catalyst

Catalyst

2012-02-02T15:06:00.001-05:00

Hey all,

After a one month hiatus, Catalyst is back! After skipping a month, it's gonna be awesome to be back together!
You don't want to miss this! Get ready for some crazy fun games, fantastic worship, and the next teaching in the "Making much of Jesus" series.
Catalyst will be at 7:30 tomorrow night (Friday, the 3rd).

See ya there,

Philip

SUMMATION!!!

2012-01-26T13:29:00.003-05:00

Greetings earthlings.

ONLY TWO MORE DAYS UNTIL SUPERHERO SUMMATION! So, whether you're a a superhero, a villain, or one of those super lameeee people who don't dress up, get ready, cause it's gonna be CRAAZZYYYYY FUNNNN! Also, if you are one of those superdy-duperdy, uber lame-o people who don't dress-up...PLEASE DRESS-UP! You won't regret it. Unless you do end up regretting it. Just kidding! You won't! :D So, Summation is this Saturday, January 28th, from 5:30pm-10:30pm in the beautiful facilities of Sovereign Grace Church! Throughout the night we will enjoy: FELLOWSHIP, FAMILY PHOTOS, A DELICIOUS MEAL, FUN, GAMES, ENTERTAINMENT, and an awesome time of remembering and standing in awe of God's amazing work in the lives of the youth over the past year! Please everyone come! (and dressed-up too!) It's going to be an amazing time! I can't wait to see you all there!

May the force be with you.

Justice

Junior High Retreat

2012-01-26T13:14:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!

If you've even heard anything about the Junior High Retreat coming up in March you'd be as excited as I am! This is going to be an amazing time of learning, fellowship, games, and my personal favorite: food! For those of you who aren't aware of what this event is I'll give you a little info:

After the junior high meeting in March, junior highers (and parents if they choose to come) will stay at the church play some amazing games and sleep over. The next morning we'll have a short devotional time, some more games, lunch and then head out.

Who? - All junior highers and their parents
What to bring? -

Required: Sleeping bag, pillow, tooth brush and tooth paste, Bible, notebook.

Optional: clothes to run around in and inflatable moon bounces

What not to bring: swords, spears, lizards, and Justin Bieber music ;)

When? - March 16th at 7 PM till 1PM on March 17th
How? - Register online here at the Catalyst Blog. Registration is $10 to offset the cost of breakfast, lunch, snacks, and the most fun you will ever have!

I hope your looking forward to this event as much as I am!

Stay warm, its still really cold out.

Derek

Senior High Discipleship Groups

2012-01-25T12:19:00.007-05:00

WaSsUp!?

So Man-School and Perceive is this Sunday at 12:30 right after church. Man-School will be meeting at the end of the Children's ministry wing (Room 7) and Perceive will be meeting in the Pine Room. Lunch will be provided.......for $5. If weather permits, Man-School will be playing something afterwards so come prepared with a pair of clothes that you can get dirty in.

Keep it real,

Jonny

Summation

2012-01-22T18:08:00.005-05:00

Hey guys and girls!

Just another friendly reminder

about Summation 2012!

Registration is now over for Summation and if you signed up but haven't paid please do so at the welcome center! Summation is THIS SATURDAY so make sure those epic superhero costumes are ready! Come ready to join Catalyst Youth Parent Ministry in celebrating

God's goodness of the past year.

See you guys there!

It really is cold out now isn't it...

Derek

Junior High

2012-01-17T19:17:00.002-05:00

Hey Jr. Highers (and your parents),
As I'm sure you all know, the January Jr. High meeting is THIS FRIDAY! I'm sure you all have been counting down the seconds to this meeting (I have: Click Here). As usual, this Jr. High will be a night where all 6th-8th graders and their parents will gather to have fun, worship together, and hear a short teaching on a big word of the Bible. So, what's new you ask? This month, in anticipation of Summation (Which is gonna be a blast!), we're going to be playing some grawesomely cramazing (<--Google them, they're words!) Superhero/Villain games.
Real quick recap on the deets:

What? January Jr. High Meeting
Who? All 6th-8th graders and their parents
When? 7:30 PM Friday, Jan. 20th
Where? Sovereign Grace Church - 111 Greentree Road, Marlton, NJ

Get your inner-superhero on, It's JR. HIGH!

Bring your A-game,

Philip

GO

2012-01-12T16:56:00.002-05:00

Hey Guys,

Its that time again! This Friday night we get to GO and share the Gospel at the mall. For those of you who have done GO before I trust your as excited as I am, and for those who haven't I'd encourage you to come out.

Who? - Anyone who wants to grow in evangelism and share the Gospel
When? - we meet at 7:00 PM
Where? - the church parking lot

Also try to plan out rides with other people going beforehand.

Hope to see you guys there!

Derek

Catalyst Announcements

2012-01-09T16:51:00.004-05:00

Hey guys!

In place of the meeting we missed last Friday here are the announcements for the meeting:

If anybody decides to go as orange juice man... well, you have my pity.

Stay warm, its cold out.

Derek

Connect Groups

2012-01-08T22:26:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody!

So, once again, this Sunday are the catalyst connect groups! As always you'll be meeting with your corresponding groups. (see right column for details!) We get together to have fun, food and fellowship and talk about our Christian walks! The groups are split up between 9-10 grade boys, 9-10 grade girls, 11-12 grade girls, and 11-12 grade boys. However, the 11-12 grade girls will be helping to serve the Mauchly wedding. Contact Lisa Difazio for more details! Here is a quick recap:

When? - Sunday, January 15th after church!
Where? - See the corresponding locations for details
What? - Fun, Food, Fellowship! BRING MONEY FOR PIZZA
Who? - Teens 9-12 grade ( at their corresponding groups) and their parents!
How? - I would suggest driving...but whatever floats your boat!
11-12 grade girls have special plans!

Hope you can make it out!

peace.

Justice

Junior High

2011-12-16T15:50:00.001-05:00

HOHOHO! Well Junior High is tonight and ready with a huge batch of awesome Christmas cookies! And when I say cookies I mean games. So to all those people who enjoy having fun come on out and enjoy a night filled with worship, games, and fellowship.

Where: Marlton 111 Greentree Road. (Church)

When: Starts at 7:30

For Who: 6th-8th graders.

Well thanks for reading and to those who didn't I will find you!

Jon

Kinect Groups

2011-12-08T18:33:00.008-05:00

Hey guys!

Sorry for the late post, that's me being lazy.

Here's the announcement:

We have connect groups after church this sunday and we're going to be doing an outreach for the Burma familys. If you have not yet contributed to these baskets that were announced earlier Please don't forget to bring money! This project won't happen without your help.

Here's the raw details:

Who - All teens in connect groups (parents are welcome too)
What - Bring $3 for pizza and money to contribute for the outreach
Don't forget to RSVP please!
When - December 11 after church
Where - The Maple and Pine rooms in the office wing of Sov Grace

We're planning on delivering these baskets from 2:30 - 4:00 PM and returning afterwards

Hope to see you there!

Derek Gaffney

Catalyst Work Day: Urban Promise (No poison ivy)

2011-12-02T16:54:00.008-05:00

Hey guys,
Over the winter, Catalyst is gonna have an awesome opportunity to help make a real difference in our community. We are going to be having a work day at Urban Promise on Feb. 18th. Urban Promise is a ministry in Camden that has all sorts of ministries that are making a real impact. (For more about Urban Promise and their ministries click here.) Basically what we're going to be doing is going into Urban Promise and their off-campus locations and fixing, cleaning, repairing and maintaining their facilities. It's going to be an awesome, fun time and a great opportunity to help make a difference in our community. Without work days like these Urban Promise wouldn't be able to function! Here's the deets:

Who? All 6th-12th graders AND their parents.

When? Saturday, February 18th from 9am-1pm

Where? Urban Promise and their facilities

How? You can sign-up here.

This link is also on the "Catalyst Sign-ups" tab here on the blog.
You don't want to miss this awesome opportunity to be generous with our time and help Urban Promise make a difference in our community!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

Philip

Catalyst

2011-11-30T19:17:00.001-05:00

WHAT'S GOOD EVERYBODY? I hope you start getting pumped for our Christmas Catalyst meeting! It's gonna be this Friday, December 2nd, at 7:30 P.M. at Sovereign Grace Church! (111 Greentree Rd.) This meeting is for all youth 7th-12th Grade and their parents! Sadly, it is not a Christmas "party" as previously written, BUT there still will be an extended time of Christmas themed games and snacks! AKA still a wicked fun time! As usual we will praise God through musical worship and hear a teaching by Tim Wolf from our series "Making Much of Jesus". This meeting will ROCK YOUR WORLD, so DON'T MISS IT! Come out and enjoy FUN, FELLOWSHIP, FOOD, and TEACHING on our Lord and Savior! RECAP:

When: This Friday, December 2nd, at 7:30 P.M.
Where: Sovereign Grace Church
What: Not a party...BUT it'll still an amazing time of fun and fellowship with a hint of Christmas spirit ;)
Who: 7th-12th Graders AND THEIR PARENTS
Musical worship!
Teaching by Tim Wolf!
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDD...now I'm hungry...
BE THERE

Sincerely, The second coolest person you know (behind Liam Wolf),

Justice

Connect Groups - this Sunday!

2011-11-11T11:10:00.002-05:00

Locations are listed to the right under "Upcoming Meetings"

Junior High Hangout Night

2011-11-09T19:58:00.003-05:00

Hey peoples! Just a quick announcement, we're changing Jr. High up a bit this month and doing hangouts instead. We will be meeting on Friday Novemeber 18th. The guys will meet at Andy's house at 7:30 and better be ready for some serious game action going down. The girls are gonna be at Brittney's house at 7:30 garbed in their comfiest pajamas, bearing there favorite stuffed animal. Preferably live (joking!) Both parties are gonna end at 10:00 and there will be a ton of fun, good food, scrumptious food, absolutely amazing food, and great fellowship!

jonny

Catalyst

2011-11-02T11:26:00.000-04:00

HI-DEE-HO Ladies and gentleman!

Just a quick reminder for EVERYONE from grades 7-12 (AND THEIR PARENTS!!!) to come to Catalyst this Friday, November 4th at 7:30 P.M. Our meeting is held at the facility of Sovereign Grace Church, (111 Greentree Rd. Marlton, NJ). It will be an amazing night filled with LOTS of incredible fun and fellowship, contemporary worship and a teaching on 'making much of Jesus' by Jason Reyes! PLEASE don't miss out on this AMAZING public means of grace that the Lord has blessed us with to enjoy spending time with one another and learn about Jesus together! ALSO the theme for the 2012 Summation Event will be announced this meeting! So, don't miss it! Quick recap:

Who?: Everyone from grades 7-12 AND THEIR PARENTS
When?: This Friday, November 4th, at 7:30 P.M.
Where?: Sovereign Grace Church (111 Greentree Rd. Marlton, NJ)
What?: Fun, Food, Fellowship - GAAAAAMMEESSS - Musical Worship - Teaching by Jason Reyes!
Why?: To have A TON of FUN and to grow to love Jesus more!
How?: I don't have all the answers! Find a way there! ;)
SUMMATION THEME ANNOUNCEMENT
FOOOOODDDDD

Get ready to have your mind blown with AWESOMENESS.

Peace.

Justice

Senior High Discipleship

2011-10-28T16:57:00.005-04:00

Hey people,

Senior High guys and girls meet in discipleship groups every fourth Sunday at the church. This month is meeting on the fifth week because of some changes in scheduling this month.

