December Youth Update

Snow, 24/7 Christmas songs on the radio, Hanging of the Greens @ church, shopping, bowl game selections, Christmas lights lining the streets, the season has arrived and it’s still November as I am writing this.  What does it all mean?  Despite all of these signs–there is still our “Christ” in Christmas.  May we always remember that!  Jesus Christ is born this day!

Winter Retreat – December 28-30 –pre-registration MUST take place by December 6th. The cost for the retreat is $105 and to register we must account for $50 by the above date.  Many students have the money in their youth accounts; however, a few do not have enough.  We have been having fundraisers, but some will be short, so students will be responsible for the balances.   If you would like to help a student financially to attend Winter Retreat, please see me and we will discuss how you could help.  This year the speaker will be Mark Shaner from the East Side CHOG in Anderson and the worship leader will be John Tibbs and his band from the Madison Park CHOG in Anderson.  It promises to be a GREAT weekend and we already have students from North Euclid CHOG and the St. Johns CHOG attending with us.  Along with going to Winter Retreat, we MUST have the 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission forms.  Please complete and return these ASAP.  Don’t wait—sign up for WINTER RETREAT this week!

The Michigan Student Leadership Institute (MSLI) was a great success this year and we are proud to announce that Shane Mudd and Isabella Krolikowski successfully completed their 2nd year of a three-year program.  Congrats to them!

Fundraisers have been going well.  Thank you for supporting them.  The Apparel Sale, the Gift Card sale and the Bake Potato Buffet brought in money for the kids. We have a great blessing, we have been having almost 20 students in attendance each week at youth. However, when we divide the profits, they become smaller in spreading it around. Fortunately, we know that God will provide and bless!  Praise God for our growth!

Thank you students for the great participation in the Thanksgiving Basket assembly.  Lots of work, but many blessings for families that needed the food. Seeing God at work is always so exciting!

We will be having a Christmas Party for the Youth on Sunday afternoon, December 9th.  We are planning on going SWIMMING at Four Seasons (cost will be $3) plus a “WHITE ELEPHANT” gift exchange along with fellowship and refreshments at the church afterwards. The Winter Retreat is December 28-30 and there are no concrete plans yet for New Year’s Eve.  We will be finishing up our study of the 10 Commandments with #9 on December 2 and #10 on December 16.  There will be NO Youth meetings on December 23 through January 1.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our students through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship.  Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People!

Pastor Jerry

November Youth Update

We are BLESSED!  Today, as I watch the devastating destruction on the East Coast of our country, I feel very fortunate that we didn’t receive Super Storms off the ocean. We can deal with some rain, snow and wind.  The GOOD news, we were able to complete the raking of Olive’s yard before the weather arrived.  Took us three different days after school but the student turn-out to help was fantastic.  Thank You kids- you were great and a job well done.

Our Prayer Partner recruitment is coming.  With the addition of seven students (or maybe 5) this year, we are seeing the difference that prayer makes.  We have had our largest groups this year (20 kids) and the 6th grade youth meeting is working out well.  The 7-12 grades meet on Sunday nights and the 6th graders meet on Tuesdays @ 2:30.  We are working our way through the 10 Commandments this Fall with both groups. Plugging along with Romans on Sunday mornings.

On November 1 & 2, Shane Mudd and Isabella Krolikowski are participating in their 2nd Year of the Michigan Student Leadership Institute in Clarkston, Michigan.  I am the State Chairman of MSLI and we are anticipating almost one hundred selected students from churches across the state participating.  A great event for our student leaders in Michigan.

Our 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission Forms have been mailed this month.  Students should have these forms completed to ride in the van plus attend all youth ministry activities.  The forms run from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013.  Once they are completed they are good for the year.  I am again enclosing permission slips for students who have not turned in a form when you receive your monthly parent letter.  PLEASE help us by completing these forms ASAP.

