June 2020/Mark Bateman
COVID-19 has caused us to make many changes lately. However, we are slowly starting to get back on track to a new normal. Our youth mid-week service we call Rush Hour on Wednesday night has begun again! We have made a few changes and we want to make sure all youth are safe when they attend. We have had several great weeks back, and our youth have jumped right back into the swing of things. Rush Hour is one step, but we are ready to take the next step.
Starting Sunday, June 28th, we will start our Youth Small Groups! We will begin at 9:45 AM in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast, then transition to the upstairs B building at 10:00 AM. We believe that life change happens best in small groups, so we are so excited to get back to it! After small groups, we will move to worship at 11:00 AM. We will be cleaning and sanitizing before and after classes, and we will use reasonable social distancing.
Starting Sunday, June 28th, we will start our Youth Small Groups! We will begin at 9:45 AM in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast, then transition to the upstairs B building at 10:00 AM. We believe that life change happens best in small groups, so we are so excited to get back to it! After small groups, we will move to worship at 11:00 AM. We will be cleaning and sanitizing before and after classes, and we will use reasonable social distancing.
High School Mission Trip
August 2019/Mark Bateman
Church family, we are fresh off our youth mission trip to Mexico, and we are still celebrating all that God did on this trip. It's hard to tell you all of the things God has done through our youth while on mission. One story is not enough, and I don't even have the room in this article to fully express all that happened.
We sent two different teams to work in Aguascalientes for two weeks. Throughout our mission trip, youth and adults stepped out in faith and Jesus met them there. We were able to see twenty adults come to faith in Christ! We even had youth going out to disciple young believers. Church family, that is youth stepping out in faith to share the gospel. That does not just happen! It happens when we, as a church, put together a plan to see youth discipled and grow. To give youth a place to ask hard questions. A place to go out and to put into practice what they are learning.
So, thank you church for playing a part in our mission trip. Thank you for praying for us. I can't fully understand it, but we felt every prayer lifted up for our team! Thank you for giving so that we could be on mission. Thank you for buying cakes and silent auction items. When you give and pray, you are participating in seeing sixty eight people come to faith in Christ. Thank you, church!
We sent two different teams to work in Aguascalientes for two weeks. Throughout our mission trip, youth and adults stepped out in faith and Jesus met them there. We were able to see twenty adults come to faith in Christ! We even had youth going out to disciple young believers. Church family, that is youth stepping out in faith to share the gospel. That does not just happen! It happens when we, as a church, put together a plan to see youth discipled and grow. To give youth a place to ask hard questions. A place to go out and to put into practice what they are learning.
So, thank you church for playing a part in our mission trip. Thank you for praying for us. I can't fully understand it, but we felt every prayer lifted up for our team! Thank you for giving so that we could be on mission. Thank you for buying cakes and silent auction items. When you give and pray, you are participating in seeing sixty eight people come to faith in Christ. Thank you, church!
Youth Camp and the Unlikely Hero
July 2019/Mark Bateman
Church family, our youth have returned from youth camp, and it was amazing! Every kid has a name, and every name has a story, and every story matters to God. At youth camp, I saw God do great things in the lives of youth. We prayed big prayers and asked God to do only what He could do. We saw youth deepen their faith. Others grew closer to each other and took on the challenge of sharing their faith more with friends. Youth camp walked through the book of Nehemiah. We learned that God is always willing to rebuild people for His glory! Thank you, Church, for sending us. Your investment matters!
I want to take a minute to brag on a student. An unlikely hero if you will. At camp, students are placed into teams and they compete in games and other activities for points. They are also encouraged to memorize scripture to earn points for their team. All points are added up and the winning team is rewarded. Also, at the end of the week, the one who has memorized the most Bible verses gets a prize. One of our youth, Clayten Holley memorized 505 Bible verses! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, 505 Bible verses!!!
Clayten will never be picked for a team because he is the biggest or tallest. He will never wait around for an MVP trophy. Not his style. However, Clayten shattered the Bible memorization record for the camp as he led his team to victory for the week! When they called his name to get his prize, the camp erupted with cheers and stood to their feet in applause! Many awards were given out that last day of camp but nothing was given the response that he got. I am so proud of Clayten and the young man God has driven him to be. God has gifted him to not only memorize scripture but to have the heart to follow what it says. Clayten is a graduating senior this year and will be moving into our college ministry. Clayten has challenged me to be more faithful with memorizing scripture. He has also challenged me to be more faithful with doing what it says. Clayten is an excellent example of what it looks like to be faithful with God’s Word. Thank you, Clayten.
