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  

September Youth Update

Welcome to new 6th grade parents, students, our congregation and youth parents & people in our community, to a new school year and the beginning of a new year in the Youth Ministry at Mt. Haley. There’s always excitement and anticipation with the arrival of a new grade level for our students, whether they’re making the transition from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, becoming a “Senior,” or just moving up one more grade.  Then there are the transitions to adult life or college with all the challenges that await some of our recent graduates.  It’s always a fresh start with new resolutions, goals and dreams.  There’s always an expectation of doing better, making a team, finding a job or becoming involved with a new interest.  With this same new determination in our student’s educational growth we all share as parents, we encourage you to have this same excitement in their spiritual & church life as we train them up to be disciples of Jesus and giving God the glory for their lives.

Mt. Haley Youth meetings begin on Sunday, September 7th at 6:00 PM with the series “Becoming a GREAT Youth Ministry” through 360 Evangelism & Knowing  “Who is God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit.”  Our youth meetings are for 6th graders through one year out of high school.  On Sunday mornings @ 10:00 AM will be the topic, “InTune with God Through Purpose, Purity, Power & People,” with our high school students.  We will be also adding a special new group/class on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM beginning on September 14th for recent high school graduates who are either in college in the area or working.  This will be called “Grads @ Grahams” and will rotate between meeting at Mt. Haley or the home of Pastor Jerry & Connie.  They will be receiving details of the new start-up and we will be determining our course of action for the new group.

We have a wonderful ministry in our church where we partner up people in the church with students praying for them on a daily basis as they live their walk of faith at home and in school.  We will be reorganizing, adding students, and letting go of people who have moved into adulthood (although they still need prayer) this month.  If you would like to join our prayer warriors for students let us know and we will work you into this ministry.

Summer was an extremely exciting time for the Youth Ministry with the International Youth Convention, our trip to Ludington, baptisms, and the Detroit Mission.  Our Detroit CSM mission went extremely well despite some variables in who was going & schedules but God knew what he was doing because he sent exactly the right amount of people to accomplish the mission. The general theme was believing in the HOPE of Detroit and all the ministries that are promoting the rebuilding and meeting the challenges of this great Michigan city.  Our first evening after a wonderful Polish dinner we spent time traveling around the city on a prayer tour learning and praying for various sectors of Detroit.  On Saturday, we worked at Gleaners Food Bank, a Thrift store and serve meals at the Detroit Rescue Mission.  We were then treated to dinner at the “Sonshine Café” which featured a banquet of “Soul” food.  Sunday morning we all worshiped at the New Hope Community Church and were extremely blessed by the people and the service.  Finishing off our weekend at a Thai restaurant we then returned home Sunday afternoon.  It was a powerful, serving, God-filled weekend and we will go back again with more kids.

Our Scripts gift card sale went very well and we thank you for the support and hope you enjoy your gift cards.  On Saturday, September 20th, 100 Mums of various colors will be delivered to Mt. Haley in the Fellowship Hall.  You may order plants from students for us to reserve or come on Saturday (1:00-4:00 PM) or Sunday after church.  The plants are $9.50 each or 3 for $26.  The choice of color is first come, first serve.  We would like to get all of them out the door and sold, so we do not have very many to return to Kutcheys.  Pre-order will provide for particular credit for individual student’s accounts or you can designate a student to receive the profit upon the sale.  Thank you for supporting this fundraiser for our students.  The next big event where students need money is Winter Retreat at CranHill Ranch on the weekend of January 9-11, 2015.  (Money due in December)

The Guatemala Mission Trip dates have been set for this year and registration is this month. The cost for the mission per person is $350 with a $150 deposit due by Sunday, September 21, 2014.  Plane ticket transportation could vary from $400 – $800 contingent on the best deal we can obtain.  The designated dates arranged with our missionary, David Beam, are Thursday, February 5, 2015 through Thursday, February 12, 2015. Dates can be a slight variable contingent on plane fares. (Please pray for this!)  Upon your registration for the mission team, there will be a monthly 2-hour meeting in preparation in October, November, December, and January. Dates and times for meetings will be determined after we have a team. We request that you attend all meetings. Our goal is to have our churches & teams pay $5000 to help in the cost of construction of a family’s house. Beginning this year that cost will come in proportion to the number of people on the team and the church they attend. We will obtain the needed funds through contributions and fundraising.  If you have any questions contact Pastor Jerry.