____________________________________________________________________

Perceive:

Perceive is a time where girls come together to learn more about God, and hang out. Please come out to a great time of fellowship this Sunday.

When? This Sunday, (the 30th) at 12:15.

Where? The church building, in the Pine Room. (room on the right of the hallway leading into the pastor's wing)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man School:

The one and only school that teaches young adults to grow in Biblical Manhood, Man School is a time where young men meet to hear relevant teaching, grow in accountability, and hang out and play some games. Please bring $5 for food.

Afterwards, Man School will be playing some football at the nearby Greenlane farms field, so please come out and enjoy some fellowship in the form of wrecking your friends in a sweet game of football. Please bring appropriate attire.

NOTE: as of yet, only 17 people have responded to the Man School invitation out of the total 38 people. If we don't get a head count we won't know how much food to order, and that's a HUGE problem when it comes to teenagers and food. Please don't put us in this situation. Please respond to the invitation "yes" or "no" as soon as possible at this link

When? This Sunday, (the 30th) at 12:15.

Where? The church building, in PKrm 7 (no one knows where that is, so its the room in the children's ministry wing at the end of the hall on the right.)

Thanks,

Derek Gaffney

Jr. High

2011-10-18T14:48:00.002-04:00

Yo,

All you Jr. Higher's (and your parents), get ready for a lot of fun: the October Jr. High meeting is happening this Friday (Oct. 21st).

Six quick reasons you don't want to miss this meeting:

The games: We'll be having tons of fun playing some crazy fun (and yes, spleen-rupturing, world-shattering, and life-altering) games.
The teaching: Mr. Lockhart will be continuing our series this year, "Big words of the Bible", with a fantastic new teaching on Depravity.
The fellowship: We'll be having a whole bunch of fun just hanging out (and maybe playing some serious catch-phrase, ping-pong, foosball, and four-square).
The snacks: What's a good Jr. High meeting without delicious food?
The worship: Justice Volz and Derek Gaffney will be leading us in some awesome worship.
The Reverend's new dew: Mr. Wolf has finally traded off his (in)famous head of curly locks for a nice buzz-cut. You don't wanna miss this up-close and personal encounter with his sick new hair-cut!

So, here's the details for this:

Who? All 6-8th graders AND their parents.
When? 7:30 at Sovereign Grace Church (111 Greentree Road, Marlton NJ) on Friday, Oct. 21st.
Why? All the reasons stated above, especially #6.

I hope to see you all there, it's gonna be a blast!

Philip

Connect Groups

2011-10-13T17:35:00.004-04:00

Connect groups are this Sunday! I know we typically say 2^nd Sunday and this Sunday is a third Sunday. The exception to this rule is when the 1^st Friday (Catalyst) and 2^nd Sunday are the same weekend…we don’t have 2 meetings in one weekend so the Sunday meetings get pushed back to 3^rd Sunday (Connect) and 5^th Sunday (Sr. High Discipleship). Sorry for the confusion on that.

Anyway, we will be discussing the messages we hear in Catalyst together so please come ready to share related to those teachings. If you miss a meeting or want to re-listen you can find the messages and outlines here:

http://www.sovgracenj.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=128319

I hope you can all make it to connect Sunday. Take care.

Tim

Harvest Party... You don't want to miss it!!

2011-09-30T13:11:00.000-04:00

Jr. High

2011-09-13T21:13:00.001-04:00

HEY-OHHHHHHHH. Everybody get PUMPED for an out-of-this-world year of
Junior High! Catalyst’s Junior High ministry is an exciting place for
6th, 7th and 8th graders AND THEIR PARENTS to come and hang with other
kids their own age in a God-centered atmosphere. Throughout the
up-coming year, we will meet on the 3rd Friday of every month at 7:30
in the beautiful building of Sovereign Grace Church (111 Greentree Rd.
Marlton, New Jersey)! Come hang with us this Friday, (September 16th)
at 7:30 P.M. for our first meeting of the year as we enjoy
ridiculously fun games that will blow your mind, Exciting praise and
worship through music, a teaching on the topic of “Doctrine” by Tim
Wolf followed by more mind blowing, life-altering, world-shattering,
and spleen rupturing games! Also, if you don’t come you’ll miss out on
some pretty delicious snacks! If you or your child is between the
grades of 6-8 this is a MUST-GO event where you can make friends, have
the TIME OF YOUR LIFE and learn about God together! BE THERE.

Justice

Connect Groups

2011-09-08T15:15:00.002-04:00

Hello all.

The first Connect group meeting of the year is this Sunday afternoon. This is a quick post to remind you of what connect group is and why we have them.

First, the meaning is in the name. At connect group we want you to connect with God and other people.

Second, how we seek to connect. It’s a relaxed and relational environment meeting in people’s homes over a meal. I’ve found this is one of the greatest ways to get to know people, share a meal with them. So, we eat lunch after church, have some fun together and always seek to have a time of talking about our relationship with God.

Third, connect group is what parents and youth make of it. If you like it, it’s because you are doing something to make it the strong group that it is. If you don’t like it, then I’d encourage you to consider how you can help the group to grow more.

Fourth, logistics. Every group runs differently. Lunch plans vary from bringing lunch, ordering food, doing a potluck, and other things I’m sure I don’t even know about. It’s actually a hard time for leaders to plan for so your communication with them is very helpful for their planning of the time.

Fifth, if you don’t feel connected, go to connect group and get to know people there. They are each great groups of youth and parents.

Tim

Groups

9-10 Boys – Lee Home, Leaders - Bob O’Hara and George Hyland

9-10 Girls – Soffer Home, Leader – Marie Rayesky

11-12 Boys – Pottieger Home – Leader – Rick Pottieger

11-12 Girls – DiFazio Home – Leaders – Carolyn Strasle, Kathy Trowbridge, Lisa DiFazio

Youth Camp Messages & Song Sets

2011-09-08T09:42:00.005-04:00

Youth Camp Messages:
The youth camp messages and outlines are now posted online. This is a great resource to use to re-listen and review parts of camp that affected you and to have these truths sink in deeper. Listening to a message a 2nd time gives you the opportunity to hear things you didn’t the first time and to hid the word deeper in our hearts so that we might continue to live for Jesus together. Click HERE to go to the messages.

Song Sets:
Also, many people requested the list of songs that we did at camp and/or recordings of them. Unfortunately, we did not record these songs on our own but there are good recordings of them on each of the artist’s albums. Enjoy.

All Because of Jesus (Steve Fee)
All I Have Is Christ (Na Band: "Looked Upon")
All My Fountains (Chris Tomlin: "Passion- Here For You")
I Need You (Kristian Stanfill: "Attention")
In Christ Alone
Jesus Paid It All
My Lord I Did Not Choose You (Na Band: "Looked Upon")
Name Above All Names, The ("Risen")
O Great God
Only Jesus
Our God (Chris Tomlin: "Passion- Awakening")
Spirit Fall (Passion Band)
Stronger (Hillsong Live: "This is Our God")
You Alone Can Rescue (Matt Redman: "You Alone Can Rescue")
You Have Been Raised ("Risen")

GO

2011-09-05T17:03:00.012-04:00

Yo, just so you all know, GO (Gospel Outreach) is happening this Friday night. At GO, we meet at the Church and then head out to a local mall to witness to people. Afterwards, we have fun, hang out, and share our experiences wherever we can find some good food.
A few details:

We meet at 7:00 (Friday night September 9th) at the church and head out to a mall from there

There is no age (or experience) requirement: Sr. Higher's, Jr. Higher's, and Parents are all welcome.

Come prepared to share your faith and be used by God (and with a few bucks for desert afterwards).

You don't want to miss this awesome opportunity to make an impact for God and have a blast!

Philip

Junior High Party

2011-08-06T12:43:00.001-04:00

Hi all 6-8 grade students and their parents. This is just a quick post to let you know that we are still going to have our meeting tonight.

We considered postponing due to thunderstorms that are predicted tonight but we are going to go for it. Hope you can all still make it and look forward to seeing you.

Youth Camp Prayer Meeting

2011-08-05T12:18:00.007-04:00

Hi Parents!

We wanted to get the word out for a youth camp prayer meeting. Not only do we encourage you to personally submit camp to the Lord and pray that He works in our lives there, but also corporatly pray together.

So, we will be having a prayer meeting next Sunday night for youth camp. All parents are invited and we need you to RSVP to make sure there is enough room for everyone. Here are some details:

Where: Underland's home (412 Overhill Road, Haddonfield)

When: Sunday, August 14 at 7pm.

RSVP - Please email Kathy if you would like to attend (kathy.underland@gmail.com).

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would still like to pray for camp please e-mail us for a list of detailed prayer requests.

Thanks for praying...we need it!

Youth Camp Registration Deadline

2011-06-24T14:57:00.002-04:00

Hi folks. This is a last reminder to sign-up for youth camp this week. Prices go up for late registration because of the administrative burden that comes along with last minute sign ups.

So, please register this weekend if you haven't yet. If you have registered, thanks!

For those that are new here is a quick overview for what you can expect at youth camp.

Fun free time activities from tubing, zip line, the scariest waterslide around, canoes, the "blob" and "iceburg" water toys, and other fun activities with friends and family.

Six Sessions of experiencing God together through singing, teaching, and times of prayer.

Team games and activities that are always fun and competitive, in a godly way.

Family times and cabin times with friends to talk about what God is speaking to you.

Creative and fun activities planned by our young adult camp leaders to bless youth and their families together.

See you at camp!

Catalyst Kick Ball

2011-06-07T19:54:00.002-04:00

Kickball Tournament

2011-05-10T15:50:00.003-04:00

Be sure to plan to come to our 1st ever Kickball Tournament. Parents and youth are encouraged to come and join a team together.

A few details for the day:

There is no registration required, teams will be made up on the spot

Come in your best kickball outfit

Greenlane Farms is right down the street from the church. Literally a quarter mile from us, if that. (379 N Locust Ave, Marlton)

There is not much else to report for this event except to come! It will be a lot of fun hanging out with friends and parents.

Junior High - This Friday

2011-05-03T15:15:00.002-04:00

Lots to be excited about for junior high this week. Fun, friends, and a guest speaker! Mr. Gaffney will be teaching on what Proverbs says about our language.

Bring your Bible and friend and see you on Friday night!

Youth Camp is Coming!

2011-05-02T13:48:00.003-04:00

Here is the first video to give you a feel for what to expect at youth camp. Make sure to save the date, August 17-20.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/HwF1jFC3tUw?rel=0

To sign up for Youth Camp by June 27 (prices go up after June 27) click HERE!

Catalyst Update - March 2011

2011-03-17T13:31:00.002-04:00

Hi folks! Sorry for the lack of updating the blog these days. Is it not due to negligence, but my inability to fix computer glitches. I've been unable to update the dates posted on the side of our blog but the calendar is still up to date. So, if you click on that link you should be good to go.

Anyway, here are accurate and up to date events for the next month. There is one significant change to note for the mini golf night.

Friday, March 18 - Catalyst
Friday, April 1 - Junior High
Saturday, April 9 - Mini Golf Night (not date change)
Sunday, April 10 - Sr High Connect Groups
Friday, April 15 - Catalyst

Hopefully this will last you through the month.
Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.

Mini-Golf Night

2011-02-19T18:16:00.002-05:00

Instead of your standard trip to your local mini-golf place we are creating our very own. That is, with your help.

We are really excited about this night and trust it will be yet another memorable event for families together at SGC.

There are 2 things you need to do to prepare for this event.

Create your own hole - have your family create their own hole to build. Prizes awarded for the best and most creative holes. You need to sign-up to reserve a spot for your hole.
Practice up for the night - prizes will be awarded to the top mini golfers among us.

