Youth Conference Life's Storm: Who Is Your Rock?

The International Baptist College is holding a youth conference on November 14-15th with the theme: Life's Storm, Experiencing God's Peace in the Midst of Problems.

"Parents’ divorce, loss of a loved one, or just the everyday difficulties of life can make us feel like we are drowning under the crushing weight of a demanding world. Navigating through the storms of life may seem impossible, but God’s Word provides a firm anchor for us. Like the apostle Peter, when we focus on the turbulent waters around us, we will sink, but when we keep our eyes on Christ, He will keep us from going under. Throughout life’s journey, tempests will arise to knock our ship off course. We need to hold fast to the words of the One who can calm all seas."

The keynote speaker is Pastor Kip Doan from Faith Baptist Church in Longmont, CO. Several other pastors from the area will teach workshops throughout Friday. Teens interested in music also have the option of participating in a choir during the conference.

The cost of the conference is $50 if registered by October 18th. The cost includes overnight accommodations and meals (since we are local to the conference, we will plan on not staying at the school's facilities).

$15 is due when when you register for the conference. For more information about the conference, or to register, visit the website here.

Swimming Activity on September 14th

Back to school party! Well...you've been back to school for some time now, but let's celebrate it anyway. 

We will be having youth group a day early this week due to the leadership academy on Sunday (that means no youth group Sunday night).

Please join us from 3:30-7:30 on Saturday September 14th for swimming, dinner, and a study in Romans this Saturday at the Tetreau residence.

Please bring something to drink (a 2-liter or your favorite beverage per family) and dinner will be provided.

Please bring your swimsuit, and a T-shirt (ladies please wear shorts over your suit as well). There will be changing places available so bring a change of clothes as well.

Please let us know before Saturday if you need a ride! We are more than willing to pick you up.

Are We Friendly? Take the Quiz!

One of the advantages to a small church youth group like ours is that it allows us to get to know everyone. No one should feel lost in the crowd, or like no one will notice whether they come or not. We can be a close-knit group the intimately invests in each other's lives.

But along with being close-knit comes certain challenges. How do newcomers feel when they visit our group? We will never be a perfect group, and we can always find opportunities to grow. Making people feel welcome is a group effort in which each of us can play a part!

In my devotions last week, I read a section of Romans 15. Verses 5 and 7 lept off the page at me:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

 First, it's hard to justify rejecting someone because they don't look, act, or think like I do, or like I think they should, when I think about how Christ has accepted me and loved me even when I was an enemy of God.

Second, accepting others brings praise and glory to God! That's exciting! I want to be a part of bringing unity, so that "with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Results: 

According to the author...

• "If most of your answers are fours or fives, great! Your group is accepting and open to newcomers and has potential for growth. 
• If most of your answers are ones, twos or threes, think of why it's wishful thinking to expect newcomers to feel accepted in your group. 
• On paper, list actions or attitudes that would move your answer to fours or fives. Then for starts, choose one action or attitude to work on your 'acceptance ability.'"

The quiz results are anonymous, but if you want to share, tell us how you scored in the comments below. 

The Year So Far

It's been awhile since I last posted, but we've been busy! Here's a few highlights from the year so far:

January

After the epic Christmas party, we kept it low key with a game night.

February

In February, we helped prepare and serve the dinner at the college group's outreach activity: a comedy night.

The girls also had a Valentine's Day Party. We decorated cupcakes and made valentines for everyone in the group.

 

March

We surprised Haylee with a 16th birthday party!

Isaac was really into it.

April

In April, several of the girls and the guys served at the Annual Kindred Hearts Ladies' Tea.

Photos by Star Hill

We also held our first Parent's Meeting, where we introduced our purpose statement, vision, and objectives. We also discussed current issues in our culture that affect teens, current issues in our group, and the youth group calendar of events.

May

This month, we had planned two sleepovers, one for the guys and one for the girls, but had to cancel due to too many other things going on at the time. Several of you enjoyed Family Camp with your families.

June

June was a crazy month! We were involved with teaching classes, registration, decorating, snacks, games, and music for Vacation Bible School from the 10th through the 14th.

 

 

The following Sunday was Youth Sunday! Pastor Joel preached on the "Christian Family," which became a sermon series. We sang two special music songs as a group, and the girls also sang a special music song. and managed every aspect of the service from leading the songs to passing the offering plates.

July

Teen camp got the month off to a great start. Junior camp followed, and we ended the month with a graduation party for Brittany.

Photo by Mikayla

August

The much anticipated Fun Trip took place the first few days of August, the 2nd-4th. We drove to California early Friday morning, and spend the day at the beach, stopping for dinner and a tour at a Chick Fil A owned by former members of our church. Saturday we spent the day at Knotts Berry Farm. Sunday, we enjoyed the church services at Lighthouse Bible Fellowship, where we'd been blessed to stay at their facilities for the three day trip.

 

What was your favorite of the activities so far this year? What do you hope we do before the year is over? Let us know in the comments!

Summer Youth Group Pictures

During the summer, we're being hosted by families in our church. We've enjoyed a beachball-random-question game, playing at the park, and an outdoor movie, to name a few of the highlights. Here's a few pictures from some of the nights: 

We're studying the topic of Truth, and discovering it applies in very practical ways to our lives. 

There's lots more pictures you guys have taken on facebook, I just haven't had time to steal them yet. Look for them on the SEVBC Youth Group Facebook page soon!

What's your favorite memory from the summer youth group so far? 

Summer Bible Program Pictures

We're most of the way through our Summer Bible Program! 

Off to Camp!

The teens are off to camp this week! Pray that they'll have a blast, learn, and grow. Pray that they'll take away much that they can apply to their everyday lives to grow closer to God every day.