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 by Sunday, September 28, 2014.  Please help us have this necessary paperwork done for the year by this date so students can attend meetings, ride in the church van and attend any youth event.  Thanks for your help!

We want everyone to know that our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God as the youth of Mt. Haley accept and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and grow spiritually every day of his or her life. We have adapted seven spiritual growth principles (adapted from Andy Stanley) that we will work to develop in our youth.  They are:

1.    Authentic Faith:  Are our kids trusting God with the critical areas of their lives?  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

2.    Spiritual Disciplines:  Are our kids developing a consistent devotional and prayer life? (Romans 12:2)

3.    Moral Boundaries:  Are our kids establishing and maintaining Godly moral boundaries? (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)

4.    Healthy Friendships:  Are our kids establishing healthy friendships and avoiding unhealthy ones? (Proverbs 12:20)

5.    Wise Choices:  Are our kids making wise choices in every area of their lives?  (Ephesians 5:15-17)

6.    Ultimate Authority:  Are our kids submitting to the authorities God has placed over them?  (Romans 13:1-2)

7.    Others First:  Are our kids putting the needs of others ahead of their own? (Philippians 2:3-11)

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  

August Youth Update

WOW!!  Powerful, Incredible, Spirit–Filled, Fun, InTune with God, Jesus!  Words cannot describe the 2014 Nashville International Youth Convention and the experience that 10 kids and 4 counselors had this summer (along with over 5,000 others).  We came back touched by Jesus, grounded in our faith, changed people and ready to serve our Lord.  We desire to not only be a good youth group but a GREAT Youth Ministry, being disciples in our daily walk, serving our community and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. The stories & experiences will be talked about through the next few months and remembered in our daily lives. We will be sharing with you soon about all we experienced and participated in.  Everything went just as planned, our hotel stays, Mammoth Cave, our incredible worship services, classes, our Change the World service project, the Indianapolis Zoo, downtown Indianapolis, the Spaghetti Factory, and what a place for the convention – the Gaylord Opryland Resort.  God blessed us with the funds to go, the experience and mostly His love.  Thank you to everyone who played any role in making this happen.  It was incredible and God blessed IYC.  
 
We followed that experience with our “Day @ the Beach” @ Ludington State Park last Sunday as we were blessed again!  It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY on Lake Michigan for the Mt. Haley Youth Ministry! Rained all the way there – then the skies parted and the sun shone until 4:00 then we departed and rained all the way home. God Was GOOD! Enjoyed Cops & Donuts, picnic, and fun on the beach! Great Day!

We are NOT having Sunday night youth throughout August.  However, we will be beginning the new school year on Sunday, September 7th for all youth – new 6th graders through one year after graduation. New 2014-2015 Parental Medical/Permission Release Forms will be mailed to each family during August.  We need to know for sure the new 6th graders entering the youth ministry in September, so please let us know who they are.  Also, Pastor David and Pastor Jerry will be meeting with the Young Youth parents this month as they make the transition into Sunday night youth.  We will be contacting you soon.  Although we have no Sunday night youth, we are having Sunday School classes for Young Youth (with Ron Hyde) and the “Tough Questions With God” class (with Pastor Jerry) at 10:00 AM each Sunday.

We have had the planning meeting in Detroit with the Center for Student Missions (CSM) for our mission trip to Detroit on the weekend of August 22-24.  We currently have nine signed up to participate and we can accept 5 more people (high school – college) up until Wednesday, August 6th.  If you are interested, please contact Pastor Jerry ASAP.  Plans include working at a food bank, helping with a clothing agency and serving supper at a homeless food kitchen.  We will probably share meals at a “Soul Food” restaurant, a  “Polish” restaurant and a “Mexicana” restaurant, all located in Detroit ethnic neighborhoods. Plus on Sunday morning, we will worship and attend the Hope Community Church on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit.  We have many Spirit-filled and serving opportunities on this weekend.  We were chosen as one of three groups to help “pilot” a mission trip in Detroit as CSM expands to another US city.  God has blessed us with experience-based opportunities.

