February Youth Update

It’s February already! We are well into 2015 and time just seems to fly. Our Winter Retreat was awesome this year. We had snowy great weather for traveling to and from it, plus the weekend went just as planned. “Collision with God” was our theme for weekend as Brett Talley from Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis delivered several great messages that challenged our thinking and brought us closer to God. Josh Lavender proved to be a great Worship leader, as he and his band brought us closer to the throne of Grace. Again, through the victorious effort of our Mt. Haley girls, in ga-ga ball, we brought home the Winter Retreat Traveling trophy to reside at Mt. Haley until next year. Lots of tubing, skiing, ice-skating, indoor games, broomball and other activities provided fun for everyone. Special thanks to Chase Brenske and Paul Hassen for serving as temporary counselors for the weekend. Thank You! Special recognition goes to our table cup masters as they entertained the meal crowds with their display of timing, rhythm, and manipulation of their cups. (You would have to be there to understand!) Great Retreat! Well done, Connie!

Who is the Holy Spirit! We are almost done with our series of “Who are God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?” We will be wandering into a discussion on “church” and living in the Kingdom of God this spring. There will be NO YOUTH on Sunday, February 1 (Super Bowl Sunday) and February 8 (leaders in Guatemala). Bible Study on Sunday mornings continues to look at “Purpose, Purity, Power and People” and will throughout the year. The GRADS @ Graham group on Sunday nights is studying “Why Revelation” and will be through March. Again, I would emphasize that Youth begins at 6:00 PM on Sunday nights, not at 6:15, 6:25, 6:40 or whenever. Your help in starting on time is appreciated!

There is a special Concert and Super Bowl Party at the Community Nazarene Church in Midland on February 1st for High School and College-aged kids. PW Gopal will be in concert at 5:00 PM followed by a big-screened viewing of the Super Bowl with pizza and snacks provided.

Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons the Lock-In was postponed. People were out of town and had conflicts, and we called it off when we only had 6 people coming on Wednesday before the Friday. The Lock-In is a huge activity, needs extra adult supervision, and has a higher cost than most local activities. Signing up for events is important to us in planning – so help us out! The GOOD news is we did have the swimming party which was very well attended (15 kids) and we enjoyed the pool, each other and Pizza Sam’s. We will let you know when we find a new weekend for the Lock-In.

Guatemala is NEXT WEEK! 15 servants from 5 different churches (8 from Mt. Haley) will be departing for Guatemala City on Thursday, February 5 and returning to Midland Thursday, February 12. We have been spiritually prepared and challenged, we have insurance, we have bonded together, and our plane tickets are purchased. We will be weighing our luggage on Tuesday this week and flying on Thursday. Your prayers are wanted, needed and appreciated as we minister in Guatemala! We will have many blessings, stories and God-sightings to share with you when we return.

Can’t believe it! The time is coming for registration for the annual Michigan Church of God State Youth Convention held in Kalamazoo on the weekend of May 15-17, 2015. This year’s speaker is Reverend Doctor Todd Faulkner, campus minister of Anderson University. The worship leaders are Alanna Story, a new and upcoming Christian band. If you register in March, it’s $120 with a $40 deposit. After that, the costs go to $130 in April & $155 in May. We have a special deal for you this year. If you pay the $40 registration in March, the Mt. Haley Youth Ministry will match your $40 and provide fundraisers to work on in April & May to complete the $80 balance. To have the match, you must register in March. Our fundraisers work best in April & May because the weather breaks and we can rake, collect pop cans, sell hanging baskets, etc. SO, plan ahead, save yourself $40 with the match and then earn the rest of the way to a great SYC!

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings, Pastor Jerry

January Youth Update

Happy New Year! I was happy to see 2014 come to a close and have great expectations for 2015. Knowing that God is always good all the time helps to shape my reactions to life with the knowledge that He is always in control and that my purpose in life is to be like Jesus and to bring God glory in all things.

