Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/3
Greetings Families,
Thank you to everyone who participated in the BBQ fundraiser! We are so grateful to have a generous church to help our students attend events like NYC, Teen Camp, Fall Retreat and others. We are now turning our sights to graduation season and summer is right around the corner. Excursion, our family milestone event, is where we welcome our 8th graders into high school, and we are incorporating a parent cohort that Friday night. So if you are a parent of an 8th-12th grader… Excursion is for YOUR family! Registration for the camping trip for the teens ends next Wednesday. Grad Sunday is also coming up on 5/28— check out the details below on how to participate. The district has also opened up Teen Camp early bird registration, details below. May the Lord bless you and your family!
-Pastor Chris
Upcoming Events
May 19: Excursion (not just for teens anymore!)-- Reg Deadline 5/10
Who: Families of 8th-12th graders
When: Friday May 19- Sunday May 21
Where: Gifford Pinchot State Park
As a family ministry we have been developing milestone events to help mark important moments in the lives of our young people and their families, like child dedication, preteen passage, and high school graduation. Excursion has been an event where we take our high schoolers camping for the weekend and welcome soon-to-be freshmen into the fold. We are expanding the scope of Excursion to include a parent dinner on Friday night. So families should bring their teens (8th-12th grade) to drop-off at the church on Friday evening. We will all pray together as families and then the teens/youth workers will head off for the weekend camping trip, and parents are invited and encouraged to stay for the parent dinner--to include discussion around parenting teenagers through the various stages of high school development. This is for parents of 8th graders all the way to seniors, and every age represents a vital role within the community development and encouragement of parents.
May 23: Ignite Family Night
It’s our quarterly family night where we invite the elementary aged siblings of our families to participate in games with the teens, as well as hosting a parent meeting and cohort. Please plan to attend if you are a parent of te
May 28: Grad Sunday -slideshow submissions due 5/21
We are especially honoring our High School graduates on that Sunday. Families of High School grads are invited to prepare a table in our extended cafe area with pictures and memorabilia for students’ journey through school as they enter young adulthood. We will be inviting the congregation to come and offer blessing for the grads after each of the services.
There will be a graduate slideshow played at each of our services. Anyone who has completed a degree or earned a diploma over the last year is invited to participate— that’s high school, bachelor’s, master’s, associates, professional certificates, etc. Please follow this link to submit your information and a photo by 5/21 to be included in that slideshow.
May 30: Fun 5th Tuesday
There are 5 Tuesdays in May, so we’re having a fun night filled with games. Its a great night for teens to invite their friends and your neighbors to get connected at church!
May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends
Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!
Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register
Current Teaching
FOCUS: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS & PSALMS ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH
SERIES OVERVIEW:
It’s not easy to stay focused. Especially these days, when we’re connected to a never-ending stream of new notifications, ads, messages, videos, posts, and entertainment, it makes sense if we feel a little distracted sometimes. Maybe you’ve struggled recently to stay focused on your homework, or on the story your friend was telling you, or on the movie you were watching — but have you ever struggled to stay focused when you were spending time with God? In this four-week series, we’re going to get honest about how difficult it can be to stay focused when we’re trying to pray, read the Bible, or grow in our faith. Each week, we’ll explore passages from Psalms and the Gospels as we challenge ourselves to focus on practicing four spiritual disciplines that can help us grow. Together, we’ll try focusing on what God has said, on giving something up, on talking to God, and on rest.