Sorry this is a day late. Earlier this week I was in Loveland, Colorado the home of Group Publishing. I'm a member of their Inside Track Team, a group of youth ministers and workers from all over the country. We met to do some planning for next year's Simply Youth Ministry Conference; it's really going to be an excellent time of study and relationships. We're planning on taking 3 of our youth workers along with us.
Like last week, this has been a good one.
Sunday School
We began our study of the Gospel of John in the Bible's New Testament this past Sunday. The conversation was decent. Would you encourage your students to read John 2 and paraphrase it before Sunday morning?
Senior High Youth Group
We discussed chapter 4 of Francis Chan's Crazy Love book. This was a very tough discussion. Up until this chapter, the book has been about God's amazing love for us, so amazing that he would send Jesus to fix the relationship between us and him. Chapter 4 changes it, once we know that God loves us...what is our response? Often, it is lukewarm and unexciting. A lukewarm love of God is no love at all. And...some of our students simply don't love Jesus, it's just the reality. This has left many of these students fearful and filled with doubt, and the hearts of our youth workers are heavy. Please join us in prayer for all of our students, this study does not get any easier as we progress. We'll be discussing chapter 5 this coming Sunday.
Middle School Youth Group
Wednesday night a study on David and Bathsheba. According to one of our youth workers, "the kids seemed pretty shocked at the point in the story when their son died and how that was his consequence for his sin." We are still having some issues with kids over the way they disrespect one another. We'll be covering this specifically next week. The Bible reading for next week is Mark 10:17-27.
How you can help us help you
As you can see from above, at each weekly activity, we are asking the kids to do some sort of preparation, it might be reading, paraphrasing, doing a take-home sheet, or whatever. We are working hard to equip you to minister to your own kids. As a parent, this is truly one of the hardest things to do. If you're like me, you feel inadequate (I do...and I'm a minister!). We're trying to give out simple tools and things that you can do as a family. Regardless of what we may think, polls continue to state that parents are the most important influence on the faith of kids. If there are other things that we can help, please let us know. You can call me at 319-393-9570, email me at eccparents@gmail.com, or...better yet, attend our upcoming "Second Wednesday" on Wednesday night, October 13 at Eastview. It's an event just for parents and grandparents, we'll be talking specifically about building meaningful relationships with our kids. W'll be hanging out from 6-8pm. Would you join us?
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Student Ministry Recaps, week beginning September 26
It's been a very interesting week. It is evident that our students are coming to Sunday school and youth groups ready to talk and listen. What have we been talking about?
Sunday School
We just finished a multi-week series through what are called the "General Epistles", 1, 2 and 3rd John, along with Jude. Each week we asked the kids to read the book or chapter for the following week. Also, we've asked them to paraphrase what they've read. We had mixed results at the beginning with the reading and paraphrasing, but many of the kids have really taken to it. At this point, more kids are doing the reading than not, and the number of those paraphrasing is increasing. Starting next week, we'll be reading and studying the Gospel of John and learning Jesus' life and ministry. Our hope is to introduce them to the Jesus they don't know.
Senior High Youth Group
We're in chapter three of Francis Chan's Crazy Love book. We had some amazing conversations and sharing going on. One of the main pieces that we talked about was how our human relationships affect our thoughts and relationship with God. Again, many of the kids are doing the reading (hopefully before 4:15 on Sunday afternoon), and this has really helped. Some of the questions are starting to change, revealing some depth that we hadn't seen before. A main struggle with this group is unity, we have several small groups of 2-3 kids, so we are working on group unity. Our upcoming SEMP service project will help with this.
Middle School Youth Group
We continue with our Grapple series. Last night we finished the first section of our semester, called "Who's the Man?" which dealt with the nature of God himself. Our Bible story last night was from the book of Jonah, and we grappled with the question "Isn't God just mean and cruel?", the main thought being that bad thing happen to people, and how can we trust God through them? We've also been doing a "Bible Scavenger Hunt" each week, asking the kids a question and then telling them which Bible book that it is in, and having them find it. So far, we've had kids read the ENTIRE book of Revelation, the book of Acts, and this week, their question is from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
How you can help us help you
As you can see from above, at each weekly activity, we are asking the kids to do some sort of preparation, it might be reading, paraphrasing, doing a take-home sheet, or whatever. We are working hard to equip you to minister to your own kids. As a parent, this is truly one of the hardest things to do. If you're like me, you feel inadequate (I do...and I'm a minister!). We're trying to give out simple tools and things that you can do as a family. Regardless of what we may think, polls continue to state that parents are the most important influence on the faith of kids. If there are other things that we can help, please let us know. You can call me at 319-393-9570, email me at eccparents@gmail.com, or...better yet, attend our upcoming "Second Wednesday" on Wednesday night, October 13 at Eastview. It's an event just for parents and grandparents, we'll be talking specifically about building meaningful relationships with our kids. W'll be hanging out from 6-8pm. Would you join us?
