In case you missed our Zion family movie night last night (movie nights now covered by CVLI), hosted by the youth group, here's the devotion to help drive the point of the movie home:
Watch "Letters to God," pausing for the devotion after the series of events surrounding the soccer game and just after Brady makes a mess of his apartment when he finally decides to nix the alcohol and reads Tyler's letters to God.
Think about to what/whom you write your letters. Brady was "writing letters" to his alcohol, seeking help there. Where do you turn first when you're struggling? To your job? To shopping? To your money? To yourself? You may want to write these things down.
Ps. 33:8= "Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
Fear of the Lord means that while you know that God could destroy you (even with just his pinky finger), you know that He loves you and won't let any undue harm come to you. We are invited to respect and revere the Lord.
Mark 12:30= "[Jesus said] 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
God is supposed to be Priority #1. He created us and loves us more than we could ever imagine, and He enables us to love Him with all our being in response to all He has done for us.
Ps. 50:15= "and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Who you gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters! God! He promises to answer when we call to Him for help and deliverance.
Ps. 121=
1 "I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore."
To sum up this psalm, God's got your back! He invites you to turn to Him for His protection and support!
Take that list of things or people you turn to instead of turning to God first. Look it over. Let it go! For emphasis, we burned our lists in the parking lot. Youth and children, do not do this at home without adult supervision! You may also shred it up or do anything else you can think of to help you let it go and remember to turn to God first.
Prov. 3:5= "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;"
This is more of an invitation than a command. God knows what you need and He loves you more than you'll ever understand. We know that God is always working in our lives to make good (Rom. 8:28), even out of the bad things, so let's take God up on the invitation to trust in Him! God's got your back!
Blessings in Christ on your week!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
NYGers Share Tomorrow, Family Movie Night Wednesday!
Hey everyone!
Tomorrow our 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering youth will be sharing what they learned on the trip after worship.
Wednesday night will be Family Movie Night for August to change it up a little bit. We will start at 6 p.m. with the Thurs cooking and will watch some Skit Guys! Come one and all!
Blessings in Christ!
Tomorrow our 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering youth will be sharing what they learned on the trip after worship.
Wednesday night will be Family Movie Night for August to change it up a little bit. We will start at 6 p.m. with the Thurs cooking and will watch some Skit Guys! Come one and all!
Blessings in Christ!
Friday, July 23, 2010
NYG Update 4
Our NYGers are all safely home now, and man, did we have a great experience!
The drive was long in the last two days and the tensions high at points, but we're home now and still love each other in Jesus.
We all learned a lot from this trip in many ways: being away from home for the first time, sharing a hotel room with people you've never stayed with before, attending sessions and mass events, meeting new people, and much more. We'll share about our learnings and experiences right after worship next Sunday, August 1st. Please join us.
Hopefully next year we can plan a short-term mission trip! Give Sarah ideas on things you'd like to do (VBS, construction, etc.) and where (Dallas, El Paso, Arizona, maybe Mexico if we deem it safe...)!
The next NYG will be in 2013 in San Antonio, TX! Hope to see you there! Blessings in Christ!
The drive was long in the last two days and the tensions high at points, but we're home now and still love each other in Jesus.
We all learned a lot from this trip in many ways: being away from home for the first time, sharing a hotel room with people you've never stayed with before, attending sessions and mass events, meeting new people, and much more. We'll share about our learnings and experiences right after worship next Sunday, August 1st. Please join us.
Hopefully next year we can plan a short-term mission trip! Give Sarah ideas on things you'd like to do (VBS, construction, etc.) and where (Dallas, El Paso, Arizona, maybe Mexico if we deem it safe...)!
The next NYG will be in 2013 in San Antonio, TX! Hope to see you there! Blessings in Christ!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
NYG Update 3
The official 2010 National LCMS Youth Gathering is over!
Yesterday was our "look" day. It included spending time in a hall with stations that made us look at ourselves as believers and creations of God. The session that we all attended was about ministering to those following Islam, and we split up to go to a Lost & Found concert and a session on preparing yourself for marriage in the future.
Last night's mass event was worship. A choir and band made up of NYG participants provided most of the music, and we heard a great message and took communion together with 25,000 people! It was awesome.
Sarah was unfortunately getting sick Wednesday night with some mix of strep and flu, so she made it through Tuesday night but not Wednesday morning for the closing mass event.
Nerak had to take a youth to the airport to join his family vacation, so only Tim was left in the morning to take the youth to the final mass event. Then they went to the Riverfront Mall for lunch and shopping. The boys did more shopping than the girls...
Youth had free time in the afternoon by which time Sarah was finally feeling better (thanks for the prayers!), and we all went to the Magnolia Grill for dinner in the French Quarter right by the French Market. Free time tonight mostly consisted of our youth and Nerak having a Boom Whacker war. Google Boom Whacker, and then imagine the youth using these musically tuned tubes for a war (yes, in the hotel, but at reasonable hours). Sarah has a video on her camera if you'd like an example. A few bruises were acquired, but all the youth had a great time!
