Recapping our Awesome Sunday and stuff for Next Week

1.  I forgot to ask if anyone would be willing to provide us with a snack this next week.  Let me know asap if you can.  Chris K, thanks for bringing a great snack this past Sunday.  

2.  This past Sunday we had 3 on 3 softball--that proved to be hard work, competitive, really hot, and definitely FUN!  Shelby, thanks so much for bringing your softball gear.  What does everyone want to play next week?  Softball again? (I like that idea!!)  or something else?  If I don't hear suggestions for next week's sport then I will plan on softball and ask all of you to bring whatever equipment you have--especially gloves!  We'll have to count on Shelby again for most of the equipment, but something tells me she won't mind too much. ;-) 

3.  child sponsorship forms will be available to you next Sunday.  If you believe this is a way God wants you to serve, then come prepared to commit to a monthly donation amount (decided by YOU...$1, $5, $25...whatever you can definitely give every month!)  

4.  After we cooled down from a very rousing game of softball, we all headed to the youth room where we had one of THE BEST conversations and debates and question time ever!  Kevin posed as our "Atheist friend" and our goal was to converse with him about our belief in God.  Challenging topics ranged from heaven and hell, to the purpose of our lives, to the reasons we go to church, and what if someone never hears the gospel.  

Everyone showed great participation, raised amazing questions, and respectfully debated one another's points.  This is a fantastic way to challenge and strengthen our beliefs (the whole range of them!) while learning what it could be like to have real conversations with our friends about "the reason for the hope that we have" (I Peter 3:15).  

Tune in next week (and hopefully many weeks to come) for more riveting discussion. 

Come prepared with tough questions and let's keep the conversations rolling!  I can't wait!

P.S.  Now would be a great time to start inviting your friends--whether they already know Jesus or not!  We're playing sports, eating snacks, and discussing topics that are most important to YOU!

last week, summer schedule, child sponsor, and more!

1.  To those who were at youth group this past Sunday night, thank you for your participation and your attention and we discussed the necessity of praying for our friends to be changed by Jesus Christ.  As the weeks go by, we will continue encouraging one another through stories of success and failure as we learn how to share the Gospel message of Jesus through our conversations or reactions and our deeds.  We will work hard to fully understand the message of the Gospel and then take that understanding to the next level--being able to carry on conversations and debates with friends (specifically un-saved).  We will also focus on memorizing the ways that God has personally changed your lives--the testimony of the work God does can not be refuted.  

Pray for your friends.

Pray for your personal passion for your friends and your deepening relationship with God.

2.  I will have a summer schedule posted soon, but in case you haven't heard we are planning Sunday Evening Sports for the summer months.  Every Sunday evening during the summer, we will meet at 5:30pm for a time in small groups and then from 6-7:30 we will head out to the field for activities such as softball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, and more!  This is a great opportunity to invite your friends--whether they already know Jesus or not--because sporting events are a very un-threatening environment where we can all hang out and get to know each other (and maybe have the opportunity to share about God's love while waiting in the batting lineup).  

Stay tuned for more information!!

3.  Mark your Calendar:  There will be NO SpiritFire on the evenings of:

Mother's Day      May 10th

Memorial Day weekend May 24th

Father's Day June 21st

Family Camp @ SBC July 12th (and possibly July 19th as well)

4.  Sponsor a Child:  I would like each of you to be in prayer and careful consideration to decide if you would like to contribute money monthly to help sponser a child around the world.  Whether it's $2 a month or $15 a month, you will be committing to donate this money faithfully--knowing that a child's life depends on that money!  Are you willing to sacrifice a few extra bottles of pop or a trip to McDonald's or that awesome new bathsuit or that must-have new video game????  Come prepared next week to commit to a monthly donation to sponser a child.  

Jesus calls us to give of our money cheerfully and to care for and support the widows and orphans of this world.   

5.  Snack next Sunday (April 26th):  Thanks Chris Kaufman (and Pam!) for offering to supply us with a snack for next week!  

on Dare2Share

First of all, thanks for making Dare2Share a success!  Being my first experience with the conference I was super impressed with everything and I'm so thankful for how great you guys were.  

The task before us is even greater than the conference we just attended.  Now starts the hard work, the passionate learning, the putting to practice what was taught by Greg Stier and the rest of the teaching team at Dare2Share.  We must also teach those who were not able to attend the conference.  And then we must teach our friends.  We must "go and make disciples [of Jesus Christ] of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).  

In the weeks following Easter (we DO NOT have youth group on Easter Sunday--this Sunday night), we will spend a focused amount of time drilling into our brains the message of the gospel.  We will memorize the Gospel message, we will learn how to explain the Gospel message, and then we will start learning how to have conversations about the Gospel with our friends (so we're not just some weirdos shouting some G.O.S.P.E.L. acronym at their faces but people who want to respect their beliefs and teach them lovingly about our message of eternal life and forgiveness of sins and relationship with our Savior.)  

It's super important that you come out to youth group on Sunday nights.  We don't just want Dare2Share to have been "some cool thing" we did this one time, but we need Dare2Share to be the beginning of a change in our lives and in the lives of our friends.

and once again:  NO youth group this Sunday--spend a wonderful time with your families celebrating Easter and Christ's glorious rising from the dead!  And don't forget to BRING YOUR FAMILIES & FRIENDS to the Easter Sunday Church breakfast & egg hunt (at 9:30 am) & worship service (at 11:00)!!

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"

luke 24:5