Fall Mission Trip 2012

Here are some pics from one of the neighborhoods we are working in. The last two are from a house we worked in about 2 years after Katrina. Most of the drywall you see piled up outside ha been put on the walls by our students.





































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Location:Braithwaite Park

FAMILY PLUS High School - Sept. 22

Hi HS Parents!

This past Wednesday night was our "Give It Back!" night. We had high school students serving all over our campus. Students were praying, planning, worshiping, picking up trash, cleaning out trailers, leading children, and several other things - it was a GREAT night! We learned some things about how we can tweak it going forward, but overall - Robert and I were both excited about opportunities for your students to serve and to watch them step into them.

This coming Sunday we will wrap up our series on "Destinations." David Watkins will be leading our group this Sunday discussing "Judgment." Some of the questions your students will discuss during class time are:

1 - How does it feel to wait for judgment from a teacher? Your principal? Your parents?

2 - What fears do you have about the final judgment?

3 - How does someone get their name in the Book of Life? Can your name be erased from the Book of Life? Why or why not?

Next Wednesday night will be our "Transformed" night where we ask students to bring their lost friends to hear the gospel clearly communicated. We will offer a dedicated/intentional time of response for your students and their friends to step into or rekindle a relationship with Christ.

Don't forget that by this time next week high school students will be on the road to New Orleans. We will have a special prayer of commissioning for them this coming Sunday at the end of the service.

Hope you're having a GREAT weekend!! Let me know what I can pray about for your family.

-Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - September 15

Last Wednesday night was our "Give It Here" night - the night where we focus on teaching. On our last Give It Here night, we discussed the ordeal of God leading His chosen people out of captivity, and how He moved in with them in a tent. That set the stage for Jesus moving in and becoming one of us. Last night, we made the connection of Jesus sacrifice leading to His moving into US - that WE are the temple.

Part of our discussion focused on the story where Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple. I shared with students how those who wanted to make sacrifices were being taken advantage of by those selling animals in the temple, and how infuriated Christ was that someones forgiveness was turned into a price gouging opportunity for the money changers. To illustrate His disgust with it, we had David Gai-Chis read passionately the text in Matthew 21:12-13 while having Chris Lee play the role of Christ turning over the table. Check out the Scripture reading here and the Video of Chris and David

This Sunday we will be in our third week of destinations. We'll move from our conversation last week about what heaven will be like to the other destination and what hell will be like. We will discuss questions like:

1 - Why do some people choose not to believe in a real hell?

2 - How do you think hell will compare to other "bad places" you may have experienced?

3 - How do you think it might feel to be separated from God for eternity?

Any time I teach on hell, I do so with an extremely heavy heart. I would covet your prayers this Sunday as we discuss a sensitive topic for all of us and step right into a reality that non-believers and believers alike would many times wish to leave undiscussed. 

Don't forget that this coming Sunday is the deadline to signup for New Orleans and receive the discounted rate. Let me know if there's something I pray about for your family.

- Michael

FAMILY PLUS High School - September 9

Hi HS Parents!

This past Wednesday nights was our "Give It Up" night where we focus totally on adoring God and worshipping Him. Our student worship team led our group in worship, then we broke up into separate groups and read prayers from the Psalms to God. We closed the evening by receiving communion together. It is a very rich experience watching your students kneeling together reading Scripture, lifting hands in worship, and preparing their hearts to receive communion. I also asked students to share any prayer requests with me by writing them down on a card and leaving at the altar during our last worship song/communion. They were very honest and transparent in sharing the struggles they are having and the things they dealing with. I will continue to pray through these over the next few weeks.

This Sunday we will be continuing our new series on "Destinations." Students will be discussing:

1. What comes to mind when you think of heaven? what sights? what sounds? what smells? 

2. What is the best part about heaven for you?

3. What comes to mind when you think of worshiping and serving God forever?

Don't forget that the deadline to sign up for New Orleans is next Sunday, September 16. Cost is $175. After Sunday, the price jumpes to $225, so please take advantage of the discount by signing up by next Sunday.

Please let me know if there's anything I can pray about for your family.

-Michael

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