Courtney Allyn Lewis, Jim and April Allen, Kristin Hancock, Jalene Alato, Maggie Creswell, Chris Rinehart, Janice Manlove, Wes Means, Leslie Bork, Misty Verel, Mitch Lewis,Darren Herdman, Valerie Chastain-Cunningham, and Kevin Daniels all play a part in the youth program and are content to stay in the background but they do deserve our thanks.

I would love to see their facebook pages loaded down with thanks and appreciation from the members of our church or the next time you see them make sure to take a minute and tell them thanks for all that they do.

Starting June 1st at 7:00pm the Harrah Church youth will kick off the summer of fun. Wednesday nights from 7:00 – 8:00 we will be playing games and going to different locations in an effort to have a great time. What about God? Well we will be developing a relationship with Christ this summer too. Groups will be broke up by age and gender for small group devotional study. Most groups will meet on Sunday evening in the home of the host family and be lead in a lesson. This summer promises to be a wonderful time with the youth at Harrah Church. June 1st we will be bobbing for Ho-Hos in milk and have a milk chug challenge and it only gets better from there so make sure to wear clothes that you can get dirty and invite all of your friends.

Scholarships are available. Contact Jeremy Davidson for registration packets and more info.

Over the past 18 months we have putting an intentional focus on family-based ministry throughout our student and kids ministry. We have also been changing the goals of our student ministry program. What is really important to us? Do we want a flashy program with a lot of kids? Do we want to see spiritual growth? Do we to have the coolest youth pastor? Do we want teens to discover a faith that they can call their own?

Recent studies concluded in 2006 show that

“Youth in small groups where there is Bible teaching and caring leaders build strong youth who become strong Christians.”

“Youth experiencing some kind of regular spiritual growth keep their faith past college; of youth who do not, over 85% of them do not come back to any church.”

We want people to know that high school graduation is not the end of the story for our teenagers. Our goal is to develop students in Christ who will then continue to develop themselves in Christ. We believe that by focusing our efforts on developing leaders to be influences in the lives of teenagers, providing worship, teaching mission and service opportunities, and placing them in a small group with caring and devoted adult leaders we will not just have one of the coolest youth services, but we will also be developing people in Christ who will continue to seek Christ for the rest of their life.

Imagine the End! What are some long term wishes you have for your teenager? How can you get involved in the Renovate Student Program?

Week 1:
The Good Fight series exposes the truth about family life: All families fight. We just fight about and for different things, and we fight in different ways. Some families are very vocal; others quietly stuff their frustrations inside. But regardless of how families fight, every family decides what they are going to fight over. Fighting about rules and issues will always drive us apart, but there is another way. What if we began to fight for relationship? What if our sole objective was to know each other and to honor each other? The Good Fight encourages students to stay in the fight and never give up on their relationship with their parents.

Week 2:
When it comes to God’s intention for family, there are no ambiguities in Scripture. God desires for children and parents to turn their hearts toward each other and have a relationship. In order to have the good relationship God intends, we have to first learn how to change the fight. We have to stop fighting against “their way” and start fighting for a relationship. We have to surrender our right to be right and take up a new cause. We must prioritize relationship regardless of the cost.

Week 3:
This week is the final conclusion to our parent series. The goal of this week is to help students see the responsibility that they have to pursue a relationship with their parents. Some students have been hurt by their parents and they are living out the cycle by seeking to hurt their parents in return. This week we will look at the life of Absalom, who having been hurt, used the remainder of his life for revenge. We will see the outcome of Absalom’s choice and raise the question: Is this really the best way? Can students begin to break the cycle by refusing to use their influence as sons and daughters to inflict pain on the parents who may have hurt them? Can they be the instruments of healing in our parent’s lives?

Student Life has released some of those messages on MP3 and I wanted to share them with you. Go to http://www.studentlife.com/refuge/2010/10/11/refuge-messages-now-available/ to hear a message from Matt Carter and David Platt.. I wish they had been able to record Gregg Matte’s session, which was one of my favorites.

Here is an overview of the current series as well as summaries of each week’s discussions. Listed below each summary is a “parent cue” to help you dialog with your child about each week’s session of this series. The questions are intended not just to be asked by you, but to be responded to by BOTH of you. Use this opportunity to find out what God is teaching your child, and allow your child to see what God is teaching you as well.

write.rewrite.