With that said, we had have great moments in our Youth Ministry this year and we have also struggled. Our conventions and retreats, the new retreat location at Cran-Hill, the SYC and especially the IYC were filled with the Holy Spirit and many students advanced on their decisions to serve the Lord. The fundraisers were especially important as they bonded us together, weekly meetings went well and most of our activities were well participated. The Detroit weekend and Guatemala were fantastic mission opportunities and God was glorified! Students were baptized and many are much more open to walking in faith. GRADS @ Grahams has been a ministry for those people who need a place in the church.

We celebrate our success, but we also recognize the struggles that every ministry endures. Thanks for the prayers for me as I lost my dad this year but rejoiced because I know he has been healed of that terrible cancer & pain, and is now dwelling in the house of the Lord. I have also struggled with my eyesight, dealing with several surgeries but knowing that soon God will restore my sight.

We are a ministry in transition. We have lost several key players due to the natural process of graduation and the group has become younger. Through God’s grace, patience and love, my role now is to weave the students into a ministry where they accept each other, appreciate each other, care for each other, work with each other, not judge each other and most of all, love each other through God’s grace as we grow in Christ. We live in a culture where the easy thing to do, if we don’t like something or someone, is to walk away from it and not even try anymore. My prayer is that God reclaims the group, brings everyone back into the fold, resurrects leaders and creates a comfortable, loving, accepting atmosphere that glorifies God. We welcome your prayers!

At the time of your reading, we are either preparing to depart for Winter Retreat, experiencing Cran-Hill Ranch or celebrating the things that God did over the weekend! We are taking 9 students and I know the weekend is FULL with students and counselors from all across the Church of God congregations in Michigan. We’ve had a great speaker in Brett Talley from Indianapolis Church of the Crossing and are probably enjoying the worship of Josh Lavender & his band out of Florida! Winter Retreat is always a weekend of the Holy Spirit with students drawing closer to Jesus and His love. A shout-out goes to my wife, Connie, the CHOG Director of Youth Ministries in Michigan. Hundreds of people have been blessed with her leadership and the success of state activities and I know she humbly serves to bring glory to God.

The NEXT Big event is the annual YOUTH LOCK-IN on Friday night, January 23rd where we insanely lock ourselves in the church to eat, play wild and crazy games, watch movies, pray and devote, (maybe sleep?) and generally stay up all night. This is, hands down, the most asked for and biggest highlight of the year for many of our students. Details will be coming SOON after the retreat is finished, so watch for them. HOWEVER, WE NEED parents, helpers, volunteers, bodies, to experience the night with us. We are asking for people to help us in 2-3 hour shifts throughout the night to guarantee a success. Connie and I could handle this, but it’s more fun and easier with help. Thanks! Call us!

Guatemala is becoming more and more official each day! 15 servants from 5 different churches (8 from Mt. Haley) will be departing for Guatemala City on Thursday, February 5th and returning to Midland Thursday, February 12th. We have been spiritually prepared and challenged, we have insurance, we have bonded together, our plane tickets are purchased, and we are ready except for the packing. We still need your prayers, money for the house and other expenses and your encouragement. God has BIG plans for Mt. Haley and the Guatemalan community.

This month we will still pursue the study of “Who is the Holy Spirit” and in Sunday School we are still looking at “InTune with Purpose, Purity, Power and People.” GRADS @ Grahams are starting an 8–week study on Revelations which should provide some great discussions.

We NEED your help! I am just going to be blunt. Let’s make a New Year’s resolution. The Youth Ministry has 3 events every week – Sunday School @ 10:00 AM, Mt. Haley Youth @ 6:00 PM and GRADS @ Grahams at 8:15 PM. We are beginning to be a very “tardy” youth ministry. On a typical youth meeting night, we usually begin with 2-3 students at 6 and it may take up to 45 minutes after the start time to have everyone there. The same issue effects the other two meetings also. All the meetings have been well planned to fill up the opportunity to share God’s Word. We ask your help in keeping our meetings start times (and dismissals) punctual. We almost always are open 15 minutes prior to the meeting and want to begin on time. Thanks for the help!

