Thursday, we are meeting at the church building at 3:00 to go to a nursing home and spend some time with the residents there. On Friday, Chase and Liz are taking whoever wants to go to Carowinds. I don't know much about the Carowinds trip, so if you have questions about it, you can get in touch with Chase or Liz.

What We Want You To Know

2010-07-18T16:02:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago, we did a little project on a Wednesday night. In case you didn't know, this summer there is a worship service in the youth room open to everyone from 7th grade to Hilltoppers. One of the reasons we've done this is because I believe very firmly that in order for a church to really be what the Church is supposed to be, it has to be open to all generations and those generations should help each other in the pursuit of bringing about God's kingdom on Earth. One of the challenges to this in the modern age is that each generation is sectioned off in their own little worlds, and there is less and less interaction among those worlds.

I feel that as a church we do a disservice to the young people in our fellowship if we don't make an honest effort to get to know them and understand them. After all, we will never really be able to help them navigate through their world if we don't understand it. In the same way, I think we do the church as a whole as a disservice if we don't involve the younger generations and put their passions and abilities to work.

The project was designed to help bridge the gap between the generations. I asked anyone who was out of high school to write themselves a letter of stuff they wish they had known when they were in high school or middle school. I asked the students to write down things they wished that the older generation knew about them. At the end of the hour, I read several of them out loud and I promised I would post some of them online later. So here I am making good on my promise:

First - letters to a younger self:

- You need to know that no matter how big your problems feel, it could be worse - and for a lot of people, it is much worse. At the same time, don't refuse to let yourself feel your feelings. Acknowledge how situations and words make you feel and examine why you reacted the way you did... you'll learn a lot about yourself

- Even though you heard it a million times, I would plead with you to not care what anybody thinks about you. You have untold potential, learn to be disciplined. THINK about what's important and don't waste time on the things that you know don't matter. Enjoy the time you have with your family. They truly are the greatest blessing you've been given. Be more concerned with others than with yourself and you'll find happiness. Don't be scared to be different, but stand out for the right reasons, not just for the attention. In every situation, find the person who needs help the most, and HELP THEM! Take chances - if you fail, you'll recover, and God will love you no matter what.

- Every decision has consequences, think things through. You still have a lot of growing to do. you are not as prepared for the world as you think you are. I know you think you are mature and ready for life, but you have so much left to learn. Look at all those people who have had a great impact on your life and appreciate what they've done. Don't hero-worship others- they are flawed too and you end up throwing others in the gutter. Be brave. Don't be afraid to stand up for who and what is important to you. A lot of change is coming. Hold onto the important things.

- Value those around you. Love is everything - do you even know how to love? Your relationship with God should affect your whole life and be a constant thing - talk to Him constantly. He can be the best friend you've always wanted. You can love yourself and allow others in - God will use relationships to shape you into Him. Always be thankful because entitlement is the opposite of love.

- Don't let people in your life make feel less than you are. Listen to ALL advice given, even if you think its not important because eventually, you may need to use it with or without realizing it. There is ALWAYS someone who understands, loves, cares and will be there for you. It's okay to be upset with God from time to time because for me, those were the times I really saw myself and understood God's part in my life... my best friend and so much more. God loves you and understands more than anyone, So he understands your upset feelings. He gives you opportunities to let yourself go.

- Dig deep into the world, learn from other cultures. Refuse to indulge all your desires - from food to time spent in lazy selfishness. Appreciate your father. Though an alcoholic, he had so much to offer - don't ignore it because of one fault. Soften your hear to God's purposes and lose yourself in what he wants rather than in what you want. Be vulnerable and trust, even if it means you might be hurt. Spend more time in the Word, in nature and in one on one conversation with the King. Serve others more. There is no greater joy than giving of yourself to others. Understand that God's bizarre economy means "the more you give, the greater your gifts."

- (from someone not raised in church and baptized at 24) Go to church, get involved and receive all the benefits that come from having a spiritual family. Participate in youth group activities, especially service projects.

- Do better in school and work hard in sports. Keep your Christian friends closer and stay away from parties. Listen to your parents with they give you advice.

- Don't do stupid stuff. Remember that following Christ is joyful, not burdensome. Praise God in everything you do. Don't sell people short, especially yourself. You're a child of God - act like it and take confidence in it. Live like Christ because that life truly is fuller than any other type of life. Love mercy and remain with those you find to give it to. Realize that having heart and faith are the best attributes. Pursue God with reckless abandon. You only have one life and to spend it pursuing anything else just wouldn't be enough. Remember there is an epistemic distance between you and God. Respect that and know that you don't, and will never, know everything.

- Don't expect life to go the way you planned it. Take the advice of people you love to heart. Realize that there are people who really suffer in this world. You are lucky and loved. Forgive. Stop spending all your money and save! Go easy on yourself. You will make mistakes, but never stop trying to be the best version of yourself. You can decide to be happy in spite of everything that goes on around you. Take care of yourself. You can't help others if you aren't okay. Never give someone else the control to determine how you feel about yourself. Eat, even if you think you are fat. Listen to your parents, even when you think what they say is unfair. They will have your back when the world turns against you. It might seem like God has deserted you, but he hasn't. Call on him when you feel all alone.

- Though you may plan your life one way, don't expect that it's going to turn out that way. Don't stop going to church when you go to college. Choose your friends wisely. They will shape you in ways you don't realize. Don't worry about what other people think about you, because it won't matter in the long run. Be yourself and always show who you really are. When you have the opportunity to share your faith, always do it, because when you look back, you will wish you had. I know it sounds completely outrageous, but sometimes... you're parents are right. Enjoy being young! In fact, cherish it, you're only young once, so live it up!

- You really need to learn proper study habits!!! Yes, not studying was ok in high school and you may graduate with honors but its not the same in college! Oh yeah, don't worry about that distant relative, she is cooler than you think:). Don't be too hard on yourself when you leave home and choose your paths wisely for they may change your whole life for better or for worse. Try not to be too tough. Be a little sensitive and share your feelings every once in a while. It's good to be the strong one, but not all the time. Realize that just because you don't agree with something someone does, it doesn't mean it's wrong. People come and go out of your life... constantly, even people you love and care for deeply!! They leave for numerous reasons. Pray for them!

----

And next, what the kids wanted you to know:

- I don't know if other generations know this or not, but one of the norms for a lot of teens (depending on their "group") is to be sexually promiscuous.

- I wish people knew when I was mad or sad so they could be there to comfort me.

- I want someone to know how much I love God and how much I care for him. See me differently and know that I do take church and youth trips and everything else seriously. People judge me for not really following God, but people just don't see the other side of me. They only see me when I'm down or mad or tired and they don't see what I'm going through. Stop judging me for who I am on the outside and judge me on my inside.

- One thing I hate that adults do is judge teenagers. They act like teenagers look for excuses to do something wrong when I know I don't. And then when we're going through something they say "we were teens, too." and step in and say "we went through the same thing". Maybe they did, but it really is a little different for us.

-- Most of the teens wrote that they didn't want me to post their letters online, so out of respect for that, I won't. But I will say that almost all of them had the same basic tenor as the last two posted. They all said in some form or fashion - don't group me in with all teenagers. They wanted to be know as unique individuals. They wanted the adults to know that they really do care about their faith, even if they make a lot of mistakes.

So now the questions: If you are an adult - what have you done to really reach out to the younger generation? How have you actively gotten to know your younger brothers and sisters? If you are a teen - what have you done to learn from someone older than you? How teachable are you? Who that is older do you trust to open up to?

Service Thursday - Food Bank

2010-07-14T11:36:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we will be volunteering at the Low Country Food Bank. We will meet at 12:15 (eat lunch before you come) and head down there as a group. The Food Bank does not allow anyone to work in open toed shoes (so no flip flops or sandals) or tank tops. We will back around 3:45.

Service Thursday

2010-07-08T00:43:00.000-04:00

Remember about Service Thursday tomorrow. We're helping Cyndi get ready for VBS. For more details, get in touch with Chase or Liz.

Service Thursdays

2010-06-29T21:06:00.000-04:00

The Murphy Mission Trip has been called off - there were simply too many schedule conflicts. Since we want to make sure that we are dedicated to serving others in the name of Christ, we have decided to make every Thursday for the rest of the summer an opportunity to serve someone else. This Thursday, we will serving lunch at the Palmetto House in downtown Summerville. The Palmetto House is a shelter for those who are temporarily homeless. It's goal is to provide basic needs for individuals and families until they can provide for themselves. We will meet at the church building at 11:00 am, serve lunch and eat with the residents, then come back around 2:30. Students will not need any money. I will be en route to Nicaragua, so if you have further questions, contact Liz or Chase.

Once we have a schedule of opportunities for the rest of the summer, I will post it here.

M&M Monday

2010-06-27T23:09:00.002-04:00

M&M Monday is from 11 to 2:30 tomorrow. Bring money for Ye Olde Fashioned.

Impact Reminder

2010-06-19T07:09:00.002-04:00

We are having a blast at Jr. Impact. Please keep praying for us - that God will reveal himself to these students in powerful ways this weekend. He was off to a great start last night. For those going to Sr. Impact, the bus leaves at 7 am on Monday morning. Also, if you want a room key, make sure to bring a $20 deposit (you will get it back at the end of the week as long as you don't lose your key).

Murphy Mission Trip Info

2010-05-31T15:48:00.001-04:00

Here is the link to Mission Trip Info. Go here to register.

The deadline to sign up is June 16. Payment is due by July 18.

Don't miss out on this one!

Coffee House Tonight!

2010-05-28T15:31:00.002-04:00

Coffee House tonight in the Youth Room. Free live music! Bring a little money for coffee, sodas, cookies, or other treats. All the money raised will go to help fund the Nicaragua Mission Trip. It starts at 7 and lasts until 10. If you can't stay for the whole thing, feel free to stop anytime, even if just long enough to grab something to drink.

Hope to see you tonight!

Attention Moms

2010-05-22T15:34:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that the mothers of middle and high school girls are invited to join them for class tomorrow with Kim in the Family Life Center. There will be free food!

Spring Retreat

2010-04-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that Spring Retreat money and release forms are due on Sunday! Here's a packing list for the weekend:

Bible and Notebook

Clothes (casual and athletic)

Money for lunch on Sunday

Bath Stuff (Soap, Towels, Shampoo, Toothpaste, etc.)

Flashlight

Sleeping Bag/sheets

Clothes that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty

Athletic Shoes

Upcoming Events

2010-04-22T15:05:00.000-04:00

So there are like 400 trillion things coming down the pike in the Youth Ministry right now, give or take a few hundred trillion.

This Saturday, from 9:30 am to 2 pm, we are having what our Servantship Team has called SHARK, which stands for Scavenger Hunt And Random Kindness. The acronym exists for 3 simple reasons. 1. Acronyms are awesome. 2. Sharks are awesome. 3. Sharks plus acronyms are double awesome - just like serving people in kindness and having fun while doing it is double awesome. You didn't think I was going to be able to pull that off, did you? Anyway, don't miss this on Saturday, members of our Servantship Team have been working hard to get it together and it should be a great chance to learn a little about the impact of simply acting out loving kindness in public. After serving in the morning, we'll all eat lunch at CiCi's, then return to the church building for a slide show. All the teens will need to bring is money for lunch.

The Spring Retreat is just around the corner. It is May 7-9th at PBC. For more info, click here. To be signed up, I need a medical release/permission form turned in no later than May 2nd. If you cannot print from your computer, there are copies on the table outside the Youth Room. This trip is open to 7th-12th grades and the registration cost is $35 per person.

Our Vision Retreat this year is June 4-6th. We will be going to my parents' house in Murphy, NC. If your child is on the Servantship Team, they are expected to attend this weekend if at all possible. There is no cost for the trip other than for food.

Impact is in June. Jr. Impact (for grades 6-8) is June 17-21st and Sr. Impact (grades 9-12) is June 21-26. The cost for is $145 for Jr. and $205 for Sr. To sign up, I need a medical release/permission form turned in and an Impact application. Both are due by May 15th and will be available outside the Youth Room.

In July (the 21-25) we will be in Murphy, NC for our summer mission trip. We will be helping the congregation there gain inroads with the community through service to both the community and to individuals. The cost for this trip will be around $150-175 and is open to grades 7-12. The more teens we have attending, the more good we will be able to provide for the Murphy church and community. More information on the sign-up process and cost will be available soon.