Tomorrow morning we'll be on the road back home! Tomorrow night we'll be staying in Wichita Falls, TX with host families from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church!
Yesterday was our "look" day. It included spending time in a hall with stations that made us look at ourselves as believers and creations of God. The session that we all attended was about ministering to those following Islam, and we split up to go to a Lost & Found concert and a session on preparing yourself for marriage in the future.
Last night's mass event was worship. A choir and band made up of NYG participants provided most of the music, and we heard a great message and took communion together with 25,000 people! It was awesome.
Sarah was unfortunately getting sick Wednesday night with some mix of strep and flu, so she made it through Tuesday night but not Wednesday morning for the closing mass event.
Nerak had to take a youth to the airport to join his family vacation, so only Tim was left in the morning to take the youth to the final mass event. Then they went to the Riverfront Mall for lunch and shopping. The boys did more shopping than the girls...
Youth had free time in the afternoon by which time Sarah was finally feeling better (thanks for the prayers!), and we all went to the Magnolia Grill for dinner in the French Quarter right by the French Market. Free time tonight mostly consisted of our youth and Nerak having a Boom Whacker war. Google Boom Whacker, and then imagine the youth using these musically tuned tubes for a war (yes, in the hotel, but at reasonable hours). Sarah has a video on her camera if you'd like an example. A few bruises were acquired, but all the youth had a great time!
Tomorrow morning we'll be on the road back home! Tomorrow night we'll be staying in Wichita Falls, TX with host families from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church!
Monday, July 19, 2010
NYG Update 2
Yesterday was the first full day of the 2010 National Youth Gathering. The theme for the day for our track was "Listen," which reminded us to try to calm our hearts to listen to God, especially by digging into His Word. Youth went to sessions on various topics, and the evening mass worship event included the idea that when the bottom drops out in life, you have to hold on to your faith, tough though it may be, and trust in God to get you through. The best way to prepare for the tough times, because they will come, is to be in God's Word.
Today's theme for our track was "Live," talking about living out our faith in Christ rather than just idly making it day by day. We unfortunately did not get to do a servant event in NOLA, but we went to various booths to make a blanket for New Orleans citizens still rebuilding their homes, color placemats for nursing homes, write random thank you or encouragement notes to hand to strangers or restaurant servers, etc. Youth also attended sessions related to the day's theme today too.
Tonight's worship revolved around the fact that we are so often deceived into thinking that our life stories are about us. Our life stories are really about Christ and all of the glorious things that God is doing in our lives to further His Kingdom.
We have a full day tomorrow, half a morning Wednesday plus some free time, and the journey home Thursday and Friday!
Today's theme for our track was "Live," talking about living out our faith in Christ rather than just idly making it day by day. We unfortunately did not get to do a servant event in NOLA, but we went to various booths to make a blanket for New Orleans citizens still rebuilding their homes, color placemats for nursing homes, write random thank you or encouragement notes to hand to strangers or restaurant servers, etc. Youth also attended sessions related to the day's theme today too.
Tonight's worship revolved around the fact that we are so often deceived into thinking that our life stories are about us. Our life stories are really about Christ and all of the glorious things that God is doing in our lives to further His Kingdom.
We have a full day tomorrow, half a morning Wednesday plus some free time, and the journey home Thursday and Friday!
Friday, July 16, 2010
NYG Update 1
Greetings one and all!
Any posts done in the next week will be updates on our trip to New Orleans for the 2010 National LCMS Yoth Gathering.
Yesterday we drove all day, leaving Zion's parking lot at 5:30 a.m. MT. A lot of sleeping occurred early in the ride before we got lunch at Burger King. We drove even more to get to Wichita Falls, TX where we were welcomed by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. We stayed on their floors in classrooms, and they provided sleeping bags and pillows, even some cots and air mattresses.
We started driving by 7 a.m. CT today and ate lunch at McDonald's. We drove all afternoon into the evening again and arrived at our hotel around 7 p.m. The drive was very entertaining as the youth saw more and more grass, then more and more water. They got really excited about seeing alligators in the bayou, and one youth commented, "Why is there so much water? That seems like a waste..." Another said, "Is that the ocean? ... Why are the rivers so big?"
We got settled into the hotel and walked to Subway for dinner. Then we brought the youth back so that they could enjoy a little pool time, and the boys went to the health center to "work out" too. Youth are now showering up and heading to sleep (hopefully!).
Tomorrow we will get to sleep in a little before eating breakfast in the rooms (no continental breakfast in our hotel). We will time our walk to the convention center and do our registration there in the morning, and then we'll get to spend the late morning and afternoon walking around New Orleans to see the sites. The first NYG mass worship event happens tomorrow night at the Superdome.
Find more details at http://www.lcmsgathering.org/, or watch the mass events at www.lcms.org/nyg.
Blessings in Christ! We appreciate your prayers for our group!
Any posts done in the next week will be updates on our trip to New Orleans for the 2010 National LCMS Yoth Gathering.