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings, Pastor Jerry

December Youth Update

Merry Christmas! Our Mt. Haley Church celebrated the “Hanging of the Greens” last Sunday night and I was very excited because of the 13 youth in attendance. This is a GREAT improvement over the last few years, and I am excited students are involved in the church at large. We will be having a couple of Christmas lessons in youth in addition to beginning our study “Who is the Holy Spirit?” We have a young group and have been pleasantly surprised with good participation with the expectation of more mature faith walks as we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“GRADS @ Grahams” has been progressing also with very in-depth discussions and Bible Study taking place every week with 6-8 people involved every week (although the names might change week to week). This ministry pulls 18-24 year olds from several churches who really want to grow in the Lord. We work around their busy life – homework deadlines, work schedules, out-of-town, family obligations and who knows what. What’s exciting is we started small, but the potential number of people identified as participants now is growing. God is blessing this ministry!

Registration is still open until December 29th for our annual Church of God Youth Winter Retreat on the weekend of January 9-11, 2015. Although we have already sent the pre-registrations, you can still go. A $60 registration deposit is DUE by December 29th, with the remaining $49 due by January 4, 2015 (total cost $99). It’s a great deal for two nights’ lodging, five meals, snacks, all programming and much of the recreation. This year’s speaker is Brett Talley from the Church of the Crossing in Indianapolis. Josh Lavender (recommended by Tommee Profitt) will be our worship leader. Winter Retreat is a great Christmas gift for students unable to attend because of financial reasons. Connie is already praying for snow and making some of the final preparations!

We MADE A DIFFERENCE again on November 23rd as we helped pack over 500 Thanksgiving baskets (pictured above) at the Aldersgate Methodist Church. Our packing was preparing the contents for Thanksgiving dinners for families in need. The Midland County Food Pantry Network and groups from all over Midland sponsored the event. You can be proud of our group as they worked hard to serve others on this big project. We enjoyed some bowling afterwards to celebrate a great day of service.

Again, for your calendars, these events are being planned. They are as follows:

  • Youth EVERY Sunday at 6:00 PM
  • No Youth on December 28 (Christmas), January 11 (Retreat), or February 8 (Guatemala)
  • December 21: Christmas Party @ Mt. Haley
  • January 9-11: Winter Retreat @ Cran-Hill
  • January 23: Mt. Haley Lock-In
  • February 22: Swimming Party @ Four Seasons
  • May 15-17: State Youth Convention

Fundraising has been successful if you participated in them. This Fall, we had 5 different projects in preparation for Winter Retreat. We will begin fundraising again in February as we prepare for State Youth Convention.

Our Guatemalan Mission Team has now met two times. We are anticipating purchasing our tickets in the first couple of weeks in December. Please pray that ticket prices will decline. We have 8 people from Mt. Haley, 1 from the Meridian Church of God, 3 from the Community Nazarene Church and 2 from the First Church of God in Saginaw. These churches will be helping in the fundraising. However, our goal of $5000 to help with the cost of a Guatemalan home is set and we are praying for God’s blessings in helping out another family. THANK YOU for the contributions that have already come in. We will also be having costs for luggage, insurance, and other miscellaneous things as we come closer to departure. Please consider how you can BLESS this church ministry and help our team. Each year it is exciting to anticipate the blessings of Guatemala.

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

November Youth Update

Our Youth Meetings have been going well and participation has been good on Sunday nights. GRADS @ Grahams has also been doing well so ministry on Sundays is happening. The Sunday morning class is chugging along with “InTune with God Through Purpose, Purity, Power & People,” and we have enjoyed better attendance than last year. On Sunday nights in Youth we have just finished “Who is God?”: our CREATOR, our FATHER, our God of MERCY & JUSTICE, our LOVE, that’s what we have learned who GOD is! We have begun a new series, “Who is Jesus?” This Sunday we finish up “Extreme Love” with the GRADS @ Grahams then we will move in our Bible Study with the topic yet to be determined.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE! On October 25th we packed hundreds of diapers for the “Diaper Alliance” and had a good time at Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch! Thank you Pastor David for stepping up and helping us out! Diaper Alliance is an organization in the Tri-City area that supplies diapers to various agencies that distribute them to families in need of diapers. Basically, we sorted them into groups of 20 (each worth $6) in particular sizes and prepared them for delivery. It was amazing because we packaged hundreds of diapers for people in need across our area in just 2 hours of work. This is a great activity for any group who would like to participate in a service project.