Parent Letter for Cross Training

2010-03-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

We are so glad that your child has shown interest in taking part of our Cross Training for 2006. If your child has never been to Cross Training before, I am sure that you naturally have questions and concerns about an event of this nature. The purpose of this letter is to give you a basic idea of what Cross Training is and how we have addressed many of the common concerns. If you have any questions or concerns that are not covered in this letter, please feel free to contact me at any time.

What is it? – The purpose of Cross Training is to teach students how to be disciplined in their spiritual walk. The students stay at the church building for a week, going about their usual school routine in the mornings and afternoons. In the evening, we focus on the importance of discipline and of practicing habits that will deepen their relationship with God.

Why during school? Wouldn’t this make more sense in the summer? – This is a very legitimate question. I want to personally assure you that we take education very seriously in our youth ministry. The reason we do Cross Training during the school year is because I feel it is most important for these students to learn these habits in a busy season of their life. School can sometimes consume so much of teens’ lives and energies that they feel they have very little left for their spiritual disciplines. This week is designed to teach students to prioritize their time so that they can do well in school and spend time strengthening their relationship with God. Each afternoon will consist of a 2 hour block to work on homework: one hour of mandatory study hall (they must be working on homework or something school related), plus another hour of optional study hall (if they still have homework left, they can still work on it). To the best of my knowledge, in the two years I have been involved with Cross Training, no student’s grades have slipped during this week.

How do they get to school? – If your child ordinarily drives to school, he or she can continue to do so during this week. Otherwise, rides will be provided daily to and from Fort Dorchester and Summerville High School. This will either be in the church vans or with other students. Students will not be allowed to ride with other students unless you as parents have granted permission for them to do so.

What about extra-curricular activities and jobs? – I ask the students to clear as much of the week as they possibly can, but I understand that some things cannot be missed. Students turn in a schedule, signed by the parent, of where they will be and when. The student must either be at the church building or where the schedule specifies at all times. If the student must make a change to this schedule during the week, I will talk to parents to make sure they are aware of the change before the student is permitted to leave. Students must arrange rides for all activities other than school.

Will my child get enough sleep? – Cross Training is not an extended lock-in. Each night the students will have the option of being in bed by 9:30 pm, and they must be in bed by 11 pm. The guys will sleep in the Family Life Center during the week under my supervision, and the girls will sleep in the annex, supervised by adult volunteers.

How much does it cost, and what about meals? – Cross Training is basically free. Dinner is covered each night by different volunteers from the congregation. Students will need to bring food with them for breakfast and snacks during the day.

I hope your child will be joining us for Cross Training this year. It has been one of the most fruitful events that we have done in this ministry. Again, if you have any more questions or concerns, then please feel free to contact me.

If your child plans on attending, make sure they let me know by sending me a message by text, email or facebook.

Thanks,

Greg

Cell Groups in March

2010-03-04T13:45:00.001-05:00

"Excuse me, sir. Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?"

I was so relieved to be able to say, "Why yes I do."

Sadly, I was not so relieved at that particular moment because of the joy and peace found in the grace of Christ, or because of the eternal security that is found in salvation. Instead, at that moment, I was simply relieved because I knew that answer would mean he would leave me alone and let me go into the grocery store in peace while he looked for his next mark.

Something about the "can I talk to you about Jesus?" method of evangelism seems so phony to me. Maybe its just me, but I don't think so. I am a Christian. And by Christian, I don't mean that I have Christian parents, or that I celebrate Christmas instead of a "holiday season", or even that I go to church regularly. No, what I mean by "I am a Christian" is that I believe wholeheartedly that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died, was buried, and raised from the dead to purify mankind of their sins. I believe all that and put the entirety of my hope in it. But even so, I get annoyed when some stranger on the street tries to tell me that. I don't really know why, but I do. If that's the case for me, I wonder about the person who doesn't believe it - or isn't sure if they believe it. My bet is that such an approach would do more harm than good. In his book Unchristian, David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, gives the details of an in-depth study of the attitudes that Mosaics (people born between 1984 and 2002) have of Christianity compared to what older generations think. According to their study, one of the biggest complaints among outsiders in the younger generation is that Christians just want nonbelievers to "get saved" with no sincere concern for their actual well-being.

The Church in the book of Acts was committed to growing. They were committed to preaching the good news about Jesus. If we are going to be faithful in our calling as a Church, so should we. However, I do believe that we have to take Jesus' instructions to his disciples in Matthew 10 to heart. In this instance, he sent his disciples out to spread the good news about the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the things he told them was that while they were on their mission, they were to be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. I believe by this he meant that they had to be very savvy, but also keep focused. They needed to use methods of persuasion that would actually work. They needed to speak in a language that could be understood. But also, they needed to stay focused to what their message really was. The message the disciples had for the world was that God loved them and that God was going to redeem them. It was not a message about getting people on the right team by any means necessary. To be as innocent as doves, they needed to remember that Jesus' most important priority was not to convert their neighbor, but that they love their neighbor.

This month, we will be looking at examples in Acts that shows the early Church's commitment to spreading the good news about Jesus. One of the things I love about Acts is the pattern that emerges: Something amazing happens, when people notice, the disciples use the opportunity to speak about Jesus. When the religious leaders notice and get jealous, something bad happens to the disciples. Then something amazing happens again, and the whole thing starts over. I believe that if we live life the way Jesus has commanded us to do (loving our neighbor, returning hate with love, forgiving those who wrong us, having integrity, etc.) then amazing things will happen through us. When the amazing happens, we will have the opportunity to share our faith - whether it be to thousands of people (like Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2) or to one desperate and broken person who has lost hope (like Paul and Silas with their prison guard in Acts 16).

Useful Website

2010-02-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

Keeping up with the world our kids are growing up in is becoming an increasingly difficult task. It was hard enough when it was just TV and radio, but now that the internet has arrived on the scene. It's virtually impossible to know even a small fraction of the messages out there that our kids are seeing and listening to, or at least what their friends at school, or on their soccer team, or even at church are watching and listening to.

The Center for Parent and Youth Understanding is a Christian organization that has been providing useful information to parents and youth workers for 20 years now. Obviously, they can't inform you of everything, but their website is a good resource to see what's most popular.

Bonfire Postponed!

2010-02-14T14:59:00.001-05:00

Due to soggy conditions, the bonfire that was scheduled for tonight has been postponed. We will get the new date announced soon. Tonight we are meeting in the Youth Room at 6 as usual.

Cell Groups in February

2010-02-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

One of the earliest descriptions of the First Century Church that we have in Acts if found in the 14th verse of the first chapter. It says that they "joined together constantly in prayer". Prayer is what we are going to be focused on for this month. Prayer is certainly one of those topics that has so many layers that we could likely talk about it for weeks on end and not exhaust all the complexity.

However, I don't really want us focused on the complexities of prayer this month. Instead, I simply want the different cell groups to focus on praying. I believe we can learn much more about prayer from practicing it, rather than talking and studying about it.

This month, the cell groups are encouraged to be praying for each other - not only when they meet on Wednesday nights, but also during the day to day activities of their weeks. Take the time this month to ask your kids if they've prayed for anyone in their cell group today. Also, take the time to ask yourself how often your family prays together. I hope that some of the exercises practiced this month in cell groups can be the start of a lifestyle that includes Christians constantly praying together.

Interesting New Strategy?

2010-01-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

And you thought you'd tried everything to get your kid up and out the door for Sunday school.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100129/NEWS03/100129005/Pastor+accused+of+threatening+son+at+church+

Cell Groups in January

2010-01-20T15:23:00.001-05:00

In the month of January, the discussion topic for Cell Groups is Baptism. As a Church of Christ youth ministry, you might assume that we would talk about baptism right off the bat when discussing the book of Acts. It would not be a horrible assumption to make - I believe baptism is a vitally important part of the Christian experience. I heard a speaker recently say that baptism is the only physical ritual that Churches of Christ really have. I am not sure about the only ritual, but certainly it is our most important. I do agree that it is the only ceremony that you could logically glean from an exclusive reading of the book of Acts. It's a procedure that recurs over and over again. On Wednesday night at Sanctuary, we ran through a lengthy (but not exhaustive) list of instances of people being immersed as an initiation into the way of Jesus. Since baptism (or immersion) is found at the beginning of the new disciples (they weren't called Christians until halfway through Acts) walk with the Christ, it may have seemed logical to discuss this topic way back in September or October. However, I didn't because I first wanted to highlight what the people in Acts were entering into when they chose to be immersed. I wanted to give a thumbnail sketch of a people who were willing to love and serve one another. A people who put the needs of others ahead of themselves. A people committed to accept people from different cultures and backgrounds in the name of Christ. A people who valued the well-being of their neighbors more than they valued their possessions. We finished the evening by taking a look at what Paul believed happened at this moment of immersion. In Romans 6, he lays out how baptism is symbolic of our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Over the course of the month, the goal is for students who have not made this very important step to consider the receiving the new life promised through baptism. For the students who have already been baptized into Christ, the hope is that they will be reminded of the significance - that they died to sin and that sin should no longer have reign over them.

2010

2010-01-07T03:50:00.002-05:00

In the comments, tell me what you hope is the ending to this sentence for you: 2010 was the year that...

Here's some of what I hope history has to say about 2010:

2010 was the year that the bus didn't break down on a youth trip.

... the church basketball team won the championship.

... Anna Grace very quickly figured out the potty thing.

... arguing and complaining magically disappeared. From everywhere.

... it didn't rain at the Spring Retreat.

... the students in our ministry grasped how deeply loved they are by their heavenly father.

... those same students learned how loving their neighbor as themselves is the only appropriate response to that love.

... the families in our church that were struggling learned to lean on God and came out stronger on the other side.

... the kids who were carrying their pain all by themselves finally looked for someone to help them.

... every kid who looked for help with their burdens found a loving, mature disciple of Jesus who sacrificed to help them through.

... Summerville saw the good works of some teens who love Jesus and meet together on Trolley Rd and the Father in Heaven received all the praise.

Some of these I know we have very little power over (if anybody knows a righteous man, ask him start praying about the second weekend in May). But some of these we can work toward, so hopefully together we can work with the power of the Spirit to reach these goals.

Updates

2009-12-17T16:26:00.002-05:00

Greetings Parents,

I hope that everybody is having a fun time in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. Here are a few updates of things coming down the pike in the Youth Ministry:

Dec. 20 (This Sunday)

The Senior High Christmas Party at the Lesters' at 6 pm

The gift theme is "The Greatest Thing Ever" Talk to Leann about what food you can bring.

No Cell Groups on Dec. 23rd or 30th.

Dec. 31

New Years Eve Party at Greg & Kim's House 8 pm - 12 am
Parents are welcome to attend as well.

Jan. 8

Girls' Midnight Madness
Talk to Bethany Hunter or Lindsey Tucker for more info.

Jan. 22-24

Carolina Salt University

This event is for students who are leaders in the Ministry. If your child is on the Servantship Team, they need to make every effort to attend this retreat. If, for whatever reason, your child cannot be on the Servantship Team, but would like to involved somehow in Christian leadership, they are welcome to attend as well. Online registration will be up soon.

Feb. 26-28

Winterfest

This year, we are only taking our Jr. High (7th-8th grades) to Winterfest. Online registration is up on our website. Please register by Jan. 13th.

December Cell Groups

2009-12-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

This month, our cell groups are taking a look at the Apostle Paul in Acts. Since Paul is such an influential figure in the Bible and Christianity, there is no hope of sufficiently discussing his full importance. As such, I have chosen to focus in on two main points I would like for young Christians to take away from Paul's conversion story in Acts 9.

1 - God will forgive you. I do not know the complete background of any of the students in our ministry, but I feel safe in saying that none have any sins as great as Paul had committed in his Saul days. I have messed up to be sure, but never have I made it my mission to destroy the very work and people of Jesus Christ. Paul had - and he was off to a pretty good start. Despite that, Paul was given grace from God when he repented and followed Jesus. My guess is that is the reason Paul talked so much about grace in his later letters. I think it is vitally important for us as Christians to understand that despite our past failings, God can use us in mighty ways in the future.