Our Winter Retreat isn’t until January, but it will be here sooner than we think.  Taking a little break from fundraising, however, we will have our annual “Mum” Sale in September along with some yard work opportunities.  We have greatly appreciated all the support we received the past few months in earning our way to IYC and the Detroit CSM.  We will have another “Garage Sale” next April and we thank you for all your contributions; however, we ask you to “save them” until next April. Connie and I have been receiving things already for next April – which we appreciate – but we are fearful for their well-being with storing them in the church’s garage (rodents & mildew), because we do not have space available in our home.  So, I am trying to kindly trying to say “Thank You,” but keep your treasures for us until April!

The Youth topics and curriculum for Sunday nights & mornings in the Fall has not been decided yet, but with IYC and student input we have some great ideas in the hopper.  Most of all we want to help our kids experience God, to equip them to live as disciples, and to send them out to serve the community and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their family and friends.

We encourage you to attend the services and events of the St. Louis Camp Meeting being held Thursday, August 7th through Friday, August 15th. Worship Service is every evening at 7:00 PM with Evangelist and Song Evangelist, Dr. Jeff and Joanie Frymire. Children, Youth and Adult activities are planned each day.  Come and join us for “Camp Meeting!”

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  

July Youth Update

God is SO GOOD!  On Thursday, July 3, our Mt. Haley Church of God International Youth Convention delegates will travel to Nashville, TN. We have a 7-day adventure planned and God will be glorified in this special moment in time.  The primary purpose for attending an IYC is to create a moment for life change and we are hoping for transformed, changed lives as we engage in the activities of the IYC.  The other benefits we will reap from this will live well into the year.  One of the benefits throughout the process has been getting to spend a lot of time with our kids while fundraising, where our relationships have been strengthened and grown and we are so proud of our kids.  Many of them thought three years ago that attempting such an adventure was not possible at Mt. Haley but they have hung with me as I kept telling them that “All things are possible with God” and that God will bless their lives, their spiritual growth, their relationship with Christ and our Youth Ministry. We are especially pleased, blessed and thankful that our group will be offering over $600 to the national youth missions outreach.  We have faithfully tithed 10% of our fundraising money to “Spread the Word” since the beginning and we want to glorify God in our efforts.
  
And, what an effort is has been!  Many of our students earned the funds to pay their IYC registration in December, pay their way to Winter Retreat in January, pay their way to State Youth Convention in May, pay the cost of IYC, plan & pay for the Detroit mission in August and some are even saving for the Guatemalan mission next February.  God has BLESSED our youth greatly – spiritually, economically, and in their daily walk with Christ!

We MUST say THANK YOU to all the people in our congregation who have prayed for us, encouraged us, bought things from us, hired us for jobs (and many times overpaid us much more then we were worth), brought pop cans and given donations on our behalf.  Words cannot express the gratitude we have for you because this clearly became a whole church endeavor and we were extremely blessed by the congregation. Thank You!! 

Meanwhile, we are in Nashville being blessed by God and you can follow us daily on the IYC Itinerary posted on the Mt. Haley website (and on the bulletin board in the narthex).  We hope to come home with many testimonies and stories of our 2014 adventure.  
 
We are doing “Day At The Beach” at Ludington State Park on July 27th.  There will be some spontaneous events throughout the summer so watch all of our media outlets for events.  Every Sunday morning we will be doing “Tough Questions With God” and we encourage students to attend the morning class.  There will be no Sunday night meetings throughout July and August; however, we start up again on Sunday, September 7th.
 
Pastor David and I will be holding a meeting with Young Youth parents to discuss our past couple of years, concerns, goals and their transition into Sunday night meetings in the fall.  They are welcomed at any summer activities of the youth.  
 
