Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Kansas Mission Trip Packing List


Here’s the rule of thumb…if you don’t NEED it, don’t take it!


What to pack

A servant’s heart

A willingness to work

Toiletries/basic makeup

Sunscreen

Chapstick

Sleeping clothes

Flip-flops/shower shoes

Towel/washcloth

Jacket/sweater (it may be cool in the evenings)

Snack food (crackers, granola bars, etc-to share!)

Juice boxes (if you want)

Small flashlight

Hat

Work gloves

Camera/film/batteries

Swimsuit-one piece, ladies!

Bible/pen/notebook/journal

Basic wardrobe items (Shorts, t-shirts, jeans-clothes you don’t mind getting dirty)

Comfortable shoes (we will walk A LOT)

Bedding (sheets, a light blanket or sleeping bag)

Sunglasses

Plastic bags (for wet items and dirty laundry)

Wet wipes

Prescription

Something to do at night (Phase 10, UNO, etc…)



What NOT to pack/take

A bad attitude

Alcohol, tobacco, or drugs

Cell Phone

More than $50 in spending money

Curlers/straighteners/blow dryers, etc…



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Eastview Parent's Weekly

I hope that you all had a great Memorial Day weekend. I spent it in Ohio with MFP (that’s My Friend Phil); he’s going to Iraq in a few weeks with the 1st Cavalry Division. I know that he covets your prayers, both for safety and encouragement for him as well as prayers for his wife and their 2 children. He’ll be gone for 15 months. We had a great visit, I saw many people that I have not seen in years.

We are in the process of raising money for a van, and are a little more than halfway there. $2150 more puts us at the needed $5000. Would you consider helping us get there?

Here are the upcoming events that you should know about:

Sunday School
We’re continuing our Faithweaver Study. From June to August, we’ll be in the Old Testament. I hope that you’ll encourage your kids to come join us on Sunday mornings!

D-Group
On Sunday nights, we’re continuing our “What the Bible says about...” series. This coming week is “...the role of women in the church” and followed by “...hope.”, and then “...government.” and then “...war.” This is an important series, I hope that you’ll encourage your students to join us!

Youth Group
We don’t stop for the summer! We’re continuing our year-long study into the Personhood of Jesus! He’s the central figure of the Bible. Beginning next week, our 5th graders transition into youth group. This will be a nervous time for them, and getting them involved early and often is the key.

Reminder:
June 1st is the “early bird” date for our camp. The registration form was included in May’s parent mailing.

Mission Trips
Our Kansas Mission Trip is one month away. We’re leaving Sunday morning, June 29th at 8am. The packing list will be posted on the Eastview Parent’s webpage under the “Resources” heading by the end of the day today.

Our Mexico Mission Trip prep is coming along well. We’ve had 2 meetings so far, and I have the final list of VBS topics from our mission hosts. Our next meeting is scheduled for June 22 at 4:30pm.

As always, I can be reached in a number of ways. My door is open, email works, and my cell phone is on. If you have questions or concerns, if you want prayer for your family, please let me know. I pray for our students and you regularly.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Eastview Parent's Weekly

Summer is almost here, although it feels like spring. With summer comes transitions, vacations, family activities, etc.

As of the end of May, Seth and Megan Clark, who have faithfully served our ministry team since before I came here, will be transitioning out. Megan is pregnant, with the baby due in July. We will miss them. They have worked hard in establishing relationship with our students by teaching, spending time with them, Megan went on our mission trip to Mexico in 2006, and they hosted last years Christmas party. They will indeed be missed.

There are several adults that I am speaking with about joining our ministry team. If you’re interested, please let me know.

I am currently taking applications from students for our “Student Intern” program for the 2008-2009 school year. This is a huge commitment on the part of a student. If you’d like to know more, I’ve attached a copy of the Student Intern Contract.

With mission trips, vacations and other things going on, there will be a few weeks that we may not meet during the summer months. I’ll point these out in the bulletin, monthly parent letters, weekly emails, and I will make every effort to keep the online events calendar updated. Here are the “for-sure” no meeting dates:

Sunday May 25- no d-group
Wednesday July 16- no youth group
Sunday July 20- no d-group
Sunday July 27- no d-group

Bill will be teaching Sunday school this coming weekend, as I’ll be in Ohio with Phil before he leaves for Iraq. On Sunday night, June 2, Hannah Burkle, the youth minister at the Cedar Falls Church of Christ, and I will be co-teaching our d-group lesson that night...the topic is “What does the Bible say about women in the church?”