2 - God will forgive others. I think it equally important for us to understand that God will show others the same type of grace that was shown to Paul. And what's more, he expects us to do the same. In Luke 17, Jesus famously instructed his disciples to forgive someone up to 49 times in one day (490 according to some manuscripts). The stunned disciples exclaim, "Increase our faith!", which I believe is such an appropriate reaction. Faith and forgiveness go hand in hand. We need to believe that God is in charge and he will deal with the mistakes (or even flat out rebellions) that other people commit. We need to believe that God will use people with unrighteous pasts to bring about his righteous plans. Right before Jesus told his disciples to forgive a ridiculous amount of times, he gave them this cheery statement:

"Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves."

I have known both of these teachings from Jesus by heart for quite some time, but I never had noticed their proximity to each other until studying for this lesson. I had always thought that people who made little ones sin were child abusers or people who set bad examples that children follow. While I think both of those things may apply here, I think Jesus has something else in mind here based on context. I think he's talking about those who withhold forgiveness. People who would tell someone that they don't have a place in the Kingdom of God because of some past sin. It's a generally accepted principle that people will live up or down to their expectations. So if someone feels they are expected to be useless in serving in the Kingdom, the chances are greater that they will never find the good works that they were created to do. Perhaps that is the "sin" Jesus is talking about here. As this months brings to an end not just the year, but also the decade, I hope and pray that the Church can be a people that forgives as gracefully we've been forgiven. I also pray that the students in our group will understand how much they have been forgiven and will accomplish great things over the course of their life for the Kingdom of God with that knowledge.

An Interesting Website

2009-11-19T14:06:00.001-05:00

Today I stumbled across this parenting resource: http://www.radicalparenting.com

This basic premise is this: Parenting from the kids' point of view. It started when a teenage girl wrote a parenting book, telling parents what their teens wish they knew. It has since grown into a website & company that employs teenage interns to write articles for parents. While I think most parents know that parenting shouldn't be done on the whims of their children, I do think there is wisdom in the basic philosophy here. The basic philosophy being, "LISTEN TO YOUR KIDS!".

It's very easy to forget what it's like to be a teenager, or to gloss over the rough parts and instead choose to just remember the care-free days before real responsibility set in. It also is important to remember that the world is in many ways a different place than it was when you were growing up.

Take a minute and look around the website and see what you think. It's not a Christian site, so don't expect the advice on parenting to be expressly biblical. The more useful aspect of the site, I think, would be the perspective of these very articulate teenagers. There's a good chance they are communicating many of the same emotions that your child won't or can't express to you. I found this post from their blog interesting and a good example of what I'm talking about.

Also, this site claims to tell parents what their kids wished they knew. Let's turn that around and pose it as a question for us. What do you wish your kids knew that they don't seem to yet? I most likely won't post anything next week since it's the Thanksgiving holiday, so we'll let that be our discussion question for the month.

I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!

Got a Phone?

2009-11-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

There's a new way to keep up with things going on in the Youth Ministry. In a text message, send SCOCYM to 41411. This will sign you up to receive last minute updates on your phone. It's free, other than the standard texting charges from your phone company. Go give it a try.

note: ads will be sent along with the text message (this is how it is free). I don't have any control over which ads get sent, from the few tests I've tried they've all been harmless and only text.

Cell Groups in November

2009-11-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

This month we will be talking in cell groups about how the early Church faced persecution, and how they responded. Teaching about persecution on Wednesday was difficult for me for a couple reasons:

1. I've never been persecuted for my faith. I mean, I've been called a few names here and there, but never anything like what the early Church faced or some Christians in other parts of the world still face today.

2. The group of kids I was speaking to have never been persecuted for their faith.

I think because we so seldom deal with persecution, we are likely to just fly by it in Scripture sometimes. When we do address it, it's normally along the lines of "Those early Christians were so brave!" or "Be grateful you don't have to deal with this." or "There are still persecuted Christians in the world." Any of those are great messages to take away and important to know for sure, but I believe that there can still be lessons to be put into our world, our place, our lives. What strikes me about the picture painted in Acts about the Church's persecution is that God was working through it all. After Stephen is stoned in Acts 7, chapter 8 begins by telling us that the believers scattered, and went "throughout Judea and Samaria" and further down it says they "preached the Word everywhere they went." Reference that what Jesus told them in 1:8 - "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth." God's will was being carried out. The early Christians had amazing faith to believe this. They did not have the benefit we have of being able to see where it all ended up. It's important to remember that these men and women are not characters on a sheet of paper, but that they are historical figures. They were real people with real lives, real families, real emotions.

I believe they were able to have such faith because they believed in the cross and the resurrection. Sometimes I believe we miss part of the significance of the cross because we just talk about the atonement that comes from it - about how it forgives us our sins so we get to go to heaven. That's definitely HUGE - but it's not all. The early Church saw the cross not just as a gift to be enjoyed, but a model to be copied. Jesus took the abuse of all the evil and sin in the world, and responded with love and humility. He did not fight back in the sense that we think of "fighting". He fought with the only weapon the gospel permits us to use against evil - love. Among his final words were "forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing." There is no coincidence in the similarity of Stephen's final words on Earth: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

We can see the power of love and mercy throughout Acts. In Acts 16 we see it in action again. This time Paul and Silas have been unjustly imprisoned and beaten. In fact, beaten is a too tame a word. The text says "severely flogged". The Romans were known for their efficiency in punishment, so the fact that Luke feels the need to include the word "severely" has to tell us something of the pain Paul and Silas must have endured. During the night, while Paul and Silas are singing and praying while chained in the center of the prison, they are miraculously freed when an earthquake topples the jail. When they see their jailer prepared to take his life so that he won't face a similar fate to what they had previously endured, they do not wish to seem him harmed. Instead they call out to him. They preach to him the gospel. As a result, not only does the prison guard come to follow Christ, but the rest of his family as well.

I hope and pray that at some point I can have that kind of faith in the cross. Not just to believe that my sins are covered by the blood that was spilled upon it, but to believe Jesus when he said that I would have to take up a cross to truly find life (my paraphrase of Mt. 10:37-39). This month as the groups talk about what the first century Church endured, I hope that it will inspire a generation of young Christians to take up their cross daily. While I don't foresee any of our teens having their life literally on the line like Stephen, I do know that there will be times that they suffer for doing good. I know there will be times when they will be hated. When those times come, I hope they respond in love. I pray they will be able to do so because I want them to find the life that Jesus promises that too few find, but I also want them to so that those who hate them may be redeemed as well. I doubt this will happen by December, but I hope it either begins or continues a good work in them so that God will carry it out to completion throughout a life of discipleship to Christ.

Canned Food Drive & Oasis

2009-10-27T12:34:00.000-04:00

A couple reminders:

Oasis registration is due by Sunday. Go here to register online. And here is the medical release form I'll need for the weekend.

The canned food drive is next week. We will be going door to door in the Briarwood Neighborhood on Tuesday the 3rd and Thursday the 5th of November to collect canned goods for Thanksgiving baskets. We need as many people (including parents) as we can to come help out!

October Discussion Question

2009-10-22T13:07:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe we are already 3 weeks into October. Thanks to everyone who commented on last month's discussion. I understand that some people tried to post a comment, but it didn't work for some reason. Hopefully all the issues are resolved now.

Here it is: As a parent, what is the hardest thing you've ever had to say "no" to?

Resource

2009-10-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

I thought I would post an article from The Barna Group today. This is a study from a few years ago that researched what teenagers are looking for out of an experience with church.

There are few things I'd like to comment on:

1 - I think it is important for us to remember that we are not selling a product. Sometimes it is tempting to think: "This is what the people want, so this is what we should be." If acquiesced to the popular demands of teenagers, I have a feeling we would do nothing but lock-ins and ski retreats, and we would leave the chaperons at home. As the article states, wants and needs are not always the same thing. We must be very intentional in preaching the truth of the gospel in every aspect of our students' lives.

2 - I think studies like this, however, are incredibly useful. The beauty of the gospel is that it transcends all generations and all trends. The things that students are looking for, the gospel supplies. Its says that kids are looking for a connection to God, the gospel declares the good news that everyone can be connected to God the Father through Jesus the Son. The challenging part is that the gospel is not a pick-and-choose proposition. Christ demands our undivided allegiance and taught that the only to the Father was a life of sacrifice through submission. These studies give us a great idea of where we can start the conversation. Several years ago, I think we could start the conversation with, "Do you want to know how to not go to hell when you die?" because that was a question people asked themselves often. I don't think the teens these days ask themselves that as much now as in the past. I think now we should be starting the conversation with, "Do you want to know how to make your life meaningful?" and go from there. All the conversations need to be working towards a common end, however. That conclusion is: "There is no life outside of Christ."

I would love to hear some of your thoughts in the comments.

Cell Groups in October

2009-10-08T15:22:00.004-04:00

As many of you probably know, I am focusing the cell groups on the book of Acts (what an original topic for a church of Christ youth ministry:). Each month we'll be looking at a different aspect of what the first century church looked like. I've decided I'll post a thumbnail sketch of what is discussed at each Sanctuary the following day so you can help your kids process and apply the information. Keep in mind, that each of the cell groups has the freedom to do their own thing, so it's up to each individual cell group leader whether or not they'll be discussing this topic or something the leader thinks is more useful to their students.

The first month, when we had our Cell Group Kickoff, we talked about Jesus' charge to the disciples to go into all the Earth and bring all cultures the good news and the challenges they faced as they encountered such vast diversity.

This month, we're looking at how the early Church approached poverty. The early Church eliminated poverty among their fellowship because they were willing to share with one another (Acts 4:34). Luke highlights the early Church's care and concern for widows (chap. 6), Tabitha, Barnabas, and Cornelius are all praised for their donations and concern for the poor, the church in Antioch is credited as having the first disaster relief program when they pooled their resources to help Judea while they suffered through a famine (chap. 11). My hope and prayer is that by looking into the example the early Church set in regards to their attitudes about wealth and generosity, our students can understand what a pivotal role social justice plays in discipleship to Jesus Christ.

October Calendar

2009-10-01T11:40:00.004-04:00

Hard to believe we've come to a new month. I realized earlier this week that this was supposed to be posted last Thursday. Oops. Anyway, here are the things for the upcoming month.

Sunday, October 4th
Servantship Team Meeting - 12:30 pm
This time is approximate. This Sunday we have the guest speaker from the men's retreat, John Smith speaking to us on Sunday morning. There will be a fellowship meal after the morning service, then an afternoon service following lunch. We will meet after lunch. Also, remember that this Sunday marks the time change for our Sunday morning worship. Class will now start at 9 am and worship at 10 am.

October 9th - 11th
Vision Retreat
This is a very, very important trip for our ministry. This will be the weekend where we plan out our goals and strategy for the coming year. Any student who wishes to be on the Servantship Team really needs to attend this retreat. Students will need to bring money for 2 meals. We should be back on Sunday morning about the time church is over.

You may notice that our calendar looks a little sparse right now. That's on purpose. This month is our Vision Retreat, and I wanted to leave the calendar open so the Servantship Team could brainstorm ideas of ministry events for us. So, there's a possibility of seeing more things pop-up this month on short notice. Also, this month the Servantship Team is supposed to be organizing groups to go support fellow youth groupers in sports events or other performances. I am leaving the teens responsible for getting the word out about such events, so if you have a child on the Servantship Team, you may want to ask them if they are in charge of an event. If your child has a sporting event or band concert, or any other thing that we can come support them in, let us know.

September Discussion Question

2009-09-17T11:21:00.003-04:00

With the school year beginning, life can get pretty hectic. School can be quite demanding on students and families and in my belief, education is vitally important to the development of children and adolescents. However, I do believe that sometimes our dedication to the academic success of our kids can become idolatrous if it exceeds our dedication to our children becoming disciples of Jesus. The question this month is:

How do you, as a parent, balance your child's academic and extracurricular activities with their involvement in church?

Cell Group Eating Schedule

2009-09-09T12:12:00.001-04:00

The post-cell group eating places have been set and are on the calendar:

http://summervillechurchofchrist.com/scoc/youth

Hope to see you at Sonic tonight!

Servantship Team Reminder

2009-09-06T13:06:00.001-04:00

4:45 today. The first meeting of the 2009-2010 school year, so it's important to be ther if you are interested in being a leader in the youth ministry this year.