There will be NO YOUTH on the evening of November 23 due to the area Thanksgiving Service in Oil City at the Assembly of God. We will be doing a service project, Sunday, Nov. 23rd with the Midland Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive from 1:00 -3:00 PM. The Midland County Department of Human Services, Aldersgate United Methodist Church and the Midland County Food Pantry Network will be coordinating this afternoon of service. This important program provides Thanksgiving dinners for some of Midland County’s families in need. We will be having sandwiches, chips, & dessert between 12:00 PM & 12:40 PM, then travel to Aldersgate Methodist Church in town. After our service project we will travel to Northern Lanes to go bowling, then we will return to the church afterwards.

We have planned some of our events for the year with the details still needing to be worked out. They are as follows:

  • November 23: Service project – Thanksgiving Baskets @ Aldersgate followed by Bowling @ Northern Lanes
  • December 21: Christmas Party @ Mt. Haley
  • January 9-11: Winter Retreat @ Cran-Hill
  • January 23: Mt. Haley Lock-In
  • February 22: Swimming Party @ Four Seasons
  • May 15-17: State Youth Convention
  • There will be events in March & April yet to be determined and there probably will be other events mixed into the schedule.

Our Church of God WINTER RETREAT at Cran-Hill Ranch is coming up on January 9-11, 2015 and registration has begun. A $50 registration deposit is DUE by November 30, 2015, with the remaining $49 due by January 4, 2015 (total cost $99). It’s a great deal for two night’s lodging, five meals, snacks, all programming and much of the recreation. This year’s speaker is Brett Talley from the Church of the Crossing in Indianapolis. Josh Lavender (recommended by Tommee Profitt) will be our worship leader. By December, Connie will be praying for snow and making some of the final preparations! Think ahead, earn your money needed and mark it on your calendars.

Hopefully, by the time of this reading, Olive’s (our church centenarian’s) yard will have been raked and Olive will have blessed the participants with several hundred dollars. Our Poinsettia and Wreath sale begins this month and orders are due by Sunday, November 30th with delivery on Saturday, December 6. There will be another Scripts Gift Card sale also before the registration date, which Youth can take orders for and claim the profits. Hopefully, Youth have participated in the fundraisers (Mums, Gift Cards, Raking) this Fall which will help you in costs of the retreat.

Great news, most of this year’s permission slips have been collected and will cover us for the year. Also, our “Prayer Warrior” ministry has begun for the year with prayers being offered up daily for all of our youth (6-12) plus our grads! We consider this ministry one of our MOST important aspects of the church and we THANK everyone who has volunteered to participate.

Missions – YES, we NOW have 14 people signed up for our Guatemala Mission on the dates of February 5-12, 2015. We have had our first Guatemalan Spiritual Growth meeting and are anticipating our November meeting. We have 8 people from Mt. Haley, 1 from the Meridian Church of God, 3 from the Community Nazarene Church and 2 from the First Church of God in Saginaw. These churches will be helping in the fundraising, however, our goal of $5000 to help with the cost of a Guatemalan Home is set and we are praying for God’s blessings in helping out another family. Please consider how you can BLESS this church ministry and help our team. Each year it is exciting to anticipate the blessings of Guatemala.

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry

October Youth Update

We are off to a GREAT beginning of the 2014-15 school year.  Youth is going strong every week from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM, then Connie & I are scurrying home for our 8:15 Grads @ Grahams meeting. Sundays are BUSY as we are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Even our 10:00 AM Sunday morning class has picked up in attendance.  We are hoping to touch over 30 people on any given Sunday as the year progresses. Our topic on Sunday morning is “InTune with God Through Purpose, Purity, Power & People.”  With the Youth on Sunday nights we are “Becoming a GREAT Youth Ministry” through knowing “Who is God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit.”  Our grads are exploring the topic of “Extreme Love.”  So the Word of God is being spread!

