Join us for a fun night of swimming, free time, dinner and a devotional from our awesome intern Vanessa! Please bring a few dollars to donate towards the cost of the food. Friends are invited as well! Students may be dropped off starting at 5pm and should be picked up by 8pm.
Students who just finished 6th-12th grade are invited to our SoCal Beach Days! We’ll meet at 11am, eat lunch at the church building, then drive to Dockweiler State Beach near LAX airport. Dinner (hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks) will be provided. We’re asking for a $5 donation if possible, and we’d love to have parents and youth ministry volunteers sign up to drive for us.
We will leave the bonfire between 8:30-9pm and arrive back at Westside by 11-11:30pm (depending on traffic, bathroom breaks, etc).
RSVP: You must RSVP to Bryan or Vanessa by Sunday August 5th so we can make sure we have enough rides.
WHAT IS IT? This is an all-night event for students entering 7th-12th grade. We’ve got some amazing games, worship, free time, and big group activities planned for everyone!
CHAPERONES Westside Church of Christ is providing adult and college age chaperones to supervise the event, including our Student Minister and Student Ministry Intern.
COST This is a free event, and we want everyone to bring a friend!
ACTIVITIES You will get to play dodgeball, volleyball, basketball, video games, Hunt for Red Balltober, Ultimate Werewolf and many other games!
FOOD Guys: Please bring a snack or dessert. Girls: please bring a drink to share.
RSVP online at westsidelife.org/lockin
Join us for a fun night of swimming, free time, dinner and a devotional from our student minister Bryan! Please bring a few dollars to donate towards the cost of the food. Friends are invited as well! Students may be dropped off starting at 5pm and should be picked up by 8pm.
Combined Class--Junior High and High School
5th: Now You See Me (Week 2)
12th: Vanessa's Words of Wisdom
19th: Now You See Me (Week 3)
26th: Back to School Devo
Teachers: Junior High with Bryan Fojtasek and High School with Ed Pafford
Summary: What should I wear? What do I want to eat? What should I say? It’s amazing how many choices we make in a day. Some decisions are more of a struggle than others. Should I get off the couch and help? Should I read my Bible even though I don’t feel like it? Should I say the mean thing I know will get a laugh, or should I choose kindness? No, making the choice to be like Jesus is not always easy, but whenever we have the opportunity, the best option is clear: Choose God!
This month you will read about a few of Israel’s kings who had to choose between God and something else, whether it was material possessions, disobedience, or even false gods. As you read their stories, you’ll come to learn the same thing they did: Life is better with God!
Schedule:
2nd: Wise Up (1 Kings 2-3)
9th: His Awesome Presence (1 Kings 8)
16th: Choosing Wisely (1 Kings 12)
23rd: When It's Time to Stand (1 Kings 16-18)
30th: The Moment of Truth (1 Kings 18)
Teachers: TBD (Separate Classes for Junior High and High School)
Summary: “Write this down.” When someone says this, you know that what he or she is about to tell you is important. With all of the information filling our heads, it’s nice to be told what matters most. That’s what CliffsNotes and movie recaps are for. It’s why Wikipedia is so helpful. It’s why TV shows begin by reminding us what happened in the previous episode and why ESPN shows us the best sports highlights.
Consider what you read in this unit to be the “Don’t miss this” of the Bible. As you read key passages from Romans and the rest of the New Testament, you’ll discover the core of the gospel message—how we were lost, broken, and enslaved, but how Jesus found us and extended an offer for us to be forgiven and freed. When something can change your life forever, you don’t want to miss it. The gospel message is that something.
Schedule:
7th: When Sinners Get What they Want (Romans 1)
14th: Only One Way to Righteousness (Romans 3)
21st: Abundant Grace (Romans 5)
28th: A New Life (Romans 6)
Teachers: TBD (Separate Classes for Junior High and High School)
Summary: Everyone is aware that hard times are a part of life, but simply knowing this truth is not enough to help us through our suffering. The real question is: What should we do when life gets hard? How can we make sense of the very real emotions we are experiencing, and where does our faith fit in?
In this unit you will read stories of people who faced broken relationships, depression, anxiety, and other forms of suffering, and you’ll see how they were able to hold on to their faith in the midst of it all. Allow these stories and the other Scriptures you read to be sources of encouragement and guidance when life gets hard.
Schedule:
4th: Why Can't We All Just Get Along? (Matthew 18:15-20; Luke 15:11-19)
11th: Surviving the Most Difficult Losses of Life (Acts 12:1-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Romans 8:38-39)
18th: When Being Down Gets Dangerous (1 Kings 19; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 5:7; Revelation 21:4)
25th: When Life Throws a Curve (Matthew 3:1-17; 14:1-12; 11:2-15)
Students may purchase a devotional book that contains daily Bible readings based on the previous week's lesson, articles that are connected with the theme of the month, games, and more! The devotional books cover the entire quarter (3 months) and cost $7 each. If you would like to purchase one for the September, October and November quarter, contact Bryan and turn your money in by August 22nd.
For a preview of what the devotional book looks like, check out pages 19-20 here.
Click here to purchase a devotional book ($7 each).
Summary: Imagine empowering your students to explore life-shaping, thought-provoking, Jesus-centered truths that can transform them into the kind of people God crafted them to be.
That’s what LIVE Simple Truth is all about!
Each of the 36 lessons powerfully reveals what it means to deeply love and trust God, to lead a Jesus-centered life, and to lean on Scripture for guidance and wisdom. The discussions skillfully connect the dots between the ancient truths of Scripture and the issues teenagers face living in the 21st century.
Quarter 1: Oneness with God (August - October)
Knit Together (Psalm 139:1-18)
Lord of the Vines (John 15:1-8)
Treasures (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)
Helicopter View (Psalm 32:8-11)
Pour It On (Ephesians 1:5-6)
That Kind of Love (Romans 5:6-11)
Universal Laws (Matthew 22:37-40)
Conviction vs. Condemnation (Romans 7:14 & 8:4)
Meant for More (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
Quarter 2: Sin & Separation (October - December)
A Good Kind of Cover-Up (Psalm 51:1-6)
Sons (and Daughters) of Anarchy (Luke 15:11-24)
Dark and Confused (Romans 1:18-25)
Path Finders (Proverbs 14:12)
I Answered But No One Was Calling (Isaiah 64:1; 65:2)
Paycheck (Romans 6:22-23)
The Impossible Task (Romans 12:9-21)
Dude You Are So Dead! (Judges 2:10-15)
Big Sin, Little People (Matthew 18:1-4)
**New Year's Series** (January)
Quarter 3: Consequences and Crying Out (February - March)
Restoration Recipe—a Trilogy (2 Chronicles 7:11-16)
God vs. Humans (Acts 5:17-42)
Transformed (Romans 12:1-2)
When Wisdom Fails (Proverbs 3:1-12)
Fess Up (1 John 1:5-10)
Broken Hearts and a Loving God (Psalm 51:16-19)
True Confessions (Romans 10:9-13)
True Story—No Yoke! (Matthew 11:28-30)
Just Get a New One! (Psalm 51:7-15)
Quarter 4: God Hears and Restores (April - May)
New Thing (Isaiah 43:1-19)
The Power of Love (Hosea 14:1-9)
Rock-Hard Hearts (Ezekiel 36:22-27)
Out With the Old In With the New (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
Backbreaking Backpacks (Psalm 145:8-20)
God So Loved the World...and You! (John 3:1-17)
Better Than the World’s Best Glue (Romans 8:31-39)
Good Works Through Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
What’s in a Name? (Acts 4:1-12)