Notes from the Kick Off

2009-09-04T12:56:00.004-04:00

Wednesday Night was the kick-off to Cell Groups and a kind of unofficial kick-off to our school calendar. Here are some of the things we talked about in case you missed it. Or in case you didn't pay attention:

- We are a student-led, service oriented ministry. We want your kids to be involved in the ministry, not just showing up to see what they can get. You can read last week's post to get more of my thoughts on this issue.

- We take many trips in our ministry. Those trips are a strategic part of what we do. Unfortunately, these trips tend to get expensive, but we think they are worth it. If money is an issue, please don't let it be. We want your child to attend these events and we have money set aside in the budget to help them go. We are not close to exhausting that budget for this year. If we were to exhaust that budget, I know several people in the congregation who have told me to come to them if any kids need financial backing for these trips - and I haven't gone to them in years. If even that dries up, then we'll do carwashes and mow lawns and babysit and the like to raise money to go. All our trips have a specific purpose and I believe they are spiritually beneficial to your child. Not only does your child miss out, but the ministry suffers, because the group is better off when your child is there. (remember, we want your child to help in the ministry, so that means if they aren't there, we're down one minister)

- We have Life Groups on Sunday nights this year. This is new, so we'll be adjusting, I'm sure. As of now, the teens are all still in the youth room on Sunday evenings. There is a Life Group that will alternate between meeting at the Folgers and the Lesters for the parents of teenagers. Both houses are only minutes from the building. Also, if you have younger children as well as teens, there is a Life Group meeting in the annex for the parents of small children. Also, if you would like your entire family to attend another Life Group, I'm not against that. In fact, it could be a great blessing for your family.

- Cell Groups will be meeting in the Youth Room once a month this year for Sanctuary. Sanctuary is a time for us to all get together as a ministry to worship, learn, and fellowship as a group. At each Sanctuary, I will be talking about a different aspect of the early Church found in the book of Acts. This month I talked about the first century Christians' dedication to cultural diversity and the struggles they encountered trying to bring about Jesus' will for a Kingdom that reached every corner of the world.

Also, if you were there and picked up a "cheat sheet" for the trips this year, there were a couple typos (I really need to fire my editor). I just took last year's document and adjusted the dates and some specifics, but didn't notice that I had put the year. This should be obvious, but just in case it's not, the 2008s should all be 2009 and the 2009s should be 2010. Also, the dates for Restore say October 25-27th, it should say September 25-27th. Sorry about that.

The Servantship Team

2009-08-27T14:46:00.004-04:00

On September 6th, we will have our first Servantship Team meeting for 2009-2010. Since the SST is such a crucial aspect of our ministry here, I thought I would take a minute and give you parents a little insight to what it is and why it's so important.

What is it?

The Servantship Team is basically our student leadership team. You might ask, "Why not just call it the 'leadership team'?" - which would be a fair question. In response, we want to make a statement about what leadership means in the Kingdom of God. We seek to imitate Jesus, and as Paul says in Philippians, we do this by serving one another. I want the teens to understand that leadership for Christians is not about "being on top" or "getting your way." In fact, its quite the opposite. The goal of the Servantship Team is to serve the other teens in the Youth Ministry and the rest of our congregation. We also seek to be lights in our community; to reach out to others in love and hopefully in the process, bear witness to them about the love they can enjoy from Christ. (I'd love to take credit for this idea, but like many of the great things about our ministry, I inherited this from Mike Eppes)

Who's it for?

The SST is open to 9-12th graders in our ministry. I would love to find a way to incorporate 7-8 grades into it, but logistically, its just not feasible at this point - although we do aim to instill in our 7th and 8th graders and understanding of the responsibility and benefits of service. For 9-12th graders, there are a few basic conditions on joining. Such as, they must be presently involved in our ministry, have committed to Christ through baptism, adhere to basic principles of Christian behavior, be able to be consistent in making SST meetings, etc. More specific guidelines will be developed once we get some input from the teens interested in joining.

What does it do?

As mentioned earlier, it's all about getting teens involved in serving others. Specifically, the students will plan events, develop ongoing programs, and give feedback on how we can improve in our ability to reach students with our message. Since all people are gifted differently, we aim to put each student to work utilizing their specific strengths, but also stretching them to grow in areas where they could improve.

Why's it so important?

There is an epidemic among churches today: we are losing many of our members after they leave high school. There are plenty of theories out there as to why this is so prevalent, but I believe it has to do with the way we tend to appeal to adolescents. We ask them to "buy into" our churches in a consumerist fashion. We try to impress them, entertain them, and relate to them. None of those things are bad, per se. But.... (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) we need to give more than that. We need to discipline them. I don't mean punish them, I mean make them disciples. We need to teach them that the joy of the Lord is found in living a lifestyle that honors him. Church is not supposed to be about showing up and receiving. It's supposed to be about living in a community of believers. A community where each member gives freely when they have something to give, and each member takes when they are in need. It's my opinion that teaching our kids to be ministry-minded will keep them involved with Church for the rest of their lives. From my experience in 6+ years of youth ministry, I have found that students who really lead by service in the youth ministry tend to be very proactive for the Kingdom beyond high school. They go on foreign mission trips, they intern at different churches, they return here to intern, they work in inner-city ministries where they go to school, they volunteer to help chaperon youth events, they become cell group leaders, and the list goes on. This is what I want for every student who truly wishes to be involved in our ministry.

How can parents help?

I'm so glad you asked. (oh wait, I asked for you, but nonetheless...) As with every aspect of your child's life, you will statistically be the top factor in determining the success of your child learning to serve in the kingdom. There are some very specific things that you can do to really help your child make our Servantship Team its most effective.

1 - Encourage your child to join. Notice I said "encourage", not "force." This needs to be a decision he/she makes on his/her own. If it is simply just another "church thing" they have to do, it won't yield much in terms of results for the student of for the ministry. If your child doesn't want to join for some reason, talk to them and try to understand why. If they seem timid or shy, let them know that it is a learning experience, and that God will use anything they are willing to offer. If they are just too swamped with other commitments, it may, or may not be, time to have a conversation about priorities. If they simply seem apathetic, it means that there is work you as a parent and we as a church have to do in teaching them what it means to really be a follower of Christ.

2 - Help them honor their commitment. If your child joins, take an interest in what he/she is doing. They will have responsibilities each month that others will be depending on them to tend to. Find out what those responsibilities are and help them fulfill them. Don't take over their commitments, but offer them advice, support, and encouragement as they carry them out.

3 - Let them see your service. This might be a toe-stepper here, but parents always need to be asking themselves what kind of examples their kids see in them. Are you involved in a ministry? If not, why not? Get involved in World Bible School, the Food Pantry, the Mom Store, Life Groups, the Prayer Ministry, the Basket Ministry, or any number of other ministries that we have here. If you don't like any of those, I can always use help with the teens. If you don't like me or teenagers, start your own - there's more than enough that can be done for the Kingdom in Summerville. Nothing teaches more powerfully than example.

As always, if you have any questions about the SST and how you or your child can get involved, then please don't hesitate to contact me.

School's Back!

2009-08-20T11:39:00.005-04:00

The kids are back in school, which means I have a little more time on my hands now. Basically, I have some time on my hands, which is more than I have while the kids are out of school - so hopefully I can turn some much needed attention back to the blog. I'm kind of off my monthly schedule (in case you haven't noticed), but I'll try to get back on track in September.

For now, I'll just post a few things coming up on our horizon:

Restore - September 25-27
This is a youth conference in Myrtle Beach put together by the same group of youth ministers who have put together Carolina Workcamp and Carolina Salt University. This year's speaker is David Skidmore from the North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN.

The cost for the weekend is $95 and is for grades 7-12. There is a sign-up sheet in the back of the youth room, and more specifics should be out soon.

The Servantship Team
I gave the Servantship Team (SST) the summer off so we could retool in the fall. Well, the fall is about here. The first meeting is on September 6 at 4:45 in the youth room. If you don't know what the SST is, it is our student leadership team. It is open to students 9-12 who wish to express their devotion to Christ by serving the youth ministry. The SST is largely the engine of our ministry, in that they plan events, develop programs, and set the tone for how we can reach the youth of our community. If your child is interested in joining, I strongly suggest you encourage them in that venture - look for a blog next week about it.

The Vision Retreat - October 9-11
This is the Servantship Team's opportunity to spend a weekend setting a strategy for how we will grow as a ministry in the coming year. If your child is planning on being on the SST, they really need to make every effort to attend this retreat.

Harding City Tour 2009 - September 1st, 7 pm
Logan Light, the recruiter for our area from Harding University will be in town on September the 1st, and he's buying dinner for any seniors and their parents so he can have the chance to tell you about Harding... and when I say he's buying dinner, I'm not talking about peanut butter sandwiches - I'm talking Outback Steakhouse. Did I mention he's paying? I'm a die-hard Lipscomb man, but for one night a year, I become a Harding fan. If you have a senior and would like to attend, then RSVP with Logan by emailing him or calling him at 1-8....

Cell Group Kick Off/Parents' Night - September 2nd, 7 pm
Come out and meet your child's cell group leader and get information on what's new in the ministry for 2009/2010. Cell groups will start the next week.

Workcamp

2009-07-31T15:02:00.002-04:00

Workcamp leaves on Sunday immediately after the 10:30 service. We will eat lunch somewhere on the way out of town - this will be the only meal not provided by Workcamp.

The information sheet handed out a long time ago says that we will be back on Friday. This plan has changed, we will actually be back late Thursday night. During the week, we will be staying at the Holland Park's building.

Here is a packing list for the week:

Pillow and either a sleeping bag or sheets and an air mattress (if you have one)

Work Clothes (make sure you bring tennis shoes)

Casual Clothes (for evening activities)

Soap, Shampoo, etc.

Towels

Sunscreen

Extra Spending Money (for snacks and things at some of the evening activities)

This is not Workcamp related, but if you need something to make you smile today, watch this.

Experimenting with Tweeting

2009-07-18T22:47:00.002-04:00

Today is the first day of the Murphy Mission Trip. We arrived safely in Murphy this afternoon and are now all settled in at our host houses. I have opened a twitter account and will be tweeting (I don't make these terms up) updates about the trip.

If you sign up for an account, you can have Twitter text the updates straight to your phone. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

If it's successful, I'll start doing it for all our trips - and use it as another way to keep you up to date on what's coming up on the horizon.

Here's the instructions to get the updates sent to your phone (it's free except for whatever your cell phone service provider charges for standard texting).

1. - You'll need to sign up for an account. It's free and all you'll need is an e-mail address. I've only had my account for a couple weeks, but they haven't sent me any annoying messages.

2 - It will then ask you if you want to look for friends who are on Twitter. If you are interested in finding out if any old friends are tweeting, then you can do this. If not, you can skip it.

3 - Then it will ask you if you want to follow some famous people. If you're like me and don't care what Ashton Kutcher is having for lunch, you can skip this step too.

4 - Next go to the settings link near the top right corner. And click on the tab that says devices and put in your cell phone number. You'll need to send a text to the number it gives you confirm that it is your number. I haven't gotten unsolicited texts so far from Twitter.

5 - Then go to https://twitter.com/scocyouth, and hit the button that says "follow" and beside it there should appear a message that says "device updates off". Click on that and select "on". It seems to take a day or two for this to kick in. You can also choose hours for it not to send you texts so that your phone won't buzz at 3 in the morning if I just have to post a hilarious picture from a lock-in:)

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

July Stuff

2009-07-06T16:28:00.002-04:00

Sunday, July 12th - Dockside Devo 6 pm - 9 pm, for everyone
We will have our Sunday Evening Worship out at the Watt's pond.
Guys need to bring a dessert and girls need to bring a side dish.

Monday, July 13th - M&M Monday, 6th-8th grade
Frankie's Fun Park! Meet at the building at 10 am, we'll be back by 3:30.

Tuesday, July 14th, 21st, and 28th - Beach Day 10 am - 4 pm, 9th-12th grade

July 18th-23rd - Murphy Mission Trip
Packing list:
Work clothes (t-shirts, modest shorts, close-toed shoes, work gloves)
Casual clothes for the evenings
Clothes for Sunday morning (please don't wear shorts or flip-flops)
Money for 2 meals, plus some extra spending money for little activities throughout the week (we will likely eat a fair amount of ice cream over the course of the week:)
Paintbrush, Hammer (if you have them, don't go buy them)
Some people may need sleeping bags, I will let you know as soon as I know.