Save the date, Saturday, April 2 from 7-9pm. Set-up will start at 2pm in the afternoon for those families putting holes together.

Again, registration is required to participate in building a hole for the night so that we can plan accordingly.

Metamorphosize Music - This Saturday Night

2011-02-12T21:47:00.009-05:00

This Saturday night, 2/19, we will be gathering to continue our series on transforming the way we view music in light of God's Word. We are excited to welcome Bob Kauflin to teach to parents and youth on this important topic.

Please note the date and time change to Saturday night at 7pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Finalized Events and Dates

2011-02-03T14:46:00.004-05:00

Hello all. I love being able to finalize plans for events since sometimes it is so hard to find an open date that doesn't overload the schedules of parents and youth. Well, it looks like we've been able to add some events to the calendar that will be warmly welcomed by you and I'm sure will be lots of fun for our youth AND parents. More details will come but I can't wait to give you a sneak peak on some of these events that will be sure to make memories and build us closer together as a community of Christ followers.

1. Mini-Golf Night - April 2
This is not your standard visit a golf course and golf in the presence of friends. Instead, we will be building the course. By we, I mean you will be building the course. We want families to build a hole for the course and we will set it up in our auditorium for a mini-golf night. Prizes for best holes and scores will be given out.

2. Kickball Tournament - June 11
We are resurrecting all kinds of elementary school games. First it was 4-square, now kickball!

3. Youth E-Team - July 12-16
A local E-Team training and giving youth a vision for the area of evangelism. Local trips to the beach, area neighborhoods, and urban ministry will be part of this week.

4. Youth Camp - August 17-20
I don't need to say anything about youth camp b/c you know it will be awesome.

Summation News

2010-12-21T09:20:00.009-05:00

I can't wait for our upcoming Summation. Not only will it be great to have our annual banquet in our new church building, but it is amazing that we can celebrate what God has done in our lives for yet another year. It will definitely be a great night because God has been good to us.

Here are some important details for Summation so please read:

First, registration is at the welcome center and the deadline is January 2nd.

Second, this year we will be giving out the Catalyst Award based on different categories and it's open to all senior high students. This gives us an opportunity to hear more testimonies of how God is at work in the lives of our students. Students can nominate their peers and parents can nominate students to be honored at our banquet at the link below.

Click here to nominate someone for the Catalyst Award
Voting Closes on January 8th

Third, get a costume for our Disney themed Summation.

Can't wait to see you all on the 22nd.

Catalyst and Connect Group Announcements

2010-12-07T22:53:00.002-05:00

This weekend we have 2 meetings to remind you about with some helpful information for both.

First, this Friday night at 7:30pm is our corporate meeting which is for 7-12 graders and their parents. We will be continuing our series on Metamorphosize and celebrating Christmas together.

Second, as you may have heard rumor has it that I'm cutting my hair at this meeting. You'll have to see if that will actually happen or what Ben is really talking about.

Third, Connect groups. Connect groups are cancelled for this weekend, kind of. What does that mean? In light of the holidays, a busy month for many families, and most of our leaders skipping town this weekend Connect groups as we know them are cancelled. However, many people still want to meet so this is what is happening.

All guys (9-12 grade) will be meeting at the O'Hara's.
All girls (9-12 grade) will be meeting at the DiFazio's.

For more information on these get togethers this weekend please call Jess at the office or pick up directions Friday night at Catalyst or Sunday morning at the Welcome Center.

2010-11-29T19:05:00.002-05:00

Just a friendly reminder that we have our Jr. High meeting this Friday night. 7:30 start time at our church building. COME DRESSED IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT! There will be a grand prize awarded to the most festively-dressed person. See you there!

Catalyst - This Friday!

2010-11-18T11:40:00.002-05:00

Hello all. It's been a long month waiting for our next corporate meeting! I'm excited for this meeting for a few reasons.

It's always fun hanging out with parents and youth in our church, especially when guys like Butterfly man lead us in games. I think the Kidder will be coming this month too.

A new Catalyst worship band and leader. You will have to come to see who they are!

The next installment of our Metamorphosize series.

The Metamorphosize series has been unpacking Romans 12:1-2 and helping us to understand our response to the Gospel in how we engage the things of the world by being transformed in our living and not conformed to the patterns of this world.

So far we did an introduction to Metamophosize and a teaching on media (tv and movies). Our teaching tomorrow night is on Metamophosizing Technology (internet and phones).

See you tomorrow night!

Public Schooling Families Meeting - December 5th

2010-11-16T22:59:00.002-05:00

We wanted to gather senior high public school students and their parents for a luncheon to talk about the opportunities we have to share Christ together. Our burden is to come alongside parents and youth in the areas local school systems and help students to live for Christ.

We ask that you come prepared with your own ideas of how our church can help you to live for Christ and to share Christ with your friends. We will be eager to hear your input for the Living Room as well as it's a context birthed to served our public school students.

We hope you can join us for lunch after church on Sunday the 5th at 12:30 to discuss living for Christ in your school. Please RSVP to Jess at jessica@sovgracenj.org by November 30th and bring $3 per person to cover costs for lunch.

Mother-Daughter Gingerbread Social

2010-11-16T22:40:00.002-05:00

All moms and daughters (6-12 grade) are encouraged to join us for our upcoming social. Moms and daughters will be decorating gingerbread houses together in celebration of the upcoming Christmas holiday. We hope you can make it...here are the details for the event.

Saurday, December 4th from 2-6pm
Come with houses built (directions available at welcome center)
Bring a large bag of your favorite candy to share in decorating houses
Icing will be provided
Ladies will decorate houses starting at 2pm
Bring a salad and/or sandwhich for your family
Soup will be provided
Food will be out starting at 4pm
Other fun activities will be throughout the afternoon

I hope this gives you a picture of what we will be doing together. An RSVP is helpful so we know how much soup and supplies (icing) for the afternoon. Please RSVP here.

Father-Son Flag Football

2010-11-06T16:12:00.004-04:00

A reminder for all the men. We hope you can make it out to our annual father-son fall event...football.

Here are the details:

Saturday, November 13th (this Saturday)
10am
Greenlane Farm Fields down the street from the building
Anyone 7-12 grade can play with or without your dad but we encourage dads to come out, especially for the fathers vs. sons game.

Acting and Action Group

2010-10-20T09:25:00.005-04:00

This is an announcement for all the youth actors in our midst!

Acting and Action is a new group that will be starting in November that exists to equip teenagers to serve the church with their dramatic gifts in Catalyst contexts. It will meet once a month to discuss skit ideas and learn more about acting in general. The meetings are scheduled every 3rd week after church. November 21st is the first meeting.

For more information and to sign-up please contact Andy Boettcher at andybmusic922@gmail.com

I'm grateful for young men like Andy who desire to make an investment in the next generation and use their gifts to glorify God. I think will prove to be a wise use of time for all young actors who want to grow in acting and use their gifts in our local church context.

Jr. High Meeting Tomorrow Night!

2010-09-30T12:12:00.002-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Just a reminder that we're having our 2nd Jr. High meeting of the year tomorrow night. Located at our lovely Church property, we will be meeting any time after 6:30 for sweet hangouts and BYODs. Meeting officially starts at 7:30. DON'T MISS IT. Tim will be teaching about the post post-modern interpretation of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and their relation to the bloodline of the Old Testament minor prophets. Bring your Strong's Concordance. Also, anyone who brings me an amphibian Beanie Baby wins a SPECIAL prize (value equal to or less than $73).

Until tomorrow night, stay classy.

Andrew

The Living Room

2010-09-30T11:40:00.008-04:00

Just a reminder for our first meeting of the Living Room...starting next Tuesday night!

We are excited for this meeting that is open to senior high students, primarily those in public schools, to invite friends out for lots of fun and to investigate the basic teachings of Jesus Christ.
Here are the details:

8pm-9pm - shorter meeting
At the Lee's home in Cherry Hill (1848 West Point Drive)
Bring a friend or bring lots of friends

You can only find out the answer to the question above if you come out.

Man School

2010-09-29T09:58:00.006-04:00

Just a reminder that after a year off from Man School we are starting it back up. The decision to restart Man School was made after seeing this picture on one of our teens facebook pages. Kidding.

But, I'm not kidding about Man School getting started. We will be meeting on the first Saturday morning of every month at the church from 8:30-10:30. That is THIS SATURDAY!

Man School is for senior high guys who want to grow in their walk with God and to take their place and Godly servant leaders in the church. Please bring a Bible, notebook, and pen. I'll let you know one of the Man School rules before you get there on Saturday for your benefit. Be on time.

Calling All Youth Musicians

2010-09-25T16:02:00.003-04:00

If you are a youth at Sovereign Grace and have a desire to play or sing on our music ministry we want to invite you to a music ministry meeting for youth. The meeting is Saturday, October 9th at 9:30am.

We will be reviewing the expectations of worship team member and playing our instruments and singing together to see who should be serving on the Catalyst band as well as seeking to encouarge you to use your gifts in other possible contexts.

Please RSVP for the meeting so we can send along further details for you (music we will be playing and singing together). You can e-mail Jess (jessica@sovgracenj.org) and Tim (tim@sovgracenj.org) to give us a heads up that you are coming. The sooner you e-mail the quicker you get more information.

Bring your instrument (except for drummers) and parent if they are available to the meeting. We hope to see you in a couple of weeks at this meeting.

Canoe Trip

2010-09-24T11:16:00.003-04:00

Sunday is our family canoe trip. Here are some reminders for the day:

Bring a lunch
Directions are available at the welcome center
Leave the church by 12:15
Eat lunch on the way
We will meet at the canoe rental place at 1pm
Enjoy the afternoon with friends and family on your canoe!

If have not signed up yet you can still show up at the rental location at 1pm and join us. You will just need to take care of payment with the rental location instead of through the church at the same rate plus tax.

Corporate Meeting - This Friday!

2010-09-16T12:59:00.006-04:00

Hello all. Just a quick reminder that corporate is now on Friday nights, not Saturday.

Even though I have our meeting on my schedule for Friday and everything is planned out for Friday, I'm so used to meeting on Saturdays that I've found myself drifting toward thinking corporate is this Saturday instead. Well, it's not Saturday...it's Friday and we hope this night works better for us and allows us more time to hang out after the meeting. I hope my repetition of communnicating that the meeting is Friday helps you to remember. If I need the reminder and I'm leading the meeting, I'm sure we all do.

Also, we will be starting our new series called Met-a-mor-pho-size. We are excited for this teaching series and you will have to come Friday night to find out what Meta-mor-pho-size is all about.

See you Friday at 7:30pm.

Connect Groups This Sunday

2010-09-08T11:37:00.007-04:00

The first Connect group is this Sunday after church. If you are wanting to make more Christian friends at Sovereign Grace to have fun with and have meaningful conversation together than this is the time and place to do it.

Here are a few quick thoughts on connect groups:

Connect Groups exist to build community among teens and their parents.

CG's meet on the second Sunday of every month.

CG's share a meal (lunch), have fun together, and talk about everyone's relationship with God.

Topics stem from sermons, book studies, or a relevant topic to your life. Each group has a different agenda that seeks to serve the people in that group.

CG's have an informal structure that makes it easy to come and jump in whether you are new or old to the group.

Details for CG's are can be located on the upcoming events part of the blog or at the welcome center at church.

Hope to see you at connect group this Sunday!

Family Canoe Trip Sign-Up Extended

2010-09-08T11:24:00.003-04:00

The sign-up for the canoe trip is extended to next Monday, Septemer 13th. Here are a few FAQ's that we have been getting answered below.

