Sticky Faith

Sticky Faith

Sticky Faith

What?

Parent’s, your voice, your life, your relationship with Jesus, is the LOUDEST curriculum your children will hear.  Research is showing this to be true now more than ever.  Sticky Faith is a 5 week parent class that will help us think critically about how we are raising our children to be follower’s of Christ.

This is a DVD based curriculum that will offer practical steps towards creating a lasting faith within our families, and allow us as a church to work together.  The “dropout” rate is as high as 85% for youth graduating high school, and none of us want to live out the reality of that statistic.

Let’s join together, and reinvision what it takes to foster an authentic and lasting relationship.

Checkout this video for more information:

 

When and Where?

Right now, we’re planning on launching this 5 week series on Sunday, February 5th.  It will be offered during the first service at 9:00am in the youth room.  It is open to all parents within our church, wether you have toddlers, or high school aged youth.

I’ll be in Cambodia for our second session, but Nan Brooks will be leading our conversation for that day.  There might be a slight chance that we postpone starting the class until I return, so make sure to subscribe to our email updates.

Friday Night Feast

Friday Night Feasts

Friday Night Feasts

What and Where?

We’re getting together on Friday, January 27th, to celebrate the winners from our Thrivemas party!  We’ll be meeting at BJ’s Restaurant from 6:00pm-8:00pm.  We’ll be hanging out, eating food, and building relationships.   EVERYONE is invited!

Price and Registration?

You can estimate $10-15 for a meal at BJ’s depending on what you get.  Even if you don’t want to spend the money on dinner, come anyways and grab a pizzookie for a few bucks and just hand out with us!

A permission form isn’t required, just meet us at BJ’s!  I’ll have plenty of seating reserved, but let me know if you plan on coming.  Call me or shoot me a txt!

Spring Break Mission Trip – Synergy

Spring Break Mission Trip - Synergy

Spring Break Mission Trip - Synergy

What?

Synergy:

the potential ability of individuals organizations or groups to be more successful or productive as a result of joining together.

On March 25th-29th, we’re partnering with churches all over Eugene/Springfield to change our community through prayer, service, and evangelism.  This will give us a change to pour into our community through intentional action by uniting the body of Christ.

Where?

Our “base camp” will be at Camp Harlow.  It’s a possibility to stay there, but in a effort to keep the cost of this trip down, I’m looking into some different options for us.  I’ll update this page as our planning progresses.

Price and Registration?

Registration isn’t open just yet, but I wanted to make everyone aware of the dates as soon as possible.  Subscribe to our email updates to get the most current information, and to be updated about this trip.

I’ll try to have to cost and event information updated as soon as those details become available.

All of our events require an up-to-date Medical Information and Treatment Form

Middle School Believe Conference

Believe 2012 Banner

Believe 2012 Banner

What?

This is THE best weekend experience a middle schooler could have… and it’s ONLY for middle schoolers!  We’ve been to Believe several times, and can’t wait to make it back!  This year’s theme is THE WORD, here’s a quote:

One of the most important things we can do is to point kids to God’s Word. Daily feeding all the kids in our ministries isn’t feasible. They eventually must become people of the Word themselves.  The 2012 Believe tour is going to take a full weekend to point kids to the awesome power of God’s Word.

Get more information about this year’s theme here.

Where?

This year, it’s at the Expo Center.  Here’s our estimated weekend schedule:

  • Leave from the Church Office at 4:00pm.
  • Checkin at Believe at 6:30pm.
  • Head to Grace Point Church to stay the night at 11:00pm.
  • Head back to Believe at 8:00am
  • Believe is over at 4:30pm, we’ll grab some food on the way home.
  • Return home around 8pm.

For more information about Believe’s schedule, check it out online.

We’ll be staying at Grace Point Church in Tigard (we’ve stayed there several times).  We separate guys and girls, and abide by the guidelines set up in our safety policy.

Price and Registration?

You are OFFICIALLY registered, when I have your permission form and registration money in hand.  You can save a lot of money if you sign up by February 29th.  Here’s how the pricing works:

Register by Feb 29th, it’s only $49.

Register by March 16th, and it’s only $59.

Register on March 17th or after, and it’s $69.

 

All of our events require an up-to-date Medical Information and Treatment Form

Thrivemas 2011 – Youth Christmas Party

Thrivemas 2011

Thrivemas 2011 is here!

We wait an entire year, just for another Thrivemas… the good news?  IT’S HERE!  And this year is a mystery.  Here’s what you need to know:

When:  December 14th, 2011 @ 6:30pm – 8:30pm

What to bring:

$5 cash
At least one pair of large, adult socks to donate to the Egan Warming Center.  (They are also in need of gloves!)
And something to eat or drink!

Got questions?  Leave a comment!

Extend an Invitation – Lesson FollowUp

Extend an Invitation

Thriving Parents!

Extend an InvitationWe’re continuing our group series on friendships, and this week we used the biblical example of Matthew to encourage and inspire our teenagers. Matthew was one of the first disciples chosen by Jesus, and after responding to Jesus’ call, he turned around and invited a whole bunch of friends to his house for a banquet with Jesus.

