Hey everyone,
It was great to have lunch and talk with all who were able to be at the youth/parent lunch and meeting yesterday. We had some great food (Thanks Rachael) and talked about a few things going on with youth group. So that we all remember and for those who couldn’t make it yesterday, here are the highlights.
You are loved.
More than anything else, we want you all to know that you are loved. Both by us and by God. Always remember that.
Youth Group moving to Wednesdays
So that the most people are able to be part of A World Unbroken this fall, youth group will be moving to Wednesdays starting next week, the 21st. We will still be at the same place and same time - Ryan and Rachael’s from 7:00-8:30 or so.
A World Unbroken
We are so excited for what God is going to show us through A World Unbroken. It’s going to be a great seven weeks starting on the 21st! We will be journeying through God’s Story, talking about each of the seven episodes specifically and placing our own lives into that Story as we go. We hope that everyone can make it to all seven weeks - if we can, we think God can do amazing things through us to create a world unbroken.
- Create - September 21
- Broken - September 28
- Promise - October 5
- Presence - October 12
- Satisfied - October 19
- Mission - October 26
- Restored - November 2
- Service Project - November 9
Calendar Stuff
We also went over some of the main things we will be doing as a youth group throughout the rest of the year. It would be very helpful for you to look either here or at the main calendar through next August and see if you can schedule out what you will be a part of (all of it? :) ).
Discussion Rules
We also talked yesterday about two discussion rules (guidelines, really) that we are all going to try to follow as we discuss things as a youth group. These are just to help us intentionally live out what we believe and say about God and our relationships with God and others. First, we will not be using any phraseology or cliche as we talk about God and the Christian life. Cliche covers up reality and is often an excuse for us to be lazy and detach our beliefs from our daily lives. Instead, we’ll be working on using language that is meaningful.
The second guideline is connected to the first. All application must be done in narrative form. This means that whenever we leave youth group asking what it is God wants us to do and be, we have to use concrete language about our actual lives. It’s really easy for us to apply scriptural truths in abstract terms. The example we used yesterday is that when we hear Jesus say to love our enemies, we don’t just leave youth group saying I’m going to love my enemies. Instead, we decide to love Billy, the guy that sits next to us at lunch who we really hate.
Questions
We ended the time yesterday with a chance for anyone to ask questions about youth ministry or anything else. That opportunity is always there for you. Please feel free to ask us questions, make suggestions, or anything else on your mind. We would love to get together and just talk.
We are so excited for all that’s going on this year. We pray and hope for a great year together!
You are loved.
