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Awaken Justice

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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.

Filed Under: Events

Special Rapha House Guest!

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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.

Filed Under: Events

Night of Silence

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
silence

(Update) Lesson FollowUp

This was an amazing night.  Over an hour of listening to God, in silence.  Our youth did an amazing job surrendering this time as an offering to God.  Rather than go into details of the night, I’ll simple include our “guide book” for you to explore that walks you through 5 stations, and to use as a conversation starter with your youth.  These were simple experiences, that are easily for anyone to do at home or at school.

Click here to download the guide.

Something Different

This Wednesday, we’re taking a break from “the norm” after finishing up an AWESOME lesson series about finding our purpose in God.  The idea of listening to God was something that carried throughout all of our lessons.  So, this Wednesday we are taking some time to do just that.  Through silence, we’ll have several different experiences in which we will practice quieting the rest of our life, so that we can listen to God.

These experiences are highly practical, in that they can be used just about anywhere and anytime.  There’s nothing magical in them, except that they help us pay careful attention His Voice.

We’re still meeting from 6:30pm-8:00pm.

 

Filed Under: followups, News

Honoring God In Everything – Lesson FollowUp

October 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
School

Thriving Parents!
We finished our five-week group study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their life. The first week, “Reaching Out to Your Friends,” focused on helping students understand that we are created in God’s image and we have the opportunity to share God’s love with the world. Week two, “Making Significant Connections,” focused on understanding the basic need that humans have to be connected with others on a deeper level. Week three, “Growing in Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God and grow spiritually by spending time with God.Week four, “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. This week our final study was “Honoring God In All That You Do,” and we focused on the truth that God rested on the seventh day to show us the importance of taking time to stop and express our love and worship for God. Using Genesis 2:2-3 and Psalm 46:10, we saw that we were created to honor God.

Sometime this week, generate some discussion with your teenager about honoring God:

• What are some traits of a healthy attitude toward worship?
• As a family do we honor the Sabbath as a day of rest, or does it look just like every other day of the week?
• What are some great ways to prepare yourself to worship God when you come to church?

Thanks for your love for God and your love for your teenager. Have a blessed day!

Filed Under: followups, News

YouTube You Can Use

October 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
joy_ride

Joy Ride!

Topic: Becoming a Fool for Christ
Discussion Starter: 

Apparently, you can do anything on the freeway in Russia. Who knows how they came up with this idea but it sure is awesome.In some ways this video is a picture of a life spent following Jesus. Everyone around you thinks you are losing your mind while you have the time of your life. People point fingers and make fun of you, but you’re living the life they secretly dreamed they could live.You stand in good company. Throughout the ages Christian men and women have been accused of losing their minds. Even on the day the church really began, the Day of Pentecost, some people pointed at Christ followers and said, “They must be drunk!”
Three Questions:

  • In the video, would you rather be playing the drums or driving the motorcycle?
  • What was a time where everyone thought you were doing something dumb, but you were having a good time?
  • Have you ever been laughed at or mocked for your faith? How did that make you feel?

Wrestle with this: 

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul says that Christians are “fools for Christ.” If people who don’t know Jesus look at us as foolish, how are we to be taken seriously?

Filed Under: News, Use YouTube

Serving in Ministry – Lesson FollowUp

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dear thriving parents,


We just completed week four in our five-week group study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. Our hope is that students will have realized they are gifted to serve and will begin serving others today!  Sometime this week, ask some questions to generate discussion with your teenager about serving others in ministry. Here are some possible questions to ask:

• Share with your teenager how you believe God has gifted you to serve others. What are some ways that you serve others individually?
• As a family, how much do we value the importance of serving? What are some ways that we as a family could serve others in our neighborhood, in our church, and in our community?
• How does serving others in ministry help us grow in our faith?

This connects directly to our SERVESunday program, in which youth can engage in service within the church on Sunday mornings.
Have an incredible week!

Filed Under: followups, News

Cambodia Mission Trip

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Mission Trip Banner smaller

UPDATE.  This trip has been “postponed”, which is a nice way of saying cancelled with the intent to try again at a later date.

 

We had our first brief meeting this past Sunday.  I wanted to get all of the information online for those who weren’t able to attend.  Comment with questions.

 

Cambodia Mission Trip Important Dates and Information

All dates are approximate, as our date of departure and return will be set when the plane tickets are purchased (6 months out).

