The Pulse Insider 09/20/2011
 Dear Parents: As promised, here is the new and improved Pulse Insider. It is our goal that this email-newsletter would provide you all the information you need for the events and activities going on in Pulse Student Ministries. We'll also provide articles and other helpful resources from time to time. If you ever have any questions, feel free to contact Pastor Michael.  The Youth Scoop: Sunday, September 25 - Baptism Classes begin. If your son or daughter is interested in baptism, please see Pastor Michael. Sunday, October 2 - Connect Groups Begin! Connect Groups are a great opportunity for students to get connected with other students and be challenged in their faith. The greatest part about Connect Groups is the discussions that take place. Each adult leader prepares a discussion topic that is rooted in Biblical teaching in order to get students to talk about real life how to live out their faith in practical ways. Exact times and locations will vary for each group. More information about those times and locations will follow soon! October 3 - Student Leadership Team Meeting from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Youth Room. October 21-22 - 30-Hour Famine. An event designed to help students understand the problem of world hunger, starvation, poverty, and homelessness through an simulated night of homelessness and fasting. In the meantime, we also raise money to help combat starvation. Join us for an over-nighter with 5 other churches as we will sleep outside in cardboard boxes, go without food for 30 hours, and learn more about what we can do to help. Save the date! **Please note that the Fall Retreat as scheduled for Oct 28-30 in the Parent Handbook Calendar has been cancelled. The SLT has opted to participate in a different event.**  Wednesday Night Highlights: We are continuing our series called Sweet Relationships. This series begins with two lessons on our identity found in Christ. Last week (9/14) we talked about "Buying the Lie: I'm Not Good Enough." Here is a review of last week: Title: Buying the Lie: I'm Not Good Enough (week 1 of Sweet Relationships) Lesson in a Sentence: So many times we buy the lie that we're not good enough, but God reminds us that our value and worth are not based on what the world tells us, but on who he is and what he says about us. Understandable Message: This week we want students to explore some of the lies that we are constantly told by so many people, sometimes event the people we know, love and trust. Those lies are that we are unlovable, that we're too young, too old, too fat, to skinny, to slow, too slow, too ugly--that we're just not good enough. But when we're faced with the truth that comes from God, reminding us of who we are--that we belong to him and our value is based on what HE says about us--we are able to see past the lies of the world and live for God. Song(s): Hosanna (Praise is Rising), Make Us One Humor/Fun Element: My favorite moment was the interactive game before everything started--Cheetos Toss. Students partnered up and designated one person to get their face completely covered in shaving cream. On the command go, the other student threw cheese balls trying to get as many as possible to stick to their partner's face. The winning team received prizes. Needless to say, the floor of the youth room was completely COVERED in cheese puffs. Epic. This week (9/21): Title: Buying the Lie: I Am What I Own & Do (week 2 of Sweet Relationships) Lesson in a Sentence: Many times we buy the lie that we are what we do or own, but God reminds us that our value and worth are not based on what the world tells us, but on who he is and what he says about us. Understandable Message: This week we want students to explore some of the lies that we are what we do or that we are what we own. We're told to dress a certain way, to act a certain way and that is exactly who we are. Or that our possessions define us. But when we're faced with the truth that comes from God, reminding us of who we are--that we belong to him and our identity is found in him--we are able to see past the lies of the world and live for God. A Note from Pastor Michael: If we missed you at the Parent/Teen meeting you'll want to be sure to check out the Parent Handbook which was handed out. In it you'll find information about Sunday School, Connect Groups and Pulse on Wednesday Nights. You can access that handbook here. The key thing we talked about the need to begin conversations at home. This fall we are going through an awesome series called Sweet Relationships. This series comes from a need seen within the youth group to seriously talk about relationships--especially between guys and girls. We want students to know that it is okay to talk about relationships at church, and that this doesn't fall into the category of taboo. So we encourage you to begin those conversations at home. How you do that is totally up to you. I mentioned in the meeting that I wish I had parents who were "parent" enough to actually talk to me about sex and dating. I can remember two specific times my parents talked to me about this. The first was in a one-time "the talk" style conversation, which only left me more confused than ever. The second was after I started dating and only involved one "Are you staying pure?" question. The point being, I want to challenge you to be in an on-going conversation with your son or daughter about these things. "The Talk" couldn't possibly cover everything. How that looks in your family it totally up to you. They're curious (or will be soon) about sex and dating and they're going to try and find the answers. The great thing is, they'll turn to you in trust first. So let's be the ones to give the answers from God's perspective instead of allowing the TV, internet, magazines or their peers to be their source. We want you know that we're here to help. If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask. Grace and Peace, - Pastor Michael and the Pulse Team | ArchivesNovember 2011 CategoriesAll |
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