The Hayride at the Hyatt’s was fantastic.  There were three wagons of people, campfire, good food, good conversation and a beautiful evening.  Thank you Hyatt’s for another great Fall evening. We had a wonderful time at Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch as we bounced on the blow-up games, wandered the corn maze, fed the animals, rode on a hayride, sat by the campfire and watched the pigs race each other.   Connie then treated us to a supper of sloppy joes, chips, and donuts.   It was a great night as we finished it up with our weekly youth meeting.

We will be having a Bake Potato Bar on Sunday, November 11th to help raise funds for the Michigan CHOG Winter Retreat in December.  It begins at 4:45 PM in the Fellowship Hall, and then the youth will have their weekly youth meeting.  On November 18, our youth meeting that day will be a service project, packing Thanksgiving Baskets for families at the Aldersgate Methodist Church in town.  There is an area Thanksgiving service that evening at the Midland Christian Church on M-20, so we will not have an evening meeting.  On Sunday, December 9, we will be having a Christmas Party.  Watch for details.

Our next BIG event will be Winter Retreat on December 28-30, 2012. This event is for all students grades 6-12 and costs $105.  Registration is begins November 12 and has a $50 pre-registration due by December 8.  The final $55 balance will be due by Sunday, December 23.  Our guest speaker will be Pastor Mark Shaner and our worship leader will be John Tibbs.  Both are from Anderson, Indiana.  We will be continuing to do fundraisers in preparation for this great Church of God Winter event.

Also, you will be receiving in your church mailboxes (and, parents, through the mail) order blanks for our Gift Card Sale to benefit the Youth Ministry.  Gift cards make wonderful Christmas presents, but they can also be used for your weekly family needs, such as gas, groceries, dining out or just purchasing Christmas gifts. Please consider purchasing gift cards through the Mt. Haley Youth Ministry to help you and us.  The youth receive a percentage listed from each card sold.  All orders are due with the money (cash, or a check made out to Mt. Haley Church of God Youth) by November 25.  Cards should arrive back at the church by December 2.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your student through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship.  Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People

Pastor Jerry

October Youth Update

We are off to a GREAT start for the new school year! We have added 5 new Sixth Graders plus a couple of others in higher grades. Our newly remodeled youth room looks FANTASTIC! We need to run a few weeks so that it feels ‘lived in,’ however that will come soon enough. We can’t express enough how much we appreciate what the church has done. Special thanks go to Kevin Mudd and Ron Hyde, as we know that they directed and completed most of the remodeling. We hope to give a special ‘Thank You’ to the church in the near future.

Youth still takes place every Sunday @ 6:00 PM. Van-Pick-Up usually begins around 5:00 PM. This month we will also begin holding an after school youth meeting for 6th Graders every week with Pastor Jerry & Pastor David facilitating the class. As our group as grown, we have discovered that with the group consisting of 6th graders through seniors in high school, there is a wide discrepancy for instruction and discussion. 6th graders will be involved in all youth ministry activities, but will be separated for instruction & discussion. We believe this will help in our spiritual growth and maturation for all the students. After we finish the series, ”Spread the Word,” our youth meeting topic will be “The Ten Commandments.”

We are working through Romans in our High School Bible Study on Sunday mornings @ 10:00 AM. Ron Hyde is working with the Middle School boys and Maggie Hyde is working with the Middle School girls. We hope to have Van-Pick Up on Sunday mornings so more can attend and the van would run between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM. If anyone would be interested in riding with Pastor Jerry, please contact him.

Our 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission Forms have been mailed this month. Students should have these forms completed to ride in the van plus attend all youth ministry activities. The forms run from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013. Once they are completed they are good for the year. PLEASE help us by completing these forms ASAP.

