We are headed to the National Gathering in July. Below is a quick highlight from the 2009 National Gathering just to give you a very small taste. In 2012, we will be going back to the city of New Orleans (July 16 - 23). Those students who have finished 8th grade when the Gathring occurs can join us.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Mission Trip: Denver, Colorado
We are headed to Denver, Colorado for our Summer 2012 mission trip. All students who are in grades 7-12 during the 2011-2012 school year are invited to attend this mission trip. We are partnering with a church called The Refuge in northwest Denver. Kathy Escobar (one of the co-pastors) share a little about herself, the church and the ministry that we will be doing while we are out there. The trip is June 15-23. The deadline to register is Sunday, October 23, 2011.
down we go indy mission team adventure 9.6.11 from kathy escobar on Vimeo.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Aug. 28th: Small Group (Creation)
Creation
Bible Text:
Genesis 1–2
Lesson Focus:
God has created us to reflect God's image as we actively participate in creation today.
Big Question:
What can I really do to make a difference in caring for creation?
Key Words:
CREATE, CHAOS, ORDER, STEWARDSHIP
Definition of Key Words
CREATE/CREATION: to bring into being; the environment or surroundings; a creature or a living being.
CHAOS: a state of utter confusion; the confused unorganized state of matter before the creation of distinct forms.
ORDER: the arrangement or sequence of objects or of events in time; to arrange by putting persons or things in relation to each other.
STEWARDSHIP: the careful and responsible management of the resources that have been entrusted to our care.
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS
God is our creator and we are part of God's good creation.
The two biblical versions of the creation story help us explain who we are and whose we are; they are not meant to be read as scientific or historical fact.
God gave human beings a special place in creation that puts a heavy responsibility on them.
We are called to live in faithfulness to God the creator, in whose image we were created.
Bible Text:
Genesis 1–2
Lesson Focus:
God has created us to reflect God's image as we actively participate in creation today.
Big Question:
What can I really do to make a difference in caring for creation?
Key Words:
CREATE, CHAOS, ORDER, STEWARDSHIP
Definition of Key Words
CREATE/CREATION: to bring into being; the environment or surroundings; a creature or a living being.
CHAOS: a state of utter confusion; the confused unorganized state of matter before the creation of distinct forms.
ORDER: the arrangement or sequence of objects or of events in time; to arrange by putting persons or things in relation to each other.
STEWARDSHIP: the careful and responsible management of the resources that have been entrusted to our care.
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS
God is our creator and we are part of God's good creation.
The two biblical versions of the creation story help us explain who we are and whose we are; they are not meant to be read as scientific or historical fact.
God gave human beings a special place in creation that puts a heavy responsibility on them.
We are called to live in faithfulness to God the creator, in whose image we were created.
Big Group: Doubt
We have had two confirmation classes thus far. We are in our new format and our "big group" time for the first two weeks was on "doubt".
We finished our series on Doubt. Here is a highlight from the series:
Everyone has moments of doubt. We doubt if we are heading in the right direction when going someplace new. We doubt if that low-fat snack that tastes really good is really as healthy as it claims to be. We doubt if sometimes the people in our lives really care about us, despite the evidence that they do. And sometimes our doubts are about God. Can we really trust Him? Does He have our best in mind? What does that Bible verse really mean?
When questions arise, they can be a little unsettling, especially questions about our faith. But what if God was big enough to handle the questions? He is. What if He was secure enough to handle our uncertainty? He is. And what if doubt actually paved the way to a deeper belief, a stronger relationship with Christ? It can.
August 21st: Honest Questions
Bottom Line: Doubt paves the way to belief.
August 28th: Gray Matters Bottom Line: Faith grows when you learn how to view doubt through both what you know and what you've been through.
-------------------------------
Beginning Sept. 18th, we will have updates on big group time and small group time. Big Group time is where we look at wonder / discovery / passion. Small group time is when we look at our confirmation material.
We finished our series on Doubt. Here is a highlight from the series:
Everyone has moments of doubt. We doubt if we are heading in the right direction when going someplace new. We doubt if that low-fat snack that tastes really good is really as healthy as it claims to be. We doubt if sometimes the people in our lives really care about us, despite the evidence that they do. And sometimes our doubts are about God. Can we really trust Him? Does He have our best in mind? What does that Bible verse really mean?
When questions arise, they can be a little unsettling, especially questions about our faith. But what if God was big enough to handle the questions? He is. What if He was secure enough to handle our uncertainty? He is. And what if doubt actually paved the way to a deeper belief, a stronger relationship with Christ? It can.