Our IYC Sunday was a blessing highlighted by testimonies from Corey Forster, Liz Dale, Paul Hassen, Nick Torres, Tristan Mapes, Sabrina Torres, Jessi Smith and Shane Mudd. All of our delegates came home closer to God and we are anxious to watch how it plays out in their daily lives. Several commented that they could hardly wait for the next one in San Antonio, Texas.  It was a BIG event with over 5000 in attendance, $65,829 given for Spread the Word missions ($600 from us) and incredible stories of God working in our kids!  Thank you for all the prayers and support.

Speaking of prayers, we could still use some more volunteers to “Prayer Warriors” for our youth.  We are entertaining the idea of including the Grad Class participants, which would multiply our numbers.  Pray about it and let us know.  Thanks!

Our Mum Sale was not as great as we hoped, but after reducing the number to just 50 delivered, we were able to sell most of those.  We will be having a poinsettia & wreath sale in December plus possibly some can collecting and we know Olive’s yard will need to be raked soon.  We appreciate you donating pop cans & bottles on a regular basis.  It doesn’t seem like much, but last year we had almost $700 in can & bottle money.  It adds up!

Our Church of God WINTER RETREAT at Cran-Hill Ranch is coming up on January 9-11, 2015. Sounds like a long time from now, but a $50 registration deposit is DUE by November 30, 2015, with the remaining $49 due by January 4, 2015 (total cost $99).  It’s a great deal for two night’s lodging, five meals, snacks, all programming and much of the recreation.  This year’s speaker is Brett Talley from the Church of the Crossing in Indianapolis.  Josh Lavender (recommended by Tommee Profitt) will be our worship leader. By December, Connie will be praying for snow and making some of the final preparations!  Think ahead, earn your money needed and mark it on your calendars.

As you know, our Detroit CSM mission was very successful and were blessed greatly again.  On Sunday, September 28th we made the Midland Daily News with pictures and an article about our trip. Hopefully, you were able to catch that as we had quotes from students and a general description of the mission. Check the Youth bulletin board because we will have it posted for a few weeks.  We are possibly considering a weeklong adventure in Detroit next summer.  Keep that in your prayers!

Missions – YES, we already have 12 people signed up for our Guatemala Mission on the dates of February 5 -12, 2015.  If you are still thinking about it, please let us know ASAP because we will begin having our Spiritual Preparation Meetings in October.  Our goal of $5000 to help with the cost of a Guatemalan Home is set and we are praying for God’s blessings in helping out another family.  Each year it is exciting to include new participants on our team to share the blessings of Guatemala.

New 2014-2015 Parental Medical/Permission Release Forms were mailed to each family during August.  We NEED to have these forms completed and turned into Pastor Jerry ASAP.  If you have lost your copies, contact Pastor Jerry and we have more.  Many have been received, but we still need a few more. Please help us have this necessary paperwork done for the year so students can attend meetings, ride in the church van and attend any youth event.  Thanks for your help!

We have tentatively planned some of our events for the year with the details still needing to be worked out.  They are as follows:

  • October 25: Service project – the Diaper Alliance followed by visiting Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch & Maze
  • November 23: Service project – Thanksgiving Baskets @ Aldersgate followed by Bowling @ Northern Lanes
  • December 21: Christmas Party @ Mt. Haley
  • January 9-11: Winter Retreat @ Cran-Hill
  • January 23: Mt. Haley Lock-In
  • February 22: Swimming Party @ Four Seasons
  • May 15-17: State Youth Convention

There will be events in March & April yet to be determined and there probably will be other events mixed into the schedule.

Every summer we attempt to upgrade the Youth room at church and we have been successful again. We have new darker rugs to replace our light tan one and we have an air hockey table that we picked up cheaply at a garage sale.  Also there are some new wall pictures & sayings that spruce up the room. We are forever grateful for the church providing a “newly remodeled” room a couple of years ago.  Thanks again that we have an inviting room for our youth and their friends.