This month we plan on participating in the October 20 Potluck and Hay Ride @ Peg & Chuck Hyatt’s home. On October 28, @ 2:30 PM we will go to Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch then return to church for supper & our youth meeting. We will be having a Bake Potato Bar on Sunday, November 11th to help raise funds for the Michigan CHOG Winter Retreat in December. On November 18, our youth meeting that day will be a service project, packing Thanksgiving Baskets for families at the Aldersgate Methodist Church in town. Our next BIG event will be Winter Retreat on December 28-30, 2012. This event is for all students’ grades 6-12 and costs $105. Registration is in early December. We will be doing fundraisers in preparation.

photo by Timothy K. Hamilton

The MUM sale was very successful. We will be working at Olive’s this month to help our accounts. We are also having a ‘Mt. Haley’ apparel sale (hats, T’s, sweatshirts, windbreakers) this month and will be having a Scripts Sale (gift cards) also. We hope to do well with our Potato Bar and we will need students to work that to help their youth accounts. Every student has a “Youth Account” where we do fundraising to help them pay their way to events. Our two main events of the year are Winter Retreat @ Spring Hill in December and State Youth Convention in May. We will also working with high school students to earn funds to go to the International Youth Convention in Nashville, TN in the summer of 2014.

We THANK everyone who has participated in our Youth Prayer Partner ministry. The good news is that we need to recruit more prayer partners because we have more kids to pray for. If you are interested in praying for our youth and would like to become a ‘Prayer Partner,’ please contact Pastor Jerry.

Your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your student this year through study, fellowship and relationship. Thank you for sharing your son or daughter.

Love God, Love People!

Pastor Jerry

September Youth Update

WOW! What a weekend! THANK YOU for the many prayers that covered our Chicago Mission Experience! The presence of the Holy Spirit and the sharing of the kids & adults with the people of Chicago were absolutely INCREDIBLE. We were all IMPACTED with how the Lord used us to His GLORY and the blessings have changed our lives! PRAISE GOD! Your prayers made a difference! That was how our month ended—on a great experience with God and each other.  We are still in the recovery stage of catching up with sleep, but I still have a smile on my face and I must say, we were very proud of our kids.

We started off the experience early on a Friday morning at the Mt. Haley Altar with prayer for us by Pastor David and drove most of the day hitting Chicago in the midst of a traffic jam – the praise was that the kids got a close look at all of the downtown Chicago skyline.  Friday night began with a meal at a Puerto Rican restaurant where the kids gobbled some great ethnic food, while we got acquainted with our CSM host, Taylor.  After a great supper, we spent the next couple of hours on a prayer tour around the city of Chicago, visiting places of need, different neighborhoods and a chance to feel the atmosphere and picture of the people of Chicago.  Many prayers were prayed that night, as we heard the joys and plights of people’s lives.

We were up early Saturday morning and by 7:00 AM at the Canaan Baptist Food Pantry on the south side of Chicago.  We met and worked for a most incredible 70 year old lady named Ms. D that had a limitless heart for God & people as we help package and carry bags for families that lined up for two blocks for four hours to receive food for their families.  We also had the opportunities to talk and share with people, pray for them and offer them a message of peace and hope.  Beginning with this and throughout the day we were able to pray and distribute our green, glow in the dark bracelets that say “Prayed 4 and I am Loved.”  We don’t know who was more blessed, the people we prayed for or ourselves.

From there we proceeded to a place called “Two Lil Fishes.” This is a lunch program that reaches out to the homeless in the Uptown neighborhood. Our group spent time talking & sharing with the patrons and serving the meal.  We also met an incredible person named Isaac who shared his testimony of homelessness and someone we had a direct connection with because he grew up in Saginaw and even worked as an intern at Dow Chemical. He encouraged the kids to invest in people and share the gospel of Christ. After all that work at developing relationships and helping people, we had lunch and some slurpees from 7-Eleven.

We then took a walking prayer tour of the city and were totally fascinated with the needs, people and sights of the city.  Our activity immediately following that tested our faith and courage as we engaged in “Meet a Need.”  Each adult with a couple of kids were given $5 and challenged to meet & greet people on the streets of the city sharing prayers and the gospel of Christ.  The students met the challenge as they bought water, hamburgers, coffee, etc to offer to people, but most important they offered prayer and hope to many of the people they met, as well as bracelets.  We were blessed!