We told our students that one of the best ideas to help friends learn more about Jesus is to invite them to an appropriate setting within our youth ministry where they will feel welcome and accepted. Everyone loves being invited to fun, exciting places. Matthew understood this idea and created an opportunity to introduce his friends to Jesus.

This week, I encourage you to find time to talk with your child about the principle of inviting friends to places they feel welcome:

• Do you have specific ideas for making your youth group a friendlier place for your non-believing friends?
• Would our home be a place where your friends could hang out and interact with some friends who follow Jesus?
• How can I help support your efforts to have a positive influence on your friends?

Have a blessed week! Thanks for your prayers and your support!

The Jugglers Puzzle – YouTube You Can Use

juggle_rubiks

The Jugglers Puzzle

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhkzgjOKeLs&Topic: OmniscienceBible: Matthew 10:30

Discussion starter:

Think about all of the complexities and skill that go into juggling two Rubik’s cubes with one hand and solving a Rubik’s cube with the other. Motor skills like balance, catching, tossing, and flipping. On top of that there are the problem solving skills of solving the puzzle.When we see things like that we get a glimpse of how amazing humans are. Videos like this give you a glimpse of the complex tasks that humans can master.The Rubik’s cube trick is tough for a human. But it’s nothing compared to all of the complexities God juggles at once.

The earth’s population will reach  7 billion people today. Jesus says in Matthew 10, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” It’s unfathomable how God knows the current status of every star while also knowing the current status of every hair on every head in the world. Go ahead, pull one out right now. God just subtracted that from His count while making sure that the tide is balanced perfectly.

Three questions:

  1. What is the most complex thing you have ever done?
  2. Which super hero superpower would you rather possess, invisibility or flying?
  3. Have you ever wondered how God knows every thought, choice, and action of 7 billion people at the same time?

Chew on this: 

If God already knows everything you are thinking than why does He care so much about our choices?

Pray for Your Friends – Lesson FollowUp

PRAY

Thriving Parents,
This week we started a new group series talking about the role of friendships in teenagers’ lives. Our focus is on the importance of telling our friends about Jesus—not in a pushy way and not because we see our friends as “spiritual projects.” We looked at words Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, asking other Christians to pray for him as he spread the message of Jesus.

Paul asked his friends in Ephesus to pray for God to open the right opportunity and the right timing to share the message of Jesus with people. In our lesson, we challenged our students to pray for God to open up opportunities for their friends to hear about Christ. Our teenagers can ask God to open their friends’ hearts and provide the boldness to talk about Jesus.

I’d encourage you to find time this week to talk with your teenager about the importance of having spiritually focused conversations. Remember to offer stories and examples of how you do this in your everyday life or how you struggle with it.

Here are some possible questions to ask:
• What are some opportunities you regularly have for talking to your friends about Jesus?
• Which friends or groups of friends might be most interested in a spiritually focused conversation?
• What fears might you have in taking steps to talk about Jesus?

Pray with your teenager that God would give the right words, the boldness, and the conviction to share the good news of Jesus. Thanks for your prayers and support for our ministry!

Awaken Justice

awaken justice

UPDATE!

Our event was AWESOME.  And we want to share it with you!  Here is the audio (I know, lame it’s not video, but we’ll have that next time!) of Dr. Cyndi Romine’s talk, as well as the audio for the worship session led by students from Christ Center and Willamette Christian Center!

Awaken Justice

This is an event designed for you (middle school and high school students) to learn how to not just protect yourself, but to fight for your friends lives.  To be modern abolitionists, pursuing justice for those who are being oppressed.  Youth from all over Lane County will be gathering together, make sure you are a part of this movement!  An expert in this arena, Dr. Cyndi Romine from CalledToRescue, will be training us, and you don’t want to miss it!

 

Schedule and Location

This training event is from 6:30pm-8:00pm, with an special showing of the Baht Documentary from 8:15-9:00pm.  Doors open at 6:15pm.

Santa Clara Church (Map It!)
175 Santa Clara Ave.
Eugene, OR   97404

 

Baht

After being trained, you’ll have an opportunity to watch an incredible documentary on sex trafficking in Cambodia called Baht.  It’s an option to allow you to connect with this issue not just locally, but globally.  It a personal look at the life of Sophea, a girl who was deceptively sold into sex trafficking.  This film is not rated, and it is intense.  A simple permission form is required, and you can download it here:  Check out the trailer for the film:

More Info

Have a question or comment?  Drop it below.  This event is hosted by Thrive Youth Ministry, and you can contact Luke McFadden for more info as well:  Office # -> 541.689.2127

 

Youth Leader Info:

Here is a ZIP file that contains the video, 11×17″ poster, and postcard sized info-cards with the permission form on the back.  Please help to spread the word in Eugene/Springfield about this issue.  Hang up the posters in your youth rooms, at school, and starbucks!  Print up the info cards and have your youth pass them out to their friends.  Feel free to use this video to promote this event, but if you are going to share it socially, please use this link:  http://vimeo.com/31551993  so we can track it’s effectiveness.

Special Rapha House Guest!

Lesley Rapha House

I’m incredibly excited to have Lesley from Rapha House with us next week (10/26).  Can’t wait to hear heart for healing, and her stories from Cambodia.