Christmas Party 2009!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our annual youth group teen Christmas party at the Kays house. The scavenger hunt at the Tyler Mall was a tight competition. Congratulations to Davina and Jen who took 1st place and Sam and Lizzy who took 2nd. And congratulations to Rikki for taking home the bonus gift card in our gift card exchange.

"God's Plan for Sex" - This Sunday!

After some thought, I have decided to have this Sunday's lunch & Bible study at the church building. We'll have lunch after our regular Bible class ($3 per teen) and then we'll kick off our new monthly Bible study, "God's Plan for Sex." Pick up time will be at 2:30 at the building.

I want to communicate a few things to you parents about this study. I am excited and a little nervous to start this study. Nervous because I truly want it to be a powerful and important experience for your teens. I have been studying and collecting material on the topic of sex and continue to be convincted about God's plan for sex. I think this will probably be one of THE most important studies I've done with the kids while I have been youth minister. It's looking like this is going to be a 4-part study (so we'll have 1 lesson per month). And for one lesson in particular (probably the 3rd one) I'm looking to split the boys and girls into separate groups with separate locations.

The resources I have been studying and will be drawing from for this study are:
"The Power of Sex: Helping Students Understand God's Plan for Sex" by Doug Fields
"Sex & Dating: A Bible Study for Youth Groups" by Michael and Hayley Dimarco
"Good Sex: A Whole-Person Approach to Teenage Sexuality and God" by Jim Hancock & Kara Eckmann Powell

I wanted to share this with you because this is not a subject I am treating lightly. I hope you will strongly encourage your teen to attend and will discuss with your teen what is talked about and presented. When I was growing up I felt like I had a great relationship with my parents and remember talking very openly with my father about sex. That being said - there were still certain questions that I had that for whatever reason I felt uncomfortable about going to my own father with first. I thank God for my youth minister (Steve Smith!) and that I had a Godly mentor with whom I could ask those questions.

Soles4Souls Fundraiser

Last Sunday during our worship time we announced that Brooke McGee was our winner for bringing in the most donations for the Soles4Souls fundraiser (her brother Brett) was a close second. Check out the 90 pair of shoes that were donated - including 25 brand new pairs of Vans courtesy of Rebel Skate & Surf (owned by Mary Morrison's grand-daughter and grand-son-in-law)! God is good!

End of September Activities

I need to let you all know about the activities coming up for the rest of this month. There have been some changes so please read and take note.

The activity for this weekend will be a dinner and movie night Saturday night at 5:00 at the church building. There was talk of a potential trip to Magic Mountain scheduled for this Saturday, but to be honest, I don't think we quite have the money in the youth fund to pull it off at this time. And after being gone for so long, I think it would be good to just hang out with the teens and have fun together. I'm looking forward to it!

On Sunday, September 25th, we will have a fundraiser LUNCH. Yup, you read that correct. Carol Parks and I are organizing a spaghetti lunch for the entire church. Because of this we will NOT be starting our Bible study on 'God's Plan for Sex' that Sunday. We will begin that Bible study on Sunday, October 4th. I will let you know how you parents and teens can help for our spaghetti lunch.

Hello!

In case you're wondering where we've been - well, actually we've been quite a few places! But the reason the blog has been dormant has been because we had a very bad virus on our computer and could not access our blogs! But everything is now fixed! So expect future updates sooner rather than later. To kick the blog back into action, here is a fairly provocative picture taken on the street.

Back to School Souls4Souls Fundraiser

I'm very excited to announce that for our teen fundraiser we are partnering with Souls4Souls Inc., the shoe charity, August 9-30, 2009 in an effort to “Change the World One Pair at a Time”.

Every 23 seconds, Soles4Souls Inc. gives away another pair of shoes to someone in need.The shoe charity has earned glowing endorsements from Hollywood stars and professional athletes, but the people who truly make the non-profit organization effective are those who partner with Soles4Souls in its mission of Changing the World One Pair at a Time ™.

That’s where our youth is getting involved – by becoming the hands and feet of Soles4Souls in Redlands.In addition to helping Soles4Souls reach needy people around the world, Redlands Church of Christ youth group is also raising critical funds for their own programs.

