Elementary Youth Group
Kindergarten – 5th Grade
Coming Up….
WHAT: Secret Service Project
WHEN: Sunday May 2nd! During Family
Game Day! (4pm)
WHAT TO BRING: Your family – so they can play games, eat and fellowship!
WHO TO CONTACT: Becky Thompson
(740) 817-0859
Due to this blizzard we have decided to cancel the trip to the WinterJam concert in Columbus tonight. The concert itself has not been canceled. Stay tuned to their website for updates. http://www.hearitfirst.com/WinterJam/default.aspx
Leaving: the church @ 5:30
Returning: 10:45pm
You should bring: Chips or a snack.
All ages welcome: Under 6th grade accompanied by adult.
Working with kids is amazing. Especially when your job is to challenge them to see and think and grow. And I think any youth leader in a church will tell you, that when challenged, kids ask the toughest questions ever.
So inevitably it happened again tonight… we were going over the basics and I asked, “Where can you find Noah in the Bible?”
They say, “Genesis 6, 7, 8.”
“OK how about Adam and Eve and the apple and the snake?”
“Genesis 3.”
And as we are looking at the bible in that way, I see something click in her face right before she asked the question. Like a lightbulb had came on, but yet the question took a few seconds to materialize…
“If this is about the first people, who wrote it down?”
I was happy I knew the answer to this one, but as sure as you know kids, there is never just one question. Sometimes they are just determined to unravel something until the very end.
I tried to answer the onslaught of questions but could not keep up so the worst(best) thing happened – The other kids caught on that I was stumped and started throwing questions at me while I was down.
I love nights like these.
Besides the answer to the question, ‘Moses,’ there is another valuable lesson to learn here.
When people, kids or peers, start asking questions about life, death, being good, God’s plan, the end times, we should lean in and listen. As Christian’s we as eager to talk and give the answers, but just lean in and listen for awhile. It should be the way we treat everyone we love all the time.
The second lesson/question is this. Are you asking the obvious questions? Do you read the Bible as if it were real and trying to fill in the gaps? Have you ever thought, ‘who did write about the creation and how did they know what happened?’
Or here is another good question that came up, ‘Was Mary and Joseph’s last name Christ?’
Maybe we could all benefit by reading the Bible through the eyes of a child.
I was reading this morning a verse we have talked about several times in youth group.
Jr/Sr. High Sunday School memorized this verse
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
We’ve been talking about looking at verses from different translations so lets look at this in a few.
The Message: Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness-faith, love, peace-joining those who ae in honest and serious prayer before God.
New American Standard: Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righeousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
English Standard Version: So flee youthful passions and pursue righeousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
My study bible says that the word “passions” in this context refers to sinful desires in general (not only sexual), especially those that tend to be characteristic of youth. Paul hints in the next verse that one of these would be the tendency to quarrel or be hotheaded. Can you think of any “passions” or desires, temptations that youth face today?
So the first part of that sentence says to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace… The command to flee what is wrong is combined with the command to pursue what is right, and that is SO important! A lot of times I focus on not doing bad things but it seems like there is ALWAYS something wrong. I think what Paul is telling Timothy here is to focus on getting rid of the bad in your life BY focusing on doing good. When all of our thoughts are dedicated to serving the Lord, when all of our time is dedicated to helping other people it will be much easier to resist temptation. It’s a promise…
And most important is the last part of this verse, “…along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” The pursuit of right is not to be done alone but along with other believers. Going to church is important, but it isn’t as important as having Christian friends. The “church” is the body of Christ, (see 1 Corinthians 12:12) and the body of Christ are the people who believe in Him. That’s why we think getting together with other Youth Groups is so important.
We had a great time at the YMCA Sunday night for our Pre New Year’s Eve Party, 16 students from Johnstown showed up which is AWESOME! 7 youth groups total were there and I met a lot of cool people. Including kids from the Endeavor Christian Church here in Newark for the first time!! Our speaker read a verse during devo time that I think is important when talking about hanging out with Christian friends: Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Don’t take my word for it… Join us!! Feel the Spirit move when we reach out and pray, help each other grow, look for need in our communities, invite friends, grow and learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ. Look on our Youth Page to find out about upcoming events and keep your ears opened for exciting information about the Biggest Little Youth Group.
