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OCF Church@yoyoyocf
MSM -October 2024
Letter from MSM
Dear MSM Parents,
Welcome to our October Newsletter! In the beginning of each month we send out all the information that is going on within YOCF. Make sure to stay connected to our instagram @yoyoyocf for updates! Check out down below our plans for the coming weeks and the ways we will be connecting with each other, daily, weekly, and upcoming events!
We meet every Sunday morning at the 11:00 am service, except communion Sunday; this month's communion service will be on the 27th. We have all of our students start off in the main church service for the first set of worship. After worship they head into the youth room for their own message. We teach the same passage as the main service and will be continuing our series through the book of Acts this month!
Our weekly youth group is continuing this month which means that students will meet at the church every Wednesday from 6-7:30 pm. During this time, we will play games, hear a message, and meet with small groups. This is a great opportunity for students to grow in their relationships with their peers and spend time talking about what they are learning.
YOCF has a lot of exciting events coming up as the fall season is here! More information on each specific event will be down below, but here is a quick overview of what we have going on for the month of October!
This month we are hosting a couple of different fall activities at the church, two of which include Trunk or Treat, on the 26th, as well as our Falloween event on the 27th for both middle school and high school!
- "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:31-34
With Much Love,
YOCF Staff
SCHEDULE & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Falloween
We are so excited to be bringing back our Falloween event! This is a great opportunity for students to invite friends to come check out the youth group. There will be lots of games, food, and a costume contest at the end of the night.
Where: OCF parking lot
When: The 27th, from 6-8 p.m.
Trunk or Treat
This event is an opportunity for parents and students to come to the church, decorate their trunks and pass out candy to the kids who come through! If you are interested in hosting a trunk feel free to scan the QR code to sign up. If you want to help out in another way like donating candy, please reach out to Hannah for more information!
Where: OCF
When: October 26th, 4-6pm (3pm to set up)
Sunday Morning Youth
Every Sunday morning during the 11:00am service we will have a youth service during the teaching portion of the service. We start off in worship during the main service then transition to the youth room for our own message. This month we are continuing our study in the book of Acts as we will be teaching on the same passages as the main service.
The last Sunday of the month is Communion Sunday meaning no YOCF
Wednesday Nights
Our Wednesday night youth group is back! This means we will meet every Wednesday at the church to play games, hear a message, and break into small groups. This time is a great opportunity for students to grow in fellowship with one another.
Where: Youth room at OCF
When: Wednesdays from 6-7:30 pm
Creating a Media-Safe Home
Jim Burns -President of HomeWord and Executive Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific UniversityFor better or worse, media has a powerful influence in our kids' lives! Today's media sends nonstop communication, delivering its voice through television, movies, Internet, music, magazines, books, computers, smartphones, tablets, and more. Frankly, it is impossible for parents to have control over every message that is being sent to our kids.
Because parents can't control all of their kids' media consumption, some feel lost, hopeless, or paralyzed when facing today's technology and media. We may complain, but it is time for us to quit whining, and do something. Don't give up. Don't bail out. There are things we can do and environments we can foster to create a media-safe home.
Watch, Listen, and Read. Creating a media-safe home requires that you become a student of the culture. The easiest way to get a handle on what media your kids are consuming is to watch what they watch, listen to what they listen to, and read what they read. Look for every opportunity to ask and learn from your kids.
Evaluate. Evaluate everything you see and hear with your kids. When you evaluate, don't just play the bad-guy role. At times, this will likely be necessary, but also tell your kids what you like and why, and help them learn to discern what they are putting into their minds.
Examine Your Own Behavior. Too many parents want their kids to make good media choices but aren't willing to discipline themselves. Remember the old adage: Children see, children do. Set the example you want your kids to follow.
Discuss and Listen; Don't Lecture. Anytime we can truly dialog with our kids about media use and influence, it is better than any lecture or sermon we could ever deliver to them. Ultimately, you may choose to disagree with your kids' opinions but they will at least feel you were willing to listen.
Develop Clear Expectations. Work together with your teens to come up with clearly expressed expectations about media consumption and use of the devices that deliver media. As technology changes rapidly, you'll need to revisit the expectations from time to time to keep them relevant and current.