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry  

May Youth Update

God is GOOD all the TIME!  We are blessed as a church with the kids we have in the Youth Ministry.  Sure, there are moments, indiscretions, break-ups, behavior miscues and just the trial of being normal teenagers, BUT, the positive things far out-number the negative and they are good kids.  Keep them in your prayers always as they search their way through life.  My God-Sighting for today!  Challenge yourself and look for the good things God does everyday!

We have been BUSY!! At least, I have been. Garage sales, leaf raking, auctions, selling flowers, and clean-ups, not to mention meetings, activities and everything else.  Your youth pastor lives a blessed life!  The blessings has been getting to spend a lot of time with the kids as we rack up miles traveling from job to job and we are slowly earning our money needed for the big summer events. Every single student going to State Youth Convention is PAID – three weeks before going.  We are adding to our youth accounts for the International Youth Convention being held Thursday, July 3 through Wednesday, July 8th, 2014 (includes traveling).  Each delegate needs $415 to cover lodging and food.  It will happen.  Parents, thank you for helping your kids earn their way to the convention – it will be an experience they will never forget.

Our Youth year is winding down as the school year does.  For the Sunday night meeting our schedule is as follows:

  • May 4th – Relationships
  • May 11th – We know this is Mother’s Day and your student should honor this day; however, if they’re free, come to youth that night for last minute details on SYC.
  • May 18th – State Youth Convention (No Youth)
  • May 25th – Memorial Day Weekend (No youth)
  • June 1, June 8, June 15, and June 29 – Youth for all high school with emphasis on IYC Preparation.  Lessons will be appropriate for any student even if not attending IYC.
  • NO Youth June 22nd
  • July 3-8 – Attending IYC in Nashville
  • August 22-24 – Center for Student Missions in Detroit
  • September 7 – Fall Youth begins

In the middle of May, the summer schedule of youth activities will be announced.  There will be NO Sunday night youth meetings during July & August, but we will have periodic youth activities with devotions throughout the summer.

The Young Youth will meet every Tuesday with May 20th being their last session.  On May 20 we will be having a pizza party & treats.  We are doing the Faith 4 Life curriculum “God’s Purpose For Me.”  In the Fall, there will be no Young Youth meetings on Tuesday and they will join the regular youth meetings in the Fall Sunday nights providing they meet the required stipulations which parents will be supplied with in August.

The Michigan State Youth Convention (theme: “Ignite”) will be the weekend of May 16-18.  Special letters will be sent next week with all the information you need for the weekend. We will be working with the Meridian Church of God for transportation and help with the convention.  Pastor Jerry will need to leave the convention by noon on Saturday the 17th to attend the Memorial Services for his Dad who passed away in January, leaving Lawrence & Jo Adams in charge of the remaining time and getting the students home.  Everything should work out well and we are very excited about the possibilities for spiritual growth.  Keep us in your prayers!

The SYC will open on Friday night with Royal Tailor in concert. Royal Tailor is a Christian band with hits like “Ready, Set Go,” and “Jesus Love,” featuring TobyMac. Our other guest is John Tibbs.  John and his group will be leading us in worship throughout the weekend. Our speaker for the weekend will be Leo Robinson II.  He will challenge us to pursue vibrant lives for Christ.  Leo is from Flint and a Church of God Youth Pastor.

We were very excited have received a special invitation from the Center of Student Missions (CSM) to participate in a missions weekend in Detroit on the weekend of August 22-24. Detroit is a new city for CSM and we were invited to “pilot” a weekend there this summer.  The pilots are taking place at “invitation only” status and we were invited to participate.  We have already paid the deposit and the weekend is open to any high school student or graduate.  The cost will be $110 per person. We have 10 openings, so we will be taking sign-ups soon.  Watch for more details as this project develops.

