Questions for Jesus

Jeff started off the Sunday morning class with a "Questions for Jesus" segment. He asked the teens if they ran into Jesus on the street and could only ask one question...what would it be? There were some great questions...really gets you thinking. Here are some of the questions.

When is the second coming going to happen?

How long will I live? What will I die of?

Do animals go to heaven?

What is heaven like?

What's your favorite food?

Do you own an iPod?

Can you actually strike someone down with lightning?

Do you age at all?

What is going to happen in the next 30 years (world, nation, tech)

Why did you create us?

Why do people still have heart disease and cancer and other terminal illnesses?

Pretty heavy....feel free to post responses, comments or questions!

Bowling and Pizza!

Today was the big Bowling/Pizza day! We met at Empire Bowl and the high score was a 152 and the low score was an amazing 7...that's right...7. Even if we weren't expert bowlers we had a lot of fun hanging out, hiding shoes and playing video games. Thanks to Tommy for picking up the tab! Then it was over to Shakey's for all you could eat pizza, corndogs and cinnamon rolls! A big thanks to James for hooking us up with tokens at Shakey's. For those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you! Come out next time! Be sure to pick up the March youth group calendar on Sunday or check out the upcoming events to the right....

See you Sunday!

Care Package for Brittany

Okay all! Let's show Brittany that we miss her and support her work in the Ukraine by sending a care package her way. Let's show her that God does provide through the love and support of a Church family as well as family and friends. Let's show her we're thinking of her and wish her well. We know that while she is over there with the Peace Corp she will be able to touch the lives of others not just educationally but spiritually. Let's show her new family there that she has lots of love and support from home and what a Church family can do when they work together! Let's send her some LOVE!

Here is a list of things Brittany could use to support her work in the Ukraine:

Teaching things:
Poster Putty
EXPO brand white board markers
Super-Sticky Post-It notes (all sizes, any color)
grocery store ads
magazines with pics of: Food, Sports, Clothes, kids stuff, etc.
any "learning English" book with pictures
Crayola markers
Simplified English dictionary for English/young learners
Stickers
Any American candy that kids might like (starburst, tootsie rolls)
Movies to show to my students in the English club (Disney, family movies)

Personal Items:
Cheese-itz
Any good recipes
Parmesan cheese
Beef Jerky
Goldfish crackers
Chocolate Chips
Brown sugar
Slide-Lock Ziploc bags, gallon size
Bath & Body Works hand soap (any great scent)
B&BW Coconut Lime Verbena (lotion, body wash, body spray)
Good smelling candles
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
Shout wipes
hand sanitizer
hand wipes individually wrapped so I can take them to school with me
Good books you think I might enjoy
Any new/old movies (DVD)

Anything American you think she might like to have or share!

Just take this list with you the next time you go to the grocery store and pick up a little something for our sister overseas! If you cannot provide an item above, don't feel bad! You can offer love and prayers and send her a letter of encouragement. Please bring letters and goods to Church on Sunday and give them to Jeff or Michelle. If it's easier to bring money and have us purchase the above items we can do that too! We will also have a drop box in the lobby. If you could please also include $1 to help with shipping that would be a big help...as you can imagine it gets expensive when shipping boxes overseas! We are so excited about this! Let's have all the goods by Sunday, March 11th so we can ship it out to the Ukraine!

Also, if you can - post in the comments here what you are planning to to get Brittany so others can see what you are committing to get, that way they can get something else. Thanks!

Thanks for coming out and house hopping with us tonight! We had a great turnout! Thanks to the Myers family and the Burgess family for opening up their homes to us and the parents for driving. We hope you enjoyed hanging out at the Partain home. Remember this week when people are focusing on romantic love, that our call is to have a heart that is pure for God. Our next big activity will be bowling on the 24th but check this blog for updates and activities. We look forward to seeing you in class Sunday morning! Have a great Valentine's week!

Superbowl Sunday

Today was Super Bowl Sunday (and my first Sunday teaching Sunday morning Bible class at church). The teens gathered at the Kay's house where we experienced quality fellowship. Quality fellowship meant lots of good food, bouncing on trampolines, making Valentine's cards, oh yeah...and I think a football game was on too!

Actually, Steve had a huge projector which turned the living room into a theatrical experience (forget HDTV or LCD). It was a great time for all of us to get together and hang out. Thanks to the Kays for opening up their home and letting us take over.

Letter To Youth

My name is Jeff Partain and recently I accepted the position of part-time youth minister at the Redlands Church of Christ. My family and I are excited about this opportunity and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share with you some of my goals and vision for our youth group.

I was raised in the Church of Christ, specifically at the Redlands Church of Christ where I was involved in the youth group. I personally know how important a youth group and a youth minister can be in the life and spiritual development of a teenager. I graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education. I am currently in my ninth year of teaching English at Redlands East Valley High School. And if you’ve seen me at worship Sunday morning, you know I’m the proud father of Sophia and Jack and feel incredibly fortunate to be Michelle’s husband.

As a part-time youth minister I am looking forward to helping plan activities, lead devotionals, and teach Sunday morning class for the youth. With parental involvement and youth input we will help organize and schedule a monthly calendar of activities to be mailed one week prior to the beginning of each month.

I am looking forward to developing a schedule and routine for our young people that includes quality time spent together in devotional worship. I will begin teaching the middle school / high school Sunday morning class on February 4th. We will spend the first week or two of class discussing goals and ideas for the youth group as well as focusing on the purpose of a youth group. After those initial introductory sessions, we will begin what I consider to be a study of the crux of Christianity - a study on the life of Christ (the person of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the preaching of Jesus, the passion of Jesus).

Please consider this letter a personal invitation to attend Sunday morning class. It will be a great way for us to get to know each other while studying God’s word.

Also know that I am praying for our teenagers by name and praying that God will do amazing things with our youth group and with our church.