Monday, July 20th and 27th- M&M Monday
contact Beth or Chase for more details

July 26th-30th - VBS
Talk to Alan or Cyndi Albach if you are willing to help out with VBS in the evenings

Impact

2009-06-22T15:59:00.002-04:00

Currently I am sitting in a dorm room (with a newly fixed air conditioning unit, thankfully) at Lipscomb University in what feels like the eye of the storm. 900 something Jr. High kids left campus this morning, and now the campus is bracing itself for the arrival of 1500 or so senior high students.

This is always one of my favorite 10 day stretches of the year. Impact will always be a very special place for me. I have baptized several students from our youth ministry (Will Price, Melissa Lester, Shannon Graves, Kris Verrett, just to name a few) into Christ at Impact. I have witnessed emotional walls come down as students step out to renew their commitment and passion for Christ. I myself was baptized at Impact 16 years ago. I have made friendships through Impact that have helped me tremendously through my spiritual life. I was a counselor in 2000 when I became fully convinced that God wanted me to do youth ministry. It was at Impact that I learned that its not only okay for Christians to laugh and have a good time, but in fact it's good for them to do so. I also learned that faith was something to be taken seriously and practiced all the time. I have never been disappointed by an Impact. I have never come home after Impact and said, "I just didn't feel it this year." or "The theme just seemed a little weak." or "There just didn't seem to be much spiritual substance this year." With as many Impacts as I've attended as a camper, a counselor, and a youth minister (12) that's impressive.

So far, this year has been no exception. I just had the privilege of experiencing Jr. Impact with 7 of the coolest and most fun middle school girls on the planet. I was amazed at their maturity and spirit as they took the messages to heart and looked for ways to put them into practice. Our theme was "Hidden" and we talked about the way we try to hide who we are and what we've done from God and from others. We talked about how Satan tries to keep us hiding so that we don't become who we are supposed to be. We talked about God searches us out and that if we're willing to confess our shortcomings to him, he will be mighty to save. We talked about how God has hidden our life in Christ so that no one can take it away from us. We talked about neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor the present nor future, neither height nor depth, no power whatsoever has the power to separate us from the love of God. I am confident that I sent some middle school students home (thanks for driving Heather & Shelia!) just a little bit different than when we brought them.

Please pray for us to have a similar experience over the next 5 days at Senior Impact.

The Kingdom

2009-06-04T15:25:00.005-04:00

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist has been imprisoned, and has heard of some pretty remarkable stuff that his cousin, Jesus has been doing. John evidently knew he was proclaiming the message of the coming Messiah, but oddly enough, didn't seem to know much about exactly what was going to happen. He had to send some of his disciples (remember, he's in prison, the guards won't let him out for his errand) to ask Jesus if he was the "One" or if he was supposed to be waiting for somebody else. This is Jesus' response:

"Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Once the John's disciples leave with their response for John, Jesus continues to the crowd that has gathered:

I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.

I can just imagine the shock wave of excitement that must have come over the crowd. This was an oppressed people. The fruits of their labors seldom went to feed their family, instead they went to a people from a far off land who had subjugated them through violent military force and unjust economic practices. The land that had been promised to them by the true One God of the Shema taken by a cruel and foreign people. Many of them would have been hungry. Many diseased from a lack of nutrition and money for proper hygiene. Their people, the people that God had made a covenant with centuries before, were suffering everywhere around them. They were waiting for God to respond - to deliver them like he had from Egypt. They waited for the promised "shoot from the stump of Jesse" (Isaiah 11) to bring about the glory of the Hebrew people once again. Undoubtedly, many of them had grown weary of waiting. Historical accounts tell us of men who grew tired and took up the cause themselves. Some are alluded to in scripture - Barabbas, or Theudus, or Judas the Galilean for example. Unfortunately, they all failed and made it even worse for the Israelites, provoking violence and tighter restrictions from the Romans. The priests had sold out to the Romans - watering down the Torah in exchange for power and legitimacy from the pagan government. Other religious leaders who were less willing acquiesce to the Romans piled up heavy rules from rabbinic traditions to prove their Jewishness in the face of such paganism. These rules did nothing to alleviate the suffering of the people, but simply served as a balm to the conscience of the few men fortunate enough to not have to work in the fields. In the midst of this, the people had waited.

And now.... finally, there was hope. This man in front of them - the one they had seen tell lame men to get up and walk, who opened blind men's eyes, who healed women of their diseases, who had fed the hungry - says to them, "The Kingdom is advancing". There is hope for the poor, the sick, the oppressed - the hopeless. The one they are waiting for has arrived - and he's brought hope. These people didn't know how good the news actually was. They were looking for an earthly, political kingdom. Jesus was talking about more. He was talking about a spiritual kingdom that knew no border. Not even death could defeat the mighty Kingdom this Messiah was talking about. This was a kingdom not just for them, the wayward children of Abraham - but for the whole world, the wayward children of Adam. Regardless of their misconceptions - the news was astounding. Here was hope, the dawn in darkness of night at long last. Jesus told them that there was hope for the blind, the lame, the deaf, the diseased, the poor. The Kingdom was coming. And further, though "forceful" men like John were leading the way - it belonged to people like them. The Kingdom wasn't only for the strong or the greatest, but also for the weak and the least.

Many teens are living in despair right now. A rundown of things that kids in our ministry have dealt with in the last month or so (no names here): a friend's suicide, the death of a parent, struggles with substance abuse, a parent's substance abuse, parents' divorce, parents losing jobs, medical tests to screen for disease. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head that exist in the lives of the relatively small group of teens that are in our ministry. Now imagine the issues I don't know of in our group and the issues that exist to the larger community of teens in our kids' high schools and middle schools. Our ministry must exist to forcefully proclaim to these teens that the Kingdom is advancing. This Kingdom is for them. It welcomes the brokenhearted, the impure, the confused, the weary, and the weak. Not only does it welcome them, it redeems their sin, their grief, their despair - their humanness.

I can't think of anything more important for us as a ministry than to remember that from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom has been forcefully advancing. This needs to be in the forefront of our thinking. We should be challenging our kids who are Christians to proclaim the Kingdom it in their world through service to the poor, the broken, and the sinful. We should be encouraging the kids who don't know Christ to take hold of the Kingdom - to throw off the oppression of their sin and this self-absorbed culture. We should be teaching them that the Kingdom offers grace and mercy to even the worst of sinners and the people who seem to have little to offer. We must be teaching them that this Kingdom gives them victory over the worst oppressors ever known: Sin and Death.

Please take a moment today and reflect on how your family is proclaiming the Kingdom of God in your neighborhood and community. Make sure your kids understand that your family is living in the service of the Kingdom of Heaven, not this world. If you can't find any areas where your family is forcefully advancing the Kingdom, perhaps its time for a "family meeting" to rearrange some priorities and goals.

June Stuff (and Maybe a Little May)

2009-05-21T12:53:00.004-04:00

First some news:
Our interns have arrived! We have some familiar faces back with us; Beth Hewitt who interned for us in 2007 and Chase Clayton who served as a member of our Servantship Team for 4 years in high school and as a school-to-volunteer intern in 2006-2007. I look forward to having them working with us this summer. Make sure you take the chance to get to know them both.

May 30 - Service Task Force
We will be meeting at the church building at 10 am on a Saturday to serve Hilltoppers in the church who need yard work done. We are looking for a big turnout from the teens, and we can use as much adult help as we can get. Lunch will be provided.

June 6 - Nicaragua Fundraising Day
All day Saturday the Nicaragua Mission Team will be raising money to help pay for their trip. They have asked the teens to help out with a car wash in the parking lot. Please talk to Heather King or David Henniger for more details.

June 12 - Feed the Public Servants
An all-nighter where we cook and serve meals to police officers, firefighters, EMTs, ER doctors and nurses. This is our way of saying "thank you" to the people who stay up all night to keep us safe. Teens are encouraged to stay the whole night, but if they can't, they should come and help out for a little while. Talk to Risean Green for more information on this event.

June 15 - Thriftstore Formal Extravanganza
Chase and Beth are putting this together as a way to welcome our rising 7th graders into the youth group. If you have a child who is currently in 7th or 8th grade, they will be getting you all the details very soon.

June 17 - Workcamp Registration is Due
Workcamp is August 2-7 in Greenville, SC. All the information should be available by next Wednesday Night (the 27th) in the hall outside the Youth Room.

June 18 - 22 - Junior Impact
We will leave at 10 am on Thursday morning. On Thursday night we will stay at my parents' house in NC so that we can be to Nashville in time for the start of Impact on Friday afternoon. If you need a packing list, email me and I will send you one.

June 22 - 27 - Senior Impact
The bus will roll out at 7:00 am on Monday Morning. If you need a packing list, email me and I will send you one.

June 29 - M&M Monday
For 6-8 grades

June 30 - Beach Day
For 9-12 grades

Spring Retreat Reminder

2009-05-14T22:33:00.002-04:00

We leave at 5:45 pm tomorrow from the church parking lot. Please remember to have your kids eat before they come, as there won't be a dinner stop on the way up. They will need money for lunch on the way home on Sunday.

Another important reminder - video games, ipods, or any other personal electronic devices are not allowed on this retreat. They will be taken up if they are spotted on the bus or at the camp. Cell phones are allowed, but they must remain in the cabins while we are camp. If you have any PG or G movies, they can bring them to watch together on the bus ride up.

The Only Thing We Have to Fear....

2009-05-07T22:05:00.003-04:00

I once taught a lesson on a Wednesday night about fears and doubts. I asked all the kids to write on little slips of paper things that made them afraid. The responses ranged from, "I fear that I'll fail my math class" to "I'm scared of dying and going to hell" to "I'm scared I'll end up in prison like my uncle." I expected some pretty heavy responses, but it turned out to be even a more sobering illustration that I had planned.

There is much in this world to be afraid of - just take some of the news making items this week:

The Taliban is gaining a footing in Pakistan, a nation with nuclear capabilities.
The swine flu is spreading all across the globe. Even a case in Charleston.
Hundreds of thousands more people registered for unemployment benefits because they had lost their jobs.

And this wasn't a particularly crazy week as far as news headlines go. Add that to all the worries of every day life: Bills, work, bills, kids, did I mention bills? You can see how we get so stressed out. Our kids don't get a pass on the worries of life either. Sometimes we're tempted to think that since they don't "grown up" problems like mortgages, then they're living the good-life and should just enjoy the ride of carefree youth. They have to worry about grades, college, which friends are actually friends, whether or not a boy/girl will ever love them for who they are, and they even have to worry about the question, "Who am I, really?"

I think as a youth ministry we need to be teaching kids how to have peace in the face of fear and uncertainty. I think I John 4:18 is the perfect place to start the conversation with our kids. It says: There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out all fear, because fear has to do with punishment. It starts with the dedication to tell and show kids that they are loved. Not just by their parents (although that's hugely important) or by me (though I hope they know they are) or by their cell group leaders - but by God. That perspective makes all the difference in the world.

Jesus puts it this way in Luke 12:4-6: 4"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. (Luke 12:4-6)

If you stop after verse five, as people are known to do, this could actually seem to make things even more scary. It makes it sound like Jesus is saying - "You think these people are bad? Just wait until God gets a hold of you. He can kill your body and soul." But verse 6 is important. God doesn't let birds suffer, because he cares so much about them. You, and our kids, are more important to God than birds. He will take care of us. Even though this world can hurt and even kill our bodies - it cannot touch our eternal soul.

As Christians, we are not given a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline (I Timothy 1:7) and if God is for us, then who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? As such, we should not live in fear about the things of this world. If the world seems to be getting worse around us (which its always been pretty bad), we need to know that no matter how bad it gets, we have the peace of knowing that our souls can be entrusted to God.

May Events

2009-04-23T13:34:00.003-04:00

If your child has missed the deadline for Impact and wants to go, I may still be able to get them in. Sign them up for our waiting list and turn in a deposit ($50) and application into the pink box. Checks will not be deposited until I have secured a spot for them. Tickets purchased after April 29th cost an extra $25 (from Lipscomb, not me).

May 2 - Film Making Festival
We will get together and make videos to be shown at the Spring Retreat. Invite your friends to come help and to join us at the Spring Retreat. Time will be announced soon.

