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Welcome parents,
I'm glad you stopped by!!! Whether it's because you just learned about this area of the website through Doug's Series "Think Orange" or because you read weekly, we are so we are so glad you are here. We want to give you a "Big Picture Overview" of what is happening in student ministry regularly.
Before I get into the Teaching and Calendar updates, I want to answer a question that seems to come up regularly with parents. How do I get my student involved serving at Crossroads? We all know that if students don't get involved in serving, then often what happens is they come to church, sit - soak and then sour. Christianity doesn't become real to students unless they serve. In order to work against a carnal Christianity - students need to get involved.
What's the process? Let me explain. First off there are some students who are right now ready for ministry. These students almost understand immediately that church is about helping others. These students should talk to myself, right away, so that I can help them get connected serving somewhere. A second kind of student is one who is growing but they don't quite have all the tools to get involved in ministry. They want to do ministry, but just aren't sure how. If that's your student - we have an environment called Legacy Leavers. Legacy Leavers teaches students ministry principles and skills to help them become effective ministers of Jesus Christ. Legacy Leavers meets one Sunday a month (for 6 months) from 4pm until 5:30pm. The first meeting is on October 10th at the church. Students who are interested should sign up on the sheet in the Loft. It's a great opportunity for students to gain valuable principles while taking a step down into ministry and serving others.
Soldout Teaching September 2010
Last week, I started a new series entitled... Unlikely!
The main point of the first session is that God is not attracted to your abilities - or distracted by your inabilities. In a world that is performance based, God chooses to operate in a different way. God chooses to use "Unlikely" Candidates to achieve something amazing. After all, the Bible is filled with stories of people that God used to do his work that seemed "unlikely" to the rest of the world. (For more reading check out Gideon [Judges 6], Rahab the prostitute [Joshua 2], Moses [Exodus 3 and 4]).
We believe that God wants students to understand that they don't need to count themselves in or out based on their abilities or inabilities; rather the most important thing that God cares about is if they are available to be used by Him. What's the application? God has created you as His masterpiece - with certain gifts and abilities that He gave you and you only for the purpose of furthering his kingdom on Earth. Because you are God's masterpiece - that is what makes you likely to be used by Him. The choice? What will you do with what you know? "God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power of love and of self discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7. Share boldly with others about Him because you know that you are Likely to be used by Him.
A very practical application is encouraging your students to get involved serving at the church. If students don't feel they are ready to serve immediately, they can take the next step and sign up for Legacy Leavers to begin learning the necessary tools to become a servant of Christ. Legacy Leavers is for students in 8th through 12th grades and it meets one Sunday a month (for 6 months) from 4pm to 5:30pm. The first Sunday is October 10. Students can put their name on the sign up sheet in the Loft.
Sept. 5th (I've added some questions below the synopsis for you to ask your students during the week. This can be at meal time or as you drive in the car. Look for ways to bring up these subjects with your students).
This week's message, teaches the truth that God uses Unlikely People in Unlikely Places to do something extraordinary. Sometimes it seems like our lives and our situations are just ordinary. We wonder how God can ever use us to do something amazing for Him especially in the situation we are currently in. What we often forget is that God's "thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8). Could it be that those ordinary situations are just the right settings that God can use to work his magic and do something extraordinary in you? God will use you wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Remember, God sees potential where you may not and where the world may not. It's also amazing how Jesus works through the unlikeliest places and circumstances. We just need to be available for Him to use. The application: God I'm and unlikely person in an unlikely place, but God I trust that you see something more than what I can see.
God because I trust in you I'm going to view each place I'm in (no matter how unlikely) to see how you are using it to shape and mold me into the kind of disciple you want me to be.
Conversation Catalysts - (to help you get started)
Are there places that may seem ordinary to you but others might see as beautiful, or dazzling? Think about art or nature. Are those places part of your daily life?
Do you consider the places you go extra-ordinary or ordinary? Why? Does believing that God is even in the places you go to on a regular basis change your mind?
Jesus chose to be born in a barn and grow up in a small town with not a whole lot going on. Where do you think people expected Jesus to grow up? Probably a City or somewhere there was a lot of people. Do you think people expected Jesus to have the kind of childhood that he had?
Are there any places in your life that you think it’s unlikely that good can come out of? Lunch table conversation, your bus stop, your home, that classroom that you hate going to everyday, the locker room, study hall, or even if you work – at work. Can you think of something good that may come out of that unlikely place?
What is one place that God sees potential to work where you may not? Do you think Jesus works through the unlikeliest places and circumstances? Why or why not?
Sept. 12th
The final message in this series takes a deeper look at the "Tit for Tat" mentality that our world embraces. If someone hits you, you hit him back. Or if someone says something mean about you, you don't say something nasty back. Be cool with people who are cool to you and dislike people who are not. Now, some of us wouldn’t come right out and say we agree with those statements. But behind closed doors or in our heads, most of us would agree with it. This week, we’re going to take a look at some of Jesus’ words, words that called for some very unlikely responses to those around us. Through this message we will see how God asks unlikely people in unlikely circumstances and places to respond in unlikely ways.
The application for this message is that we should take every way that you want to respond, every way that comes naturally, every way that’s likely, and try something different. Respond in a way that is unlikely. Why? Because you are an unlikely person that God has chosen to use.
God wants to show up in our world and the best way he can do this is by responding in a way that is unlikely to the rest of the world. It's going to make the unchurched world ask why - you responded that way?
That is when you can say I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ and He calls me to act like Him, to love like Him, to live like Him in an unlikely world.
New Updates:
There is a sign up sheet in the loft for the Corn Maze on October 2nd. We will meet at the church at 2pm and return at 7pm. The cost is $10 plus spending money. Please sign up today.
Latest Update on Camp:
We are planning to take Junior and Senior High students to a summer camp in 2011. (This is a change from Creation Festival the past 3 years). The cost of camp is a bit higher than past retreats. We explained that $345 is the approximate price for students to attend camp. The reason being students will be gone for 5 to 6 days and will have meals and lodging included with the price. We wanted parents to know about this well in advance so they could set aside $10 a week for the next 10 months to prepare for summer camp.
Xtreme Fall 2010
Sept 5th - No Xtreme
Sept 22nd - See You at the Pole
Oct 16th - Fall Bash - more details will be announced.
Teaching for September
Please see Soldout's teaching because it is essentially the same. I have just taken Xtreme's lesson and have grown it down for Soldout. Again if you have any questions please feel free to email me. Thanks!
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