Yesterday we drove all day, leaving Zion's parking lot at 5:30 a.m. MT. A lot of sleeping occurred early in the ride before we got lunch at Burger King. We drove even more to get to Wichita Falls, TX where we were welcomed by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. We stayed on their floors in classrooms, and they provided sleeping bags and pillows, even some cots and air mattresses.
We started driving by 7 a.m. CT today and ate lunch at McDonald's. We drove all afternoon into the evening again and arrived at our hotel around 7 p.m. The drive was very entertaining as the youth saw more and more grass, then more and more water. They got really excited about seeing alligators in the bayou, and one youth commented, "Why is there so much water? That seems like a waste..." Another said, "Is that the ocean? ... Why are the rivers so big?"
We got settled into the hotel and walked to Subway for dinner. Then we brought the youth back so that they could enjoy a little pool time, and the boys went to the health center to "work out" too. Youth are now showering up and heading to sleep (hopefully!).
Tomorrow we will get to sleep in a little before eating breakfast in the rooms (no continental breakfast in our hotel). We will time our walk to the convention center and do our registration there in the morning, and then we'll get to spend the late morning and afternoon walking around New Orleans to see the sites. The first NYG mass worship event happens tomorrow night at the Superdome.
Find more details at http://www.lcmsgathering.org/, or watch the mass events at www.lcms.org/nyg.
Blessings in Christ! We appreciate your prayers for our group!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Family Movie Night, Game Night
Hello youth and families!This Sunday, we will have a family movie night at 5 p.m. at church. We're watching Wall-E and eating delicious taco salad from the Dennis family.
Next Wednesday, we have a game night at 7 p.m. Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your favorite games, bring snacks, and come have fun!
Blessings to you in Christ!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Confirmation Party!
Wednesday, May 19th from 6 to 7:30 p.m., we are having a confirmation party to close out this year's confirmation studies!
Families and confirmation mentors are invited for thsi potluck event. Youth also want to watch a video of which we watched a section in class this past Wednesday, Louie Giglio's "Hope When Life Hurts Most." It is a powerful reminder for young people to hold on to the cross no matter what life (or really Satan) throws at them, and our youth enjoyed the beginning portion of the video so much that they want to watch the whole thing at the party!
Sarah will also prepare superlatives for confirmation youth.
It's going to be a fun time for fellowship and growing together in Christ!
Families and confirmation mentors are invited for thsi potluck event. Youth also want to watch a video of which we watched a section in class this past Wednesday, Louie Giglio's "Hope When Life Hurts Most." It is a powerful reminder for young people to hold on to the cross no matter what life (or really Satan) throws at them, and our youth enjoyed the beginning portion of the video so much that they want to watch the whole thing at the party!
Sarah will also prepare superlatives for confirmation youth.
It's going to be a fun time for fellowship and growing together in Christ!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Movie night, confirmation, and other upcoming events!
Last night was May's family movie night! We enjoyed watching "The Blind Side" and heard a testimonial from one of our youth too!
Wednesday is our last confirmation lesson for this school year, and we'll have a party next Wednesday!
This Wednesday we have a quick NYG meeting after confirmation.
The last couple weeks of May will be down time for the youth group with school winding down and Sarah out of town.
June 2nd= Fuddrucker's night
June 13th= Family Movie Night, 5 p.m.
June 16th= Game night at church
June 20-24= VBS
June 26-27= Regional youth event!
Hope to see you there! Jesus loves you and so do we!
Wednesday is our last confirmation lesson for this school year, and we'll have a party next Wednesday!
This Wednesday we have a quick NYG meeting after confirmation.
The last couple weeks of May will be down time for the youth group with school winding down and Sarah out of town.
June 2nd= Fuddrucker's night
June 13th= Family Movie Night, 5 p.m.
June 16th= Game night at church
June 20-24= VBS
June 26-27= Regional youth event!
Hope to see you there! Jesus loves you and so do we!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
NYG Bowl-A-Thon
Special thanks to everyone who joined us for the National Youth Gathering Bowl-A-Thon to help our youth get to New Orleans in July! We had a good turnout, and everyone had a blast! Pictures will be coming...
Here's the list of prizes!!!
Most strikes: Patrick
Highest score: Renee
Lowest score: Alex
Most turkeys: Kaylen
Highest team score: Katie, Josh, Austin, (and Patrick)
Lowest team score: Alex, Ryan, Tristin, and Adryanna
Prizes included free Octopus car washes, free Cold Stone ice cream, free Allen Theaters tickets, and free items or meals from McDonald's. Everyone also got a free McFlurry coupon for McDonald's just for joining us!
Praise to our glorious God for a freat opportunity for fellowship, outreach, and some fundraising too!
Here's the list of prizes!!!
Most strikes: Patrick
Highest score: Renee
Lowest score: Alex
Most turkeys: Kaylen
Highest team score: Katie, Josh, Austin, (and Patrick)
Lowest team score: Alex, Ryan, Tristin, and Adryanna
Prizes included free Octopus car washes, free Cold Stone ice cream, free Allen Theaters tickets, and free items or meals from McDonald's. Everyone also got a free McFlurry coupon for McDonald's just for joining us!