May 3 - Last Day to Sign Up for the Spring Retreat
Information sheets are available by the pink box outside the youth room. A medical release form and payment ($35) is due to be signed up.

May 15-17 - The Spring Retreat at PBC

May 17 - Last Day to Sign Up for Murphy Mission Trip.
Look for information packets coming soon beside the pink box.

May 23 - 3 on 3 Basketball Fundraiser for Murphy Mission Trip
We will be hosting a 3 on 3 tournament to raise money to offset costs for our summer mission trip to Murphy, NC. Teams must contain one member of our Youth Ministry and one visitor who is not currently a part of our ministry. Each team may have one adult, but the adult must be a member of the Summerville Church of Christ. The cost is $5 per person with prizes for the winners (and not to mention bragging rights). We also will be selling drinks in the youth room and players waiting for their next game will be able to play video games. We need people to play (so we make a little money) and to help out with putting the brackets together and working in the youth room. See Seth Summers for more details.

May 30 - Service Task Force
We will be performing "hits" on yards for the Hilltoppers. We'll be cutting grass, raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and pretty much anything else we can do. The more people we have help out, the more people we'll be able to serve. It would be amazing to have parents help out as well. (cough, cough, hint, hint)

April's Discussion

2009-04-16T18:27:00.001-04:00

Tell us about your favorite experience you had in church or in a church event when you were in middle or high school.

Help Talking About That Thing You Don't Want to Talk About...

2009-04-09T20:33:00.002-04:00

The Providence Road Church of Christ in Charlotte, NC is hosting an "Ultimate Escape" Seminar on Sunday, May 3rd. There will be separate presentations for teens and parents. Unfortunately, the teen portion of the afternoon is too late in the day for it to really be a possibility for us to go as a group. But... it may be a great opportunity for you parents. The parents' session is from 2-3:30.

Steve Holladay is the Director of Ministry for Ultimate Escape, which is an organization that helps teens and young adults develop healthy vision of sexuality and overcome addictive sexual behaviors. Later in the evening there will be a dinner provided at 6, and Steve will speak to the teens from 7-8. Many of the youth ministries that participitate in Workcamp and other events with will be attending. If your teens have been to those events, this would be a chance for them not only to hear an invaluable, relevent presentation on a difficult subject, but also an opportunity to see some of their friends.

If at all possible, I would recommend taking advantage of this opportunity for you and your family. Steve will address many of the topics that your kids are curious about or are currently receiving very bad information about from the culture. He also will give you, as parents, tools to help your children develop a healthy and Godly viewpoint on sexuality.

Impact Reminder

2009-04-08T16:22:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that Sunday is the deadline to be signed up for Impact.

Lipscomb's Impact application and a $50 deposit is due to be registered.

I Thessalonians 5:12-15

2009-04-02T15:25:00.005-04:00

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Such great words. Ever since these these words of Paul have been pointed out to me, they have served as somewhat of a personal manifesto of how I want to approach ministry. I feel that churches need to take great care to appreciate the people who work hard to keep the wheels spinning. Those that are leading out front, and those working behind the scenes. There are too many to list here that work extremely hard to make our youth ministry as vibrant and healthy as it is. We have cooks who prepare food whenever we need it (and sometimes when we don't really need it, but it's always nice to have:), there are cell group leaders who have and are currently committing years of their life to serving teens on a weekly basis, there are teachers who will step in and teach a class of half asleep junior high students on Sunday morning - or a group of teens bouncing off the walls on a Sunday or Wednesday nights, we have chaperons who give up vacation time from their jobs to help drive us to out of town trips - just to name a few.

Then of course, there's you, the parents - who are trying every single day to instill Godly values into your teens and raise them to walk in the Lord. You get your child to cell group, you drag them out of bed on Sundays, you remind them of upcoming events, and you pay your hard earned money to cover registration fees for things like Impact and Winterfest. Don't think I don't notice.

Then we have the teens. Without the students putting forth the effort to grow in Christ, I'm afraid that much of the effort mentioned above would be going to waste. Fortunately for us, it seems as if we have been blessed with kids who tend to "get it". We have teens who plan events, who put it upon themselves to meet the new kids and visitors to the group, who will teach class, lead worship, clean, and pretty much do whatever needs to be done.

To all those people, we need to always be quick to show our appreciation and gratitude. So, if you are one of those people (you know who you are) - THANK YOU! If your teen is one of those teens, make sure you are acknowledging and encouraging them in their work for the church. According to Paul, we need to hold the hard workers among us in high esteem and give them our love and gratitude.

Then there are the others. Let's face it, not everybody in a church or a ministry fits that first category. Reading the book of Acts and the Epistles, it is pretty clear that church is an all-inclusive endeavor. Everybody should be considered equal, and everybody should be involved in the work that goes on. Paul seems to have three theories as to why some people don't roll up their sleeves and get dirty when it comes to the work of the church:

1 - They just don't want to. (the idle)
2 - They are capable, but too scared they'll fail. (the timid)
3 - God love 'em, they try, but they just aren't very capable. (the weak)

I love Paul's advice for dealing with each group.

To the lazy - "Get up and do something!" God has given us all talents and gifts, and we need to find what they are and get them working for the Kingdom of Heaven.

To the timid - "You can do it!" A little encouragement goes a long way. Some people need to know that their gifts and talents are needed and useful before they'll really jump in. I know that I have several key moments in my life where someone whose opinion I respect told me that I was going to be good at this ministry thing. I treasure those moments and am certain I would not be in ministry today without them.

To the weak - "Let me help." As Christians, I think its important that the strong don't run out and leave the weak behind. There is joy in serving - in fact, Jesus would say more than joy. Jesus would say that life itself is found in becoming a servant to others. We can't get too focused on accomplishing an end that we rush through the means. If someone isn't capable of doing a task that they set out to do, our response shouldn't be to snort and snatch that job away and then feel superior. Our response should be to help that person finish the work that Christ has given them to fulfill.

The final thing I want to highlight: be patient with everyone. Sometimes its hard to tell who fits in which category. Sometimes I wonder even for myself if I don't accomplish something just because I'm too lazy to do it, or because I just don't have the talent. It's way harder to tell in somebody else. Really, no matter which category someone falls into (or which category you think) they fall into, we have to remember to be patient with them no matter what - to love them and treat them with kindness.

So here's my advice for you on how to help us accomplish this:

Take stock in what your child is doing to contribute to the youth ministry.

If they are working hard to love and serve and learn: applaud them. Let them know that you respect what they are trying to do. Let them hear you speak well of them to your friends and family.

If they aren't contributing anything to the youth ministry, and you suspect its just because they're lazy: warn them (remember to be patient and kind!). Let them know why its so important that they get involved with their church family. They've been given gifts and they need to know to use them. You may also need to help your child prioritize if all their energy is going to something less fruitful.

If they seem like they want to contribute, but seem to be timid about it: encourage them. Remind them that everyone starts somewhere. Help them find what they are good at. Remember that teens are in a transition phase, so sometimes things that they used to not be able to do, they can now. For example, if a kid tried to lead a song once, and it didn't go so well because their voice cracked, encourage them to try again because maybe that phase of puberty is past. Whenever your child takes a stab at some kind of service or leadership, minimize the negative and accentuate the positive. Remind your child that they won't be perfect, but God will be glorified even through imperfection.

If they seem to want to contribute, but just can't seem to accomplish what they set out to do: help them. I know you're busy as a parent, but there's little that's more rewarding in life that working alongside your child in the kingdom of God. Remind them to fulfill commitments they make. Part of helping the weak get stronger is gradually letting them do more and more until they can stand on their own.

It is also worth mentioning that we all have our weaknesses. Those weaknesses may cause us to stumble or even fail from time to time. Remind your children that their worth to Christ and to the church is not based on their performance or their results. God uses the weak to his glory. In fact, God told Paul (a guy that I think we would all put in the category of "hard worker"), "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness."

and another thing...

2009-03-26T13:10:00.003-04:00

David Henniger has created a social network site for our congregation (its kinda like facebook, but just for us). If enough people start using it, it could really be a helpful communication tool.

Go give it a try: http://schurch.ning.com/

Once you join, go join the group "youth parents." Let me know what you think of it.

April Stuff

2009-03-26T12:05:00.002-04:00

April 4th - Spring Cleaning 8 am
This is a chance for the youth ministry to give back a little to the church that supports us so well. Mr. Wes and Ms. Eydie will be cooking us breakfast and Mr. Roy is lining up all kinds of projects around the building to give us the opportunity to serve. Even if you can't come for the whole time, please come by for a little bit to chip in.

April 13th - Sign Up Deadline for Jr. and Sr. Impact
On Sunday there will be information packets on Impact, as well as other trips on the horizon. This packet will give you the details on the trip and how to make sure that you're signed up.

April 19-24 - Cross Training
This is an event we do each year where high school students (grades 9-12) are invited to spend a week at the church building to develop spiritual disciplines. Students will come to the building each day after school where they will have a mandatory study hall to work on homework, then given extra time, if needed to finish. They will also eat dinner and sleep at the church. In between dinner and bed, students are taught how to manage their time in such a way that they can connect spiritually with Christ through prayer, Bible study and other disciplines.

Blogging Silence

2009-03-24T17:17:00.003-04:00

I apologize for the absence of updates from the past 2 weeks. Things have been a little out of kilter, but seem to be returning to normalcy (if that's what you can call it).

I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support for our family these past 3 weeks. It has been difficult and the mourning is far from over, but we have such a great sense of peace for Michael. There truly is not better feeling for us than to know that his struggle is now over.

On Thursday, I will be posting a schedule of events happening in April.

Discussion for February

2009-02-26T14:56:00.001-05:00

Who is the person that you go to first for parenting advice? Why?

March Happenings

2009-02-19T14:41:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe that March is already here. Here are the things happening in the next month:

Friday, March 6 - Dinner for Parents at Tim & Charity's Home. This is for parents of teens only, your teen has to find something else to do that night.

Saturday, March 7 - Fundraiser for Nicaragua Mission Trip. Every summer, members of the Summerville Church head to Jinotega, Nicaragua to open doors of opportunity for the Church in that community. As a youth ministry, the teens - even the ones not personally going on the trip - want to be involved in this great endeavor, so we will be helping raise funds to cover expenses. For more information on this particular fund raising effort, please contact Melissa Lester.

March 20-22 - Carolina Salt University
This is a trip that is organized by the Carolina Teen board to train and support those who are actively involved in leadership in their ministries. If your teen (grade 9-12) is interested in being involved as a leader in our ministry and going on this trip, then please have him/her come see me about it.

March 25 - Deadline to Sign Up for Junior and Senior Impact
I know it is crazy to already be talking about a trip in June - but Impact is such a great week that it fills up extremely quickly. There are already sign up sheets in the back of the youth room. In order to be signed up, I need a release form, an Impact application (both of these will be available on the table outside the youth room very soon) and a $50 deposit (or some other arrangement about payment).
The dates for Junior Impact (7th-8th grade) are June 18-22) and the price is $115
The dates for Senior Impact (9th-12th grade) are June 22-27) and the price is $200

Resources

2009-02-12T13:13:00.004-05:00

I thought I would pass along a few of interesting stories from Newsweek I came across a while ago about youth culture. They are each a little lengthy, but I think they are very worthwhile reads for parents, particularly if you have girls. What struck me most about all 3 stories was the sense of belonging that all these kids are searching so desperately for. In the "No One to Blame" I thought it was interesting that despite the disagreements over causes and treatment, the one undeniable fact was what an important role supportive families play for success in the battle against anorexia. In the article on cutting, I find it interesting how many of those interviewed described themselves as lonely. "Out of the Shadows" was a sobering reminder to me about the importance of creating a healthy base of support for our kids. I think social networking sites like facebook are in general a great development in our society, but they obviously come with a risk. I know as a teenager, I felt like I was the only one around me trying to live a Christian life. I think groups like "100,00,000 Christians Worship God" could have really encouraged me to stay strong in the faith. On the downside, I think there are many kids out there finding the opposite true as well - that they can find someone on facebook who will condone just about any bad behavior that they may be caught up in. This is particularly troubling with things like eating disorders, self harm and drug abuse.

No One to Blame
Why She Cuts
Out of the Shadows

There are 2 basic reasons I posted these:

1 - To let you be aware of these issues. Hopefully, you will never have to deal with these issues as parents, but if you do, it is good to know a little about them beforehand.