Series Overview

We are all drawn to great stories—whether that’s on the big screen, small screen, in a book or elsewhere. But we may be completely unaware of one simple truth—that our lives are a story as well. The decisions we make every day are shaping the plot. The things we do, believe and trust determine what is being written. And for many of us, the story we are scripting could be so much more if we let God write, or even rewrite, our story. It’s the story we long for, the one our hearts truly desire.

Session One: A Bigger Story

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker or someone who minimizes risks, we all long for a great story. A great romance. A great adventure. A great mystery. And it could be that the reason we yearn for something so big is because God made us that way. Believe it or not, a big story is unfolding around us, a story God is telling that started long before us and will continue to unfold long after we are gone. The things that draw us, that captivate us, that pull us in are the things that make God’s story great. The question is, are we a part of that story? Are we telling His story? In other words, are our lives reflecting something bigger?

Session One Parent Cue:

• What are some of your favorite stories (in movies, books, etc.)? What specifically about those stories do you love?

• Read Ecclesiastes 3:11. Do you ever wish your life was “more” than what it is now? If yes, why?

Session Two: Lost in the Story

So if we all long for God’s story, then how do we settle for so much less? How does our story get so off track? It happens subtly. Oftentimes, without ever realizing it, the focus of our story shifts—God is moved from a place of prominence, to a place of convenience. But stay this way for long, and it is easy to see a story that has gotten off track. Small changes, seemingly harmless, can take our story to a place it doesn’t belong. Sometimes we think the story is better left in our own hands. But what if we allowed God the control, the freedom and the power He deserves? What if we allowed Him to tell the story? Where would His story take you?

Session Two Parent Cue:

• (This question is for the parent to answer.) Have you ever found yourself in a place in your life where you wondered, “How did I get here?” If you retraced your steps, what were the decisions you made that led you there?

• Each one of you take a decision in your life (whether good or bad) and track the steps that led you to the end result.

Session Three: Rewriting the Script

If you find yourself living in a lesser story, how do you begin to let God rewrite your story? You follow Him. You follow His lead. And that path may sometimes be very clear, and other times it may feel very mysterious. But following Him wholeheartedly, regardless of what we may or may not understand as we go along, is the only way to allow God to write your story. Instead of taking the reigns, embrace God’s direction—join Him, get on board and embrace everywhere His story just may take you.

Session Three Parent Cue:

• What holds you back from trusting God completely?

• What would it take for you to surrender that reluctance?

• How might your life become a bigger story than the one you live now?

FIGHTING FOR THE HEART

Create a culture of unconditional love in your home to fuel the emotional and moral health of your children.

Most of us are unaware of the stories we write every day. We go through life and make the decisions we need to make and do the things we need to do to get through the day and care for our families. But whether we realize it or not, we choose who we interact with and what role we play in other people’s lives. In other words, we choose how we play a part in other people’s stories in both our words and our actions.

And sometimes it’s easy to simply bow out, to feel like we no longer have a role in someone’s life—especially in the life of a teen. I encourage you to watch the film Charlie St. Cloud. Charlie has crisis in his life. The crisis is what he is supposed to do with his life. After a dramatic rescue from death Charlie is wondering through life before realizing that there is a purpose to his life. God has given each parent the gift of a child. Are you pro-actively pursuing the purpose for this gift or are you wondering through this thing called parenthood? The Student Ministry at Harrah Church is here to help you by providing resources for your journey, training, and solid influences in the lives of your children.

Imagine your student confronted with the awe of God. Think about them discovering how God unfolds throughout all of life: their identities, their relationships, their calling, their jobs, their education, their romances. Now think about that same student passionate about God and others. He is real and He is all they want, yet they realize that it’s not just about God and them.  He wants us to love and care for others the same way He loves and cares for us.

Where We’re Going
So what do wonder, discovery and passion look like in our everyday lives?  Here’s a glimpse of how they can be defined in our lives.

WONDER: I am created to pursue and authentic relationship with my Creator.

DISCOVERY: I belong to Jesus Christ and define who I am by what He says.

PASSION: I exist every day to demonstrate God’s love to a broken world.

Please feel free to contact the Student Ministry office if you have questions about a series we are teaching and look for more info at http://RenovateStudents.org where we put the Parent XPs for each series.