August 21st: Honest Questions
Bottom Line: Doubt paves the way to belief.
August 28th: Gray Matters Bottom Line: Faith grows when you learn how to view doubt through both what you know and what you've been through.
-------------------------------
Beginning Sept. 18th, we will have updates on big group time and small group time. Big Group time is where we look at wonder / discovery / passion. Small group time is when we look at our confirmation material.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Confirmation Begins on August 21st
Confirmation is here. We are looking forward to another year of confirmation.
This year, we will be taking a look at "bible stories". We will be looking at stories from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here is a link to our confirmation webpage with the schedule:
CTS Confirmation Page
Please remember that this year, we are making a few changes. The first change is that we are meeting at 9:30 in the ARC not 10:45. Next, our big group time this year will include worship, scripture and a message that ties in with our themes of wonder, passion and discovery. We will then break up into small groups for our confirmation time.
Confirmation time is a time for us to CONNECT. We have the opportunity to connect with one another, with God and with our world through service.
See you on Sunday !!
This year, we will be taking a look at "bible stories". We will be looking at stories from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here is a link to our confirmation webpage with the schedule:
CTS Confirmation Page
Please remember that this year, we are making a few changes. The first change is that we are meeting at 9:30 in the ARC not 10:45. Next, our big group time this year will include worship, scripture and a message that ties in with our themes of wonder, passion and discovery. We will then break up into small groups for our confirmation time.
Confirmation time is a time for us to CONNECT. We have the opportunity to connect with one another, with God and with our world through service.
See you on Sunday !!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Gathering: Practice Justice
What is the "Practice Justice" day?
Practice Justice is one of three days at the ELCA Youth Gathering (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) to which congregational groups will be assigned. On each of those days, a third of the community will practice discipleship, a third will practice peacemaking and a third will practice justice. In this month’s gNews we are focusing on the Practice Justice day. Subsequent issues of gNews will explain more thoroughly the Practice Peacemaking and Practice Discipleship days. All three of the days are designed to help young people make real the covenant God made with them in Holy Baptism to:
• Live among God’s faithful people,
• Hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
• Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
• Serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
• Strive for justice and peace in all the earth (ELW pg. 236).
The ELCA Youth Gathering is a witness to Jesus' invitation to hit the streets, to follow one's convictions with actions, and to join in the work God is doing in the world. Even though we know such action isn't about us -- it is all about what God is up to -- many have asked what youth will do in New Orleans in 2012.
On the Practice Justice day, the clean and predictable lives of many of us will get messed up a bit by learning about the ongoing struggles in New Orleans. New Orleanians want us to know about their struggles, they want us to see the truth of their lives because after the initial rush of public interest following Katrina, people have steadily stopped paying attention. Now, six years after Katrina, New Orleans still needs our attention.
On the Practice Justice day, youth and adults will come together in the Superdome to learn about how we make the connection between God’s justice, God’s shalom, God’s intention for the world, and our desire to serve. We will be reminded about how God’s presence made a difference in the everyday lives of those living in New Orleans in 2009 through our service. Then, groups will walk justice as they enter into a multi-sensory experience to help them understand how the catastrophe of Katrina changed the course of history for New Orleanians. Next, groups depart by bus or by foot to practice justice in the midst of the fragile realities of recovery evident in the public education system, in housing and in the shrinking wetlands. At the end of the day, each group will reflect on their Practice Justice experience by debriefing with trained young adults who will help connect their experiences with their own sense of call to live out their baptismal identity in the communities to which they return.
The Gathering deadline is coming soon (September 1). We hope that you will join us in New Orleans July 16-23. This event will only be for the 8th grade students of Crosstrainers.
Big Stuf
Tomorrow morning, we have two separate groups who are headed out to learn and serve. At Christ The Savior, our mission is the following: Reaching people to know, love and serve Christ. The serve group will be our high school students and our "know" group will be a mixed-age group of junior high and high school students.
Thus, we have a group of students going to Florida to "know" Christ at Big Stuf Camp. While there, they are going to experience eight different worship times and be challenged to grow in their faith. The camp is held in Panama City Beach, Florida and in-between those eight worship services, we will have ample time to play on the beach (weather permitted). We will also have the opportunity to grow during our daily devotions and church group time.
Thus, we have a group of students going to Florida to "know" Christ at Big Stuf Camp. While there, they are going to experience eight different worship times and be challenged to grow in their faith. The camp is held in Panama City Beach, Florida and in-between those eight worship services, we will have ample time to play on the beach (weather permitted). We will also have the opportunity to grow during our daily devotions and church group time.
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