How do I sign-up?

Fill out registration form, waiver, and make check out to Sovereign Grace Church. Hand in at the welcome center or drop off at the office during the week.
If you are unable to get all of the forms filled out by next Monday and you want to come please call Jess at the office or send her an e-mail at jessica@sovgracenj.org.

How long is the trip and when will we get back?

We are reserving a 1:30-3:30 trip. This is the last trip of the day.
We should be home by 5pm, unless you hang out for a while after the trip is over.

Where is the canoe trip?

Micks Pine Barrens is the company we are reserving canoes/kayaks through.
Wharton State Forest Pine Barrons in Chatsworth is the general location.
The website is mickscanoerental.com

How do I get there?

We will be leave after church. Please arrange for transportation prior to that Sunday.
Directions will be provided that Sunday.

Family Canoe Trip

2010-08-31T14:47:00.004-04:00

In case you haven't heard yet we are planning a sweet canoe trip in the month of September. This will be a great time to connect with your family and other families in the church involved in Catalyst. This idea came from the Robinsons who did this with the youth group years ago and it is still a great highlight to those who went. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with other families in our church and have a great time together.

Here are a few details you need to know for the event.

Sunday, 9/26
We leave right after church and head directly to our launch site
We are headed to Mick's Pine Barrens in Chatsworth, NJ and getting a group rate through them
Bring a bag lunch for your family
Sign-up by filling out a registration form and waiver for each person going.
Sign-up by 9/5
Cost is $33 per kayak/canoe (not person!)
Single kayaks, Double kayaks, and Canoes that seat (1-3 people) are available.

I hope that answers all the questions you have. If you have more give us a call at the office.

Jr. High. It's coming.

2010-08-29T08:34:00.004-04:00

The new year is about to begin! This Friday night is our first Jr. High meeting at our wonderful church building. Meeting "officially" starts at 7:30...but come any time after 6:30 to hangout, eat (BYOF), and play games! Trust me when I say you do NOT want to miss this.

The Living Room

2010-08-27T15:37:00.003-04:00

What in the world is the living room? That's a question we enjoy hearing these days. We are glad the word is getting around and we are happy to answer the question.

Here is what the living room is not?

A hang out for Christians
A place to watch Kirk Cameron movies
A teaching time where Tim pontificates
A self help group for teens

So what in the world is it? Most people know I don't plan a meeting with no goal. The goal of this meeting is simply to offer a place for our senior high students to feel comfortable and be excited to invite non-Christian friends to learn more about Jesus.

I realize this explanation only raises more questions. Good! Then come on out to our Living Room sneak peek on Tuesday, September 7th to find out more. (Location is forthcoming)

Back To School Get Together

2010-08-26T16:23:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it's almost time for school to start again? I always loved when the weather started to cool down but I never much looked forward to school starting. (Note all my grammatical errors in blog entries)

For us at Sovereign Grace Church, the start of the school year also means getting the youth calendar back into action. Our back to school "get together" is a time intended to reunite after youth camp, continue to celebrate what God has done in our lives and look ahead to the upcoming year.

So, this Saturday night we will be having dinner together, playing some 4-square with the Umble brothers, being encouraged from God's Word, and just hanging out together. There will also be a time set aside for parents where we will go over our philosophy of ministry and schedule for the year.

Dinner starts at 6pm (please bring $3 for pizza). If you can't join us for dinner then join us starting at 7pm.

See you Saturday night!

Upcoming Year Updates

2010-08-18T22:50:00.004-04:00

It is sad to see the summer coming to an end. We are spending our last few weeks of the summer getting ready for the new school year. There is some updated and new information for you to check out:

Calendar - That's right. I finally figured out how to get an updated google calendar together with all the dates you want to know about from now through youth camp 2011.

Upcoming Events - The side bar has all the details you need to know about upcoming events, times, and locations.

Back To School Catalyst Meeting - our next meeting is coming up next Saturday. We hope to see you then as we have a reunion from camp and look forward to what we can expect in the upcoming year.

Enjoy the final days of summer and we look forward to another school year walking with the Lord together.

Jr. High End of Year PARTAY.

2010-07-20T15:51:00.006-04:00

Greetings vegetated summer-lovers. I hope this post finds you well and good. I would like to inform you all of our end of year Jr. High bash, located at the lovely DiMarcangelo home in Cherry Hill (click for directions). The event will start at 6:30 (for pizza) on August 6th. Please bring $3 per person to cover the costs. We're gonna be eating, swimming, volleyballing, lawn-gaming, wiffle balling basketballing, and other fun ings. Whatever you do...don't miss it. You may bring the regret to your grave.

The Stories He Told

2010-07-09T10:54:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow night we will be meeting back up again to continue our series, The Stories He Told. I'm excited for you to hear teaching from Jeff Boettcher as he has kindly agreed to teach tomorrow night.

Additionally, his teaching will lead us to think more deeply about representing Christ to others. We will be sharing some thoughts that hope to help you grow to be more passionate and effective followers of Jesus Christ in your schools, communities, and homes.

Bring your Bible, a friend, and be ready to connect with other youth, your parents, and God when we meet.

June Corporate Meeting

2010-06-16T00:14:00.002-04:00

It has certainly been a long time since we have met because of the building move. But, now it's time to get back to our normal routine of meeting together!

We will be starting things back up on Saturday, June 26th with a corporate meeting. I know it's not the usual Saturday that we meet (the 2nd of the month) but we didn't want to wait any longer to get together. We are looking forward to enjoying our first meeting in the new building and invite out folks who are new to see what Catalyst is all about. Additionally, we have some exciting news for the fall that we can't wait to share. Be the first to hear at our meeting on the 26th.

So, mark the date on your calendar and plan to have a great time reconnecting with Catalyst in June.

May Update

2010-05-11T15:34:00.002-04:00

Hi folks,

In light of the building delays our schedule for the next 2 months (May and June) will be slightly altered from the normal routine. So, please check out the blog announcement section as well as the Sunday bulletin for those updates. Here is a quick overview for May, so far...June details will be posted when they are finalized.

May

Junior High - happened already
Catalyst Corporate - Cancelled for this month
Senior High - 23rd after church

June - Lord willing we will celebrate our first Catalyst meeting together in the building next month. A date along with other meetings will be finalized by the end of next week.

Sorry for the confusion and cancelled meetings. There is a lot to do to get into the building and we want to be focused on celebrating what God has done and inviting others in our communities to see! We look forward to youth meetings and don't want to cancel any, but we need to be flexible for the next few months.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

JR. HIGH LOCATION CHANGE

2010-05-06T18:18:00.003-04:00

Folks! We aren't having Jr. High at Marlton Methodist this month. There was a miscommunication with them and we aren't able to use their facility. Once again, the DiFazio's came in the clutch and graciously opened up their home. So to reiterate, JR. HIGH IS AT THE DiFAZIO HOME THIS FRIDAY NIGHT (MAY 7TH) AT 7:30pm. That is all. See ya there!

Jr. High this Friday Night!

2010-05-04T15:00:00.004-04:00

People of earth between the ages of 12-14,

Do you want to ensure the future of the human race? Than please come to Jr. High this Friday night. While I personally can't guarantee the teaching will be anything of Rev. Wolf or Sir Davis caliber, I will tell you there will be adorable puppies* at this meeting. And who can resist adorable puppies? Bring a friend. Bring your Zhang Yining autographed ping-pong paddle. And bring your insatiable appetite for God's word and refined sugars.

Marlton Methodist. 7:30pm. THIS FRIDAY.

*just kidding about the puppies.

Catalyst Color War Olympics

2010-04-08T15:25:00.003-04:00

We are planning for a grand finale in Kings Christian School this Saturday. Lord willing, this Saturday will be our last corporate meeting at Kings before we move into the new building. So, we are having a color war field day followed by a corporate meeting. Here is what you can expect for both.

Color War Olympics - Starting at 4pm at Kings

Join us for our final color war event of the year. Once we get into the building we will have other exciting plans for our corporate meetings. But, for now, come ready for the closest foretaste of youth camp games during the year.

Dinner - 6pm

We will be eating dinner together after the olympics and before our corporate meeting. Please bring $3 to cover costs for dinner (pizza, sides, and drinks).

Corporate - 7pm

We will jump right into our meeting, which will be briefer b/c of the color wars, and continue in our series, "The Stories He Told", exploring the teachings of Jesus Christ.

We can't wait to get together for fun at the olympics and to encounter God together through singing with the Catalyst band and teaching that will help us to love God more.

J-High Home

2010-04-02T13:45:00.003-04:00

Well, it seems as if the j-high group has been nomadic this year. Renting a facility and running into scheduling conflicts seems to be the norm. So, as May approaches and with a few months left in the school year we wanted to see where everyone wants to meet at for the months of May-July.

Also, we want to see where we should meet next year as we have different options. Here are our choices so far that would fit us:

Marlton United Methodist Church - We could ask to continue to meet at this facility since it's a fun place to meet at and provides a great context for our meetings. We would need to be approved for this meeting space again. (My friend on staff their is allowing us to meet there presently b/c we don't have a church building. We will obvouisly have a building next year.)

Church Building - It will be great to have our own building and meet there. However, there is not a "special" room for youth meetings. We would be meeting in the lobby area of the church and not have the bells and whistles (pool table, ping-pong, etc.) of the other locations.

DiFazio Home - Mrs. DiFazio has been very kind to open her home to us as a possible spot. This gives the atmosphere of home, family, and friendship and is a great place to hang together. (Located in Cinnaminson)

So, click here to cast your vote.

Jr. High Friday Night!

2010-03-30T10:09:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the late post, folks. Just a friendly reminder that we do indeed have Jr. High this Friday night. We'll be meeting at the DiFazio's once again. Ben "Color Man" Davis will be IN THE HOUSE teaching, so don't dare miss it. See ya then!

March Corporate - The Prodigal Son

2010-03-11T11:22:00.004-05:00

I've been studying the parable of the Prodigal Son this week as I prepare to teach it on Saturday night. One thing that stands out, among many things, is how relevant this parable is for teenagers. I look forward to our time encountering God together through His Word.

Also, Color Man has some fun planned for us this month and some special news for the upcoiming months. You'll be among the first to hear this Saturday night.

Lastly, only 2 more meetings at Kings until we get into the new building! We are grateful to God for providing the facility at Kings to rent, but we will be thrilled to have our own home soon.

See you Saturday night.

Spiritual Senioritis

2010-03-02T15:52:00.003-05:00

Does this schedule reflect how you are living your Christian life? This was the topic of a brief exhortation I shared with the juniors/seniors this past Sunday that I wanted to post on.

Every year since I've been a teenager I've seen the tug on a junior and/or senior to be ready to move on to other things that pull them from the things that God still has for them in their junior and/or senior year in a youth group.

I love the fact that our youth have an awesome group of young adults that they look forward to building with in their next season of life. However, this great group also presents challenges transition too early. Paul's example in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 shows us that he saw the end of his season of ministry as an opportunity to still pour out his life to serve others and he was concerned with finishing the race well. I have the same desire for our youth, that they would finish the race well realizing that then final years of youth ministry present unique opportunities to serve.

So, don't get entangled with the lure of spiritual senioritis. Instead, finish well. There are always lots of ways we can encourage you to serve so if you are struggling to see what it looks like to finish well I'd be glad to talk with you to encourage you to follow Paul's example as he followed Christ.

