April Youth Update

Spring Break – a great time of the year as we gear up for the last couple of months of school. For the Mt. Haley Youth, it means fundraising season begins to earn our way to State Youth Convention.  We are meeting this actual day to go Pop Can collecting to begin the quest to pay the $80 balances needed for SYC. The real “PRAISE” was the blessing of the recent Mexican Supper we had where enough money was raised to pay everyone’s registration fee to SYC.  God always provides!

Other fundraising opportunities will include:  our “Garage Sale” on the weekend of May 3-4.  If you wish to contribute we will be collecting items in the Mt. Haley garage up until April 20, then we will transfer and be collecting things at the Grahams until the sale.  The Mother’s Day Flower Sale will begin next week with plants being delivered after 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 9th.   We will also have a gift card sale where we receive a percentage of the costs beginning in a couple of weeks.  These make great gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations, and for general use – especially for gas & food.  Every card sold profits the youth group.  As soon as the weather clears, we plan on doing yard work for our favorite person, “Olive,” plus any other people who would like to hire us after school for spring clean-up.  Of course we will continue to have “Pop Can Sundays” and collect ink cartridges.  We know God will provide.

We are excited for State Youth Convention on the weekend of May 17-19. This year’s theme is “RENEW” and will feature the concert & worship band, The Afters, with Chicago Bear Chaplain, Ray McElroy as the speaker and a special drama presentation in concert by onetimeblind.  It’s one of our greatest weekends of the year.

grossologyThe Sixth Graders had a marvelous time at the Midland Center For the Arts “Grossology” exhibit. We enjoyed the presentation and the museum for a couple of hours, then went to Happy’s Pizza with the added treat of a McDonald’s Sundae.  A great day of fun for the 6th graders.

The “Fruits of the Spirit” are being studied & discussed in our youth meetings using our brand new Quickview NIV Bibles furnished by the congregation and church council. We want to express our appreciation and thankfulness for the new Bibles; they are working out great and really add to our meetings.  We have done patience, self-control, faithfulness and goodness so far –do you know what’s left?  Anyway, that should take us through May.

We are gearing up for the summer.  Although we will not have meetings every Sunday night, we will be having lots of events. Last summer, we had some great outings such as the canoe weekend, the lake trip, Loons game, banana splits and more.  There will be no mission trip this summer because we will 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.

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 also 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

March Youth Update

WOW! February was a GREAT month! It began with our church mission trip. Guatemala was AWESOME! We built a house, visited orphanages, visited a feeding station, saw the black sands & the Pacific, provided haircuts & fashion, visited the school, blessed by an inspiring service with 4 pastors speaking, created and continued many relationships with our Guatemalan family, visited Antigua and MORE. All done to give Honor, Glory, and Praise to our Savior. We witnessed His presence, counted our blessings, learned to walk closer in His steps and built a community of believers! Our mission now begins, bringing it home, sharing our love and serving our Lord. What a privilege it was to lead this team! Guatemala was a HUGE SUCCESS! We will have a church presentation on March 10th.

Speaking of March 10th, we will have a “Mexican Night” (tacos, enchiladas, beans, etc) @ 4:45 PM to benefit and begin the fundraising for State Youth Convention. Cost will be by donation. This will happen just before Pastor David’s series on ‘3:16’ and the weekly youth meeting at 6:00 PM. All youth who are entertaining the idea of SYC should come & help in earning their registration fees due at the end of the month. All parents, church members & guests are invited to kick off our Spring adventure. We are hoping to have Guatemalan pictures available during the supper. We are declaring March 17 as “Pop Can & Bottle Sunday” to help our registration drive. We also hope to have a ‘can & bottle’ collection day in town perhaps the day before the Sunday. Other upcoming fundraisers will be yard work, scripts, garage sale, Mother’s Day flower sale and hopefully another new idea coming down the pike.

Renew_2013State Youth Convention is coming quickly! Although it isn’t until the weekend of May 17-19, early-bird registration is $40 and must be mailed into the state office by March 30th. SO, we will be making our list & collecting money the week of Sunday, March 24 – 29th. The balance will be $80 due by the convention. This year’s theme is “RENEW” and will feature the concert & worship band, The Afters, with Chicago Bear Chaplain, Ray McElroy as the speaker and a special drama presentation in concert by onetimeblind. It’s one of our greatest weekends of the year.

Our February 22nd LOCK-IN was another reason February was a great month. We had almost 30 students plus adults in attendance for a night of silly games, food, movies and more. It’s great when we open up our church and invite our friends to have fun and witness the love and word of God. Since the last newsletter we also had a “Bowling” night at Northern Lanes with pizza, games and movies at Pastor Jerry’s house afterwards. It’s fun doing things together with Christ as our common denominator!

Our series, “Doing the Disciplines” ended last week. During our series we learned about Bible Study, Prayer, Quiet Times & Devotion, Serving, the Importance of Church and Reaching Out – all topics to strengthen our walk with Christ. We begin in March a series on the “Fruits of the Spirit” which will take us through May.

