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Oasis Community Church(209) 324-7897

March Issue of OCC Youth!

Welcome to March!
March is here! As you are probably going to be busy with March Madness coming up, I wanted to give you a heads-up on the upcoming events and teachings that will be happening this month!
Middle School
We will be finishing up our series on a "Diary of a Jr. High Kid" this Sunday, since we skipped a week due to weather. But beginning March 10th, we will be starting a new series on "Weird Bible Stories". I cannot wait to start this, because the Bible is FULL of weird stories that make no sense at first (and are still troublesome afterwards), but they are in the Bible for a reason. We want to look at why these stories are in the Bible, what they have to say about God and us, and how we can live in light of God's revelation of Himself and our human nature.

- March 3rd - "Parents Say Dumb Stuff," and what they actually mean. We will be unpacking some of the confusing phrases often used at home to look at what parents really mean when they say them. Takeaway: "Sometimes my parents say dumb stuff, but they really do love me and want the best for me."

- March 10th - "What do you do with a drunken sailor?" In this story (Genesis 9:18-28), Noah gets embarrassingly drunk on a bunch of wine. What do you do with him? And what do we make of this really ancient, really weird Bible story?

- March 17th - "Yo King is soooo fat..." I'll let you read this story for yourself... (Judges 3:12-30). Full of assassins, explicit detail, and all in the Bible, we will be looking at why stories like this are in the Bible for anyone to read!

- March 24th - "Peggy." Have you ever made your spouse so angry, they could kill ya? This guy did (Judges 4:21)! God sure uses the weirdest people, and the oddest methods, to accomplish His plans sometimes. Should be fun to unpack!

- March 31st - No Youth Group. I will be preaching in the main service, so they will be joining us for that!
High School
This Sunday we will be wrapping up our series on "No Regrets," looking at God's design for Purity. Following that, we will be centering our focus towards Easter with our series, "All or Nothing." We will be looking at the book of Colossians, where Paul wants to remind us that Christ is our foundation for faith and life. As we go through this series, we will have some fun activities to further instill the idea of "all or nothing" to the youth!

- March 3rd - "Made New." The good news is, God wants to make us pure, and CAN make us pure. Purity is not meant to separate saints from sinners, but to make all sinners saints through Christ. Takeaway: "God’s redemption is more powerful than your regrets"

- March 10th - "Jesus - All? or Nothing?" Jesus, as the creator of all things, has made a claim on all things - including our life. We will be looking at who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

- March 17th - "Christ in ME." What does it mean that Christ is in us? When we go from unsaved to saved, what happens after that? We will be talking about what a life fully surrendered to Christ, and what that looks like.

- March 24th - "Pressure." Just as the Colossian church was under pressure from cultural relativism and Jewish tradition, we too carry a tension between the permissions of this world and the tug of legalistic retaliation. How does Paul address this, and how can we be faithful Christ-followers and carry this tension?

- March 31st - "Wardrobe change." When we follow Christ, we are led by the Spirit towards Christlikeness. We are called to be more like the one who saved us, and Paul gives an apt example - and a few practical practices - to explain this new life.
Upcoming Events!
Cowboy's Rest
June 10 - June 15LOCATION: Cowboy's Rest
Join us at Cowboy's Rest for a super-awesome, week-long camp! Designed for 9th-12th grade, this camp will be full of activities, games, and a powerful message for believers and non-believers alike!

Registration is open today! Last day to register is May 10th. Click here to download and complete the release form for camp!

Total cost is $230 per student, however, anyone who brings a friend only pays $200!! What a killer deal! That's a total discount of $60 for two students to come.
Junior High Camp!
August 5 - August 8LOCATION: Jenness Park, CA
Middle School Camp is set for August 5-8th, Monday through Thursday. There will be team building activities, archery tag, hiking, games galore and so much more! We are still working on a guest speaker and a theme, but stay tuned for updates on either of those in the coming months.

Total cost is $200 per student, however, anyone who brings a friend only pays $175!! What a killer deal! That's a total discount of $50 for two students to come.

Registration is open today! Last day to deposit and turn in a final payment is August 4th. Click here to download and complete the release form for camp!
Adolescence: A Season of Pressure
Doug Fields -Author of Intentional Parenting
On the outside, most young people seem happy-go-lucky, but inside each adolescent is a complex network of potentially explosive pressures. Adolescents with a strong parental and social support system are the least likely to experience the painful effects of the pressures they face. When parents become aware of the typical sources of pressure that kids face, they are better able to provide their kids encouragement and support. Here are five common pressures adolescents face:

1. The Pressure to be Perfect.
Teens repeatedly talk about their parents wanting them to be perfect, particularly in the areas of behavior and school. No kid is perfect and when they fall short of their parents' expectations, they feel more pressure.

2. The Pressure to Succeed.
The pressure to succeed elicits the attitude that life is a perpetual performance. To fail is to feel stupid. When kids fail, they fear that others will reject them.

3. The Pressure to Conform.
Kids find it extremely uncomfortable to be different from their peers; so, they work hard to fit in and be accepted by one of the subcultures on their school campus.

4. The Pressure from Body Changes.
Since consistent change is part of the developing adolescent body, teenagers are in a continual state of stress over what's happening or what's not happening.

5. The Pressure from Emotions.
Adolescence is a time of emotional development. For many teens, the strength and frequency of their emotions is much like having new emotions altogether. They are often not sure where the emotions have come from, and they are equally unsure what to do with them.

Pressure is simply going to be part of the adolescent experience. Learning to process pressure and stress is actually an important part of preparing kids to face the pressures and stresses of adulthood. Rather than trying to eradicate all pressure, the wise course for parents is to help kids manage and moderate the pressures they face so that they do not become overwhelmed as they journey toward adulthood.