Additionally, I brought clarity to seniors as to when the transition into Resolved happens. In summary, here it is:

Spring of Senior Year (Tim will make clear the exact timing) start attending Resolved large group on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights of the month. (This starts now for seniors)
NEXT Conference - make it a priority to get to this conference as seniors are encouraged to attend and it's a great way to relationally connect with the young adults in our church (more details are at thisisnext.org)
Following NEXT - Visit and jump into a Resolved care group and come out to youth camp as a participant one last time.

I hope that is helpful information.

Jr. High: DiFazio Style

2010-03-01T17:18:00.003-05:00

Greetings Earthlings,

I hope all is well for you and your kin. Our beloved meeting place at Marlton Methodist recently became unavailable to us, so we are having our Junior High meeting this Friday night at the DiFazio home. Click here for directions. Their house is right off of Route 130 and is very easy to get to (it's near the Yoders). They have a really big side lot for parking with a circular drive, so if you miss the first entrance, there's another one. Also, use the side door entrance to the house, as it's more convenient than the front. And make sure you give Lisa / Mrs. DiFazio an epic high-five when you see her for kindly opening up her home!

There should be no reason whatsoever that our time together won't be utterly incredible...so I would highly suggest you do whatever is possible to make it out. Same time as usual -- 7:30. Looking forward to seeing you all Friday!

Catalyst February Update

2010-02-10T11:31:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to announce our plans for the upcoming spring. I say spring reluctantly since there has been almost 4 feet of snow to fall in the past week. Either way, we are planning our year in three sections; fall, spring, and summer. So, we are officially now into the spring section of the year. In light of that here is a post announcing plans for the year.

First, corporate meetings. We will be starting a new teaching series at our corporate meetings titled "The Stories He Told". We will be teaching on the parables of Jesus Christ. The parables were studied in our family life care groups in 2009 and I've been studying them personally. I've been greatly encouraged and affected by them and I hope you will be as well this spring. I'm looking forward to how the stories Christ told will help us to focus our love and attention on him as well as be a great place to be during our transition into a building.

Second, senior high ministry. At the last senior high I mentioned to the youth that we will be moving back into homes for the meetings on the months when we do NOT have Parent U scheduled. I think we all have missed meeting in homes and while we are grateful for the Kings Library senior high isn't what it used to be there. So, for the months of February and April we will be meeting in homes. That information is posted and updated on the sidebar. In March we will be meeting at Kings, and Lord willing, in May we will have our first Parent U/Senior High meeting in the new building. For the moment we will be splitting into 2 groups based on age. I realize there is no perfect way to split the groups but this is the plan for February. We will be evaluating what serves you and works best in considering having senior high in homes. To be honest, 2 groups might not be enough to accomodate everyone. Please share thoughts and input you have with me as I want to serve you all the best I can. Your input does lead to change and Lord willing increased effectiveness in the youth ministry.

Third, junior high. Nothing new and being changed for you guys. We will still be going through our series Jesus Matters for the spring and summer. Our next meeting will be the first Friday night in March.

Thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to 2010 together.

tim

Junior High - Cancelled

2010-02-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

Hello all.

In light of the weather forecast for the evening and the potentially dangerous roads that would be awaiting us at the end of the meeting tonight, we are going to cancel.

I hate cancelling meetings because we all look forward to them, there is planning involved, and we have an opportunity to grow in our love of God together. So, spend the night connecting with your family and enjoying the snow together this weekend.

Here's an idea...since we are talking about Jesus in junior high why don't you read about Christ in one of the Gospels and talk about how Jesus is changing your life.

Take care.

February Jr. High

2010-02-03T16:19:00.004-05:00

Hello my dear friends,

This is just a handy reminder that we have Jr. High as usual this month. 7:30pm on Friday night at the Marlton Methodist Underground. Unfortunately, my bride and I will be in North Carolina for our friend's wedding. We will miss you greatly. But do not fret, Rev. Wolf will be there in the flesh as well as Color Man himself. So you will have a grand time indeed. Hope you're all having a great week...see you soon.

Andrew

Senior High and Parent U

2010-01-14T15:20:00.003-05:00

Senior High is coming this Sunday and it feels like a while since we've met. It has been a while. The snow storm in December that caused us to cancel our meeting sure got us out of the routine of gathering together. Ultimatly it was the Lord that cancelled the meeting, not snow and He probably did it to give many of us needed break from running around and to be snowed in with our family.

That's behind us now though I an I hoped you used that time to enjoy some family time. Now, the time has approached for our next meeting where God allows us in his kindness to gather together as Christians and be strengthened through His Word and His people. And that is what we plan to do this Sunday night. We have 1 night with 2 different meetings...

Senior High - Bring you Bibles and prepare to hear more teaching on the spiritual disciplines and talk about how we can be strengthening our faith in light of these spiritual excercises that God has given to us as a way to draw near to Him.
Parent U - We will have another teaching from Jerry Gaffney and more time to chat about it together as we seek to honor the Lord and faithfully disciple our teens together.

One last thing. We are working on shortening our meetings and ending by 9pm. The fall meetings seemed to have run longer then we would have liked. So, 7-9pm is the time. Folks are welcome to stay, but to serve those needing to get home and ready for the week we will be working to dismiss by 9pm.

Church Prayer and Fast

2010-01-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

Hi teens and parents...a great question came my way today. "What is happening for teens for the prayer and fast?" I'm so glad the question was asked! Here's my answer and I hope it brings further clarity on how we do "youth ministry."

Some people might look at the calendar and think, there is nothing going on for teens this week. I'd disagree. There is plenty going on with 2 nights to be pursuing the Lord and serving others in the prayer and fast. Teens are part of a church, not a youth ministry. So, here is how our teens can be involved in following Christ this week in the life of Sovereign Grace Church.

Wednesday Night - Teens have 2 options

Attend the prayer and fast with their parents at their parents care group. We don't divide teens from parents for these types of events in our church. Teens are the church and should participate with their family in them. I'm thrilled with the thought that teens would be gathering with family life care groups to pray for the church.
Teens can serve their parents care group by watching younger children and releasing parents of young children to attend this time together. Another great way to be a part of the church and serve others to participate.

Whatever you decide to do, I think an active Christian teen should be participatingt in one of these options.

Thursday Night - Same 2 options listed above. This meeting will be at King's Christian School and teens are encouraged to attend.

Attending these meetings is only part of how a teen can participate in the prayer and fast this week. Teens are also encouraged to fast during this time and to spend time during the day in prayer for their lives, their families, their church family, and unbelieving friends.

Summation Deadlines

2009-12-30T10:36:00.003-05:00

Hello all. Summation is fast approaching, plans are more exciting then ever, and your help is now needed. Here's how you can help.

Sign-up - The registration deadline is January 3rd (This Sunday).

Nominate a junior/for the Catalyst Award - The deadline is also this Sunday

Send in your booklet paragraph to Rena (rena@sovgracenj.org)- The deadline for that is also this Sunday.

Notice the common theme - the deadline is this Sunday!

So, as you can see there are lots of things you can do to help us prepare for a much anticipated Summation. Thanks for your help.

January Jr. High

2009-12-29T14:45:00.004-05:00

My brethren. Jr. High is this Sunday night at 7:00pm. The typical Friday night schedule hasn't changed...it's just for this month. Nothing particularly peculiar otherwise to announce. Bring a friend out and come hungry for God's Word. Until then, stay warm.

Senior High Party Canceled

2009-12-20T12:11:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying the snow today. I just shoveled our cars out and that is the most snow I've seen in a while.

In light of the weather we are going to cancel our senior high party for tonight. The blog is the best way I know to communicate with everyone since I don't have everyone's e-mails at home. Please pass on the message.

Enjoy time home with your family and make some memories together in this weather.

Senior High - Christmas Party

2009-12-17T11:32:00.005-05:00

Well, I don't know these guys, but they sure do have ugly sweaters. (Don't worry, they are not insulted. They intentionally wore what they knew were ugly sweaters and posted it publically.) And that is exactly what we are asking all senior high students to do for our Christmas party...where an ugly sweater. You all now have 4 days to find an ugly Christmas sweater for our party this Sunday night. Prize to the ugliest one!

Also, we are looking forward to having this senior high meeting in the comforts of a home once again. It will be like the good old days of east (Throwbridges) and west (Robinsons) groups gathering together to celebrate Christmas, reconnect, and enjoy time together.

So, wear an ugly sweater (or make one), bring a gift for our annual Christmas white elephant gift exchange, and show up at 7pm at the Robinsons this Sunday.

Summation Details - The Catalyst Award

2009-12-16T00:17:00.001-05:00

Each year at Summation we seek to find stories and examples of God at work in the lives of the youth of Sovereign Grace Church. Thankfully it's not all that hard to do. Through hearing these stories and seeing these examples we want to stir a love for God and encourage youth to have a passion for Him. One way in which we do this is through the Catalyst Award.

Each year we seek to look at ways in which God has been at work in our juniors and seniors by seeking to honor them with an "award". To be honest, the "award" sounds weird. Giving an award for godliness? Yeah, it's a bit weird but it's what we do to apply "giving honor to whom honor is due". It also is a great opportunity to thank God for these examples of youth pursuing Him and to point younger youth to as well in seeking to paint a picture of what it looks like to follow Christ.

What I like about the award is that it is given by the youth of Sovereign Grace Church to honor and thank their friends for their example in following Christ. It's a great time to encourage one another whether or not we receive recognition or not. So, I encourage youth and youth leaders/mentors to nominate away to give praise to God for His work in the live of the youth of our church.

Here is the link to vote. Please vote by Sunday, January 3rd.

Summation Details - Booklet Paragraph

2009-12-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, each year we collect paragraphs from our junior and senior high students regarding how God has been at work in your lives in the past year (2009). Then we gather these paragraphs together and put them into a small booklet to give to each youth and family at Summation to have. Parents who have graduated youth from Catalyst speak about the joy it was to read these paragraphs through the years and to look back at them. I trust that it will remain a great way to review God's kindness to each of us.

So, in order to assemble this booklet we need your help. Please write about, in 200-300 words, a spiritual highlight for you in the past year. Please submit your paragraphs with a picture of yourself to Rena Moraga at rena@sovgracenj.org by January 3rd. Unfortunately, we can not guarantee paragraphs submitted after this date a place in the 2010 booklet.

Here is some direction to help you get started?

First, when sharing about a spiritual highlight, think about a way that God revealed himself to you, helped you to change, or worked in your life in a meaningful way in the past year. Then write about it.

If you are still stuck on what to write maybe some of these questions will help you to recollect events from the year.

What situations and/or examples from this past year did God use to help you grow in Godliness?
What meeting or event has helped you in your walk with the Lord and how have you seen growth in your life since that time? (corporate, camp, care group, church, outreach, etc.)
What message has affected you and inspired you the most in the past year and how are you different now in light of that message?
What are you most grateful to God for in the past year and why?

We look forward to reading these together and seeing the work that God has done in our lives.

Summation - Medieval Theme

2009-12-09T01:08:00.004-05:00

Here is the official blog post announcing our annual celebration of God's grace in the lives of the youth of Sovereign Grace Church. It's an event we call "Summation", a summary of what God did in the year 2009.

We have a fairly unique way of celebrating this truth. We pick a theme for the evening where costumes are encouraged (all but 1-2 people dress up), dinner is eaten together, fun is had by all, and God's work is highlighted among us. Each year we wonder how we will top the year before, but so far the plans for this year look like it will again be possible. And most importantly, what is most encouraging is that there are plentiful illustrations of God's activity among our youth and parents! God has indeed been faithful to us for yet another year.