Fundraising is in full swing and we have been blessed.  We made almost $600 at the recent garage sale and having been doing work projects every week.  REMEMBER – if you would like the students to work for you, please contact Pastor Jerry and work out the details.  It is a fundraiser helping us with IYC and Detroit, so as you hire us, please pay us for what the task is worth to you to have done.  We do not work by the hour and the money goes to the Youth Ministry, and then is distributed to the students.  (It does need to be worth our effort!)  The kids have been great workers this spring and we are very proud of their work ethic.  Also, you should know that with every dollar we earn (working, selling, etc.), we tithe 10% to “Spread the Word,” the outreach and mission arm of the International Youth Convention. Our offering will be made in Nashville this summer at the convention and we already have several hundred dollars collected.  We want to honor God with our earnings.

We want you to know that the Youth Update is not only in the church newsletter, but also on the church’s webpage so watch for it every month.

Parents and church, 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 and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People!

Blessings,

Pastor Jerry

April Youth Update

The snow is LEAVING! We are down to BIG piles and patches here & there, then with a little more rain and a few warmer days they will be gone.  Almost like sin, although it never disappears because of the world we live in, a little bit of God’s Word each day, some good relationships and fellowship with Christians, some regular attendance of church and a whole lot of prayers will help you avoid some of the sins we encounter in our daily walk with Christ.   Let Christ do the power lifting in your walk with him and more joy & contentment will fill your days.

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March Youth Update

Lamb or Lion? It has been a cold snowy winter and the long rides on Sunday and Tuesday evenings after youth meetings have been chilly.  We are not only ready to have  March come as a lamb, but to continue to put our trust in the “Lamb of God.” God has been GOOD!!

Our adventure to Guatemala was fantastic.  After enduring weather in the 70’s for the week, it was hard to come home to another snowstorm.  Because of weather, we were blessed with two extra days in Guatemala and some extra sightseeing.  The whole trip was a “once in a lifetime” experience and blessings were flowing. Our team will be presenting a report to the Mt. Haley congregation on Sunday, March 16, in the morning Worship Service at 11:00 AM.  Come and share in the blessings of the trip.

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June Youth Update

State Youth Convention was SPECTACULAR!  We had so much fun, so inspired and touched by the Word of God, so much drama, victorious in our recreational pursuits, overwhelmed by the worship and CHALLENGED! Challenged to walk with the Lord, to step out and LIVE our faith in our homes, our schools and our communities.  The kids all came home with their stories yearning to share how God worked in their hearts. THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement in our fundraisers. Your help really made a difference and we are very appreciative and grateful!  Thank You!

Summer begins, a few more days of school, the 6th grade had their last meeting and the last Sunday night youth meeting is June 2nd.  CONGRATULATIONS to our three graduating seniors from Bullock Creek, Chase Brenske, Corey Forster and Paul Hassen! Walk with the Lord as you begin this new phase in your journey as high school comes to an end.  Our last meeting will be an introduction to the 2014 International Youth Convention in Nashville, TN.  Come and learn all about the “preparations” we need to start and plan for our IYC and mission project next summer.  On Sunday mornings (except a couple) we invite the ENTIRE youth group to join us for a series on the “Parables of Jesus” @ 10:00 AM.  We will not be meeting formally on Sunday evenings so we are encouraging you to join us on Sunday mornings.  No snacks, no games, just the solid WORD of GOD, followed by Mt. Haley Worship service.

Our summer schedule begins the first week of June.  The tentative schedule is:

  • Friday, June 7 @ 8:00 PM – Campfire Meeting @ the home of Lawrence & Jo Adams
  • Thursday, June 13 @ 7:00 PM – Softball Game & BBQ with Meridian CHOG
  • Wednesday, June 19 @ 7:00 PM – Scavenger Hunt
  • Saturday, June 29 – Day at the Beach in Ludington State Park on Lake Michigan
  • July 7- July 22 – Pastor Jerry & Connie out of town
  • Thursday, July 25 @ 7:00 PM – Mt. Haley @ Loons Gamemichiganadventure
  • Saturday, August 3 – Traveling to theme park, Michigan Adventure (whole family welcomed!)
  • Friday, August 2-9 – St. Louis Camp Meeting
  • August 11-17 – Midland County Fair
  • Friday–Sunday, August 23-25 – Camping/Tubing/Canoeing in Mio

We have one more yard raking project to complete if we can ever get it to stop raining (on a day we have rakers) then we will be done with fundraisers for a couple of months. (Hopefully it is finished before you read this.)  Otherwise, we have the weekly Sunday morning meetings and our fun activities of the summer.