Praise to our glorious God for a freat opportunity for fellowship, outreach, and some fundraising too!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Take Back the Night
Wednesday, we participated in the Farmington Family Crisis Center's Take Back the Night event. Take Back the Night is a movement that was started in the 70s and still happens to raise awareness about sexual abuse. Here are some pictures from our walk:
Waiting for the walk to begin
Getting set to walk!
Our youth group with our awesome signs
During the walk downtown
Candlelight vigil at the end
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
What's been going on lately?
Sorry updates haven't been posted for a bit! Let's give you some updates!
Zion's youth served in town at Birthright on Saturday, March 6th. We cleaned inside their office areas by dusting and vacuuming, we cleaned the outside of their windows, we picked up trash and pulled weeds around the property, and we cleaned out their garage that they used to use for garage sales. Our youth did a fantastic job! Thanks to all who participated!
The NYG Servant Auction occurred on March 7th. We received ten bids for jobs and have been working on them ever since! Several were completed during spring break, and a few more are in the works now too.
Our family movie night on Mar. 14th consisted of watching The Princess Bride, and we did a devotion talking about the dangers of the swamp and how those dangers can be similar to the temptations to sin. It's no fun when those ROUS's jump you from behind and try to get a bite! God helps us say no to Satan's temptations and protects us!
NYG youth served a delicious dinner on Mar. 17th for Lent with Frito Pie!
Spring break hanging out turned into working on the Servant Auction events, but we sure had fun serving!
Easter Sunday was great fun! We had an extra early worship service, a pancake and sausage breakfast, an Easter egg hunt, and our usually scheduled worship service. For pictures, check out the Facebook fan pages for Zion's youth and Zion as a whole.
Apr. 7th we had a visit from Farmington's "Sex Lady," Tammy Thomas! She talked with us about God's design for our sexuality and the dangers of being sexually active, plus how God loves us and forgives our sexual sins.
Our family movie night Apr. 11th included the movie Facing the Giants, and our devotion discussed the need for Christians to encourage others in the faith and to encourage those who do not believe as well.
Tomorrow night is our Take Back the Night servant event. Take Back the Night is a movement started on college campuses in the 70's to raise awareness about sexual abuse, and Farmington's Family Crisis Center is running the event here. Join us at church at 5:30 to make posters, and we'll drive over to join the walk and hear the speakers. We'll be back to church by 8:30. For more details, contact Sarah.
Saturday is also a servant event. Join us at FHS from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help with the Special Olympics track meet! Working with people with disabilities is always a rewarding experience, so we hope to see you there!
Sunday is Zion Circle's spring dinner. Proceeds will go to the NYG group, and what Zion Circle raises will be matched 2 to 1 by Thrivent (Thrivent gives $1 for every $2 brought in). NYG youth are asked to be available to serve and clean and such.
Hope you got all that! We'll try to update more frequently again...
Jesus loves you and so do we! God bless!
Zion's youth served in town at Birthright on Saturday, March 6th. We cleaned inside their office areas by dusting and vacuuming, we cleaned the outside of their windows, we picked up trash and pulled weeds around the property, and we cleaned out their garage that they used to use for garage sales. Our youth did a fantastic job! Thanks to all who participated!
The NYG Servant Auction occurred on March 7th. We received ten bids for jobs and have been working on them ever since! Several were completed during spring break, and a few more are in the works now too.
Our family movie night on Mar. 14th consisted of watching The Princess Bride, and we did a devotion talking about the dangers of the swamp and how those dangers can be similar to the temptations to sin. It's no fun when those ROUS's jump you from behind and try to get a bite! God helps us say no to Satan's temptations and protects us!
NYG youth served a delicious dinner on Mar. 17th for Lent with Frito Pie!
Spring break hanging out turned into working on the Servant Auction events, but we sure had fun serving!
Easter Sunday was great fun! We had an extra early worship service, a pancake and sausage breakfast, an Easter egg hunt, and our usually scheduled worship service. For pictures, check out the Facebook fan pages for Zion's youth and Zion as a whole.
Apr. 7th we had a visit from Farmington's "Sex Lady," Tammy Thomas! She talked with us about God's design for our sexuality and the dangers of being sexually active, plus how God loves us and forgives our sexual sins.
Our family movie night Apr. 11th included the movie Facing the Giants, and our devotion discussed the need for Christians to encourage others in the faith and to encourage those who do not believe as well.
Tomorrow night is our Take Back the Night servant event. Take Back the Night is a movement started on college campuses in the 70's to raise awareness about sexual abuse, and Farmington's Family Crisis Center is running the event here. Join us at church at 5:30 to make posters, and we'll drive over to join the walk and hear the speakers. We'll be back to church by 8:30. For more details, contact Sarah.
Saturday is also a servant event. Join us at FHS from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help with the Special Olympics track meet! Working with people with disabilities is always a rewarding experience, so we hope to see you there!
Sunday is Zion Circle's spring dinner. Proceeds will go to the NYG group, and what Zion Circle raises will be matched 2 to 1 by Thrivent (Thrivent gives $1 for every $2 brought in). NYG youth are asked to be available to serve and clean and such.