“At this time of year, when we are buying back to school items for our kids, we thought this fundraiser would be a good way to raise awareness about those in need of the most basic living essentials. Not only does it help a great cause, but it is a unique way to fundraise for our youth group. We are looking forward to this service project. We’re hoping that while people shop for back to school clothes and supplies they can donate five to ten dollars to help a child somewhere who cannot afford shoes,” explains Jeff Partain, Youth Minister, Redlands Church of Christ.

Like many other schools and organizations, Redlands Church of Christ often utilizes fundraising programs to generate critical revenue for its operations and goals. The Soles4Souls program provides an innovative alternative to traditional fundraisers, so students are able to raise money while making a significant difference in the lives of others. Here’s how the program works:
Students collect monetary donations from family, friends, teachers and neighbors for the purchase of new Soles4Souls clogs or flip-flops.

Soles4Souls ships the shoes directly to people in need, domestically and internationally.
For every pair of $5 flip-flops or $10 clogs sponsored, the school organization receives 40% of the proceeds in the form of a check from Soles4Souls, along with unique incentives for students and the programs they are representing.

LIFE Group BBQ

We interrupt this regular youth group blog with some pictures from our awesome Life group. Yesterday, we had a special Life group gathering at the Kay house where some great food was served up. Steve did a great job manning the BBQ and supplied plenty of burgers and hot dogs. There was lots of great sides and some awesom desserts too. And the kids had a blast too - some orderly water games turned into a gigantic splash fest.

FishFest

I'm a little late getting these up, but thanks to everyone who came out for FishFest last Saturday at Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in Irvine. Yes, it was hot, but the shade come on our seats farily quickly and it turned into a great afternoon and evening. Jars of Clay was awesome as always, but Phil Wickham and Hawk Nelson also put on some great sets.

Our row of seats in the terrace section.

Finally smiling in the shade!

This was the view from our seats - no zoom being used here...

Phil Wickham and his band putting on a great performance with the sun beaming down on them.

Sophie standing up and clapping along to Jars of Clay.

Yup, that's Jars of Clay down there on the stage - the video screens on the sides helped.

Dan and Steve working the crowd.

August Activities and Help Needed!

The blog has been updated on the left with our newest upcoming activities. There are two activities I need some immediate responses to so we can adequately plan them and pull them off!

1) The teens have been asking for a beach trip. We have an open weekend August 22-23. But this is one activity I'm going to need an adult/parent to take charge and plan and execute. So if you're willing to help plan a beach trip, let me know!

2) We also have an Angels baseball game scheduled on Sunday, August 30th. This is another event that the teens themselves have asked we have. This is open to all family members and to all church members. If you want to go to this baseball game - let me know by August 9th how many tickets you would like. If we have enough people coming, we can qualify for a group rate. We will need the cash for tickets on August 9th as well.

Jars of Clay's "Two Hands"

We've purchased group tickets for FishFest this year, which is happening Saturday, July 25th at Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in Irvine. If you'd like to attend, tickets are $10 per person. Reserve your ticket now with Jeff – we only have a limited amount! We'll meet at the church building at 12:30 and go get lunch and then it's on to the concert! To celebrate and to drum up some interest, here is Jars of Clay's latest video, "Two Hands," which itself is an amazing testament to make a difference in this world.

Slip and Slide

End of May Events

There will be NO event over Memorial Day weekend as I will be out of town. So enjoy your time with your family.

There are TWO events left for the month of May.

The first event is Music Beyond Reason and will take place on Friday, May 29th from 7-10 PM @ the Packinghouse Amphitheater. Music Beyond Reason is an awesome Christian concert to benefit Love146. And it is FREE!! Donations are highly encouraged and accepted. Four bands will play and art will be on sale throughout their performances. Love146 is a non-profit organization that works toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through prevention and aftercare. To read more about their programs please visit http://www.love146.org/. And remember as Jon Foreman sings, "Love is a revolution. We don't have to slow back down."

One of the people putting on this benefit concert is a former high school English/speech student of mine from Redlands East Valley High School. Even more importantly, she is a dedicated and passionate follower of Christ. I would like to encourage you to read her note about this event from her Facebook page which you can access here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=546138316&v=app_2347471856&viewas=807265248

Drop off is at The Packinghouse at 7:00 and pick up is at 10:00. Bring a friend - this should be one awesome event.

And the SECOND event for the month of May? Instead of our traditional Sunday fundraiser brunch at the end of the month, we'll all be participating in the farewell potluck for Bruce and Beth Smith on Sunday, May 31st.

