FAMILY PLUS High School - August 31

Hi HS Parents!

This past Wednesday night was our "Give It Away" night. No - this is not a big game-show-themed evening where we give away prizes. Rather, it's a night where we ask your students to bring their friends, hear a clearly communicated gospel message, and have an opportunity to respond. This week we were able to join with the Middle School Ministry in the District. I spoke to the group about varying belief systems and cultural issues, but communicated it in the context of "Why I Am A Christian TODAY." The points were:

I am a Christian today because:

1 - I can't believe what I believe without NOT believing something else. John 14:1-6

2 - A moral law requires a moral law Giver. John 14:23-24

3 - TODAY is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

This coming Sunday we will start a new series in our Sunday Bible Teaching Groups called: Destinations. The main question we'll answer this Sunday is, "Why should I be concerned with eternity?" To get at this we will discuss, among other questions:

1 - Why do you think humans yearn for immortality?

2 - Is there something else that's more important to you right now than your salvation?

3 - If it is urgent to prepare for eternity now, how do we begin?

I hope you'll join me in praying for our students as we unpack God's Truth in this four week series. It should well position us for the fourth Wednesday night in September when we'll have our next "Give It Away" night and call students to respond to the Holy Spirit's calling in their lives.

Please let me know what I can pray about for you or your family.

-Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - August 25

Hello HS Parents

This past Wednesday night our high school students completed our first "Serve" night that we are calling, "Give It Back." If you'll remember, our new plan on Wednesdays is to focus each week on one of our purposes: Come/Worship (Give It Up), Connect/Grow (Give It Here), Serve/Go (Give It Back), and next week Be Transformed (Give It Away). 

On this past Wednesday night, students sat in groups and used the Disney Brainstorming Method to dream about ways we can serve on Wednesday nights given our time constraints and limited transportation abilities. I was so "wowed" by the things your students came up with. They dreamed about reaching out to the local schools in our community, reaching out to elderly residents near our church, and focusing on areas in our church and property that could use some attention. Their time on this well positions us to be ready for our next serve night coming up in September.

This coming Sunday will wrap up our 4 week study on doubt. Last week we discussed what it meant to react and respond to tragedy by dealing with it in the context of our faith. We looked at natural disasters and man-made disasters through the lens of God's grace and mercy on our lives. That helped us see that it doesn't really matter what we're dealt from the world - rather, it's our handling of those things that can bring glory to God's Kingdom.

Don't forget that this coming Sunday night is our Summer Church Conference. We will be discussing a LOT of business from this past year as well as presenting work our Vision 2020 teams have been praying and working through for the past several months. There will be an Ice Cream/Dessert fellowship at 5:15 and the conference will begin at 6:00 PM.

Please let me know if I can pray about anything for you or your family.

-Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - Aug 18

Our high school ministry continued on our new Wednesday night plan this past week by having a week focused just on teaching. I asked students to download the YouVersion app on their smartphones or iPods to interact with the teaching for the night. We talked about how God "moved in" with the Israelites after the Exodus to be with them. And then correlated that to how Jesus actually went beyond moving in - He became one of us. If you want to see the details, the verses, and the results of the polls you can check out the Wednesday Night - Aug. 15 Teaching.

This coming Sunday we will continue our focus on doubt. This particular lesson should hit home as it will focus on the question of where God is in the midst of suffering. I have found that this is one of the most difficult things for one to understand - whether student or adult. We will focus closely on God's love and care for people during the most horrific times of their lives.

Don't forget that this coming Sunday is GO WORSHIP at the Wilson County Fair. Join us at the Pageant Pavilion at 6:00 PM for corporate worship with our church family. It's a stay-at-home mission trip for our entire church - SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Let me know if there is anything I can pray about for you or your family.

Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - August 11

Hello HS Parents!

This past Wednesday night we had our first midweek meeting in Annex 2 for the 2012-2013 school year. Instead of focusing on school, teachers, incoming freshmen, school logos, or anything else you can think of - we chose to spend the night doing one thing: focusing on God.

We worshipped with each other, read Scripture, took communion together, and had a dedicated prayer time. It was an incredible way to begin the year…allowing nothing else to take the place of how we wanted to start our time together in 2012: totally focused on adoring God.

This coming Sunday we will continue our study on "How Can I Know." If you'll remember from last week, this is a study focusing on the "why's" of what we believe. Our content will be directed at how we can know that we truly have salvation in Christ. If your student struggles with doubt, these next 3 Sunday morning Bible studies will be extremely beneficial to them.

Let me know if there's anything I can pray about for you or your family.

-Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - August 3

I hope your students had a GREAT time with us at Bryant Grove this past Wednesday night. It looked like we might get rained out (or even stormed out) before we could get through the night, but the rain pushed right up to the edge of us then moved away quickly . I was SO thankful!

This coming Sunday we will be starting a new series called, "How Can I Know?" For the next four weeks we will be discussing an issue relevant to high schoolers, middle schoolers, and many adults: Doubt. This focus will help students answer critical questions regarding their faith, and explore truths that will help affirm students' beliefs and the "why's" of those beliefs.

We are excited to be welcoming incoming freshmen on Sunday, and I'm particularly excited that we're launching their high school career with a subject that will bring confidence to their belief system and worldview. These are some of the most critical days of their lives, and we want to do our part to help them chase after God's purpose for them right from the start.

Next Wednesday night will be our first time back on campus for the 2012-2013 school year. If you have questions about our meeting times, what's available for you and your students, or something I can pray about for you - please email me or give me a call.

Michael