So, here's what you need to do to get ready:

Save the date - January 23rd, 5:30 for pictures and 6:00 for doors to open
Sign up ASAP - December 13th-January 3rd at the Church Welcome Center
Cost is $10 per person and food is promised to be much better this year! (Plenty of it, and great quality)
Work on a costume! - Prizes go to top costumes for the night
Get to your on your paragraph and nominate a friend to be honored for their godly example (look for posts in the next week for further instructions)

More details will be posted on the blog as they become available. Be on the lookout this week for these details as all deadlines (registration, nominations, paragraphs) are in the 1st week of January.

Parent University Follow-Up: Part II

2009-12-08T23:21:00.002-05:00

Listen more and talk less. Wise words from 2 weeks ago that we would do well to apply in parenting. Maria and I teach our children to enter a room with"ears open and mouths closed". It's advice I need to practice as a parent.

Jerry Gaffney did a great job teaching us on coming alongside our kids through listening. The goal of the message was to help us learn how to listen more and talk less. Below are some thoughts we discussed after the message that I think will be helpful to recap and supplement that time.

How does the Gospel connect to this topic?

As parents, we have a desire to teach and to have our teaching be applied. We identify a problem or issue and we want to present a clear solution and have a desire that because we addressed it in conversation then it will be taken care of. However, problems and issues can often be an opportunity for a deeper and more meaningful spiritual conversation. These conversations take hard work, laying down our desires, schedules, and agendas and serving our teens. When we face these opportunities, the Gospel provokes us to emulate our Savior who laid down not only his desires, but his life so that we can enjoy life. In a similar way, we are called to lay down our desires (good and bad) and say yes to God's agenda in these opportunities to listen and talk.

What are common pitfalls in effectively listening?

Fear! We respond fearfully and monologue to our teens in hopes to save them instead of understand where they are coming from.
Laziness - It's easier to give commands and tell them to do something. It's shorter in time and requires less energy in thought and processing situations.
Impatience - Just wanting an easy way out and ignoring the oppotunity.
Assumption - Being to quick to assume we really know what is going on, what our teens are thinking, and not taking time to ask questions in case our assumption is wrong.
Not interested - Ultimately, this reveals a lack of love. But sometimes, we can just be plain disinterested in what is a monumental issue for our teens but seems to be a trivial issue to us.

Parents, which of these do you struggle with and how can you change?

What are "emotive words" and how can they signal opportunities to listen?

Emotive words are words that reveal intense emotion and deeper heart struggles. Phrases like "I feel like I'm drowning", "I'm misunderstood", "This family is crazy", "I'm scared", and a host of other possible phrases like this reveal some deep emotions. Don't miss the opportunity and/or assume you understand. Take the time to dig deeper. Ask questions that begin with "why"and "how" and help your teen to dig deeper as well. Often, we all can say these types of phrases and until we are challenged to communicate what is behind these statement we will be stuck in places of despair and discouragement. In the same way we just need someone to talk to, and often begin to understand ourselves better through just talking, our kids need us to listen and help them sift through life.

How do you know when you are in monologue mode instead of listening mode?

Are you talking and not expecting a response?
Are you speaking with an expectation to hear or to be heard?
Am I speaking out of objective facts, or subjective assumption?
If you interject with a question, "What do you think about what I said" and your teen responds "Can you repeat it?" then you were monologing. (I know that's worth the price of reading this blog post!)

That's it for now. We will come back with another post shortly with some follow-up questions for you and your spouse and/or friends to discuss together to grow in the "coming alongside" of your teens.

Jr. High Christmas Extravaganza!

2009-11-30T12:07:00.006-05:00

How you found yourself dreaming about a Christmas-laden party where fun, fellowship, and food are merry and bright? Do you long to hangout with your fellow 7th and 8th graders in a setting that makes the Scroogiest jolly and the jolliest even more jolly? Do you dream about playing ping-pong while savoring the delicious taste of candy canes doused in peanut butter? Do you crave the sweet sound of Matthew McAwesome belting out "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" on his freshly waxed acoustic guitar? Does the thought of Tim Wolf teaching about the birth of Christ while wearing his favorite Christmas sweater complete with a glowing Rudolph nose and tinsel-trimmed sleeves make you ravingly excited?

If you answered "Yes!" to any of those questions, than you are in for a treat this Friday night! Come one, come all to our annual Christmas Jr. High Meeting/Party. Friday, December 4th at 7:30pm located in the "Underground" of Marlton United Methodist Church. Come ready to enjoy this festive occasion as we worship our Savior through music, receive teaching on his Incarnation, and party it up like it's 1999. We will also be having our Annual White Elephant...so please bring a wrapped "gift" in order to participate. For those of you who have never done a White Elephant...the more ridiculous, random, and superfluous the gift, the better!

Looking forward to seeing you all this Friday! ALSO...I will be awarding the BEST DRESSED with an incredible prize. So while this isn't necessarily limited to "Ugly Christmas Sweater," I am quite fond of them (hint hint).

Peace, love, and yule,

Andrew

Sunday Night Meeting

2009-11-19T15:55:00.002-05:00

This Sunday all parents of youth (7th-12th) graders are encouraged to attend Parent University and all senior high students will be continuing on in their series on the spiritual disciplines. Bring your Bible, notebook, and a pen. Here are some additional details for the upcoming meetings:

Parent University

Parents will be receiving teaching following up to the last meeting ParentU meeting on proactive parenting. Additionally, discussions will take place with those in your care group so that we can help one another to apply God's Word to our parenting and bring accountability to that process.

Senior High Ministry

Students will be continuing on in the spiritual disciplines series. Please come prepared to continue to discuss last month's teaching on Bible reading and how God has helped you to grow in that area as well as challenges you faced. The discipline we are studying this month will be a timely one in light of the holiday season coming up.

Are You Sure? Part II - Take It Home

2009-11-14T23:07:00.002-05:00

Isn't God good? This is the phrase that kept coming to mind as I thought of all of you tonight and all those that make our corporate meetings possible. God is good and one way that He shows His goodness to us is through one another. Just so you know, Marya Oberfrank and Chris O'Callahan were the ones who organized one of the best games in Catalyst history tonight. God is growing Jonny Miller to be a great worship leader and blessing us with great young musicians to lead us in the praise of God. God is good to us.

I hope drawing your attention to God's work in the efforts of these folks grows your appreciation for him. Most importantly, I hope that His preached Word tonight helped you to grow in your love for Him. We continued on in our series asking the same question, "Are you sure?" John wanted his friends to have assurance, and so do I. So, I hope this series is helping you to draw near to God by "knowing that you have eternal life."

Tonight we talked through the first 2 tests that John gives us to be assured of genuine salvation. The book presents truth in a very black and white, this is true and this is not true, fashion. God wants us to be clear and I think these tests do just that.

Test 1 - Belief Test (1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-6, 5:1,5)

I like John's logic. It's simple and clear. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ and confess that He is not only the Lord, but the Lord of your life then, it is "by this you know" that you are saved.

Test 2 - Obedience Test (1 John 2:3-6, 2:28-3:10, 5:2-4)

Again, John's logic is simple and clear. If you obey, then we know Him. John holds out obedience as a reliable sign of salvation. Is there a pattern of growing obedience to God and growing hatred for sin in your life. If so, this is what John is talking about. He doesn't expect perfect obedience (1 John 1:8) but he looks for ongoing and growing obedience. If you truly believe and God has saved you, then you will respond by obeying.

I hope 1 of 2 things is happening in your heart as you hear these messages.

The Lord is bringing an assurance that you are saved and a greater desire to pursue Him and grow in your love for Him.
The Lord is revealing that you are not a believer and that you are hearing his call to turn from trusting in your own efforts and trust fully in His Son Jesus Christ to have a relationship with Him.

The Take It Home Questions are simple and straight forward, like the message.

Are you encouraged or challenged by this message? Why?
Based on what you heard tonight are you growing in you assurance of salvation or growing confused if you are saved? Why?
How can the words that we read together tonight in 1 John help you to follow Christ with greater passion?
What questions do you have on the topic of assurance of salvation?

Additional Thoughts
I mentioned 2 books tonight that have an anti-biblical and anti-Christ (not "the" anti Christ) message. The Secret (the adult version) and The Secret to Teen Power (the teen version of the same concept). I'm not sure of your exposure to this book but I do think biblical discernment is helpful to see the false messages of hope out there because they are not connected to Christ and actually lead people away from Christ instead of to Him. I've provided 2 helpful links (there are more) to help you see what it looks like to biblically discern error in our culture. The two links are:

Tim Challies blog (a trusted friend of the reformed evangelical world)
Christianity Today (a popular evangelical Christianity source)

Corporate Meeting - This Saturday

2009-11-10T19:26:00.005-05:00

It feels like it's been a long time since we last met because October was a long month. I'm looking forward to our next meeting this Saturday night. We are in a series teaching on the assurance of salvation from 1 John. John states in this letter his purpose for writing is so that those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know (have assurance) that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13). In an effort to serve you to get the most out of our next meeting here are some thoughts to get ready for Saturday night. Here they are:

Review the text and content of the last message - 1 John 1
Read the text for the next message - 1 John 2
Invite a friend
Bring your color war team band
Show up on time at 7pm for an exciting beginning with a fun color war competition
Pray for God to reveal Himself to you at our meeting

See you Saturday night!

Junior High Take-It Home

2009-11-07T11:41:00.002-05:00

Last night we continued to make memories with the potato race and turkey pictures in the Underground. If you missed you'll have to come out next month to see what Andrew has planned for our December meeting. Most importantly, we had the opportunity to be reminded about the greatness of Christ through song and teaching.

The topic last night was a familiar topic, yet one that I wonder if it's so familiar we don't think about how we need that truth each day to help us. We talked about Jesus being fully man and highlighted truths speaking to how he was a human being just like us. From having a human body that had to grow to a human mind that had to learn just like us Jesus can fully relate to 12-14 year old youth.

So, what's the big deal about Jesus being a man. Most people agree with that. The big deal is found in Hebrews 2:17-18 which says:

"Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

The author of Hebrews connects that humanity of Christ to the way in which we can have a relationship with God. He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Additionally, his humanity tells us that Jesus is able to help those who are being tempted...that's us! The fact that Jesus was a man can help us today to face temptation to sin. Through his example and his sympathy (Hebrews 4:14-15) we have a mighty Savior who is also a faithful friend who understands what it is like to face sin and turn away from it. Jesus can relate to:

Having parents that he didn't agree with and sinned against him
Having siblings that annoy and sin against him
Being lonely and betrayed by friends
Not having prayer answered (Mark 14:36)

Jesus was tempted in every way that we are tempted and through his sinless life we can find a perfect Savior and understanding friend. Do you live each day with the hope that Christ gives through his human life?

Keep the Conversation Going
As always, we followed up to this teaching with conversation with our parents. Here are some more questions to continue the conversation:
1. Discuss the variety of ways Jesus was a human like us. Which of these ways are supported by the Bible and which of these ways can we assume he faced as a human?
2. Why is it important for Jesus to be a man?
3. If Jesus wasn't fully man what would that mean for us?
4. How can meditating on the humanity of Jesus help you to follow Him?
5. If the life of Christ is to be an example to us; how have you been most impacted by his example?
6. What is one area of life (sin struggle, circumstances, etc.) that thinking about the humanity of Christ can help you change to be more like Jesus?

November Jr. High

2009-11-02T09:41:00.004-05:00

Come one, come all to Junior High THIS FRIDAY NIGHT! Where else can you go on the first Friday of the month to find a plethora of fun games, delicious snacks, rocking music, tons of friends, and best of all- solid, Biblical, and engaging teaching about Jesus Christ?