Experience AIDS Follow Up

Thanks to everyone who came to Rancho Cucamonga to experience the World Vision AIDS Experience exhibit - what an experience it was. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since we were there. For those of you unable to go, World Vision has an online experience that I would strongly encourage you to check out. You can access it here: http://media.worldvision.org/getinvolved/aids_experience/index.html

Experience AIDS World Vision Videos

Here are a couple of videos from World Vision that helps explain and describe the Experience AIDS exhibit we are going to check out this Sunday.

AIDS Fact Sheet

A Global Pandemic
• About 33 million people globally are living with HIV or AIDS (nearly the population of Canada).
• Last year, more than 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV.
• More than 28 million have already died of AIDS.
• The pandemic is the greatest medical, social and economic challenge the world as a whole now faces.
• AIDS is primarily a disease of the poor; 95 percent of all people living with HIV in the world live in developing countries. While improved medical treatment and drug therapies are extending the lives of Americans and others from wealthy countries who live with HIV, worldwide, only 28 percent of the 7.1 million people who need anti-retroviral therapy for AIDS receive it. Sadly, only 17 percent of the 780,000 children in the world who need treatment receive it, much lower than the global average.

AIDS and Children
• Children are the top priority in World Vision’s HIV and AIDS response.
• Those most affected by HIV/AIDS are the children:
• A generation -- more than 15 million -- has been orphaned (lost one or both parents) to AIDS. That’s the current number, not a cumulative total.
• By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS will be more than 20 million, according to United Nations estimates. Africa alone will have nearly 16 million children who have been orphaned. When you add that to the 37 million orphans from other causes (including malaria, tuberculosis, malnutrition, and war), that’s 1 out of every 8 African children who will have lost one or both parents. In the five countries (Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia and Zimbabwe) where the crisis is expected to be most acute, 1 in 5 children will be an orphan in 2010.
• In the United States and other developed countries, there are more than 400 adults for every orphan; in nine African countries, there soon will be fewer than 6 adults for every orphan. And some of those adults will be too ill to make a meaningful contribution to their care.
• Children are suffering the loss of parents, teachers, community members and peers as a result of the pandemic. The tragic loss of key adults who once provided stability and protection has resulted in a rapid increase of children who are malnourished, forced to drop out of school and exploited for cheap labor.

AIDS in Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa, home to just 12% of the world’s population, accounts for two out of every three people living with HIV, and three in four AIDS-related deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
• More than 90 % of the world’s HIV-infected children live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• More than 2/3 of the world’s HIV-infected population live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The number of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa – already more than 11 million – is growing five times faster than the total number of children on the continent.
• Women and girls are particularly susceptible to the virus. Bound by cultural traditions that afford them a lower social standing than men, they often cannot control the sexual behavior of their husbands. Also, poverty drives many women to seek income as sex workers.
• By 2020, Africa will have lost almost 12 percent of its labor force – or 58 million people – to AIDS.

World Vision and AIDS
• Today, World Vision has AIDS programs in more than 60 nations, many of those in sub-Saharan Africa. In size, scope and duration of its response, WV is a leader among
humanitarian organizations battling the pandemic.
• 895,000 children received values-based HIV-prevention training last year.
• Nearly 850,000 orphaned and vulnerable children and 69,000 chronically ill adults
received care and assistance in 22 African countries.
• 12,000 church leaders from 9,300 congregations were mobilized to respond to the
AIDS crisis.
• World Vision has made AIDS prevention, care and advocacy a top priority. WV started its AIDS work in 1990, helping orphans in Rakai, Uganda. Other early programs included serving Romanian children infected with the AIDS virus and providing support for Thai women and girls trying to escape prostitution.
• In December 2000, World Vision launched the Hope Initiative, a global effort focused on high prevalence and high-risk countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and Eastern Europe. World Vision’s holistic approach combines responses to HIV/AIDS with existing work in child health, microenterprise development, agriculture and education.
• HIV/AIDS awareness is also a significant part of WV’s Area Development Programs, which provide long-term aid to communities in pursuit of self-sufficiency, and promote sustainable transformation by tackling the root causes of poverty.
• World Vision advocates for funding to help address the needs of children affected by AIDS, including lobbying for 10 percent of the US government’s AIDS funding to be allocated for children’s needs. Such advocacy by World Vision and other Christian leaders and groups is credited with Mr. Bush’s 2003 decision to enact the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and maintaining these vital components when the program was reauthorized in July 2008.