Parents and Church, 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.

We encourage everyone to come and be a part of our weekly Mt. Haley Worship every week at 11:00 AM and hope to see your kids the Sunday morning meetings and the summer activities.

Love God, Love People

Blessings,

Pastor Jerry

May Youth Update

“Rain, Rain, Go Away!” Hasn’t it been wonderful with all the rain God has blessed us with?  It just makes us appreciate the warmth of sunshine all the more! Michigan – you have to love it! Needless to say, we need some sunshine to dry up Olive’s yard so we can get it cleaned up for her & help earn our money for State Youth Convention. It’s looking like next week because her large puddle is slowing going away. God will provide!

State Youth Convention is this month, May 17-19 and we need your prayers for this “divine appointment.” As of today (4/30), we have 15 students on our list with 4 counselors plus kids from Bay City and Meridian CHOG traveling with us and occupying a floor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the next week, everyone will receive a “departure” letter helping you with what to take, schedules, guidelines, times, etc about the convention. Please watch for that letter because it will include important information for both students and parents. We still need to account for $80 from each student to fulfill the balance for SYC. We are trying to provide opportunities for student to earn the money, however, if you are able, we would appreciate any contributions you could make for your son or daughter to attend. Thanks!

By the time you read this, we will have completed our Gift Card Sale and our Youth Garage Sale. Students have the opportunity to sell “Hanging Baskets” from Kutchey’s until May 5th where they make $6-$8 per item sold. We hope to begin the work at Olive’s the week of May 6th.

photo by Lawrence OP
photo by Lawrence OP

Congratulations to our SENIORS from the Youth Ministry who will be graduating from Bullock Creek on May 31st. Our seniors are Paul Hassen, Chase Brenske and Corey Forster. Special prayers and best wishes for them as they pass this milestone in their lives. Students are allowed to participate in the Youth Ministry one year after they graduate from High School, so we could still see them in the ministry.

Our “Fruits of the Spirit” study is almost finished. We will be done with the study on May 12th. We will NOT have a Sunday night Youth Meeting on May 19th, because of the SYC; however, the 6th graders WILL have Youth on Tuesday, May 21st. We will NOT have Youth over the Memorial Day Weekend and our LAST youth meetings of the school year will be Sunday, June 2nd and Tuesday, June 4th. We will not have scheduled youth meetings on Sunday evenings throughout the summer.

Our summer schedule begins the first week of June. The tentative schedule is:

  • Friday, June 7 @ 8 PM – Campfire Meeting @ the home of Lawrence & Jo Adams
  • Thursday, June 13 @ 7:00 PM – Softball Game & BBQ with Meridian CHOG
  • Wednesday, June 19 @ 7:00 PM – Scavenger Hunt
  • Saturday, June 29 – Day at the Beach in Ludington State Park on Lake Michigan
  • July 7 – July 22 – Pastor Jerry & Connie out of town
  • Thursday, July 25 @ 6:00 – Mt. Haley @ Loons Game
  • Saturday, August 3 – Traveling to the Michigan Adventure theme park (whole family welcomed!)
  • Friday, August 2-9 – St. Louis Camp Meeting
  • August 11-17 – Midland County Fair
  • Friday – Sunday, August 23-25 – Camping/Tubing/Canoeing in Mio

There will probably be other spontaneous activities as well. We will also begin the planning, fundraising and preparation for next summer’s trip to Nashville to attend the International Youth Convention & Mission. This event is opened to any student entering high school in the fall of 2014 and any student one year after their high school graduation. We hope to take a group to this significant celebration of Church of God youth. Watch for details.

We thank our congregation for all the prayers, support, encouragement and the help in our fundraisers as we minister to the youth of our church and the Mt. Haley community.

Parents, 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.

We encourage everyone to come and be a part of our weekly Mt. Haley Worship every week at 11:00 AM.

Love God, Love People!

Blessings,

Pastor Jerry