Welcome Parents to our weekly newsletter. This newsletter is a source for you to "be in the know" about what we are doing, teaching, and planning. We also hope to give you a little encouragement/support because parenting is hard and it doesn't come with a manual.
Make sure to check out the EVENTS & IMPORTANT DATES section below!
April 21 - Worship Together Sunday
May 5th - Parent Preview Day
Check out this simple podcast for some tips and encouragement:
WEEK 1: Remember what God has done for you.
WEEK 2: Unity Starts with you.
WEEK 3: Trust who God is, even when you don't understand.
WEEK 4: Because of Jesus, we can be close to God.
WEEK 5: God's grace is unfairly good.
MS Camp:
July 29-Aug 2
Camp Cascades (Yelm, WA)
Early Bird Price $275 ($50 Deposit Due by 5/1)
Regular Price $295 ($50 Deposit Due by 7/1)
Late Price $315
Register Here (Hover over student tab)
CIY Move (HS):
July 29-Aug 2
Corvallis, OR
Early Bird Price $324 ($50 Deposit Due by 5/1)
Regular Price $359 ($50 Deposit Due by 7/1)
Register Here
In addressing the relationship between parents and their teenagers, often the emphasis focuses on helping teens build more trust with their parents. But the truth is that many kids don't trust their parents! What is it that causes teens not to trust their parents? In my experience, most teenagers identify the source of their lack of trust in parents as the result of seeing firsthand that their parents are less than honest with them. Jesus commands His followers, "Simply let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37.) Let's face facts: no parent is perfect. Still, as parents we are called to live our lives with integrity. Because we serve as our children's role models for life and faith, we need to be very careful in how we live our lives before our kids. Your kids don't need your perfection, they need your honesty, and especially when you fail to follow through on something you said you would do. How can you increase your "honesty" quotient and, as a result, your trust level with your kids?
1. Think before you promise. Ask yourself, "If I make this promise, can I keep my word?"
2. If you can't keep your word, don't promise. It's much better to say, "I'm going to try my hardest to get to your game tomorrow, but I can't promise you I'll make it" and not make it, than to say, "I'll be there for sure!" and not show up.
3. Think before you act. When it occurs to you that you can't keep your word, be sure to evaluate the message it will send your son or daughter. Then, consider how you can minimize the resulting damage if you truly can't keep your verbal commitment.
4. Ask for your child's forgiveness when you fail to keep your word. Don't sweep your failures under the carpet. Face them head on. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.
Honesty and integrity are two vital parts of trust in any relationship. Keeping your word with your kids is always the best policy. When your track record as a parent is one of consistent honesty, trust between you and your teen will grow.
Parents of students are invited to join us for our service to see what a typical Sunday looks like. We also extend this offer to our 5th graders who are getting ready to phase up and their parents as well. After service we will have a brief Q and A for parents and 5th grade students.