Impact and Spring Retreat

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

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

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?

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

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)

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

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