Mission Trip Dates.  August 12th – 24th.  Application Deadline:  December 1st.

Cost:  $2600 (subject to airfare price fluctuation)

 

Payment Deadlines

December 1st - $200 Deposit

May 4th – $1300 total due (included deposit)

July 6th – $2600 total due (include deposit and previous payments)

 

Additional Costs

Passport and immunizations.  Tetanus/Diptheria is required.  CDC recommends Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid and MMR.  It is also recommended to discuss your trip with your physician, asking about prescriptions for traveler’s diarrhea and malaria.  The passport process can take up to 6 months, and paying for a rush passport is expensive.  I would apply for your passport no later that February 1st.

Travel Insurance is not provided with the cost of the trip.  I’m planning on providing that, in addition to the transportation costs to LAX.

Trip Meetings

There will be several mandatory training and information meetings, these will be put on the calendar once everyone has signed up, and I’ve had a chance to see what day/time works  best for everyone.

 

Rapha Movie Nights

November 6th – Movie and Prayer Night

January 22nd - Movie and Prayer Night

May 6th – Movie and Prayer Night

 

Fundraising

Fundraising will be one of the most important aspects of this trip, outside of personal preparation through prayer.  With the current budget situation of the church, I’m unable to estimate how much we’ll be able to contribute towards the cost of the trip at this time.  I’m discussing with the Elders what some options for fundraising within the church can be, but a majority of the funding will need to come from outside of the church.

The church will have an account for each person going on the trip, and so all donations can be given and made out to the church.  The church will send the amount due at the appropriate time.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Events

Growing in your faith – Lesson Followup

September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
5927756040_84a8ec4bc8_m

Thriving Parents!

We’ve finished week three in a five-week group study designed to help youth understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Growing in  Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God. This relationship without God grows as we spend time with him.   Each week I suggest some questions you can ask your student to generate conversation:

• Share with your teenager how you spend time with God. What helps you in your relationship with God? What are the things that hinder your  relationship?
• How is talking with God similar to talking with your friends? How is it different?
• What might your faith look like a year from now if you made a decision to spend time with God each day? How might your life be different?

Thanks for your prayers for our small group ministry! I’m praying for you and your family, too!

Filed Under: followups, News

Making Significant Connections – Lesson Follow-up

September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thriving Parents!
We’ve wrapped up week two in our five-week study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Making Significant Connections,” focused on understanding the basic need that humans have to be connected with others on a deeper level. Students were challenged to make their group a safe place where members can be real and honest about their lives, and get help from each other to become more like Christ.  Sometime this week, take a moment to ask a few questions to generate some discussion with your teenager about connecting with others:

• Share about how you’ve been shaped or “sharpened” by your involvement in a small group or church fellowship. Then ask: How do you think you’d benefit from being involved in a small group?
• What are some moments in your life when you felt completely accepted for who you are? What factors helped you experience that freedom?
• How can you become a more encouraging person to other people in your small group?

Thanks for your prayers for our ministry. It’s exciting to see God work in our teenagers’ lives. Have a great week!

Filed Under: followups, News Tagged With:

ServeSundays – Starting October 2nd

September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
ServeSundays

We’re starting something new.  Starting October 2nd, Sunday mornings will be about Connecting and Serving.  These are two of our four core values, and I’m excited for this transformation on Sundays.  ServeSundays are all about allow our youth to be involved in the life of the church outside the “walls” of the Youth Ministry.  We have two services on Sunday, and we want our youth to attend one, and serve during the other one.  We have LOTS of “positions” available, but there is also some freedom in creating new avenues of service.  It might be easiest to associate this program with an internship.  We’ll help get our youth plugged-in, provide training and feedback, encouragement, and evaluations.  That last line sounds pretty serious, that’s because we want to be intentional about training our youth.

Why the change?

Great question, a lot of people are asking it.  Our changes are rooted in evaluations of our ministry, and youth culture research.  There are three key issues that we are aiming at:  80% of youth leave their faith after high school, authentic relationships are a prerequisit for developing lasting transformation, and we’ve outsourced spiritual formation and christian education to professionals, leaving our homes out of the picture.  ServeSundays allow our youth to pursue using their gifts, skills, and talents within the Church.  This will help to establish a life-long habit of service.

Filed Under: Featured, News
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