Hope you got all that! We'll try to update more frequently again...
Jesus loves you and so do we! God bless!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
NYGers Serve for Servant Auction!
Here are a couple pictures from one of our NYG Servant Auction events, raking up oodles of pine needles in a Zion member's yard:
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Lock-In Pics!
The Lock-In Friday night went very well! We had plenty of adult participants and thirteen youth including several friends. No participants went to bed at all until 4 a.m., and only six ended up sleeping at all! Here are a few pics:
We had a great time! Special thanks to all our adult participants and helpers!
Wanna hang out with Sarah during spring break? Any ideas for what you'd like to do in youth group in April? Let Sarah know your ideas and availability!
Blessings in Christ!
A little ping pong in free time
Working on a rug movement group initiative challenge.
They had to figure out how to flip the rug without anyone stepping off at all and then how to move it to get to safety.
A little theatrics between attempts of rug movement
Great expression!
Wanna hang out with Sarah during spring break? Any ideas for what you'd like to do in youth group in April? Let Sarah know your ideas and availability!
Blessings in Christ!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Improv Update
Hello all!
Unfortunately, the crowd for Improv Night last night was one DCE Intern, one youth, and one parent. Improvisational acting requires more people that. We need plenty of participants, and we need participants who can take turns acting and being the audience.
Please let your youth leaders know why attendance was so low on this event even though the youth seemed excited leading up to it. A youth group isn't really a youth group without youth participating, and youth, it is YOUR youth group. You showed unity Wednesday night in building our purpose statement; now you need to join together and participate to help make this youth group the great supportive environment you want it to be!
Due to the lack of crowd for Improv Night, the small group went to the youth and parent's home for some fun hang out time including the Wii, random wrestling, and hide and go seek in the dark of the yard. Here are some pictures of the tired participants after all that fun:
Unfortunately, the crowd for Improv Night last night was one DCE Intern, one youth, and one parent. Improvisational acting requires more people that. We need plenty of participants, and we need participants who can take turns acting and being the audience.
Please let your youth leaders know why attendance was so low on this event even though the youth seemed excited leading up to it. A youth group isn't really a youth group without youth participating, and youth, it is YOUR youth group. You showed unity Wednesday night in building our purpose statement; now you need to join together and participate to help make this youth group the great supportive environment you want it to be!
Due to the lack of crowd for Improv Night, the small group went to the youth and parent's home for some fun hang out time including the Wii, random wrestling, and hide and go seek in the dark of the yard. Here are some pictures of the tired participants after all that fun:
Friday, February 5, 2010
Purpose!
Per the meeting after confirmation Wednesday night, we now have a purpose statement for Zion's youth group:
The purpose of Zion Lutheran Youth Group is Sharing Worship and Interaction with Spirituality by Serving.
Abbreviated SWISS (which means cool t-shirt ideas are in store!)
Sarah will soon be handing out sheets with our new purpose statement to the youth to ask them to explain what it means to them. Then either a volunteer or she will compile those explanations into one encompassing explanation of the purpose statement which will be included in the youth ministry policy manual that Sarah is working on creating for Zion.
Join us and help us to live out our new purpose statement in Christ as we share in worship, interact and enjoy fellowship, grow in the Word, teach others about Christ, and serve Him!
The purpose of Zion Lutheran Youth Group is Sharing Worship and Interaction with Spirituality by Serving.
Abbreviated SWISS (which means cool t-shirt ideas are in store!)
Sarah will soon be handing out sheets with our new purpose statement to the youth to ask them to explain what it means to them. Then either a volunteer or she will compile those explanations into one encompassing explanation of the purpose statement which will be included in the youth ministry policy manual that Sarah is working on creating for Zion.
Join us and help us to live out our new purpose statement in Christ as we share in worship, interact and enjoy fellowship, grow in the Word, teach others about Christ, and serve Him!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Another Purpose Meeting!
Calling all youth and families and youth leaders! Don't forget that this Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, we are having another meeting to create a purpose statement for our youth group. This will occur after confirmation class, probably around 7:30/7:40. Even if you couldn't make it to the first meeting, please come help us at this one so that we can help better define the purpose of Zion's youth group!
NYG Update!
We had another meeting for the National Youth Gathering preparations yesterday (Sunday), and here are the updates:
We also began working on the group covenant so that youth, parents, and leaders can all take part in making the rules.
We will meet next on Wed., Feb. 10th after confirmation, so around 7:30/7:40 p.m.
- Penny Wars are on for all of February! Put pennies *and now dollars* in the jar you want to win for negative points, and put nickels,dimes, and quarters in the jar you want to lose for negative points!
- Anyone in the congregation or even outside can "buy stock" in the NYG youth group. This is essentially a donation, but your dividends would include a thank you note from the group, a postcard from the Gathering in July, an invitation to a post-NYG event at which the youth will share what they learned, and most importantly the chance to help Zion's youth go on this once-in-a-lifetime event to learn about Jesus and their faith with tens of thousands of other youth from around the U.S. and world!