A new Snack Donation Sign-Up is up on the bulletin board as well as the “Student of the Month” feature and upcoming activities. Youth will continue to be @ 6:00 PM on Sundays for 7th-12th graders and on Tuesdays for 6th graders @ 2:30 PM.

We would also like to extend an invitation to Easter Week activities at the church. Maundy Thursday services will be March 28th. There will be an area Good Friday service @ Faith Wesleyan on Meridian Road. Easter will be the morning of March 30 with an Early Morning service at 9:00 AM followed by refreshments and activities for children. Easter Sunday service will begin at 11:00 AM. There will be not church or youth that evening. Everyone is welcomed!

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 thank the congregation for your help with snacks, with your encouragement and mostly your prayers.

Love God, Love People

Pastor Jerry

February Youth Update

As you are reading this we are probably serving in Guatemala. We are so excited to be sharing this experience with the Mt. Haley & Meridian CHOG. This will be our 6th Mission to Guatemala to build family homes, minister and love the people of the “Tracks” in Guatemala City. Our experiences have changed our lives, changed our perspectives and guatemalaincreased our love for God and His people. We covet your prayers as we serve and hope to share this year’s mission with you soon. Because of our mission, there will be NO Youth meetings or other youth activities February 1st through 8th. We will resume our duties on February 10th with our study of Romans in the AM and the youth meeting that evening.

As the ‘glow’ of the Winter Retreat begins to dim, we are encouraging our students in “Doing the Disciplines” to enhance their spiritual walk with God. We have already had lessons on Bible Study, Prayer and Devotions/Quiet Times. On our return we will discuss God’s way of “Service.” Throughout February, we will continue to encourage students in the disciplines of the Christian walk. Pray for the students who accepted Christ, rededicated their lives and felt God’s call during the Winter Retreat Weekend. We were very BLESSED that weekend!

Our February activity will be our Winter Lock-In on the 15th. All of the details have not been worked out, but we promise a great night of recreation, fellowship, food, and the Word of God. This is a great event to invite friends and have a blast. There is NO school on the 15th so we may get started early.

Fundraisers are coming February. We need to get ready for one of our BEST activities of the year –State Youth Convention. Watch for details as we begin our efforts again to participate in great activities of the CHOG.

State Youth Convention 2013 – RENEW is the weekend of May 17-19, 2013. A $40 Registration fee will be due by the week of March 24th – 29th before the price increases. There will an $80 balance remaining due at the time of convention. This year’s convention features our speaker, Roy McElroy, Chaplin of the Chicago Bears, our concert & worship leaders, The After and a special performance of onetimeblind in concert. You will be hearing much more about this weekend and we will be working to earn our way to this fabulous event.

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

January Youth Update

WOW!!!  What a way to end 2012!  Winter Retreat was AWESOME!  Honest words for our journey as followers of Jesus Christ. God’s word highlighted our identity in Christ, His words brought us into a fresh relationship with Jesus and His challenge was for us to “Sin no more” and spread the news of His love to our world.  Students accepted Christ, rededicated their walks, shared their struggles and looked to the ministry that Christ has for them.  Best of all, we bonded together and enjoyed our time together.  All that and fabulous fun too – tubing, swimming, winning the Dodge ball tournament, basketball, foosball and MORE!   We even brought home the traveling Winter Retreat trophy!  WOW!!!

Renew_2013As we begin the New Year, our youth accounts are “depleted” and we will need to grow them again. Coming in May will be the State Youth Convention with the band, The Afters, Onetime Blind, and our speaker, Raymond McElroy, the chaplain of the Chicago Bears.  ALSO, now is the time, to begin thinking and planning for the 2014 International Youth Convention in Nashville, TN.  Any student entering 9th grade in September of 2013 through one-year post-high school is eligible to participate and attend.  You will be hearing more and more.  In the meantime, no formal fundraising for January other than pop cans & printer cartridges.

On Sunday nights, we are all done with the topic,  “The Ten Commandments.”  We will begin on January 6 with “Getting By After the Spiritual High,” which will lead to a series on “Doing the Disciplines.”   The series will look at Bible Study, Prayer, Quiet time & Devotions, Service and Spreading the Word.  We will be looking into and discussing how to grow in our relationship with Jesus.  Should be FUN and CHALLENGING!  We will NOT have a Youth Meeting on Sunday, February 3rd and Tuesday, February 5th.  The Graham’s, the Adams, and the Aukerman’s will all be on a mission trip in Guatemala.  Pray for us!

We will be having a BOWLING party on Friday, January 25th to celebrate the end of the school semester.  Details will be coming SOON.  Our Winter Lock-In is tentatively set for Friday, February 15th.  These are both days when students do not have school.  We will NOT be having the February 3rd Super Bowl Party this year because of the Guatemala Mission Trip, February 1st – 8th.  Again, we ask for your prayers.

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

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