- Faith Student Ministries

Faith Church, Kent(253) 631-0990

Students and Parents -

Happy New Year! It was so good to be back together this past Sunday and start the year off right by talking about how God helps us restart! Tonight (January 8th), Groups are back, and we're all eager to be together again.

This month, in addition to The Gathering and Groups, we have Meet in the Middle and a High School Hang Out. Check out all the details below and we'll see you later this month!

Jake Schneiderhan

Student Ministry Pastor

Faith Church

[email protected]
FSM Admin - Welcome Denise Earnhardt
IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD - We have hired Denise Earnhardt as our new admin for FSM! I am eager to get her fully onboarded and confident she will quickly become a huge asset to our team.

Denise has already joined our staff as the new Student Ministry Administrative Assistant. Denise brings years of experience in c-suite administration, organization online presence, and design. At Faith, she and her family have been a consistent presence for nearly 30 years. Most often, you could have found her serving with Kids of Faith, but she’s long desired to work with students and is eager to begin serving them and their families. She and her husband Matt have raised three wonderful children: Jacob (21), Juliana (19), and Jenna (16), who all grew up here at Faith.

I am confident you will quickly recognize her presence in the early part of this year, and our FSM leaders, who have faithfully served and filled the gap over the last year, will benefit greatly from her care!

She will primarily work Sunday-Tuesday, and for the time being, her hours are about half what Billy was working. We hope to expand those in due time.
EVENTS
Check out our January-March 2025 Calendar!
SUMMER CAMP // SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, August 10th - Thursday, August 14thLOCATION: Washington Family Ranch: Creekside
WHO - All Middle School and High School Students (incoming 6th graders through the class of 2025)

WHEN - Sunday, August 10th - Thursday, August 14th

WHERE - Washington Family Ranch: Creekside
(MS) Meet in the Middle: Lights Out
Friday, January 10th6:30 PM - 8:15 PMLOCATION: Faith Church
Meet in the Middle is our mid-month Middle School youth group night full of crazy games, creative snacks, team building, and a brief applicable message.

Did we mention THE Impossible Shot? Invite a friend, and both of you will have a chance to win big!

Meet in the Middle is a perfect place for your friends to come hang out with you and your friends, meet our leaders, and begin to know God!

This month's theme: Lights Out. Make sure to wear black (or neon)!
High School Hangout
Sunday, January 19th7:00 PM - 9:00 PMLOCATION: Faith Church
January 19th is a low-pressure night for high school students to come and hang out! With school out on Monday for MLK and the end of the semester around the corner, the High School Hangout is perfectly timed for you to come and hang out with friends, play games, and have a good time.

Cost? Your favorite snack to share! What else? Bring your favorite board or card game as well!
THE GATHERING
The Gathering is for 6th-12th grade students. We gather to worship together, take a look at God’s word, and have some fun! The Gathering is a great place to get to know God and meet some new people. Join us on Sunday mornings during the 9:00 AM service in the High School Room (on the northwest side of the campus).
The Gathering at a Glance —

On January 5th, we started a new series that is themed just right for the new year, Restart. Restart is a series on our identity and God's promises. Here's the premise:

You expect to face challenges and make mistakes in a video game, but there's always a way out. If things get too difficult, you can just turn it off and start over. In real life, it's not that easy for us to recover from mistakes or start over when we face challenges, but Jesus gives us a chance to restart — no matter how difficult our circumstances.

In this 4-week series, we'll look at a few people who needed God's help to give them a restart. From their stories, we'll discover four promises from God we can trust: when you feel like a failure, God helps you restart,and at times in your life, when you feel overwhelmed, God takes care of you. If you ever feel stuck, God gives you guidance, and when you feel unwanted, God says you belong.

Start the year off right, in Bible and join the YouVersion (bible.com) reading plan for this series.

Restart Reading Plan
Sunday, January 5th - Restart Week 1

This Sunday, we'll see how David wanted a chance to do things differently when he was confronted about his mistakes.

BIG IDEA: When you feel like a failure, God helps you restart.

WHERE IN GOD’S WORD: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13; Psalm 51:1–2, 10–12, 145:8–9

Questions to ask your student this week:

Have you ever had the chance to have a restart in real life? What did that feel like?

Why do you think it was difficult for David to acknowledge his wrongdoing?

When Nathan told him the story, why was it easy to see what was wrong?

What do you think of the way David responds to Nathan confronting him?

Read Psalm 145:8,9

Why do you think being sure of God's character, love, and compassion helps us believe in God's ability to give us a restart?

Do you feel like you can see your wrongs clearly?

How do you think learning the difference between seeing ourselves as a failure and seeing what we did as a failure is helpful?
Sunday, January 12th - Restart Week 2

This Sunday, we'll look at a time when Elijah faced so many challenges that he felt completely overwhelmed and needed to take a break.

BIG IDEA: When you feel overwhelmed, God takes care of you.

WHERE IN GOD’S WORD: 1 Kings 19:1-9; Psalm 4:8; Matthew 11:28–30

Questions to ask your student this week:

How would you describe the feeling of being overwhelmed?

What is your go-to way of coping with feeling overwhelmed?

Have you ever told God, "I've had enough," like Elijah did?

How does the idea of being that honest with God make you feel?

How did God relate to Elijah when he was overwhelmed?

What does that tell you about how God relates to us?

Read Matthew 11:28–30.

Have you felt pressure to do more for God?

How does knowing that Jesus invites you to rest change the way you see God?
Sunday, January 19th - Restart Week 3

This Sunday, we'll see what happened when two blind men called out to Jesus when they needed help with their

situation.

BIG IDEA: When you feel stuck, God gives you guidance.

WHERE IN GOD’S WORD: Matthew 20:29–34; Psalm 34:4–8, 24:4–5

Questions to ask your student this week:

What is one relationship or circumstance where you currently feel stuck?

How would you describe the difference between being stuck and just being somewhere you don't want to be?

If Jesus asked you right now, "What is it you want from me?" how would you respond?

If there is a place you currently feel stuck, what would it look like to get unstuck?

How can you recognize the difference between God's guidance and other advice that can't be as trusted?

When you feel stuck, who's one person you can ask to remind you that God will guide you?
Sunday, January 26th - Restart Week 4

This Sunday, we'll take a look at the story of a man who was pushed to the edges of society because a demon

possessed him.

BIG IDEA: When you feel unwanted, God says you belong.

WHERE IN GOD’S WORD: Mark 5:1–20; Psalm 34:17–20; John 15:15

Questions to ask your student this week:

When was a time you felt like you belonged?

What made you feel that way?

When was a time you felt like you didn't belong?

Why do you think making more room for people to belong sometimes feels threatening to people who already belong, like the crowd?

What do you think makes us want to exclude others?

What does it feel like when you have a true sense of belonging?

What are some reasons you have a hard time believing you have a place to belong with God?

Read John 15:15. Jesus calls his followers "friends." How does knowing you are called the friend of Jesus change the way you see yourself as belonging to God?
Groups
What are Groups?

Real Relationships -

Groups are where students cultivate real relationships with God, each other, and our leaders. It’s out of these relationships that purposeful conversations, life change, and discipleship can happen.

Tangible Truth -

Together, we dig into God’s Word, and through purposeful conversation, we make its truth tangible. Groups are where students wrestle tough topics, study scripture, and pray together, all in pursuit of growing with God.

It's not too late to join a Group! Email [email protected] today to get registered.

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FSM Admin - Welcome Denise Earnhardt

EVENTS

SUMMER CAMP // SAVE THE DATE

(MS) Meet in the Middle: Lights Out

High School Hangout

THE GATHERING

Groups