Sunday School
We just finished a multi-week series through what are called the "General Epistles", 1, 2 and 3rd John, along with Jude. Each week we asked the kids to read the book or chapter for the following week. Also, we've asked them to paraphrase what they've read. We had mixed results at the beginning with the reading and paraphrasing, but many of the kids have really taken to it. At this point, more kids are doing the reading than not, and the number of those paraphrasing is increasing. Starting next week, we'll be reading and studying the Gospel of John and learning Jesus' life and ministry. Our hope is to introduce them to the Jesus they don't know.
Senior High Youth Group
We're in chapter three of Francis Chan's Crazy Love book. We had some amazing conversations and sharing going on. One of the main pieces that we talked about was how our human relationships affect our thoughts and relationship with God. Again, many of the kids are doing the reading (hopefully before 4:15 on Sunday afternoon), and this has really helped. Some of the questions are starting to change, revealing some depth that we hadn't seen before. A main struggle with this group is unity, we have several small groups of 2-3 kids, so we are working on group unity. Our upcoming SEMP service project will help with this.
Middle School Youth Group
We continue with our Grapple series. Last night we finished the first section of our semester, called "Who's the Man?" which dealt with the nature of God himself. Our Bible story last night was from the book of Jonah, and we grappled with the question "Isn't God just mean and cruel?", the main thought being that bad thing happen to people, and how can we trust God through them? We've also been doing a "Bible Scavenger Hunt" each week, asking the kids a question and then telling them which Bible book that it is in, and having them find it. So far, we've had kids read the ENTIRE book of Revelation, the book of Acts, and this week, their question is from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
How you can help us help you
As you can see from above, at each weekly activity, we are asking the kids to do some sort of preparation, it might be reading, paraphrasing, doing a take-home sheet, or whatever. We are working hard to equip you to minister to your own kids. As a parent, this is truly one of the hardest things to do. If you're like me, you feel inadequate (I do...and I'm a minister!). We're trying to give out simple tools and things that you can do as a family. Regardless of what we may think, polls continue to state that parents are the most important influence on the faith of kids. If there are other things that we can help, please let us know. You can call me at 319-393-9570, email me at eccparents@gmail.com, or...better yet, attend our upcoming "Second Wednesday" on Wednesday night, October 13 at Eastview. It's an event just for parents and grandparents, we'll be talking specifically about building meaningful relationships with our kids. W'll be hanging out from 6-8pm. Would you join us?
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Student Ministry Recaps
September 19, 2010 High School Youth Group
- 13 students, 3 adults
- Theme: Crazy Love: Chapter 3
- Overall: Watched a recap of “The Last Lecture”, a Zac Smith Video, talked about what it meant to rejoice and to not be anxious. Discussed the life of Paul and how he was the writer of those words (on rejoicing and anxiety), then watched the chapter video.
- We are working hard to encourage the kids to read the chapter before Sunday night. We're going to change up our schedule a little bit this Sunday.
September 22, 2010 Middle School Youth Group
- 15 Students, 7 Adults
- Theme: Who’s the Man? Is believing in God lame?
- Bible Story: Daniel 3, Matthew 5:10-16
- Overall: Games went well, kids were especially worked up. Had some trouble keeping focus in big group and small group. We talked specifically about how we need to encourage one another and stand for what we believe in.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Student Ministry Recaps
I want to apologize for not getting these up. I simply have not made this the priority that it needs to be.
Senior High Youth Group-Sunday September 12
Senior High Youth Group-Sunday September 12
- We had 16 students and 2 adults.
- We introduced the "Crazy Love" series by reading the preface and chapter 1 as a group. We spent some time talking about our inaccurate views of God and how those false views affect our relationship with God.
Middle School Youth Group-Wednesday September 15
- We had 13 students and 7 adults.
- Our second week in a four week series dealing with the bigger question, "Who is God?"....we talked specifically about the gifts that God has given us now. Our bible story was from Genesis 15 and dealt with the promise that God made to Abram in the Old Testament that Abram would be the father of many nations. During our small group breakout, we had an awesome time of sharing with our students about the way that God has blessed us with the opportunity for eternal life. Several of our students got very personal about what's been happening in their lives and we closed with those students praying. It was a pretty powerful night.
- We handed out a "Take Home" sheet for this week's lesson. You can find it off to the right on this page, just click on the "Middle School Take Home" link and download the 9-22-10 sheet.
From this point forward, these will be posted by Thursday afternoons.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
2010 Open House
Last night was excellent! We had breakout sessions for all ages, including parents. Based on last night, on the second Wednesday of each month, we'll have a parents group meet. Our first one is scheduled for October 13, the topic will be "How to talk about Jesus with your kids" and will be a conversation. We hope you'll join us.
There are a ton of pictures over here.