Monday, May 12, 2008

Eastview Parent's Weekly, the Resource Issue

One of the values for our ministry here is to equip you as parents, especially as you try to help them become disciples of Christ. Here are some things that I have found valuable to our ministry; these will give you a little peak into the minds of those who minister to your students. Some are articles from the blogs from other youth ministers as well as youth ministry and culture websites, some are podcasts and sermons I listen to, others are books, many of which I own, and are available for me to loan to you.

Weblogs/Web Pages:
Understanding and Parenting Your Teen

An Open Letter to All Youth Group Parents

Center for Parent Youth Understanding

Podcasts
A Vision For the Next Generation
A five-part series from John Piper on the importance of the people of the next generation (our students) within the Body of Christ. The link for the
first in this series is at the bottom of the webpage.

Understanding and Parenting Your Teen

Books
Family-Based Youth Ministry”-Mark DeVries

Partnering With Parents in Youth Ministry”-Jim Burns, Mark DeVries

Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers”-Chap Clark

Youth Culture 101”-Walt Mueller

Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture”-Walt Mueller

Movies/Videos
Soul Searching: A Movie About Teenagers and God

PBS Home Video: Frontline: Growing Up Online

Please let me know if you would like to borrow one of these resources!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

the Rebelution

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about an event called "The Rebelution".  It is put on by two 19 year-old students named Alex and Brett Harris.  their older brother, Joshua Harris, is the author of the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye.  The event is in Minneapolis on June 21st.  The cost per student is $30, adults are $20, plus food and a hotel expense (split among those going).  

I've heard about it from a number of sources, World Magazine, a John Piper sermon, and Gretchen Holley.  

I encourage you to hop over to their website.  If you'd like for your student to go, please let me know over the next week or so.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Parents Weekly

God is good!

Kansas Mission Trip Update
We had our Kansas Mission Trip meeting last night. We have 12 students going on this “First Timers” trip, and I’m excited to see God at work. There will be a packing list to those going within the next few weeks.

Mexico Mission Trip Update
Our next meeting is May 18th, from 4:30-5:45 pm. Students should be working on their memory verses. As previously communicated, these meetings are mandatory.

CIY Believe
We have 8 students going to CIY Believe in Omaha this coming weekend. We’ll leave at 10 am on Friday, and try to be back by 11pm on Saturday night. We’ll be staying in a hotel, so students should bring a change of clothes, shower items, etc. They also need to bring their Bible, a journal and a pen. There is NO pool at this hotel. :(

Sermon Notes Contest
Please, read this carefully. Beginning next Sunday, May 11, and running through Sunday August 10, our middle school and high school students will have the chance to win either a 2GB iPod Shuffle or $75 in iTunes. All they have to do is take notes during our Sunday corporate worship service. The forms are available on the bulletin board outside my office, along with the official rules of the contest. How does a student win? The person who turns in the most COMPLETED (fully complete) forms is the grand prize winner. The runner-up wins $30 in itunes. There will be a random drawing of all those who fill out at least one form for a $15 iTunes giftcard. In the event of a tie for the grand prize, there will be some sort of tie-breaker. Why am I doing this? I want our students to be engaged in our Sunday worship service. I’ll be keeping track of the student’s progress throughout the summer. Let me know if you have any questions!

Have a great week!

Because of Jesus,

John Mulholland
Next Generations Minister
Eastview Christian Church

Friday, May 2, 2008

Ministry Update

God is doing amazing things here! This past weekend, we participated in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. We are blessed to have students like Kassi Hoback, Rachel Davis and Samantha Holley. They planned, led and ran the event, and it was incredible. We also had students pick our worship songs and lead others in singing praises to God.

For details from a student perspective, and some pictures from the weekend, hop on over to our Eastview Chronicles website.

The May Parent letter is on it's way, it's chock full of news about our sumer camp, and also has details for our upcoming promotion Sunday.