Our summer mission opportunity is an experience with the Center for Student Missions (CSM) in Detroit on the weekend of August 22-24, 2014.  This was an unexpected opportunity offered to our youth ministry due to my past experiences with CSM in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Nashville.  We were asked to bring a high school group to “pilot” a weekend in Detroit, a new city for them, as they explore expanding their national program to another US city.  We are registered for 10 people presently and must bring a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 14.  Please pray with your student about possibly participating in this weekend at the end of the summer.  Our ministry had a fantastic time in Chicago two years ago and we know that some would like to experience God’s work again in the city.    
 
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

IYC: Nashville

Our youth group is preparing to travel to Nashville from July 3 through July 9 for the International Youth Convention of the Church of God.  Please keep them in your prayers as they engage in this potentially life-changing experience!

This Word document gives the full itinerary for our group.  Download it and keep up with their travels and events!

2014 IYC Itinerary

Graduation and Rites of Passage

Last week, three young people from our youth group graduated from Bullock Creek High School. The ceremony was a wonderful time of celebration; around 140 teenagers, their families, and friends looked back on the past and forward to the future. A few select students commented on the wide-open nature of the graduates’ adult lives. A video presentation depicted the graduates’ early years and favorite high school memories. The Bullock Creek Superintendent, Mr. Charles Schwedler, commented in his remarks that this was his twentieth Bullock Creek graduation ceremony. I reflected on these things while I watched each graduate cross the stage, receive his or her diploma, and greet Mr. Schwedler with a handshake (or a hug).

My own high school graduation was nearly half my life ago, but I still remember it very clearly. Almost three hundred students formed my senior class, and the graduates’ names were called rather quickly, with just a few seconds between names. I noticed a striking difference at the Bullock Creek ceremony, thanks to the smaller class size: each graduate was allowed to walk all the way across the stage before the next graduate’s name was called. This prompted me to think about this ceremony as a rite of passage.

Life has a number of rites of passage such as graduating from high school. We participate in these events as many have before us, and once we go through them, there is no turning back. A high school graduate cannot “un-graduate” from high school. A Boy Scout cannot undo his “crossing over” and become a Cub Scout again. A baseball player cannot have another chance at his first professional ball game. A young person only gets one “first paycheck” from her first job. Two “single” people will never truly be single again after they are married, even if the marriage ends in divorce or widowhood.

At each of these moments, we acknowledge that something meaningful is taking place. A hurdle is being crossed; a transition is happening. Things will never be the same. Life will change and will have new meaning as the future becomes the present. It is crucial that there be some kind of group celebration at moments like these: a graduation ceremony, a “crossing over” ceremony, a cheering crowd of baseball fans, and so forth.

Our spiritual lives should include celebratory rites of passage, as well. We tend to make Christian faith a personal, private experience; we accept Jesus into our own hearts, we pray silently, we hide our tithes and offerings in envelopes. But certain moments in our spiritual development deserve public attention.

The most obvious example is baptism. We practice “believer’s baptism,” in which adults and youth (but not infants) are baptized by being immersed completely underwater. This is an act of obedience to Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) and an outward symbol of the inward transformation that takes place when a person receives God’s forgiveness and commits to follow the Lord. Baptism is incredibly public; most sanctuaries include a baptismal pool in the worship space. And this is how it should be. When a person is baptized, the rest of the congregation celebrates this rite of passage. Those who have been baptized in the past have an opportunity to remember their own baptisms, just as the Bullock Creek ceremony helped me to remember my own high school graduation.

Are there other spiritual rites of passage? Other Christian traditions will celebrate a person’s first Communion. A marriage ceremony, done properly, is a spiritual rite of passage as well. Dedicating a newborn child is a spiritual rite of passage for the child’s parents. Other examples include the first time someone prays in public, gives a personal testimony, or even preaches in church.

I believe Christians do not always celebrate these rites of passage with enough vigor and excitement. When a person is baptized, this is a huge deal! A life has been transformed, and we should praise God! When a couple is married, it’s not just a warm, sentimental moment; it is the spiritual uniting of two souls that God has called to become one. We should celebrate and stand in awe of God’s work! When someone takes the courageous step of leading in worship for the first time, we should rally around that person and affirm the spiritual growth that God is accomplishing in him or her.