We also handed out a ton of information last night. If you were unable to attend, please go here to download the necessary registration packet for this school year. We MUST have this information for our students over the next few weeks.
Some dates:
September 8: Regular E-KLUB/Middle School night, 6-8pm. Meal provided.
September 12: Regular High School program begins, 6-8pm. NO MEAL PROVIDED.
Looking forward to an awesome year of ministry!
There are a ton of pictures over here.
We also handed out a ton of information last night. If you were unable to attend, please go here to download the necessary registration packet for this school year. We MUST have this information for our students over the next few weeks.
Some dates:
September 8: Regular E-KLUB/Middle School night, 6-8pm. Meal provided.
September 12: Regular High School program begins, 6-8pm. NO MEAL PROVIDED.
Looking forward to an awesome year of ministry!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Fall Kick-Off!
Tonight!
Tonight!!
Tonight!!
Registration starts at 5:45.
For ALL youth programs...E-Klub (4 and up), Middle School, and High School!
Eastview Christian Church, 727 Collins Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, 52402.
Call 319-393-9570 for more info.
Tonight!!
Tonight!!
Registration starts at 5:45.
For ALL youth programs...E-Klub (4 and up), Middle School, and High School!
Eastview Christian Church, 727 Collins Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, 52402.
Call 319-393-9570 for more info.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Getting Ready for Fall
It’s hard to believe it, but Summer is almost over, which means Fall is just around the corner. Plans are being made even now for the best E-klub and Youth Group year ever! We’ll be getting more info out to you over the next few weeks, but here some important dates for you to calendar now:
On Wednesday, September 1 from 6-8pm, is our Fall Kick-Off and Registration for our ALL youth programs. We are asking that the parents and students coming to E-Klub and High School and Middle School programs come this night; we’ll have food and activities for ALL ages. Our Fall Kick-Off has been a GREAT way to get things going; this year we’re adding a registration process to the night. We’ll be hosting this program at Eastview.
Wednesday, September 8 is the official start date for our E-Klub and Middle School night. The time for this is 6-8pm.
Sunday, September 12 is the first night of our High School youth group. As of right now, we are planning on meeting from 5:30-8pm, like last year, the meal will be from 5:30-6.
September 17-18 (Friday-Saturday) is our All-Church Retreat. While this is for any family that wants to attend, we are also taking all of our Middle School and High School students as our Fall Retreat. We’ll have a sign-up sheet out on September 1 so we can get an idea of who is coming from those two groups.
Wednesday, November 17 is our Family Thanksgiving night at Eastview. You’re invited to come to Eastview that night to spend the evening with us.
Wednesday, December 15 is our Family Christmas night at Eastview. You’re invited to come to Eastview that night to spend the evening with us.
February 19 (Saturday) is our annual Spaghetti Dinner/Dessert Auction/Talent Show fundraiser. This is our largest and main fundraiser for the year; it’s an event that you don’t want to miss.
February 25-27 (Friday-Sunday) is CIY Believe for our Middle School Students. More information about this awesome weekend is coming soon.
That’s what we have for right now. We’re finalizing curriculum plans, and like last year, we’ll be posting all sorts of things on the parent’s website in the weeks and months to come. We are looking forward to a great year of God working!
On Wednesday, September 1 from 6-8pm, is our Fall Kick-Off and Registration for our ALL youth programs. We are asking that the parents and students coming to E-Klub and High School and Middle School programs come this night; we’ll have food and activities for ALL ages. Our Fall Kick-Off has been a GREAT way to get things going; this year we’re adding a registration process to the night. We’ll be hosting this program at Eastview.
Wednesday, September 8 is the official start date for our E-Klub and Middle School night. The time for this is 6-8pm.
Sunday, September 12 is the first night of our High School youth group. As of right now, we are planning on meeting from 5:30-8pm, like last year, the meal will be from 5:30-6.
September 17-18 (Friday-Saturday) is our All-Church Retreat. While this is for any family that wants to attend, we are also taking all of our Middle School and High School students as our Fall Retreat. We’ll have a sign-up sheet out on September 1 so we can get an idea of who is coming from those two groups.
Wednesday, November 17 is our Family Thanksgiving night at Eastview. You’re invited to come to Eastview that night to spend the evening with us.
Wednesday, December 15 is our Family Christmas night at Eastview. You’re invited to come to Eastview that night to spend the evening with us.
February 19 (Saturday) is our annual Spaghetti Dinner/Dessert Auction/Talent Show fundraiser. This is our largest and main fundraiser for the year; it’s an event that you don’t want to miss.
February 25-27 (Friday-Sunday) is CIY Believe for our Middle School Students. More information about this awesome weekend is coming soon.
That’s what we have for right now. We’re finalizing curriculum plans, and like last year, we’ll be posting all sorts of things on the parent’s website in the weeks and months to come. We are looking forward to a great year of God working!
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