Click here to see our Calendar
Johnstown Christian Church YOUTH PAGE!
Scripture is alive and more powerful than you think. If all of this can come out of one verse, think how much you will get by reading a whole chapter, or better yet the whole book!
Much Love,
Mike Hill, Youth Minister
God is so real!
I’m really not good at putting together an intelligent blog or a 3 point message or even a significantly meaningful letter. But I am prompted tonight to share what I’ve experienced with our congregation.
Maybe 2 months ago I was sitting at a board meeting talking about the water filter, the roof payments, the fuel oil, mentoring elders… same old, same old. Then Larry spoke up and mentioned that there was a Leadership Training Conference in Louisville on Oct 23 & 24th that he wanted myself and other leaders on the board to attend. I asked the price, penciled it in my calendar and was excited about a weekend road trip. That was the last I talked or thought about the conference until this last week. I walked into my office and checked the mail sitting on my desk and there was a hand written postcard from the Children’s Ministry dept. at Southeast Christian expressing their gratitude of having me attend the conference. I was already impressed. I – like any other minister have heard much about Southeast Christian. You think Bob Russell, Dave Stone, 20,000 members, Louisville. Far away, big names, big numbers and here I have a hand signed note on my desk in Johnstown saying, “Hey Mike we know who you are, we know you are coming here and we are praying for you.” Maybe I’m too easily impressed but at that moment I was so moved that I didn’t make a sound. I, alone, nodded my head in silent confirmation that maybe this was something God was involved in. Put the postcard back on my desk. Walked into the sanctuary to practice guitar.
Thursday night Larry sends me a reminder text: ’hey we are leaving at 5:00am tomorrow.’
I’m thinking, “YES i know this fact that i will have to leave my house by 4:20 which means I’ll have to be up by 3:30 or so. Thanks for reminding me Larry,” but only texted back, “phew… see you then.” And yes I will mention that I was NOT the latest person to arrive at the meeting place and yes we started behind schedule but it was not MY fault. . . haha HUGE win for Mr. Late Mike Hill.”
On the way to Louisville I joked to Larry about this being my first pilgrimage to the mecca but little did I know exactly how God was about to move in my life. Now here I sit, still in awe of what has happened to me today, really unable to explain most of it, excited and scared for the rest of it, but willing. Listening. Watching. Learning. And for the first time in a long time Worshipping.
I have always loved being a part of large group worship. To hear 1,000 people sing a praise to God really makes you feel as small as you are but reaffirms the truth that God truly sends his spirit where 2 or more are gathered. Tonight during the worship service the pastor asked people who were scared and nervous about ministry to stand and everyone who wasn’t standing put their hands on those of us who were and prayed and I’m telling you I FELT IT! Larry put his hand on my shoulder, Dick S. put his hand on me, the guy in front of me put his hand on me, I put my hand on the girl in front of me and it seemed as though every time someone else added their hands to the pile the power increased. I literally felt an electric feeling in my bones and I was compelled to care not just about myself or the reason I stood up, but for the other people standing as well. I really wondered what was going on in the life of this girl my age standing in front of me. I wondered what was going on in the life of the girl standing next to her, and the guy standing in front of them. I was inspired to pray like never before about the welfare of these people.
I didn’t have a central thought sitting down at this computer tonight but I’m here to tell you that once again I’m completely recommitted to the cause of Christ and to making sure that my generation understands the Gospel, accepts it as Truth and serves it with the same power the Holy Spirit used to raise Christ from the dead. I’m here to tell you that God continues to show himself to me by signs and miracles and that isn’t something I fully understand because I feel so undeserving.
I was only looking forward to a road trip and some free resources. I didn’t pray for or plan on any big revival happening for myself but once again God had different plans and like always His will has prevailed. Why would God plan and place me in these places the sinner that I am? I’ve been entrusted to a Youth Ministry and feel I let God down in that position almost every week, yet here He is – Indescribable and awe struck I fall to my knees as I humbly proclaim You Are Amazing God. I’m still a young christian, just born on July 11, 2004 but I’ve learned how to listen. I don’t always obey but I’m listening and God speaks to me daily and I hope and pray that you could hear Him speak, feel Him move and KNOW! undeniably that HE IS ALIVE.