- This Sunday, Feb. 7th, the NYG youth will be serving breakfast for lunch. There will be hashbrown casserole, sausage, possible crepes, and more! Join us and support the group in their fundraising. This event will be a freewill offering.
- The NYG youth will be serving a soup dinner before the first Lenten worship service at 6 p.m. on Feb. 17th. Each NYG family will need to bring a soup to share and are asked to arrive at church by 5 p.m. to help set up.
- The Bowl-A-Thon, our biggest NYG fundraising event, will probably occur in early May. Watch for details!
We also began working on the group covenant so that youth, parents, and leaders can all take part in making the rules.
We will meet next on Wed., Feb. 10th after confirmation, so around 7:30/7:40 p.m.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Girls' Night and Man Retreat Update
Hello all!
Here's an update on the events that were to occur this past Friday night!
The Girls' Night had to be cancelled/postponed. After Sarah called all the girls in the youth group, she found out that only one youth was planning on participating. When that one youth realized she was the only one, she didn't want to sleep over either! So, Sarah had the one youth choose a movie, and the two went to see Tooth Fairy and hung out at the mall for a bit Friday night.
Sarah would like to try to have this event again later, so girls, please let Sarah know if and when you want it to happen. We need you to commit to it too because it's a shame when an event is planned and then no one participates! We want the Girls' Night event to be a chance for the girls in Zion's youth group to get to know each other better and grow together in Christ! So, let Sarah know when you want to try this event again!
The Man Retreat was reportedly a blast! Three adults and three youth went up to McFee for a night of ice fishing and camping! They had to dig out some snow to set up camp, collected their firewood, made their own meals, and did Bible studies and chatted while on the ice. They managed to get a couple bites, but unfortunately they didn't catch anything. They still had a lot of fun, though, and learned about fishing themes in the Bible. The youth who attended this event have expressed interest in another fishing/camping-type trip in a couple months, so let Sarah know if you want this to happen!
Blessings in Christ!
Here's an update on the events that were to occur this past Friday night!
The Girls' Night had to be cancelled/postponed. After Sarah called all the girls in the youth group, she found out that only one youth was planning on participating. When that one youth realized she was the only one, she didn't want to sleep over either! So, Sarah had the one youth choose a movie, and the two went to see Tooth Fairy and hung out at the mall for a bit Friday night.
Sarah would like to try to have this event again later, so girls, please let Sarah know if and when you want it to happen. We need you to commit to it too because it's a shame when an event is planned and then no one participates! We want the Girls' Night event to be a chance for the girls in Zion's youth group to get to know each other better and grow together in Christ! So, let Sarah know when you want to try this event again!
The Man Retreat was reportedly a blast! Three adults and three youth went up to McFee for a night of ice fishing and camping! They had to dig out some snow to set up camp, collected their firewood, made their own meals, and did Bible studies and chatted while on the ice. They managed to get a couple bites, but unfortunately they didn't catch anything. They still had a lot of fun, though, and learned about fishing themes in the Bible. The youth who attended this event have expressed interest in another fishing/camping-type trip in a couple months, so let Sarah know if you want this to happen!
Blessings in Christ!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Random Updates
Zion's DCE Intern is safely in Nebraska preparing for her Mid-Year Conference which is the next three days. She will return to Farmington Thursday night.
WE STILL NEED ANOTHER ADULT FOR GIRLS' NIGHT! Jen can only stay until 9 a.m., so we need another adult to come to Sarah's until 11 a.m. It would be nice if this third adult could stay the whole night, but we for sure need her in the morning! Girls, if you didn't sign up on Sarah's door to RSVP, please call or email her to let her know you're coming!
The Man Retreat is all set to go! If you haven't signed up on Sarah's door for this event, please call or email her to let her know if the men should be expecting you!
Jan. 31st is our next meeting for participants in the National Youth Gathering and their families. We will discuss a few updates on fundraising and the trip and get started on a group covenant!
The February youth newsletter was in your mailboxes at church this morning. Let Sarah know if you have any questions! February will include:
WE STILL NEED ANOTHER ADULT FOR GIRLS' NIGHT! Jen can only stay until 9 a.m., so we need another adult to come to Sarah's until 11 a.m. It would be nice if this third adult could stay the whole night, but we for sure need her in the morning! Girls, if you didn't sign up on Sarah's door to RSVP, please call or email her to let her know you're coming!
The Man Retreat is all set to go! If you haven't signed up on Sarah's door for this event, please call or email her to let her know if the men should be expecting you!
Jan. 31st is our next meeting for participants in the National Youth Gathering and their families. We will discuss a few updates on fundraising and the trip and get started on a group covenant!
The February youth newsletter was in your mailboxes at church this morning. Let Sarah know if you have any questions! February will include:
- Confirmation Lessons = 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 3rd and 10th (Wednesdays), 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Feb. 14th, 21st, and 28th (Sundays for Lent accomodations)
- Joyful Noise is back Mondays at 6:30 p.m.!
- All of February = Confirmation and Youth servant event! We’re collecting nonperishable food items for Echo Food Bank plus 9V batteries for a future servant event! Youth need to help sort items and provide boxes to place in the entryway.
- Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 7:30 p.m. = Youth ministry purpose meeting right after confirmation—Come for round two to help us decide what the purpose of our youth group is! (SEE POST BELOW FOR SUMMARY OF THE LAST MEETING.)
- Friday, Feb. 5th, 6-9 p.m.= Youth Improv Night! Bring a snack to share and come ready to have fun and do some (PG) improvisational acting! Friends and parents are welcome! A sign-up sheet will be posted.
- Sunday, Feb. 7th = Before we all run home for the Superbowl, the NYG youth will be serving breakfast for lunch after worship as a fundraiser! Sandra and Jenny are heading this one up!
- Sunday, Feb. 14th, 4/5 p.m. = Valentine’s Day Family Movie Night! Parents are invited to dine, and youth will be doing the cooking for their parents! Youth need to come by 4 p.m. to help set up and cook. Any recommendations for a Christian love-themed movie? Let Sarah know if you have one we can borrow.
- Wednesday, Feb. 17th = Ash Wednesday, and the NYG youth will be serving dinner before worship. We’ll take a freewill offering as a fundraiser. Call time is 5 p.m. wearing your youth group shirt, and we need an adult to help run this event smoothly!
- Friday to Saturday, Feb. 26th to 27th, 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. = Youth Lock-In! Bring a friend and snacks and drinks to share, plus lots of energy to make it through a night of games, friendship, and devotions! We’ll need plenty of adult chaperones, and a sign-up sheet will be posted.
Youth Ministry Purpose
Last Sunday, Jan. 17th, the youth and parents all met to discuss the purpose of our youth ministry. This was the first in a short series of events that will hopefully end in our deciding on a purpose statement for Zion's youth group that fits within Zion's mission statement, "Bringing Hope Through Christ." We focused on what the Bible says about the purposes of youth ministry (based on Doug Field's Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry and pulling in more biblical citations). Here's the gist of what we talked about:
The five biblical purposes of youth ministry:
• Evangelism
o Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:8
o Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don’t yet
have a personal relationship with him
• Worship
o Rom. 12:1, Ps. 95:6, Rom. 6:3-4
o Celebrating God’s presence and honoring him with our lifestyle—
This includes praying, hearing the Word, giving, baptizing,
meditating, the Lord’s Supper, singing, etc.
• Fellowship
o Eph. 2:19, 1 Thes. 5:9-11
o God designed us to live in fellowship with other believers and
to be identified in the body of Christ. Students need to be
known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their
spiritual journey.
• Discipleship
o Hebr. 6:1, 1 Cor. 3:6-7
o Building up or strengthening of believers in their quest to be
like Christ—Disciples helping youth grow up to be disciples
themselves
• Ministry
o Matt. 25:34-40, 1 Cor. 12:4-11
o Meeting needs with love—Using our God-given gifts to serve
others
After we talked about these five purposes, we graded our youth ministry in each area and did an activity to share our grades and discuss them. After that, we did some brainstorming to think of other words for each of the five purposes so that we can use them towards our next meeting when we will try to dig into creating a purpose statement more! Join us for that meeting on Feb. 3rd at 7:30 p.m. following confirmation!
Thanks, and remember, Jesus thinks you're to die for!
The five biblical purposes of youth ministry:
• Evangelism
o Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:8
o Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those who don’t yet
have a personal relationship with him
• Worship
o Rom. 12:1, Ps. 95:6, Rom. 6:3-4
o Celebrating God’s presence and honoring him with our lifestyle—
This includes praying, hearing the Word, giving, baptizing,
meditating, the Lord’s Supper, singing, etc.
• Fellowship
o Eph. 2:19, 1 Thes. 5:9-11
o God designed us to live in fellowship with other believers and
to be identified in the body of Christ. Students need to be
known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their
spiritual journey.
• Discipleship
o Hebr. 6:1, 1 Cor. 3:6-7
o Building up or strengthening of believers in their quest to be
like Christ—Disciples helping youth grow up to be disciples
themselves
• Ministry
o Matt. 25:34-40, 1 Cor. 12:4-11
o Meeting needs with love—Using our God-given gifts to serve
others
After we talked about these five purposes, we graded our youth ministry in each area and did an activity to share our grades and discuss them. After that, we did some brainstorming to think of other words for each of the five purposes so that we can use them towards our next meeting when we will try to dig into creating a purpose statement more! Join us for that meeting on Feb. 3rd at 7:30 p.m. following confirmation!
Thanks, and remember, Jesus thinks you're to die for!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Girls Night vs. Man Retreat
On January 29th and 30th, we're going to have separate events for girls and guys! Sign up for these events on Sarah's office door or call or email her to RSVP.
The Girls' Night will happen at Sarah's (the DCE Intern) apartment, and girls are asked to bring snacks and drinks to share as well as any girly things they'd like to do (makeup, hair and nail stuff, games, etc.). Breakfast will be included, and there is no cost. The girls will be hanging out, watching movies, and doing Bible studies about women in the Bible. You will need to know Sarah's cell phone number to get into the complex as it's gated, and the call box at the front doesn't recognize her St. Louis cell phone. WE STILL NEED ANOTHER ADULT FOR THIS EVENT. SARAH CANNOT BE THE ONLY ADULT PRESENT! Thanks!