Bring all your friends. Shout it out from the rooftops, I say. Friday, November 7th at Marlton Methodist Church at 7:30pm. Trust me when I say you do not want to miss it. Come early if you wanna hangout and play some sweet games.

Also, I'm interested in finding the "funniest Thanksgiving-related picture in existence." Your mission J-Highers, should you choose to accept it, is to find/create said picture of utter hilarity and bring it Friday night. I will then choose the funniest/best/creative-est at our meeting and the winner will receive a PRIZE of significant intrinsic value (1 Million U.S. Dollars, or bag of candy, whichever I deem more apropros). This picture can be something you find online, hand-draw, create in Photoshop, a family photo, etc. But be tasteful. Tim's hair, while beautiful and worthy of great hair-care products, cannot be exploited for comedic gain. It's just not right.

Love you all like my very own kinsfolk,

Andrew

College Bound Seminar Feedback

2009-10-23T22:08:00.006-04:00

Thanks to all who attended our first college bound seminar. This is a seminar we hope to continue to offer on a regular basis to serve families as they prepare their teens for the college years.

For those who attended, please fill out the College Bound Survey to help us improve this seminar for future parents and teens. Thanks.

The Elements: God's Word - Take It Home

2009-10-18T23:13:00.005-04:00

We continued in our series on the spiritual disciplines tonight and started with the first and most important discipline of inputting God's Word into our minds and hearts. To make a long message short in blog form here are some of the helpful quotes and thoughts from the night.

Main Point: The greatest discipline is the input of God's Word into our minds and hearts so that the output of our lives honors God and strengthens our relationship with Him.

Joshua 1:1-9 makes it clear that God's Word is to be central to His people and to be on our minds regularly. Since God communicates to us through His Word it is vital to read His Word so that we can strengthen our relationship with Him. We spent most of our time talking through 5 ways to download God's Word into our lives. These methods are biblical and illustrated well with the use of The Navigators Ministry picture of "The Word Hand". Each finger on this hand represents a method to Bible input.

Hearing God's Word - actively listening to God's Word preached and taught
Reading God's Word - daily reading God's Word with a consistent time, with a plan, and the goal of meaningfully connecting with God
Studying God's Word - a more thorough study of selected Bible passages and using the means of other Christian discipleship tools to understand God's Word
Memorizing God's Word - committing to memorizing Scriptures. If the Bible is the sword of the Spirit, why would we go into battle (life) without a sword.
Meditating on God's Word - "Mediation is the thumb of the Word hand for it is used in conjunction with each of the other methods. Only as you meditate on God's Word--thinking of its meaning and application in your life--will you discover its transforming power at work in you." Meditating on God's Word is required in each of the above categories and takes effort, hence why Bible intake is called a spiritual discipline. It is hard work and requires effort.

"The reason we come away so cold from reading the Word is, because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation." Thomas Watson

Much more could be said, and was tonight, about this topic. Yet, it's crucial to not that Bible intake must happen in order to grow as a Christian. So, whether you don't read God's Word at all now or if you read every day, pick 1 way that you can grow in enjoying God through His Word and invite help today to change. Below are some recommended resources, links, and questions to keep the conversation going and spur on growth from our meeting.

Take-It-Home Questions

Why is reading the word important for a Christian?
What should "devotions" or "quiet times" look like?
What part of the message was most helpful for you? Most encouraging? Most convicting?
What are areas in your life right now where you see a need for God's Word to inform and/or direct you? (Look to God's Word on these areas)
Are you content with your devotional life? Why or Why not? How would you want to grow?
Which one of the 5 areas of the "Word Hand" of Bible input do you want to grow in the most What is your plan and who can you go to for help?
What questions do you have about reading the Bible?
How did hearing teaching and talking about reading the Bible reveal your need for a Savior?

Recommended Resources: (with categories from the Word hand illustration)

Hearing (Sovereign Grace Church sermon archive, Sovereign Grace Ministries sermon resources, Desiring God sermon archive)
Reading (Catalyst Bible Reading Plan, Discipleship Journal Reading Plans)
Studying (Catalyst Discipleship Curriculum)
Memorize (Fighter Verses from Desiring God)
Meditate (Catalyst Reading Plan, DJ Reading Plan)

Sunday Tear Down Team

2009-10-14T00:11:00.003-04:00

We are still in need of help on the Sunday morning tear down team. If you are a youth that is part of the church please consider serving in this way.

Remember, there are only 5 months left until this team will no longer need to exist! But, until that time we are in need of help. Please sign-up here to help out.

Thanks

Are You Sure?

2009-10-13T23:36:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we began our fall series on the topic of "assurance of salvation." John writes in 1 John 5:13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

What I find interesting about this verse is that John was writing to people who already believed in Jesus Christ and still thought it helpful that they have assurance of their eternal life. If it was helpful for them, I'm certain it's helpful for us. This series has a goal to help the assured to grow in a greater passion for the Savior as well as present those who are unsure or not believers with the hope of the Gospel as the basis for assurance.

In the first message the main point was if we claim to be a Christian, then we must live like one now. We studied 1 John 1:6-10 and the words of Christ in Matthew 7:15-20 to see the clear logic of Scripture in helping us find assurance. It's not found in something we did "then", like saying a prayer, getting baptized, responding at a youth camp altar call, but rather to find assurance we must evaluate the way we live our life now. Donald Whitney captures this point by saying:

"It is not the backward look that is important in gaining assurance of salvation, but the look at what you believe and are doing now."

The remainder of our series will be spent learning 3 clear biblical categories that John presents in examining what we believe and are doing now. They are:

Do you believe?
Do you obey?
Do you love?

I hope this series has already served and continues to serve parents and youth in seeking to answer the question, "Are you sure?"

Also, 3 recommended readings through this series if this is a timely topic for you and you want to dig in even deeper.

The Gospel of John
1 John
"How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?" by Donald Whitney

College Bound Seminar

2009-10-09T14:59:00.002-04:00

We realize the decision making process for higher education is often a difficult and complicated one with lots of choices, lots of questions, and lots of opinions. As a local church we want to serve families with practical college application advice and biblical principles to guide you in this process as you seek to glorify God in this decision. Below are some details for the morning and what you can expect.

Who is this for?
This is for college bound high school juniors, seniors, and their parents.

When and how long will this be?
Saturday, October 24th from 9am-11am

Is there a sign-up?
Yes, please sign up here so we can plan accordingly for the morning.

What will the morning look like?
2 Brief Sessions. The first on guiding biblical principles for the exploration and decision process. The second on practical tools on how to look for a school, what to look for, when to look, etc.

Will this be taped or will it take place again?
No, this will not be taped.
Yes, this will take place again, but probably not until the winter of 2011. We want to hold this regularly to serve families in the church when they approach this season.

Is there food?
Light refreshments will be served.

Parent University Follow-Up

2009-10-06T16:54:00.007-04:00

Hi parents. Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. Thank you for your participation in Parent U and excitement for future meetings. We are looking forward to this context and hope that it serves to help you in discipling your teens. To review the meeting I will post notes that I took from an interview with Warren following up to his teaching. Enjoy!

What was your main point from the 1st Parent U teaching?

Be intentional. Parenting is an intentional activity.

What does that look like?

Be discerning - seeking to understand what is going on in the hearts of our teens related to their relationships, spiritual life, and how they are relating to you (parents). Also seeking to understand what specific temptations threaten their soul and where their strengths and weaknesses are.

Then be active with that information. Are you talking to them regularly about these issues? Is there regular communication? Is progress being made?

Pursue relationship. Are you also pursuing a relationship with them, not just seeking to teach and train all the time, but enjoy life and conversation together? Relational access is important in seeking to speak into the lives of our teens. Seek to make memories with your teens and talk about fun things from football to entertainment. Have fun, then move to fellowship.

Make your authority active. Authority is best received when there is influence and that your child respects you and senses care from you. Hence why the earlier point is important and it needs to be genuine. However, you don't always have that influence but you still need to exercises authority.

Where and when should parents excercise their authority?

When an issue influences their soul. If a love for the world, the bad influence of wrong people or anything that threatens to replace their relationship with God then it is time for a parent to exercise authority.

For instance, what car to buy doesn't really compete for their soul. There is wisdom to give in that issue but that isn't competing for their soul the same way an unbelieving friend might be drawing them to areas of worldliness and ungodliness. There are certain decisions that parents can give wisdom (the car example) and others that they need to exercise authority and make for their teens (the later example) when their relationship with Christ is compromised.

What burns the most on your heart for the parents of Sovereign Grace Church?

Wanting to see parents truly investing the time needed into building relationships with their teens.

Seeking to discern and exercise authority with faith.

Being motivated by love, not legalism.

Are parents seeking to place their kids in contexts that will help them grow spiritually and are they exercising their authority to remove their teens from contexts where they are clearly being drawn away from the Lord.

What are the first steps for parents to take to apply this message?

Examine their own heart. Repent of sin against their children. Repent of being passive or too harsh if that is happening. Communicate a desire to change.

Engage their teens regularly.

There has been a lot of feedback about a list of questions you ask your kids. Parents would like that list. Can it be provided?

Sure.

Relationship with God

How are you doing in your relationship with God?
What are you doing in your devotions and how are you encountering God through them?
What sins has God been convicting you in and are you experiencing grace or condemnation in those areas?

Relationships with Family

How is your relationship with Mom going?
How is your relationship with your brothers and sisters going?
How is our relationship going?
Do you have any concerns for anyone in our family?

Relationships with Friends

How are your relationships with your friends going?
Are you interested in any girls right now? Have you talked to any of your friends regarding your interest? (I’ve instructed him not to do that as I’ve never seen that be productive among teens.) Are any of your friends going through struggles right now that you feel I need to know about or their parents need to know about?

Personal questions:

How are you doing in purity?
Are you having any other struggles right now?
Do you have any questions you would like to ask me?
Any questions about sex? (for teens)

Input Questions (for me)

Do you have any concerns for any area of my life? How do you think I’m treating Mom and your siblings?
Do you see any inconsistencies in my life between what I say and what I do?
Do you have any input for me in parenting or in being a husband?
Do you have any input for me in how I am caring for and leading you?
Do you feel like you could correct me when I sin (in a respectful manner)?
Do you have any concerns or input for how I lead our family or the church?

Well, it looks like you have lots of homework before our next Parent U. See you at the next Parent U in November.

Junior High - Take It Home

2009-10-06T16:08:00.008-04:00

This first meeting was a great start to our new school year. There was a lot that was new from the new band, new facility, and a new teaching series. It was definitely a great night and one that makes me look forward with great excitment to future meetings.

We plan to post within the week following our meeting with a few notes and take-it-home questions and suggestions following our meeting. So this past month we learned the following about Jesus...

1. The Bible Says that Jesus Matters (Colossians 1:15-20)

This passage packs a lot of amazing facts about Jesus into a small section. Re-read it for yourself to see how Jesus perfectly represents God, has and will eternally exist, created all things, sustains all things, far surpasses all things, and reconciles all things to himself.
This passage clearly shows that Jesus matters

2. The Life of Jesus Proves that He Matters

The following passages reveal profound ways that Jesus made his mark on this world in a way that no other man has. While Jesus was fully man, these texts begin to reveal his divinity.

