Next Saturday, we will have a party at Martin and Gina Staelens' house (Alberto's) to bring in the new school year and to welcome our newest youth group members: Adam Sadler, Jacquelyn Staelens and Brianna VanOver. Food and drink and fun will be provided so just bring the most important part to this party.... you!
We had an awesome time at the Smokies Game and the Big Daddy Weave concert. We also had the added bonus of sitting right behind the band during the game. Cool, huh?
On Aug. 6th, we will be attending the Smokies Baseball Game and staying for the Big Daddy Weave Concert afterwards. We will leave for the game at 3:15 and be back at apprximately 9:00 P.M. The cost is $11.00 for tickets and you can bring extra for refreshments at the game. Please sign up on the youth bulletin board or email me.
Just to let you all know I have a presence on My Space. You can access it here or on the link at the right.
We have had a great summer so far! We have made new relationships with other youth groups, seen our lives change and we are looking forward to a new beginning. Workcamp was awesome. Look for a link for pics from this summer soon, hopefully by tomorrow. Say hi! on the tagboard.
Don't forget we have the following events coming up this weekend:
- A.R.M.Y. (Always Reaching More Teens) - Sat. Night 6:30
- Love Feast - Just after services on Sunday.
We have several events coming up and on the distant horizon:
- A.R.M.Y. - Feb. 11th
- Winterfest - Feb. 17th - 19th
- Love Feast - Feb. 26th
- C.Y.F. - March 11th
- WinterJam - March 17th
Also, make sure you say hi to Brian & Tammy Wallace this weekend as they will be in town for the Manna/Dominican Workshop.
Wow! This past month I felt I have been living this song. Okay, so there hasn't been any darkness or famine or sword, but there has been a lot of sickness at the Thompson household this past month, including yours truely. However that hasn't stopped some exciting things from happening. We have a new program called A.R.M.Y. (Always Recruiting More Youth). This is the brainchild of Catherine and Pamela and we had a great meeting last Saturday at the Providence house. Great video for the lesson ladies! The next A.R.M.Y. will be on Feb. 11th at 7:00 P.M. in the Providence House.
Ok, it's been a month since I last posted, but we are back so check back here often for news regarding this year's activities. I will be unveiling things this week. A big TY to Catherine for restarting Thursday mornings of which the first is tomorrow.
Last week I had the privilege of attending the National Conference on Youth Ministries in Nashville. NCYM is the largest gathering of youth workers in our brotherhood and this year we had our largest attendanceever. What do we do while we are there? We participate in some of the best praise and worship to be found anywhere, we attend classes, we have great keynote speakers, and we renew lasting friendships through our covenant groups. I have been attending NCYM for about 10 years now and it always has been a refreshing week for me and this year was no exception.
Several things about this years conference stood out to me. One was the acute awareness of the battle that rages for the souls of our teens. The family is under great attack in this country and many youth ministers are very aware of this fact. They see the Church as a special beacon of light to reach the dark places where many teens have to call home.
Another was the great number of long-termguys that are still going strong in their works. There were over 25 youth ministers that were honored that had 20 years or more in full-time ministry.
Still another was the quality of classes that challenged both the new and experienced ones among us. I was especially challenged by the class on Colossians by Dr. Earl Lavender from Lipscomb University.
Finally, the conference gave me the needed boost of why I do what I do: to teach the living word of God and be an example to our teens. We have a fabulous group of teens here at Highland View. A group that will, through the power of God, make a difference in their world.
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