bonsackyouth.org

                Thank you, thank you, and thank you! The response to last month’s NETMA news article from the Youth Pastor has been positively overwhelming; I appreciate the support as well as the affirmation and understanding as we seek to make some much needed changes when it comes to the youth ministry and how we handle money. I also appreciate several of you who have contacted me and said, “I want to help you with this.” You have no idea how much of an encourage-ment that is to me. While I am on an “encouragement high” let me also thank those of you who have already, or are still participating on one of our Ministry Teams for this year, as well as Candy Williams for organizing them. I have always said that one of the greatest gifts that the church could ever give me is knowing that if something were to happen to me this ministry would continue on without missing a beat. Ministry teams free me up to do ministry and allow parents and teens to have an investment in this ministry by planning, coordinating and implementing various events. This also allows us to offer more for our teens because I am not the one having to “do it all.” It allows things like a middle school game night to take place while I am at Eagle Eyrie with the senior high students. The concept of ministry teams working well hit home a couple of weeks ago on the youth ski trip when an adult in the ski lodge asked Marcy Wohlford if she were with a church youth group. When she said yes, the person asked if she were the Youth Minister. Marcy said “No, he is” pointing toward me. The person then said, “I figured you were since you were the one I see doing everything.” That’s when deep down inside I cheered for joy because that is the way ministry teams work. Thank you for being a part of the Youth Ministry Team at Bonsack. Whether you are a youth volunteer in one of our programs, a parent chaperone, or serving on a ministry team, with all of us working together we can accomplish some amazing things for the Kingdom of God.

                With Easter quickly approaching I am putting on my thinking cap as to how the Quirin family can celebrate it in some fresh ways. When you think about it, many of our kids have grown up hearing about the empty tomb and we can become kind of passive about it. I want to find some new ways to approach the empty tomb this year and I am trying to figure out what that means. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear from you. In the meantime, maybe we’ll have a family movie night and watch the Passion movie, or we’ll read the gospel story fresh in our home or, maybe I will find a new way to celebrate a meal. The one thing I do know is that I don’t want us to just go through the motions this Easter. There is too much predictability when it comes to how we celebrate this Holy holiday that is a centerpiece of our faith.  

                This fund-raiser is happening. Youth can pick up an information packet with forms in it at the Power House or in Youth Choir. The Participant Agreement in the packet needs to be signed by the youth and a parent and returned to the envelope on the youth bulletin board by Sunday, March 7. This is a great opportunity for teens to make money toward their youth trips; each egg sold will net a $3.00 profit. All orders will be due back by March 17. If you have any questions about this you can contact Kim Mott at 966-3829 or Marcy Wohlford at 966-2140. 

                The Pure Parenting, discipleship class meets on Sunday nights in room B-216 from 5 to 6:15 p.m. for parents. This study is designed to aid parents in helping their teens with issues of purity. We have been averaging around 26 parents in this class time and I think we are having more fun than you are supposed to in a Bible study. It’s not too late to join us.

                The youth will begin a study on purity beginning Sunday, March 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Power House during discipleship. This isn’t just a study on sexual abstinence, it is a study designed to lead them in moral or lifestyle purity. The classes will be divided as follows, 7^th through 10^th grades will be gender specific and 11^th and 12^th grades will be coed. Encourage your teen to come and participate in this study. Better yet, why not set the example by participating in Pure Parenting?

 

                The Early Show had a disturbing segment on this new phenomenon which is a popular new chat website that puts participants face-to-face with absolute strangers via the use of a web cam. This is scary when you begin to consider children, predators, teens or whomever and what they could encounter in the cyber world. This is an “anything goes” web page that has a very dark side and students are encouraging obscene and outrageous behavior. Parents, beware a lot of kids are checking it out in groups because they think the behavior is funny. Check out the youth web page for a link to the CBS segment on this.

05-07 – Senior High Weekend – Any senior high student who signed up and paid their deposit should have received an informational letter about this several weeks ago. Contact Danny if they didn’t or if you need it sent in a Word document just for you. We have some youth and a couple of adults needing to arrive late because of spring sports or other commitments. Please let Danny know if you are one of them.

06 – Middle School Game Night will take place in the Power House from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided. Girls are asked to bring a drink and guys are asked to bring a dessert to share. There will be plenty of games available for the youth to play, as well as barbeque, slaw, chips and potato salad for dinner. This is a great opportunity for them to hang out and fellowship with just the younger youth.

07 – Purity Study & Ministry Team Meeting - The youth will begin their purity study during discipleship in the Power House from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Following the study and the evening worship, we will have a ministry team meeting in the fellowship hall for all teams who still have upcoming events. These include: Power House Spring Spruce Up, April Theme Fellowship, Rising 7^th Graders, and Meet the Interns’ picnic, End of School Blow Out, youth VBS snacks and the Whitewater team. 

20 – Power House Spring Spruce Up is an opportunity for you to help freshen up the building. We will be redoing the walkway leading from the rear parking lot and performing “spring cleaning” kinds of things. This is a great chance for you to come out and help beautify your teen’s place of Bible study, worship and fellowship. We will meet at the Power House from 8 a.m. until noon, but feel free to show up whenever you can and for however long you can.

 

*** We will not have our regular activities the night of Wednesday, March 31.