His Authority to Teach - Mark 1:21-22
His Ability to Heal - Mark 1:30-31
His Control Over Nature - Mark 4:35-41
His Power Over Death - Mark 5:21-42
His Authority to Forgive Sins - Mark 2:1-7

Closing Question: Does Your Life Prove That Jesus Matters (Colossians 1:21-23)

Our lives as Christians "testify" (bear witness or prove) that Jesus matters to us. A quick snapshot of this in these verses tells us that if we no longer are alone, no longer arguing the claims of Christ in our mind, no longer doing evil deeds, and are reconciled to God through trusting in Jesus then He matters to us.
Also, if we are growing in our understanding of Jesus, turning to Him, and following Him then our lives prove that He matters to us.

If you are amazed by what Jesus has done for you and being changed daily by that truth then your life proves that He matters. Let's live this year like Jesus matters.

Questions for Conversation:

What do your believe about Jesus? Why do you believe that?
How does Jesus most amaze you? Does his life confuse you? Why or why not?
Do you know people whom Jesus matters to them? What is it about them that makes you know that Jesus matters to them?
What does it look like for a junior high student to live like Jesus matters?
How is God calling you to live like Jesus matters?
What questions do you have about Jesus?
Have you trusted in Jesus for salvation? Why or why not?

Family Devotions - Sing a New Song

2009-10-02T11:14:00.004-04:00

I will always remember the first song my daughter Liliana wrote. She was 5 years old and it was the day before Easter. We were spending the week preparing for the Sunday morning service by singing resurrection songs together and our time became goofy very quickly. We began having a rock concert and making up our own songs one night. When the goofiness concluded Lily retreated and was intent that night on writing her own Easter song. Now, remember, she was 5 and writing had just begun so the spelling of many of the words were interesting to say the least. However, once she translated for us, we were surprised to see that the song was really good!

This memory and others as a young family remind me of the importance of singing. From memories made to solid truth about the Gospel, singing has been a great joy in our family. It's probably why we are told frequently to sing when we gather together. So, here is a family devotional idea based around singing, age appropriate for teens, hopefully. (These devotional ideas on this blog are compliments of Jim Burns and Mike Devries)

Ask each family member what his or her favorite worship song is and why. Have everyone think about a worship song that they once liked but heard too much. Read Psalm 96:1-6 and ask:

Why do you think it is important to sing a "new song"?

Do you think there are any new reasons to praise God?

Then, as individuals or as a family, write a new praise song to God (just lyrics are fine). Incorporate specifics from your lives or from the Psalm. This doesn't mean the "old" songs are no good, but we should find new ways to express our gratitude to God for his great love for us.

Now, if you are not musical, please still give this a try and make light of the fact that you are not musical throughout. Who cares? It all sounds good to God when it comes from a right heart.

Enjoy singing together!

Episode VI: Return of the Junior High

2009-09-27T17:33:00.007-04:00

Wow. Can you believe it? The new school year has begun. And although that may not bring good tidings of school work...it brings great tidings of JR. HIGH AMAZINGNESS.

And this year, Junior High is going to more amazing than ever. We have really excited news. Our new location is off the heeeeeeeezay. Prepare to have your minds imploded with glee when you experience it for the first time. Our new location is in the "Underground" of Marlton United Methodist Church. Directions are found on the right of the blog.

Our series this year is all about Jesus. 'Cause that's what life is all about, right? We're gonna be diving into some rich Christology-- the doctrine of Jesus Christ. And not only will we all get to learn more about our Savior...but I won't be the only one teaching this year! *commence sigh of relief* Our beloved Pastor, Tim Wolf, will be doing the bulk of the teaching. And we'll also have some special guests.

Bring out your friends. I can't wait to see you all out this Friday. Get there at 7:30 SHARP. See ya then!

Youth Mentor Clarity

2009-09-23T10:59:00.004-04:00

There is a flurry of questions surrounding the youth mentor concept that we have begun to roll out. Again, this idea was presented to me about 3 years ago an dI was initially reluctant because of our parent/youth model. However, in the past year it was again presented and the amount of interest behind the idea, the depth of humility, and the zeal to demonstrate Christian love in this way was compelling and the Lord seemed to confirm that the time was right through a variety of ways.

So, let me take my best shot and bring some clarity to what a youth mentor is and what they have been tasked to do. I want to make sure that folks are on the same page as to expectations regarding youth mentors.

First, the role of a parent. Parents are still and always will be viewed philosophically and functionally as the primary discipler/mentor/teacher for their youth. This is our biblical conviction as a church and one we continue to emphasize at each meeting. Youth mentors are not stepping in for you to pass the baton on to them for this role.

Second, the role of a youth mentor. I communicated to the youth mentors that their role is to come alongside of youth to encourage them in their walk with God, to help them in the relationship with their parents, and to being discernment and wisdom to the relationships with peers. The manner in which they are seeking to do this can be summarized using two words.

Support - seeking to support the teaching of the church and parents by becoming another wise voice in the life of a teen. (Note the picture in this blog...there are many support structures that are part of the bridge. Youth mentors see themselves as one of these structures, not the entire bridge)
Supplement - youth mentors are seeing themselves as a supplement to nurture spiritual strength in the lives of youth. We can not survive on supplements. We survive on a healthy diet, regular excercise, and sleep. A supplement can help our bodies to be healthy, but they are a small part of that health. Youth mentors are seeking to make a small investment into the lives of the youth while parents and pastors are bringing the steady diet and exercise regimen needed.

Third, what will this look like? It's a great question and one that I'm still not sure how it will all work out. However, here are some baseline expectations...

Youth Mentors are much fewer then the amount of youth. Therefore, they are unable to meet one-on-one with youth on a regular basis. While that might happen in some cases depending on the need and the availability of a youth mentor, that was never the intent of this concept. Youth mentors have 4-6 youth that they are checking in with and seeking to meet with. In light of other priorities in their life (work, marriage, their care group, etc.) they are planing to meet once a month with their cluster of youth.
The goal of their time is to bring accountability in three areas in order of priority. First, their relationship with God. Second, their relationship with their parent. Third, their relationship with their peers. The 2nd and 3rd priorities are indicators are where they are at in their first priority, God.
More help needed. When parents are sensing the need for more help and counsel for their teen it is recommended that they touch base with the youth mentor themselves to discuss this. Youth mentors are glad to help, but again, they are not seeking to replace the needed discipleship of parents and pastoral ministry of elders in the church.

Fourth, how were youth mentors selected for teens?

If parents made a recommendation within the 2 weeks after youth camp it was honored.
We sought to match youth up with young adults they already have connections with. (We don't know all of these connections so I'm certain we missed some)
We are open to make adjustments still. The goal of this is to serve families and their teens. So, we want to do our best to make this a blessing and that it would indeed be a support and supplement to your discipleship of your teen.

Finally, the goal of this is to serve. We are not seeking to introduce yet another program to the church. We have enough of those. Our hope is that the intentionally loose structure will facilitate a culture where godly young adults are reaching out to teens and parents are seeking out on their own these young adults for added help.
Please be patient with us in the process of rolling this out as it will inevitably have its bumps in the road. Thanks. We are looking forward to seeing how God will use this over the course of the next year and beyond that.

The Elements: Introduction - Take It Home

2009-09-22T22:17:00.010-04:00

We opened our series on The Elements this past Sunday. In this teaching we gave an overview of the spiritual disciplines by explaining what they are and how they are to be practiced. Parents are encouraged to follow-up with their teens on this message. The teens were given an outline with much more detail then this post, but this should serve to fill you in until that time. Here are a few bullet points along with some quotes and questions.

Text: 1 Timothy 4:7-8
Main Point: In the same way an athlete must practice to be a world class athlete, so the Christian must train to be godly. "Practice precedes performance." C.J. Mahaney

1. What are the spiritual disciplines?

They are not a way to get God's attention, please Him, make Him love you more, or to become a Christian.
They are spiritual exercises that strengthen and deepen our relationship with God. They posture us to hear from Him and be changed by Him.
The various spiritual disciplines we will be studying are bible reading, prayer, singing, evangelism, serving, fasting, solitude, giving/stewardship, and confession of sin.

2. Jesus is our model for the spiritual disciplines

Each day he woke to hear from God. His preparation preceded his performance of dying on the cross for our sins. (Isaiah 50:4-6)
Jesus often withdrew from crowds and his disciples to be alone with God. (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:15-16, Luke 6:12-13)

3. What do the spiritual disciplines require of us?

Hard work - Paul taught to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:24-27) that he trained spiritually by making sure his body was brought into subjection to his mind. So, instead of following the cravings of his heart (laziness, distraction, weariness), he needed to press through these temptations to discipline himself for the purpose of godliness.
Preparation must be practiced privately - In Matthew 6:1-18 Jesus corrects the Pharisees for the wrong motive in practicing the disciplines. Many of the disciplines are to be practiced privately and when they are they are signs of God working in the lives of believers.
Preparation requires exercise partners - The most needed partner in practicing the spiritual disciplines is the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17-18). We need to rely on Him for growth while seeking to be faithful an diligent in the spiritual disciplines. Parents and the church also exist to help teens to grow in the spiritual disciplines.

4. What do we do now?

Start seeking the Lord now. (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
"If you want to know how to backslide, leave off going forward. Cease going upward and you will go downward of necessity. You can never stand still." Charles Spurgeon

Take It Home Questions:

What thoughts come to mind when you hear the phrase "spiritual disciplines"?
How did the teaching help you to understand the spiritual disciplines better?
How have you seen growth in the spiritual disciplines in your life?
What spiritual discipline do you most enjoy? Why?
In what ways do you need to grow based on the teaching you heard and your understanding of the spiritual disciplines?
How can you seek out your parents and other godly leaders in your life for help in disciplining yourself for godliness?
What do you plan to do now?

Youth Camp Messages

2009-09-17T11:47:00.003-04:00

For those that missed youth camp, a session, or just want to listen again to a message; the youth camp messages are now available online. Another family devotion idea is to plan your own family worship service by singing songs together, re-listening to a message, and discussing the message together.

The messages are available here.

The Amazing Race

2009-09-12T11:10:00.009-04:00

What a way to start the year! I hope you enjoyed tonight's Amazing Race and were encouraged by our time together. I'm eager to see how God will meet us throughout the upcoming year and excited for the many plans He has in store for us. Here are notes from tonight's message and some take-it-home questions for further conversation.

1. What is the goal of the race?

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Unlike races on earth (running, cars, horses, tonight's scavenger hunt) where the goal is to win and receive a prize that fades away, the race that God calls us to run has the goal of finishing and receiving a prize that never fades away; Christ.

2. How do we run the race?

“Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Run with Help - We are called to run together, not in competition with one another, but in cooperation with one another. Parents, young adult friends, and pastors want to help you run this race. Let them help.

Run Humbly – We are not in a competition with one another, but seeking to help others. We don't compare how we run this race favorably or unfavorably to others. We all compete for the same prize and we should all want others to obtain this prize, Christ.

Run Hard - Following Jesus is not an easy race. Run hard doesn't mean sprint. It means, keep running even when following Jesus is difficult and following him requires you to make hard decisions. Keep running even when you don't feel like it.

Run with Hope – Running this race requires us to always look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Looking to Jesus. When we loook to finding our satisfaction in other things (friends, reputation, possessions, etc.) we will stop looking to Christ and find it hard to run this race.

Let's run this race hard, humbly, with help from others and hope in Christ so that we might finish strong and obtain our prize that never fails, Jesus Christ.

Take It Home Questions:

1. How is the goal of the Christian race different then other races that we see?

2. Why is the illustration of a race helpful to describing the Christian life?

3. How do these thoughts and Scriptures help you? Challenge you?

4. Do you run the Christian race like a competition (comparing yourself to others)? What does that look like? Why is it wrong? How can you change?

5. How does God want you to run the race differently this year? (Hard, Humbly, Help, Hope) What will that look like?