The Man Retreat is being led by Nerak and will take the guys up to Lemon Lake for ice fishing and camping. There is no cost unless you are over 16, in which case you'll need to get a fishing license at Walmart on the way to the site. Bring snacks and drinks to share, water bottle, sleeping bag, toiletries as needed, fire wood, fishing gear you may have (including mini marshmallows and night crawlers), flashlights or lanterns or globe lights, cards or games, and warm layered clothing for the time you'll be ice fishing. If you layer well, you shouldn't get too cold, and you'll be staying in a big house tent with heaters so that you won't get too cold when off the lake. Meet at church at 5 p.m., and you'll be back by 2 p.m. Saturday. WE STILL NEED AN ADULT FOR THIS EVENT TOO. NERAK CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE!
Hope you can join these events, whichever one you're qualified for! Sign up on Sarah's office door, and God bless!
The Girls' Night will happen at Sarah's (the DCE Intern) apartment, and girls are asked to bring snacks and drinks to share as well as any girly things they'd like to do (makeup, hair and nail stuff, games, etc.). Breakfast will be included, and there is no cost. The girls will be hanging out, watching movies, and doing Bible studies about women in the Bible. You will need to know Sarah's cell phone number to get into the complex as it's gated, and the call box at the front doesn't recognize her St. Louis cell phone. WE STILL NEED ANOTHER ADULT FOR THIS EVENT. SARAH CANNOT BE THE ONLY ADULT PRESENT! Thanks!
The Man Retreat is being led by Nerak and will take the guys up to Lemon Lake for ice fishing and camping. There is no cost unless you are over 16, in which case you'll need to get a fishing license at Walmart on the way to the site. Bring snacks and drinks to share, water bottle, sleeping bag, toiletries as needed, fire wood, fishing gear you may have (including mini marshmallows and night crawlers), flashlights or lanterns or globe lights, cards or games, and warm layered clothing for the time you'll be ice fishing. If you layer well, you shouldn't get too cold, and you'll be staying in a big house tent with heaters so that you won't get too cold when off the lake. Meet at church at 5 p.m., and you'll be back by 2 p.m. Saturday. WE STILL NEED AN ADULT FOR THIS EVENT TOO. NERAK CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE!
Hope you can join these events, whichever one you're qualified for! Sign up on Sarah's office door, and God bless!
How'd tubing go, you ask?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Purpose?
Greetings in Christ!
Another reminder for you: This Sunday after worship, we are asking that all youth stay for a meeting (less than an hour, promise!) to discuss the purpose of our youth group within Zion and Zion's mission of "Bringing Hope Through Christ." We will talk about evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. Keep in mind that this will probably not be a one-time meeting, and it probably shouldn't be. Hopefully we will be able to discuss this topic for two or three sessions before we come up with a good purpose statement for our youth ministry!
Hope to see you there! Blessings to you from the Father who sent us His Son to pay the ultimate price for our sins!
Another reminder for you: This Sunday after worship, we are asking that all youth stay for a meeting (less than an hour, promise!) to discuss the purpose of our youth group within Zion and Zion's mission of "Bringing Hope Through Christ." We will talk about evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. Keep in mind that this will probably not be a one-time meeting, and it probably shouldn't be. Hopefully we will be able to discuss this topic for two or three sessions before we come up with a good purpose statement for our youth ministry!
Hope to see you there! Blessings to you from the Father who sent us His Son to pay the ultimate price for our sins!
Tubing Tomorrow!
Tomorrow the youth will be going tubing up in Hesperus!
Meet at church by 7:30 a.m. to drive up. We'll go tubing from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Hesperus Ski, and then we'll eat lunch at a cafe on the way to Durango that has a lot of variety and good prices. Then we're going to hang out in downtown Durango until 2 p.m. when we return to church. We'll be back by 3 p.m.
The cost for this event is $15 including tubing and lunch. Bring warm clothes for tubing and a change of clothes for after. Only adults over 21 may drive!
God bless, and see you tomorrow!
Meet at church by 7:30 a.m. to drive up. We'll go tubing from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Hesperus Ski, and then we'll eat lunch at a cafe on the way to Durango that has a lot of variety and good prices. Then we're going to hang out in downtown Durango until 2 p.m. when we return to church. We'll be back by 3 p.m.
The cost for this event is $15 including tubing and lunch. Bring warm clothes for tubing and a change of clothes for after. Only adults over 21 may drive!
God bless, and see you tomorrow!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Blog for Zion's Youth!
Hello everyone!
The purpose of this blog will be to help get the word out on Zion's youth events and to share what we've been doing and learning as we strive to follow Christ. Visit often to keep updated, and we hope to see you in worship and at our events!
Jesus loves you!
The purpose of this blog will be to help get the word out on Zion's youth events and to share what we've been doing and learning as we strive to follow Christ. Visit often to keep updated, and we hope to see you in worship and at our events!
Jesus loves you!
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