2 - To remind us as we build on this youth ministry together the importance of creating a distinct community (a possible translation of the Greek word, ecclesia that we translate 'church') where teens who are confused or lonely can find love, patience and understanding.

I would love to know what some of you thought about these articles.

I also want to pass along one more resource to you. Homeword.com is a website that gives parents good information about how to talk to teens about issues and has some good insights into what's going on in the world of our kids. They have a free newsletter that you can sign up for that sometimes has some really good stuff.

A Day Late

2009-02-06T13:17:00.002-05:00

Since I switched posting upcoming events to the last Thursday in the month, I thought I would just move the other topics up a week. Which means that I am due for a blog on the philosophy of youth ministry.

Recently, I had a conversation with a group of friends about "vision" in youth ministry and what that means. I think it is an all too-important question to ask when involved in any kind of ministry. It is far too easy in any kind of ministry, but I think especially youth ministry, to get caught up in the day to day incidentals that come with the job. There's enough to keep you busy without having to sit back and wonder, "What am I really trying to do?"

However, I think it is vital that everyone involved in the youth ministry - from the youth minister, to the volunteers, to the parents, and especially the kids have the purpose and vision of ministry in mind. Otherwise, it tends to be a place where kids just show up - and when kids just show up not knowing what to expect, everybody forms their own expectations. One girl may show up expecting everyone to be nice to her, and when someone isn't nice to her, she writes the church off as a waste of time. One guy may show up with the notion that as long as he's there, he gets credit as a good person. When someone calls him out because his behavior doesn't match what's being taught - he feels wronged or slighted because no one acknowledged his effort to show up. A parent may expect that their child will be given a program that excites the child's desire to participate. When the child expresses apathy or ambivalence for certain aspects of the ministry - the parent may feel like the youth ministry has failed them.

To be sure, none of those expectations are exactly wrong - in fact, I should hope that a youth ministry is a place of safety where kids have people act kindly toward them, a place where people do acknowledge the efforts to do right instead of just focusing on the wrong, and is a place where kids actually like to be. But.... none of those should be the end all desire of the youth ministry. Those are products of being focused on the true vision for youth ministry and the church.

Youth ministry begins and ends with one thing - the loving desire to bring a community's youth into relationship with Christ. If we aren't doing that, then I believe that we are, to borrow language from Paul, nothing more than a clanging symbol. It's a sobering reality for someone like me who has spent all of my adult life dedicated to youth ministry that if I fail at that one thing, then I have failed in ministry. Everything that we do in this ministry, whether its Winterfest, Cell Groups, Bible Study, or just hanging out, must come back to the central question of "are we leading kids to know and love Jesus Christ." That's my vision, that's my passion.

I promised that on these philosophical blogs, I would include a part about how you as parents can help - so here's just a few I can think of:

1 - Hold me accountable. Parents, if you think that our ministry is not challenging the teens enough to go deep with their commitment to Christ, then please (gently please:)) let me know. I try to be very open to constructive criticism.

2 - When conflict arises among the kids (oh, and it will arise), challenge your child(ren) to pursue the most Christ-like path to reconciliation. It usually is not met with great enthusiasm by the students, but from my experience, nothing teaches better than teens seeing the power of forgiveness and humility in the midst of a conflict.

3 - Talk about spiritual matters frequently with your teens. It doesn't always have to be a formal "family devotional". Instead, I like the parenting advice given in Deuteronomy 11:18-20

18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Whenever you get the opportunity, let your kids know how scripture and your dedication to living by the Spirit has informed your way of life. Also, be open with things in your past that you regret and why you don't want to see them make the same mistakes.

4 - Have the same vision for your family. Don't see your family as just a group of people living under the same roof who happen to be related. Have a desire to see your family be an active force for the Kingdom of Heaven. Look for ways to do things as a family that serves others, both in the church and in the community.

5 - Get involved in the ministry - not just for your kids, but for the others as well. If you are reading this blog, I can pretty safely assume that you are involved in your child's spiritual develeopment. I thank God for parents like you. Understand that there are kids who come across our youth ministry who do not have adults in their lives that care about spiritual matters. Sometimes, we even come across kids whose parents seem downright opposed to their child's involvement in Christianity. These kids need mentors and role models to look up to across all generational lines.

Those are just a few. If you've got suggestions for the other parents that you think would be helpful, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Thanks again for the job you do as a parent, God bless.

Goings On For February

2009-01-29T20:54:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I've made an adjustment to my blog schedule. The last Thursday of each month will be about what's coming up the next month. So that means that for today, I'll be posting dates and events in February you need to be aware of.

February 1st - Superbowl Party
Starts at 5:30 at the Summers' house. If you need directions or can help with bringing food, please talk to Tim or Charity.

February 7th - Habitat for Humanity
For anyone (including parents) who are 16 and older (Habitat's rule, not mine). If you don't know anything about Habitat for Humanity, please take a look at their organization. We will be helping build a home for a family in need. All the students need to bring is themselves.

February 20-28 - Winterfest
We will leave at 8 am on Friday morning. I will send a letter to your child's school administrator to get an excused absence. If you have not turned in money yet, please do so ASAP. Also, if you have not turned in a notarized yearly release form, your child will need this one filled out and signed before we leave. Also please take a minute to look over the rules that your child will be expected to abide by for the weekend.

Also, the parents' meeting that was scheduled for this weekend has been postponed. Now it will be held on Friday, March 6th at the Summers'. I will keep you posted as soon as we get a time hammered out.

2 Things

2009-01-22T13:06:00.002-05:00

1 - All the parents of teens have been invited to Tim & Charity Summers' house on the evening of January 31st for dinner at 6:30. They will be serving different kinds of soups. If you would be willing to bring some sandwiches, sides, drinks, or desserts, please get in touch with Charity. The night is designed to simply be a chance for you parents to touch base with the youth ministry to know what is going on and also for you to have a chance to fellowship with one another.

2 - This is the 4th Thursday of this month, which means its an open forum blog. That means that if no one leaves any comments, this one's pretty pointless. Here is your topic for this month:

What's the best movie that you've seen recently that you feel like has helped you to be a better parent? And... how did it help you? (leave responses as comments and feel free to respond to each others' comments)

Have fun!

How to Keep Up To Date with the Parents' Blog

2009-01-15T14:41:00.006-05:00

As promised, this week I'm explaining how to use a rss reader to keep up with the Parents' blog. I don't really know what rss stands for or all the nerdspeak for how it works. What I do know is that its an easy way to find out when many of your favorite websites add new content. It's great for keeping up with blogs, news sites, and you can even use it to keep up with favorite TV shows from sites like hulu.com.

My two favorite rss readers are Google's Reader and Mozilla Firefox's Sage add-on. They're both absolutely free.

The advantage of Google is that you don't have to install anything - you just have to have a Google account. It will be helpful to have a Google account anyway if you want to leave comments on this blog. Another thing I really like about Google Reader is that you can use it from any computer.

The advantage of the Sage is that once you have it installed, it's extremely easy to use. The downside is that you have to install and use Firefox. Actually, this may be an advantage in disguise. I love Firefox. If you don't know what Firefox is, it is a free internet browser. It's like Internet Explorer, but it doesn't allow websites to install Active-X controls, which can sometimes slow down your computer. There are also thousands of "add ons" that make web-browsing easier or more fun. One of my favorites is one called "Ad Blocker Plus" that blocks many of the ads that show up on your screen. This not only makes pages load faster, but it also keeps some of the ads with borderline inappropriate pictures (like on Myspace or Yahoo! Mail) from showing up. If you are interested in giving it a try, I'll have some instructions at the bottom for how to install it.

Instructions For Google Reader:
If you just want to use the Google Reader, then simply go to www.google.com. At the top left there should be several options, click on the last one that says "more". It should bring a pull down list, select "reader". At this point, it will ask you to sign into your Google account. If you don't have an account, click the button that says "Create an account". It takes like 2 seconds and is completely free. Once you've either created an account or logged in, you'll be on the Reader page.

Near the top left of the screen there is a button that says "Add a subscription". Click on this and type (or copy and paste) http://scocyouth.blogspot.com into the box that pops up, then click the "Add a subscription" link again.

Now, on the left side of the screen about halfway down you should see a box that says "subscriptions" in bold. Under that it should say "News and Notes for Parents" in bold with a number in parentheses. That number represents the number of stories from that feed you haven't read yet.

When you click on "News & Notes for Parents" it will bring up the stories in the main box. Once you click on a story, (How to Keep Up To Date with the Parents' Blog for instance) the number should decrease in the parentheses, indicating that you've now read, or at least seen that story.

Once you've read all the stories, the title under "subscriptions" should no longer be bold. Now whenever you come back to this page, if something new has been added, the title will be bold again.

At this point you may be asking, "why is this easier than just going to the website itself?" If this is the only site you use this for, it isn't. But.... the great thing about it is that you can check lots of websites at once for new things. For instance, if you wanted to check in on what's going on with Kim and me and the kids - you can can type 'greg kim kirby' into the "add a subscription" field and it will bring up our family's blog that Kim updates regularly. You can then subscribe to that one as well. You can also use it for just about any news source online. So you can also subscribe to sites like www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.news.yahoo.com to find out what's going on around the world. You can browse these sites for interesting stories without having to go to each one individually.

Instructions for adding the Sage Feed Reader:
Now, for the more ambitious. If you want to try firefox, go to www.mozilla.com and click on the button that says "Download Firefox - free".

Now just follow the instructions on screen to install firefox on your computer. Choose the "Standard" installation.

Once it's installed, click on the shortcut that should now be on your desktop.

It will ask you if you would like to import your information from Internet Explorer. You can do this if you have Explorer set to remember your passwords and such.

Once Firefox is open, it should look alot like Internet Explorer.

To add the Sage Feed, go to the top and click on the "Tools" menu. Then select "Add-ons".

This will bring up a pop-up window. Click on the "Get Add-ons" button. Type "sage-too" in the search bar. This should bring up the "Sage Too" as the first search result. Click the "Add to Firefox" button. It will advise you to only install this if you trust the authors, you can trust them, so click "install".

In the pop-up window it will tell you that you need to restart Firefox to complete the changes. Click the button to restart.

Once you restart, you can close the Add-ons window. You should now see a little leaf just to the left of the address bar near the top. If you click on this it opens a sidebar on the left. Now go to the parents' blog by typing http://scocyouth.blogspot.com/ in the address bar.

Once you are on the parents blog, click the button that looks like a magnifying glass on the sidebar (near the top of the left-hand sidebar). This should make a window pop-up, click to highlight either of the two choices, then hit "add feed" and then "close".

You should see "News and Notes for Parents" under the feeds that were installed automatically. (If you don't want the automatic feeds, you can just right click on them and hit delete) Now click the button that says "options" that is just to the right of the magnifying glass and select "Show Feed Item List".

If you click on the "News and Notes for Parents" you will see a list of recent posts in the main box and in the bottom left. Once you click on a post, it will no longer be bold, showing that you have read, or at least looked at that post. You'll also notice that the title is no longer bold on the top left. The next time you want to check the feed, click the button that looks like two arrows circling a sheet of paper. If there are new items posted, it will turn bold again, letting you know you have something new to look at. You can make the Sage sidebar disappear by clicking back on the leaf at the top of the page.

Whenever you come across a webpage that you like that adds new content fairly regularly, you can click the magnifying glass to see whether or not it has an rss feed available or not. Remember to also try out the adblocker plus add-on if you start using Firefox.

Whew.... I think I'm done with the instructions. If you're still reading at this point, I'll take it as a good sign. Hopefully this will help you keep up with what's going on. As always, if you have any problems or questions, feel free to leave them as comments and I'll respond as quickly as I can.

Good luck and God bless!

January Events

2009-01-09T14:39:00.002-05:00

Saturday, January 10th - Basketball Games
Come watch our team compete (we're 1-0 so far!)
5 pm at Knightsville UMC and
7 pm at Bethany UMC

Saturday, January 17th - Basketball Game
4 pm at Knightsville UMC

Sunday, January 18th - Come Together
We will join other churches in the Carolinas for a time of worship and fellowship in Lexington. All that kids need to do to go is sign up in the youth room (to assure a spot on the bus), show up on Sunday afternoon and bring a couple dollars to help pay for pizza.