Mark
I want to take a minute to brag on a student. An unlikely hero if you will. At camp, students are placed into teams and they compete in games and other activities for points. They are also encouraged to memorize scripture to earn points for their team. All points are added up and the winning team is rewarded. Also, at the end of the week, the one who has memorized the most Bible verses gets a prize. One of our youth, Clayten Holley memorized 505 Bible verses! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, 505 Bible verses!!!
Clayten will never be picked for a team because he is the biggest or tallest. He will never wait around for an MVP trophy. Not his style. However, Clayten shattered the Bible memorization record for the camp as he led his team to victory for the week! When they called his name to get his prize, the camp erupted with cheers and stood to their feet in applause! Many awards were given out that last day of camp but nothing was given the response that he got. I am so proud of Clayten and the young man God has driven him to be. God has gifted him to not only memorize scripture but to have the heart to follow what it says. Clayten is a graduating senior this year and will be moving into our college ministry. Clayten has challenged me to be more faithful with memorizing scripture. He has also challenged me to be more faithful with doing what it says. Clayten is an excellent example of what it looks like to be faithful with God’s Word. Thank you, Clayten.
Mark
Youth Ministry After the Storm
June 2019/Mark Bateman
Here we are eight months after the storm. It’s been a long eight months for so many of us. I wanted to take a minute and talk about what youth ministry has been like post-hurricane Michael. I wish to brag on our youth. Following the storm, we had several of our youth mobilize and come to the church every day to help unload trucks and give out food and supplies. It was amazing to see our youth who could have stayed home be the hands and feet of Jesus. However, our students were doing what came naturally to them. You see we teach our youth that faith is not something that you learn but something you do. James 1:8 says, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” It was a joy to witness amid so much hurt and loss.
As a youth group, we could not meet because we did not have the buildings to use nor the time because of the recovery efforts taking place. One of our church families opened up their house on Sunday nights for us to start meeting. They cooked for us and gave us a room to meet in. Over the course of five weeks, we met together, prayed, worshiped and studied the Bible together. It was a special time that was so needed in the lives of our youth. I do believe that it was the one thing that held us together. It showed that there was a light at the end of this storm tunnel. It showed us that we didn’t need the lights and sound with a gym and game room to have fun or study the Word.
Time has passed, and things are starting to get back to a new normal. We were able to host DNow at Laguna Beach Retreat Center, and we had our largest turnout ever. We are again meeting together on Wednesday nights as a youth group, and our summer plans are moving forward. We have a middle school and high school mission trip this year, as well as a youth camp. I am so blessed to be a part of this church with these youth. They are resilient, passionate and loving. They are some of the best in our city. I hope you are encouraged to know that what you do to invest in this generation is worth it. The time and money that you put forward is paying off. That if we keep working with families here, the payoff is a global one. We will see these families go to other countries to share the news of Christ. Together we will see His kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.
As a youth group, we could not meet because we did not have the buildings to use nor the time because of the recovery efforts taking place. One of our church families opened up their house on Sunday nights for us to start meeting. They cooked for us and gave us a room to meet in. Over the course of five weeks, we met together, prayed, worshiped and studied the Bible together. It was a special time that was so needed in the lives of our youth. I do believe that it was the one thing that held us together. It showed that there was a light at the end of this storm tunnel. It showed us that we didn’t need the lights and sound with a gym and game room to have fun or study the Word.
Time has passed, and things are starting to get back to a new normal. We were able to host DNow at Laguna Beach Retreat Center, and we had our largest turnout ever. We are again meeting together on Wednesday nights as a youth group, and our summer plans are moving forward. We have a middle school and high school mission trip this year, as well as a youth camp. I am so blessed to be a part of this church with these youth. They are resilient, passionate and loving. They are some of the best in our city. I hope you are encouraged to know that what you do to invest in this generation is worth it. The time and money that you put forward is paying off. That if we keep working with families here, the payoff is a global one. We will see these families go to other countries to share the news of Christ. Together we will see His kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.