We finished our ministries by going to the Cornerstone Community Outreach’s center to help organize their huge rummage & clothing thrift store.  Located on the sixth floor and very hot –we were happy to conclude our serving for the day.

The evening meal was unbelievable!  We ate at a Thai restaurant called the “Siam Café” where we enjoyed a 7-course meal and lots of conversation about our day.  Praises, debriefing and counting of blessings filled the evening as we thank God for the experience we had.

Sunday morning we attend and worshiped at the Lawndale Community Church – an African-American congregation that works to renew the Lawndale neighborhood community.  Lunch was at a Mediterranean restaurant called “Dawali’s” where Lawrence & Jo blessed us with a rich dessert of Baklava.  Thank you Adams!

We spent the long ride home, sleeping, laughing, counting our blessings and sharing with each other the experiences we had.  The mission ended “At the Altar” of our church thanking God for being able to serve him and giving all the honor & glory to Him.  Ask any kid and they will say they want to go back.  God touched us and the stories will live in our hearts for a long time.  Every one of us was impacted in our relationship with Christ, each other and the people we meet on a daily basis.  We truly learned to “Love God, Love Others.”  Thank you for your prayers and support.

This was a great experience to kick-off our new year.  Youth starts up again on Sunday night, September 9th, hopefully in our newly remodeled Youth Room.  (GREAT BIG THANK YOU)  We will begin with post-lessons on our mission trip and a Church of God Youth ministry called “Spread the Word.”  We will welcome new sixth graders into the youth ministry and hope to invite and bring many friends to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  New 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission forms will be coming in the mail.  What an exciting time in our youth ministry!

During class time on Sunday mornings (10:00-10:45) the Middle School students are meeting with Maggie Hyde and the High School Class is with Pastor Jerry & Connie.  The High School students are studying the book of Romans and we are inviting YOU to come.  Each lesson stands on its own; you are not behind or ahead, SO, join on Sunday mornings.  (You just have to GET UP and COME.)  As always, you are invited to church also at 11:00.   One item of information for you, there will be NO youth on Sunday, September 16, 2012 because Connie & I will be attending the Baby Dedication of our granddaughter in Lansing.  Thanks for your understanding.

Praise God for the AWESOME summer we have had!   Your prayers have been felt in everything activity and lesson we had this summer!  Let’s pray for a great beginning to a new year.

Love God, Love People!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

August Youth Update

It’s hard to believe that summer is going so fast!  Fall sports are already in preparation for a new season and students will be back in school in a month plus our weekly youth meetings on Sunday nights will begin again on September 9th @ 6:00 PM.  Where has the summer gone?

July was a good month for the youth as we finished up with a great weekend in Mio.  We had great fun camping, canoeing down the AuSable River with the Mio Youth, then a cookout Saturday, plus attending church the next morning and a great meal at the AuSable River Restaurant.   A special thanks goes out to Lawrence & Jo Adams for hosting us at their cabin in the woods.  Great time, great fellowship!  We are already planning for next year if we again have the opportunity.  Unfortunately, the Meridian Church of God had to cancel out with the softball game and we were unable to have enough students for the Scavenger Hunt (this was postponed until sometime in Sept. or Oct.).  However, we all had a great time at the Great Lake Loons game.  Good times!

This is a BIG month and we will NEED your prayers!  14 people will be leaving early in the morning on Friday, August 24 to travel to Chicago for a mission trip with the Center of Student Missions.  We will travel most of the day, arriving in Chicago that evening for an ethnic meal and a prayer tour of the city. All day Saturday we will be participating in planned local missions, enjoying another ethnic meal that evening plus some other spiritual activities.  On Sunday, we will attend a local Chicago place of worship, have another ethnic lunch, and then be on our way home.  This event is truly one of the most spiritual life-changing experiences of the year for our youth.  Please pray for our youth, their counselors, the people and places we serve and the city of Chicago.  We will be having a special meeting about the mission trip on Monday, August 20, 2012 at 7:00 PM at Mt. Haley that we ask all participants to attend.  (Hopefully, this meeting is after all the summer events, fair, vacations, camps, etc.)

