Upcoming Parent/Student Meeting

Dear Parents,

I wanted to take this opportunity to personally invite both you and your student(s) to our upcoming Parent/Student meeting. This will be taking place on Monday, August 10, 2009 at 7:00pm in the Student Meeting Room (aka Gangway).

We will be gathering to recast our hopes and vision for the Student Ministries and to explore how we might be able to best partner with you in the discipleship and nurture your student(s). We will also be going over a bit of our calendar for this upcoming semester of both school and ministry.

This meeting is part of our ongoing efforts to better communicate all the advancements in the life of CRPC Student Ministries. We affectionately request your presence, desiring it to be a sweet time of fellowship and encouragement.

For His Kingdom…

Back on...

Well, it's been a little while but we are back on this week for Mid-week gatherings! Wednesday for MS and Thursday for HS.

Being away at camp for the past 2 weeks was a wonderful experience! I enjoyed hanging with some of our students in a completely different setting and at time quite close quarters :) We all had a great time of fellowship, fun and hopefully some spiritual growth. I also enjoyed meeting new friends and connecting with other youth pastors and leaders. I'm sure that the Lord is going to use all that took place over those 2 weeks in a marvelous way in all of our lives.

However, while I was away I found that I truly missed our weekly gatherings and Sunday school times. I missed seeing all our students and interacting with them in their own corner of the world. I appreciate all of our students and how each one of them makes the ministry here special and touches me in a unique and passionate way. Even though our weekly activities can soon become routine, there never ceases to be a moment when I feel God is near. He is using us to be a part of His Kingdom work and building and for that I am most candidly grateful!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I deeply love my church, my staff and the ministry God has given us here. Most of all, I love our students! They are the church, the ministry, the next generation and the ones for whom Christ poured out His life. Thus, I want to pour mine out to them as well.

For His Kingdom...

Pancho Villa is not dancing at the party...

Wow!!!

What a great time we had @ middle school camp this past week! It was a time of crazy, silly, energetic, delirious fun and excitement. We blobbed, canoed, tubed, swam, rode horses, played soccer, dodge ball and some other wacky games. We were non-stop for 5 days and it was AWESOME!

Wayne Kerr totally rocked! He not only lead us through some of the strangest songs and wake up activities but also into a real state of worship. The students loved him and I grew to appreciate him greatly.

We also had a wonderful opportunity to sit under some amazing teaching! We were lead through the Bible's "big story." It consisted of 4 chapters - Creation, Fall, the Cross and Fulfillment. The first 2 have passed, we are living in the 3rd and the 4th is coming. This is God's story and our lives, our story is very much a part of that big story.

All in all, it was a marvelous time! We all met new friends, grew closer to old ones and just had a blast!!!

So, in one last word... beware of moose crossing; they are truly dangerous animals :)

For His Kingdom...

"Whoa-oh-oooh-ohoh-oah" / H.S. Camp

We have returned!!!

It is both sad and exciting that we are all back from our amazing High School Camp adventure. Sad because it was so good and refreshing to get away for a little while. Plus, we had a spectacular time getting to know each other, waking up early, staying up late, dominating other churches in sports and games and of course white water rafting!!! It was also an awakening and special time of sitting under superb preaching and teaching of the Word! We were all confronted with the reality of our multitudes of "idols."

However, it is also exciting to be back. Now we all get the chance to share our stories and implement all that we learned. Being back means taking the atmosphere and attitude of camp and making it a continuing reality. Here, at home, we can live out our changed lives and become catalysts for others to be changed. What a wild concept, huh?

So, I am so grateful for this past week of camp. I loved getting to know everyone better and sharing life with friends and family - we truly had real community!

So, until next time... "whoa-oh-ohhh-oh-a-ohh!!!"

For His Kingdom...

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

On Sunday we had a great time in the middle school Sunday school!

We looked through the book of Ruth. We began by reading various portions of the book, then we discussed it as a group, then we prayed about how it affects us today, and finally we sought to apply the text to our lives.

It was an interesting and encouraging time.

The Great Name Change...

As the cat begins to scramble out of the bag, we here in the Student Ministries are kicking around the idea of changing the name of the ministry. This idea began not as an attempt to simply be "new" or "novel" but through the desire to communicate better the heartbeat and hopes of the Student Ministries.

The name "Gangway" has been around for as long as probably anyone can remember. It's an interesting name with a particular meaning. The term "Gangway" refers to the plank that spans the gap between a ship and the dock. Back when this name was introduced, the entire theme of the Student Ministries was nautical - hence the name "Gangway," "galley groups" etc. However, over the years this theme became obsolete, but the name Gangway just stuck . As Gangway was originally not the name of the overall Student Ministries but merely one aspect of the ministry (mid-week gatherings), it has through out the years now morphed into an all encompassing term. So that today, when we speak of "Gangway" it can mean anything from Sunday school to the name of the meeting room itself.

This being the case, we want to move away from a name that refers to a bygone theme in favor of one that will project the present reality and vision of the Student Ministries. However, even as we brainstorm for a proper and befitting name we realize that this must not be held in a closed fist close to our chest but in open hands lifted toward heaven. Just as the name Gangway served it's time and purpose in the history of our church, so to will this new name. Yet, it is only a matter of time till this name too becomes obsolete and in due season will also be changed.

Regardless of the names chosen, this should not be something we are deterred by. For it is not the name of the Student Ministry that matters to God but those for whom the name represents - the people! This should be and must be what matters most to us as well.

With all that said, and much more could be said, I invite you all to join with us in exploring names for the Student Ministries. Thus far we have come up only with a name for the room itself; but we have not concluded upon a name for the ministry (i.e. - "U-turn Student Ministries").

So, let's get those God-given creative juices flowing!

For His Kingdom...