World Vision Experience AIDS

This Sunday after church I want to take as many people as can go to the World Vision Experience AIDS exhibit which will be in Rancho Cucamonga. This week I will be posting information about this experience to check out. Today I'm printing the press release for the event.

Virtual Africa Exhibit Brings the Horrors of AIDS Home
The “World Vision Experience: AIDS” interactive exhibit opens to the public

for a journey into an AIDS-Affected community in Africa,

as seen through the eyes of four children

Alta Loma, CA —The nationally touring, interactive “World Vision Experience: AIDS” exhibit will be at Hillside Community Church to raise awareness about the effects of the AIDS pandemic on children in developing countries. Hillside Community Church this innovative exhibit in order to engage the community on the issue of how AIDS is devastating parts of Africa. The free exhibit will be open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day starting Friday, May 15, 2009, through Friday, May 22, 2009, except Sunday, May 17, 2009, the hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

“World Vision is providing local residents of Rancho Cucamonga and the Inland Empire with an opportunity to see, hear and experience in a personal way the lives of children whose worlds have been devastated by AIDS,” says Dr. Dave Burns, Senior Pastor.

Visitors to the 2,500 square foot exhibit will walk though a replica of an African village while listening on headsets to a story of a child whose life has been affected by AIDS. The stories profiled in the exhibit are those of four real children touched by the work of World Vision, and are inspired by true events.

“Our congregation is excited to host the exhibit and invite the local community to come join us as we do our part to make a difference in the lives of those most affected by this disease – our children,” says Dr. Burns.

The exhibit visited 75 cities during 2007/2008, and is slated to visit 40 more in 2009. About 4,000 to 5,000 visitors are expected to tour the exhibit in each city during a typical eight-day stay.

“World Vision, unfortunately, cannot take thousands of Americans to Africa to witness the tragedy of the AIDS pandemic personally," says Richard E. Stearns, president and CEO of World Vision, U.S. "So we've created this exhibit to enable people to 'step into Africa' and learn more about effects of the greatest humanitarian disaster of our time and how they can help. No one can do everything, but each of us can to something to help turn the tide against AIDS."

Happy Mothers Day

Hope all of the mothers out there felt honored today. During our teen class we made handprints for our moms (yup, you read that correctly) and we attached this poem to our handprints.

The Last Handprint

Remember how you used to get discouraged
Because I was so small?
And now your frustration rises
When I forget to call.

It used to be left fingerprints
On furniture and walls,
Now it is dirty clothes left out and
Evening teacher calls.

The days of changing diapers
Have long since passed.
A diploma, briefcase, and wedding band
I soon will clasp.

I’m no longer growing big each day,
And I’m already quite tall;
But I still need your loving arms,
To catch me if I fall.

I may not seem to listen
To all of your wise words,
But one day you’ll realize
How much from you I’ve learned.

One last handprint
To hang upon the fridge,
To remember how much I love you
As I cross this teenage bridge…

And the Angels are Singing....

Tonight was a blessed night! Brett and Brooke McGee were baptized tonight at the church building. Tommy Walling's granddaughter, Carissa, was also baptized. Praise God!

Care Baskets

Thank you to all the teens who came today to help create care baskets and help personally delivery them. Thank you to the families who brought food and goods to put into the care baskets. And a special thanks to Roberta Burgess for helping drive the teens so that we could personally deliver the care baskets. Just want those members and family of members experiencing recent medical issues to know that we love and care about them and are praying for their recovery and healing.

City of Children

I was really impressed with our speaker this morning - Jeff Fincher, the new director of the City of Children. City of Children is a Christian orphanage located in Ensenada, Mexico. Our church has a long history supporting the City of Children. It was great to hear about the great work that is going on down there. We have been wanting to plan a visit to the City of Children for quite some time and with the Fincher's visit, it's time to set the wheels in motion. We are going to make a visit to the City of Children in the future. Since it is necessary to get a passport for travel across the border as of June 1st, the elders are trying to encourage all teens to get a passport. If you purchase a passport card, we will reimburse you for the cost through the teen fund. In other words, we will pay for you to get a passport! You can find the link to get a passport card HERE: http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

You can check out the City of Children's website here: http://www.cityofchildren.com/COCsite/home.html

And you can check out the Fincher's blog (hooray for blogs!) here: http://jeffandnatasha.com/