Also this month we will offer the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the Midland County Fair with your youth group on Thursday, August 16th.  We will offer rides into town to attend the fair and we know several will already be there.

Our new youth room is getting closer to being FINISHED!  New walls, new ceiling and fresh paint are completed.  The flooring and lights still need to be done then we can move in.  We have been garage sale shopping all summer.  We have new area rugs, several different items of furniture and shelving, plus a mini-refrigerator.  It’s going to be COOL!  Thank you CHURCH for doing this for our youth!  It is GREATLY appreciated!

A new youth year is coming and we will be welcoming in our new 6th graders and any other youth age student in the ministry.  Please let us know WHO these students are, with their phone numbers and addresses.  With a new youth room we want to FILL-IT-UP and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them!  Also, September means we will be having all students and parents submitting new 2012-2013 Medical Release and Permission Forms.  Watch for these coming to your home soon.  We are also planning on having a special “Parent Meeting” for new youth in the near future. Watch for times and date.

During class time on Sunday mornings (10:00 -10:45) the Middle School students are meeting with Maggie Hyde and the High School Class is with Pastor Jerry & Connie.  The High School students are studying the book of Romans and we are inviting YOU to come.  Each lesson stands on its own; you are not behind or ahead, SO, join on Sunday mornings.  (You just have to GET UP and COME.)  As always, you are invited to church also at 11:00.   One item of information for you, there will be NO youth on Sunday, September 16, 2012 because Connie & I will be attending the Baby Dedication of our granddaughter in Lansing.  Thanks for your understanding.

Praise God for the AWESOME summer we have had!  Remember to PRAY for our Mission Trip to Chicago!  Know that you are always welcome at the Mt. Haley Church of God.

Love God, Love People!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

July Youth Update!

Connie and I are preparing for the International Youth Convention in Denver, Colorado.  The Church of God has a convention every two years in the cities of Denver, Orlando, San Antonio or Nashville with 5-6 thousand students & leaders. We arrived for service at Mt. Haley too late to prepare a group to attend the convention in Denver; however, we hope to take a group to Nashville in 2014, which we will begin preparing for in September.  We will be enjoying all the great speakers, conferences, and bands as well as working registration & the prayer rooms, plus renewing friendships with friends from around the country.  The IYC (as it is known) has offered great blessings and opportunities for students & leaders to live for Christ.

We are preparing today for our adventure to Lake City tomorrow after returning yesterday from a week in Anderson, IN for the North American Convention of the Church of God. Our very own pastor, David, was a speaker for a morning service and he represented Christ, himself and our church well.  His message from God was a huge blessing for many people from around the country.  The “camp meeting” is an outstanding venue for the Church of God for pastors and laypeople of the Church of God around the country.  Next year is going to be very exciting as Anderson will host the Global Gathering, with pastors and laypeople from all over the world gathering together to “Praise God” and meet as the people of God.

Anyway, we are traveling to Lake City to spend the day as a guest of Nancy Farison.  The group will be swimming, playing volleyball, seeing the STAND team, plus many other activities.  Thank you Nancy, for providing a wonderful day for our youth.

Upcoming activities for the youth (and sometimes church) include:

  • Sunday, July 8 – Softball Game at 6:00 PM with the Meridian Church of God – everyone is invited and refreshments will be served. “GO MT. HALEY!”
  • Thursday, July 12 – Mt Haley attending the LOONS game.  Dollar night @ the stadium.
  • Tuesday, July 17  – Scavenger Hunt (youth)
  • Friday – Sunday, July 27-29 – Canoe-Camping Trip to Mio.  Leaving Friday evening, Canoeing on Saturday with the Mio CHOG youth, a gathering on Saturday night with Mio Youth, then Church in Mio on Sunday morning, returning home Sunday afternoon.
  • SAVE THE DATE –MISSION TRIP:  Friday – Sunday, August 24-26 to Chicago.  Special letter coming with details 2nd week of July.