Saturday, January 24th - Basketball Games
5 pm at Knightsville UMC
8 pm at Bethany UMC

Saturday, January 21st - Basketball Game
5 pm at Knightsville UMC

Sunday, February 1st - Deadline for Winterfest

blogging in 2009

2009-01-09T14:09:00.004-05:00

I hope that this young year finds all you parents doing well. Like everyone, I'm trying to make some changes in the new year. Really, though, I'm trying to make changes all the time, I just don't feel so weird for it in January. One thing I'm doing different in 2009 is trying to communicate better with all my wonderful parents. Last year I started experimenting with communicating with parents through this wonderful new invention call the "internet" (thanks again, Al). It worked pretty well, so I'm going to be using it even more this year.

I have resolved to post to the parents' blog every Thursday in 2009. In fact, Thursdays will no longer be called "Thursday" in the SCOCYM, but instead Blogday. Yesterday I was in a youth ministry conference all day, so I've already messed up on the resolution. That went well.

Here will be the standard lineup per month -
1st Blogday - Notes on events and deadlines on the near-horizon. Find out what activities are going on and how you can get your child involved.

2nd Blogday - Updates on the philosophical side of youth ministry. In other words, what we're trying to accomplish and why, and what you as parents can do to help.

3rd Blogday - Resources for parents. I will post something designed to help you as parents. You ARE the front-line of youth ministry, and as much as I hate to admit it, you are way more influential than me on whether or not your child succeeds and understands and accepts Christianity. I also hate to admit that you most likely know WAY more than me about parenting - as you've been doing it longer than me. That is why I will rarely offer much advice of my own, but rather give you links to resources or equip you with facts and data about teen culture in the 21st century.

4th Blogday - Open forum. I'll post a topic and turn you parents loose to discuss it in comments. Teens need community - any youth minister who expects to keep his job through the summer understands that. Parents need community too. It's a hard calling that you've been given to raise your children in the teachings and Spirit of Christ, and the support of others who have been there or are there themselves is an invaluable resource.

On the rare occasion that a month blesses us with 5 Blogdays, there is no telling what kind of fun stuff I may come up with.

Also keep in mind that I may put last minute updates on here, so make sure and check it often. I HIGHLY suggest using a rss reader of some sort to keep up to date. If you don't know what that is, tune in next Blogday (that's Thursday for those who are kind of slow to catch on) and I'll post about what it is and how to use it. If you read friends' and family's blogs, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

I hope all of you are having a great 2009 so far and can't wait to be back in SC this weekend.

Winerfest Typo

2008-12-29T15:47:00.003-05:00

On the card that was sent out for the Winterfest registration, it said that it was for grades 7-9. This is true, but it is also for grades 10-12 as well.

If you want a t-shirt and a concert ticket at a cheaper price, I need the registration turned in by next Sunday.

I hope everyone has a fantastic New Years.

Check Your Mail!

2008-12-18T23:29:00.004-05:00

Seriously, is there anyone who wouldn't check their mail this close to Christmas? Anyway, the reason I want you to check your mail is because there is a good chance there will be a postcard in your mail box soon that tells you how to register your child for Winterfest - simply fill out the card, bring it back to church and put it in the pink box. If you don't receive a card in the mail, that probably means I don't have you on my mailing list. If this is the case, email me with your name and address and I'll make sure you get on it. While your at it, you may want to go ahead and sign up for the e-mail list as well.

A couple things to take note of on the Winterfest registration:

1) The price. Some of you may have picked up a flier that was out a month or two ago that said the price was $85. Unfortunately, due to the economic situation going on, we are not able to offset as much of the price as we have in the past. If paying the full registration is not a possibility, please let me know as soon as possible so we can figure out some other arrangements. It is still the policy of the Summerville Church of Christ Youth Ministry that no student will miss an event due to money.

2) Options. Last year we charged $95, which included a concert ticket. This year, I am giving the teens the option of missing the concert if they would rather have supervised free time in Gatlinburg. This year the band playing on Friday night is DecembeRadio. If your child would like to attend I can pre-order a ticket at $10 for them, but I must do it by January 5th. They will also have the option of buying tickets at Winterfest for $15. I can also pre-order T-shirts before January 5th for $10 (make sure you put the size on the registration) and they will also be $15 at the conference. Unfortunately I have no way of knowing what these T-shirts look like until February 20.

December Events

2008-12-03T17:02:00.004-05:00

Saturday, December 6th.
Super Service Saturday
All the girls are invited to the Kirbys' house to help the 2-3 year old class build gingerbread houses.

Sunday, December 7th.
Lexington's youth group is coming to visit and worship with us on Sunday evening. After church we'll all go out to eat before they head back, so the kids may want to bring some money.

Friday, December 12th.
The Junior High Christmas Party is going to be at our house from 6-8 pm. The gift theme is "My Favorite Things" so bring a gift that costs less than $15 that relates to your favorite something (sports team, music group, food, etc.)

Sunday, December 14th.
The Senior High Christmas Party is going to be hosted by the Lesters from 6-8 pm. The gift theme is "Rock'n Out," so bring a musically themed gift that costs less than $15.

Also of note:
Keep an eye out for Winterfest sign up information coming soon.

In 2009, Kim and I will be hosting a Bible study in our home on Monday nights for the teens. We will be reading through F. Lagard Smith's Daily Devotional Bible, which takes you chronologically through the entire Bible in a year. If your child is interested in doing this with us, (I'd encourage them to read through the Bible, even if they can't make the Monday night study) I will be ordering Bibles in a couple weeks. They cost about $15 on Amazon, so let me know if you want me to order one for you. Also, Larry Salley led a Sunday morning class a few years ago, so if you ask around the church, you may be able to find an extra copy someone would loan you. Or..... you can look online and try to find a used copy much cheaper, I saw them as cheap as $2 on amazon.com the other day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season and a Happy New Year!

Girls' Super Service Saturday

2008-11-08T22:11:00.004-05:00

Today, we had our second monthly Super Service Saturday. This is a girls' event, organized by me (Kim) and some of our teens. Today, we made care baskets for families who have babies in MUSC's NICU. We started out in the youth room, looking up verses that might provide comfort to families in distress. We then packed our baskets with things that families might need who are spending a lot of time in waiting rooms: crossword puzzles, cards, snacks, bottled water, etc. We also made three hygiene bags for families who might have to spend the night in Charleston unexpectedly. These kits were packed with shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, and travel-size tide. All baskets and bags had cards with info about our church, and cards for David Henniger's counseling program.

After making our baskets, we headed to downtown Charleston to eat lunch at The Mellow Mushroom, and then journeyed on to MUSC to drop off our baskets.

We had a great time, and I hope to have everyone join us again for next month's Super Service Saturday. Mark your calendars for December 6!

Super Service Saturday

2008-10-30T10:27:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, November 8th, the girls are meeting at 11:00 am in the youth room for another installment of Super Service Saturday. They will be helping families going through extreme crisis. The girls will just have to show up to find out how.

Canned Food Drive

2008-10-28T13:52:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, November the 11th and Thursday, November the 13th, the Youth Ministry will be collecting cans door to door in the Briarwood subdivision for our annual Thanksgiving baskets. We will meet at the church building at 6:30 both evenings. Parents are more than welcome to attend and help out.

Fall Retreat Question

2008-10-10T12:34:00.001-04:00

Part of the $50 registration fee goes to lunch at Fuddruckers on Saturday. The lunch will have the option of either a burger or chicken strips, but they need to know in advance. If your child is going on the retreat, please have them contact me in some way before Monday to let me know which is their preference.

Thanks,
Greg

Last Chance for Fall Retreat

2008-10-06T16:19:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is when I absolutely must have the final count for Fall Retreat numbers. If your child wants to go but did not turn in their stuff yesterday, e-mail me before tomorrow morning.

Cell Group Eating Schedule

2008-09-09T16:17:00.003-04:00

I have posted where we will be eating on Wednesdays after cell groups to the Youth Calendar.

If you are a parent new to cell groups, then you may want to check out a posting from around this time last year for a bit of explanation as to why we meet up after cell groups. The rest of you may want to look at it again as a reminder. Also, I am not leading a cell group right now, so if any parents and/or cell group leaders need help transporting teens, I can help out with church vans.

Registration information for the Fall Retreat should be available by tomorrow night and for Oasis by next week.

Cell Group Kick Off

2008-08-25T12:05:00.002-04:00

On September 3rd, all the parents are invited to the Youth Room from 7 - 8 pm for our kickoff to cell groups for 2008-09. It will be a good chance for you to get to meet your child's cell group leader. Also there will information given on calendar dates for the upcoming year as well as a look back at 2007-08.

Hope to see you there!

Carolina Workcamp

2008-07-16T10:35:00.002-04:00

We leave for Workcamp on Sunday after the 10:30 service. We will eat lunch somewhere in Summerville, then hit the road for Charlotte. We will be back around noon on Friday. Here is a packing list for the week:

For Work Please Wear:
- Work Clothes
- Modest, long shorts
- T-shirts
- Dress for hot weather, but don’t bring spaghetti strap tops or extremely loose clothing (they get caught on nails). Please, no Umbros (you can see up them when you’re on a ladder), dresses, or opened-toed shoes.
- Bible
- A heart to serve
Other helpful items:
·Sunscreen
·Sunglasses
·Work gloves
For the Evenings:
- Bring casual, comfortable clothes, as some of the activities at night will involve a good deal of walking

You will be staying with a host family, so please bring a small gift ($5-$10) as a way of showing gratitude for their hospitality.

Please do not bring the following:
- Any electronics (ipods, gameboys, dvd players, etc) you may, however, bring appropriate movies for us to watch as a group in the bus on the way up.
- Tobacco, alcohol, or drugs of any type
- A bad attitude

If you have any questions, leave them as comments to this blog.

See you Sunday!

Rainbow Omega Packing List

2008-07-03T22:47:00.002-04:00

We are set to leave at 8 am on Monday (July 7th). If you are interested in knowing more about Rainbow Omega, check out their website. In the event of an emergency during the day, you can call the contact number listed on their site.

Work Clothes (bring shoes, not just flip-flops)
Something to sleep on (air mattress, sleeping bag, etc.)
Money for 4 meals (lunch and dinner on the way there and back)
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
Work Gloves
Some extra spending money (maybe for ice cream or things like that)
Towels & Shower Stuff

Junior Impact Pictures

2008-06-16T17:10:00.002-04:00

Junior Impact is on the road home and Senior Impact is on the road to Lipscomb as I type this. Junior Impact was a great experience for the 5 girls and 2 adults involved from Summerville, and also for the thousands of other middle school students. I have posted just a few of the pictures online. Please be praying for God to work in the hearts, minds and souls of our senior high students this week like he did for the junior high students last week.

Calendar Change: Middle School Lock-in

2008-06-02T11:27:00.005-04:00

The Lock-in that was originally planned for Sunday, June 8th, has been moved to Friday, June 6th, starting at 7 pm and lasting until 8 am on Saturday morning.

If you have more questions, please contact our summer interns: Jonathan or Kate

Carolina Workcamp Registration

2008-05-06T15:38:00.003-04:00

Online registration is now up at: http://www.summervillechurchofchrist.com/scoc/workcamp

Carwash Fundraiser

2008-05-02T14:34:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, May 3rd, the Youth Ministry will be helping the Nicaragua Mission Team raise money by washing cars for donations. We will begin at 9:00 am and go until 1:30 pm. If you cannot come for the whole time, at least come out and help for a little while. Also, please bring a sponge or brush and some old towels.

Eating Schedule for Cell Groups

2008-04-17T13:33:00.002-04:00

The rumors that cell groups are done for the year are simply not true! I have been a bit of a procrastinator in getting the schedule posted, however, and I apologize for that. Cell groups will end the last Wednesday in May, with a final Sanctuary the first Wednesday in June. Here is the list of where we'll be eating until then:

4/23 - Arbys
4/30 - Fazoli's
5/7 - Moe's
5/14 - Burger King/Taco Bell
5/21 - Sonic
5/28 - Zaxbys
6/4 - CiCi's

Attention Google Users

2008-04-08T15:57:00.002-04:00

If you use Google as your home page, there is now a gadget to help you keep up with upcoming events and activities in the Summerville Church of Christ Youth Ministry. Just one more tool to help you know how to get your child involved.

Click here to add the gadget to your homepage.