I also believe that our rites of passage, spiritual and otherwise, are rather slanted toward our younger years. You could potentially experience all of the above events by age 25 (or even earlier). What, then, do you do for the next fifty or sixty years of your life? Are there no more hurdles to cross, no more transitions to experience? Once you “graduate” into fully adult life, what is there left to achieve?

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and direction to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance – for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:1-7 NIV)

Let the wise add to their learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. A high school graduation ceremony is called “commencement” because something is starting, not because something is ending. Rites of passage propel us into the future, and it is crucial for us to celebrate these moments to encourage others and ourselves to move forward in our spiritual development in the Lord.

Celebrate our graduates! And take the next step in your own life!

Pastor David

June Youth Update

June is always one of the most exciting times of the year!  The end of the school year, graduations, parties & open houses, exams, accomplishments, warm weather and the anticipation of the summer. Our Youth Ministry has completed another successful school year as we met weekly discussing prayer circles, relationships, “God’s Not Dead,” God’s purpose for us, characters of the Bible and of course, Christmas & Easter. We also have done parties, a lock-in, Winter Retreat, State Youth Convention, many fundraisers, covered a
lot of miles in the van and a lot of times together.  God has blessed us in many ways.

$415 by 6/29 is our general theme this month as we prepare the final
arrangements for the International Youth Convention.  We have 9 students and 4 adults committed to traveling to Nashville, TN for the Bi-Annual International Youth Convention of the Church of God, from Thursday, July 3rd through Wednesday, July 9th.  Our theme is from Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  There will be fabulous speakers & services, great bands, opportunities for service, instructions on purpose, purity, power and people, sights to see, a 5-star hotel and many other once in a lifetime experiences. PLEASE PRAY for the spiritual awakening of our students and adults plus for the financial blessings still needed for the experience.  Some students are ready to go and paid, however, there are some students who still need God¹s help (and maybe even your help) in conquering the $415 by 6/29.  God has a plan and we
are believing in it!  There will be a Youth-Parent Meeting on Sunday night, June 29th.  We are asking all IYC youth and their parents to be at that meeting for last minute preparations for the trip.  High School youth will NOT meet on June 8th (my son¹s ordination), however we will meet on June 15 & 22, then the IYC group on the 29th.  We are expecting all IYC youth to be attending the meetings in June.  The lessons will be appropriate for all high school students.

Another mission opportunity we have this summer is an experience with the Center for Student Missions (CSM) in Detroit on the weekend of August 22-24, 2014.  This was an unexpected opportunity offered to our youth ministry due to my past experiences with CSM in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston & Nashville.  We were asked to bring a high school group to “pilot” a weekend in Detroit, a new city for them, this summer as they explore expanding their national program to another US city.  We are registered for 10 people presently and must bring a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 14.  Please pray with your student about possibly participating in this weekend at the end of the summer.  Our ministry had a fantastic time in Chicago two years ago and we know that some would like to experience God¹s work again in the city.

This summer we will be doing a lot of IYC fundraising in June.  If you have opportunities for students to earn some quick cash for this, please give us a call.  Our softball game with the Meridian Church of God will have to be delayed due to scheduling conflicts so it will be sometime later in the summer.  We are doing “Day At The Beach” at Ludington State Park on the weekend of July 26th. There will be some spontaneous events throughout the summer so watch all of our media outlets for events. Every Sunday morning we will be doing “Tough Questions With God” and we encourage students to attend
the morning class.  There will be no Sunday night meetings throughout July and August, however we start up again on Sunday, September 7th.

Pastor David and I will be holding a meeting with Young Youth parents to discuss our past couple of years, concerns, goals and their transition into Sunday night meetings in the Fall.  They are welcomed at any summer activities of the youth.

Once again, we would like to express “Congratulations” to our Bullock Creek High School graduates, Brandon Helm, Isabella Krolikowski, and Nick Torres. We know all of you have college and work intentions; however, you are welcomed to come to Sunday night meetings for the next year.

A special “Thanks” is also extended to Lawrence and Jo Adams (plus Connie) for supervising our State Youth Convention with my needing to leave on Saturday morning for my Dad’s funeral.  We have heard nothing but good reports about the weekend and I was very appreciative for the help as I joined my family in Indiana in honor of my father.

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

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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