A special “THANKS” goes out to the many volunteers who helped make Vacation Bible School a HUGE SUCCESS this year.  We especially appreciate all the youth who participated and helped with VBS this year.

During class time on Sunday mornings (10:00 -10:45) the Middle School students are meeting with Maggie Hyde (Thank you Maggie) and the High School Class is with Pastor Jerry & Connie.  The High School students are beginning to study the book of Romans and we are inviting YOU to come.  Each lesson stands on its own; you are not behind or ahead, SO, join on Sunday mornings.  (You just have to GET UP and COME.)  As always, you are invited to church also at 11:00.   I will be speaking on Sunday, July 22, on a topic you have heard about – “The 360 Revolution” and telling your story of Christ.

Praise God for summer (and even the hot weather).  Hope to see you involved with your youth ministry as you enjoy the summer and its many activities.

Love God, Love People!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

June Youth Update

Summer is here! With the warm weather we have been having, it seems like we are several weeks into it, but school doesn’t end for another week.  The month of May was very exciting as we attended the Michigan State Youth Convention.  The music was good, the speaker outstanding and what a great time our group had together.  A highlight for the weekend was Mt. Haley winning the Volleyball Tournament and bringing home a huge trophy for our ministry plus unique trophies for each participant.  We had a great time traveling with the Meridian Church of God youth group and most importantly our group grew stronger in our own relationships.  Most important though was the renewed commitments to Christ and the desire to walk in His ways. Everyone was extremely blessed in the services, communion, and our conversations with each other.  We hope to share about the weekend on Sunday morning, June 10th.

The 360 Evangelism strategy was a key component in our May youth meetings leading up to SYC. The students have selected three people they are praying for six days a week and looking for opportunities to share Christ.  In the context of these lessons, they learned the process of writing their own personal testimony and learned a method for sharing the gospel with a friend.  We are working very hard to not only live and talk the fulfilling consistent Christian life, but trying to equip them to share their testimony and the gospel to others.  This is all in the process of “Loving God, Loving Others.”

Summer brings a completely different schedule & agenda.  We will NOT be meeting regularly on Sunday night, but will have various nights of prayer, devotion, and recreation.  Our June dates are:

  • Friday, June 8 Celebration Campfire – at the home of Lawrence and Jo Adams – to celebrate the end of school.
  • Tuesday, June 12 – Banana Split night at the Texan
  • Monday-Thursday, June 18-21 – Helping with Vacation Bible School at Mt. Haley
  • Saturday, June 30 – Lake City Adventure with Nancy Farison and her summer campsite.

During July, we will be attending the Loons Game with the church, having a camping & canoe trip to Mio, a church softball game (hopefully with Meridian CHOG) and a scavenger hunt.  Our BIG weekend we are preparing for is a mission trip to Chicago on the weekend of August 24-26.  We are also looking forward to our NEW sixth graders starting in September on the first Sunday after Labor Day.  We didn’t have any seniors this year but will be adding several new sixth graders to our ministry in the fall.  Praise God!

Connie and I will be traveling in June to Indiana to attend Anderson Camp Meeting and hopefully the birth of our 7th grandchild.  My son’s wife is due on June 21 and we hope this all happens during our time in Indiana.  He lives about 20 minutes from Anderson in Indianapolis.  Thank you also for the prayers for my parents.  My dad has progressive bone cancer and will be undergoing treatments at the Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis for the next 7-8 months.  Because of the nature of the treatments and the distance from their home in northern Indiana, they will be living there in an apartment.  We will also be traveling to Denver, Colorado for the International Youth Convention the first week of July.  Keep us in your prayers.

Summer is going to be exciting this year.  Thank you for keeping our students in your prayers.

Blessings, Pastor Jerry

May Youth Update

May is coming QUICK! Where did the month of April go? As I am writing this, our garage is packed with “stuff” for the Youth Garage Sale this Friday and Saturday. Connie and I are working furiously (I should say Connie is…) to get all of our donated treasures processed and ready for a sale.  The people of our church have been SO gracious and encouraging – we give a ton of THANKS and APPRECIATION to everyone!  We will let you know how we did as soon as the information is available.

