Saturday, August 8, 2009

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.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

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.



Tuesday, July 28, 2009

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.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

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.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

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.