In the meantime, we had a Potato Bar dinner last Saturday night and it was extremely successful. We have also had an extremely successful round of raking this spring.  The money earned is helping to pay for State Youth Convention and events beyond. While God blessed us financially, I believe the most important aspect of our work has been the friendships, the bonding, the time together and the kids working cooperatively together to complete a task.  Strengthening relationships through time together and working together as the students of God creates a stronger ministry. Praise God.

We need your prayers—especially for the State Youth Convention May 18-20.  We have 10 students and four adults attending from Mt. Haley, 4-5 students and an adult from the North Euclid CHOG, plus we will be traveling & eating with the Meridian CHOG.  It’s going to be a GREAT weekend and please pray that lives are CHANGED and CHALLENGED.

Sunday nights?  What are we doing?  The 360 Revolution.  Jesus loves and cares for His children. This is lovingly portrayed in Luke 15 with the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. Sharing the gospel demonstrates our love for Jesus. We need to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  That is only ONE Sunday night summary. The 360 Revolution is only the beginning.  360 means investing in (3) people, praying for them (6) days a week (taking action on at least one of those days) and trying not to miss any opportunities (0) to plant, water, or fertilize a relationship with Jesus Christ.  The students will also be given guidance on how to share their own testimony plus a strategy to share the gospel with their friends.

We are currently offering Hanging Plants for sale.  They are $15 each and are from Kutchey’s Greenhouse.  The students earn $6 for each plant sold and they will arrive at Mt. Haley on Tuesday, May 8 after 3:00 PM, just in time for Mother’s Day.

We will not have a Youth Meeting on the Sunday we return from State Youth Convention (May 20) and we will not have a Youth Meeting on Sunday, May 27 due to the Memorial Day Holiday.  Our last youth meeting for this school year will be on Sunday, June 3.  Youth meetings will not be on Sunday nights during the summer.  There will be 7-9 activities scheduled on various nights of the week and will include prayer, devotion/lesson and a fun activity.  These nights will last longer than the time we usually have. With the summer brings more flexibility and NO homework that needs to be done.  Watch for the upcoming schedule so you can plan.  We have some pretty exciting ideas for these days!

Once again, thank you for sharing your son or daughter with us.  Sharing the gospel with your kids gives us joy and we truly hope for the best in their lives.  Together, God can be praised!

Love God, Love Others!

Pastor Jerry

April Youth Update

Spring is going to be a busy time for your Youth as we prepare for the Michigan State Youth Convention for the Church of God.  As of this printing, we have almost twenty planning on attending. Super Early Bird registration occurred through March and students may still register for an additional $10 through April.  The $115 total is a great deal for a youth weekend as it covers lodging, food, speakers, conferences, recreational activities and much more.  We are looking forward to how God is going to work in our lives.

The “Sticky Questions and Jesus” teaching series on Sunday night has concluded and we will be on to new things.  On April 1 we will be looking at Baptism and the Crucifixion then there will be NO YOUTH on Easter Sunday.  The remaining April meetings will be focusing on the 360 Revolution and how we incorporate it into our life.  It’s a fantastic tool for reaching people for Christ.

We have several fundraising opportunities on deck in the next couple of months.  As I am working on this, we are in the process of completing the Raking Project for Olive Deitsch and we appreciate her for providing this opportunity.  On Saturday, April 21st we will be have a Bake Potato Bar (and other menu things) at the Church from 4:45 to 5:45 for donation prior to the Forresters in Concert that evening.   On April 27 & 28 we are having a Youth Garage Sale at our home, 712 Stillmeadow, in town.  We are in the process of collecting donated “treasures” and will collect them through the sale. Sale items may be dropped off initially into the church garage, then will be transferred ASAP to the Grahams. Items can also be dropped off at our home.  Leftover items will be donated the Salvation Army after the sale.  Our last opportunity will be the selling of Hanging Plants from Kutchey’s Greenhouse.   Plants are usually the same price as the greenhouse, however, we receive them at cost, and then the students reap the profit.  The Hanging Plants would arrive at the church the week of May 8-11, just in time for Mother’s Day.   Our goal is for every student to earn their way to State Youth Convention and then even have funds for summer projects.

Speaking of summer, our tentative plans are to have our regular youth meetings on various dates throughout the summer so we can incorporate lessons/devotions/God’s Word into relationship with recreational activities.  For example, we might have our weekly lesson in conjunction with a trip to the TEXAN in Midland to enjoy their gigantic banana splits. Summer without school hours & responsibilities gives us more flexibility and other options.

For those people who follow FACEBOOK, we have a Mt. Haley Youth Ministry group page.  If you would like to be part of the group, just type it in and we will get you approved.  We post weekly with announcements, a summary of the week’s youth lesson and general comments and questions.

Once again, we would like to relay how important and how appreciative we are for our prayer partners.  Your daily prayers really make a difference.  As we enter the Easter week of celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, we encourage you to participate and be involved in Maundy Thursday services, Good Friday services at the Midland Missionary Church and come celebrate that HE is RISEN on Easter morning.  Easter begins at 8:00 with a service, followed by breakfast, an Easter Egg Hunt for children and then morning Worship Service and Baptism.  A day of celebration of His Resurrection and the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry 

March Youth Update

February was a good month as we held our Super Bowl Party and our Lock-In with great participation and attendance over 20 at each event.  Connie and I were tired after both activities with the Super Bowl being the day after we returned home from Guatemala and the Lock-In —well, we stayed awake all night for those who doubted, having fun with each other and the Word of God.  Super Night, We welcomed two youth from the St. Johns First Church of God plus many friends beyond our own group.

Your students are being PRAYED FOR EVERY DAY!  Students identified as a regular have a “Mt. Haley” church adult (A Prayer Partner) holding them up in prayer daily.  So, if your student receives a note of encouragement or call, don’t be surprised.  The great news is we will be adding new students for prayer this month. God is working within our youth ministry and prayers are being answered and making an impact.

“Jesus and Sticky Questions” will continue to be our topic in Sunday night youth meetings throughout March.  Ask your students about the topics we are dealing with.  They would be great topics even for adults.  On April 1 we will have a special lesson on “The Crucifixion” and then the following Sunday we will not have Sunday night youth because it is Easter Sunday.  Your students have an opportunity for “Baptism” on Easter Sunday if they feel called by God to participate in this sacrament.  If a student is interested in being baptized, please contact Pastor David or me as soon as possible.  We will take you through the purpose of baptism and the steps needed.

We are working on several events during April & May, however, our BIG event will be STATE YOUTH CONVENTION held at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo on the weekend of May 18-20.  Fundraisers will be coming SOON to help raise money for the convention.  A Super Early Bird $40 registration will be DUE by March 25 which will guarantee a $115 cost to the convention.  During April it jumps to $125 and in May it jumps to $150. It pays to plan ahead!

This year’s convention features the speaker Don Jackson.  He was so popular last year, that he is coming back this year.  The weekend worship leader is Joel Hutton with our Friday night guests being Nate Felierstien and MOCI.  The convention costs not only include guests and concerts, but two nights lodging, four meals, tailgate party and all programs. (Tournaments – 3 on 3 basketball, dodgeball, volleyball, chat with Joel Frymire, Don Jackson and MOCI, Talent Search and more)  We also have the opportunity to order a convention T-Shirt for $10.  Look for the posting in the youth room to see what it looks like.

We encourage all of our students to attend our Sunday night youth meetings every week and to participate in all the events of the youth ministry.   The more they attend weekly and participate in the Youth Ministry’s events, the more they will make friends and feel part of God’s people.  We also invite and encourage our students and their families to attend the 11:00 AM Worship Services at Mt. Haley.  We would love to have you join us.

Thank you for sharing your son or daughter with us, your support and your prayers.

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry