Welcome to our new (hopefully monthly) Youth Newsletter! We are trying a new format and distribution. If you have any questions or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact us @ [email protected] or call the church office @ 501-745-6113
Clinton First Baptist Church5017456113
September Youth Newsletter
Super Summer Report
Super Summer was great again this year! We were able to take 9 Junior High (in conjunction with Friendship Baptist) and 9 Senior High students. Of course the worship band was great again! We are Union did an awesome job of leading us in worship. Josh Griffin was our speaker this year, the students seemed to really enjoy his teaching and stories.
One of the coolest things that happened was that during one of the worship times each person (around 1,000 people) read a part of the Bible. As a whole we read the ENTIRE Bible in about 6 minutes. They did this for both the JV and the SR sessions. To hear the Word of God being read aloud at the same time was just so awesome!
Another thing that was new this year, was that I volunteered to be an Assistant Dean to one of the JV Primetimes (or groups). That was a great experience. So not only did I get to know our students better this year, but I also got to interact with other students from across our state.
Needless to say, we are looking forward to another great year next year! Start praying and thinking about possibly being an adult chaperone with us next year! There are great classes for the adults and the food is awesome!
NOLA Mission Trip Report
NOLA 2019 was a little more challenging than usual. Particularly with Tropical Storm 'Barry' threating to become a level 1 or 2 hurricane. Our theme this year was "Unbound" based on Galatians 5:1 - each night we learned about some of the different things that we as Christians have been freed from. Freed from sin, guilt, depression, fear, etc. When the threat of really bad weather hit Wednesday morning, there was a tornado warning and it had rained about 4 inches within about 2 hours right before we were supposed to go to our sites. Out of the 5 sites we were only able to make it to 2 that morning due to some of the streets being flooded. With Tropical Storm 'Barry' building out in the gulf our team from Georgia decided that they would leave early. That left about 13 of us (11 from CFBC). We decided that we would watch the weather very carefully and since our hotel was in a place that we could leave New Orleans without dealing with flooded streets, we would stay as long as the Lord wanted us there. Thursday morning we were able to split up our team of 13 and visit 3 of our 5 original sites and visit the other 2 afterwards to explain what happened and that we were sorry we couldn't make it. By going out on Thursday morning, we saw 5 children make decisions for Jesus and 1 youth rededicate his life to Christ! God is SO AWESOME! All glory and honor to Him!
We are already praying about next year's NOLA Mission Trip! Again, we will need adult chaperones, begin praying now that God will bring those adults and students and prepare them for the mission God has for them.
Upcoming Events:
Sept. 20 - 5th Quarter! - right after CHS Football game
Sept. 22 - Youth Rally @ Scotland, AR
Sept. 25 - See You At The Pole - 7am
Sept. 25 - See You AFTER The Pole - 6pm
Oct. 4 - 5th Quarter! - right after CHS Football game
Oct. 16 - Parent Night (more info to come)
Nov. 8 - 5th Quarter! - right after CHS Football game
Dec. 3-7 - Live Nativity (No Youth on Wed.)
Jan. 17-20 - Super Winter 2020
Feb. 2 - Super Bowl Party
Feb. 29 - Lead/Defend Conference
To Signup for Events - Register here: https://clintonfbc.org/youth_forms
Regular Schedule:
Sunday @ 9am - Life Groups (Ladies Study: TBD -- Guys Study: Kingdom Men)
Sunday @ 10:15am - Worship Service in Sanctuary
Sunday @ 5pm - Connect Groups @ Br. Darin's house (dinner, Bible study, movie)
Wednesday @ 6pm - Youth Bible Study (Studies: The Bema Seat, IF... 2Chr 7:14, Apologetics, Reaching Out to LGBTQ)
3 Simple Parenting Tips You Don't Typically Hear
Jonathan McKee -at TheSource4Parents.comAs a parenting author, I've seen hundreds of parenting books and read countless articles. Often, they are echoing the same principles. I'm not knocking it... I've written numerous articles about the biggies that parents often neglect, like spending more time with your kids. But here are 3 tips you don't typically hear:
1. Wanna be a good dad? Then be a good husband first.
Want your kids to feel safe, loved and valued? Then work on your marriage. We're seeing more research emerging about one of the best predictors of cognitive success being emotional stability of the home environment. Bioengineering expert Dr. John Medina said it like this, "Do you want to know how to get your kid into Harvard? Go home and love your wife."
It's this simple. When our kids are young, they are searching for clues in their home to see if they are safe. "Children look to their parents and the relationship they have with each other to assess whether that's true or not," Medina says.
2. No Rules by 17 1/2
Most people would agree toddlers need a lot of guidance. If your 2-year-old starts heading for the road when a semi-truck is coming... not many dads would say, "Leave him be. He'll learn!" At the opposite end of the spectrum, everyone knows when our teens turn 18, they can legally move out and do whatever they want. The tricky part for parents is that time in between. How much guidance and control do we assert, especially in those teenage years?
The answer is "a segue." Start with heavy guidance and slowly segue towards less control, with a goal of "no rules by 17 1/2." Sure, you could wait until 18... but why? Why not have them totally free while still under the safety of your shadow?
I tried this principle with my oldest daughter, starting with realistic guardrails, then giving more trust over the years, and eventually parenting our 17-year-old like an 18-year-old. She is 18-years-old and on her own now... and it's really no big deal. She's been making decisions for a while now.
3. Real Life Reality Shows
Parents are always looking for teaching moments. When real life hardships appear, don't be scared to talk about what you experienced. If your sister is getting a divorce, ask your teenagers what they think. What can they learn from the situation?
Real life isn't always a huge crisis. Yesterday I was driving down the road and came upon a lady trying to back her boat into a driveway... and it became quickly and painfully obvious she didn't know how to back a trailer. Cars began lining up and honking. I pulled over, walked over to her with a smile and asked, "Would you like some help?" She happily got out of the car and let me take a crack at it. Moments like these are fun to dialogue about with your kids. Don't lecture, just ask questions: "Why do you think people were so upset with her?" "How should people respond when they see someone struggling like that?" "What are ways we can show love to people in stressful situations?" "How could you help someone in need?"
Look for these real life discussion moments, or even watch entertainment together that springboards discussion about real life.
Contact Us!
Ðarin Farmer - Student Pastor
Office: 501.745.6113
Cell: 501.253.0500
Follow Us!
Instagram : @fbcyouthclintonar
Twitter : fbcyouthclinton
Facebook group : FBC Youth
Email : [email protected]
Wednesday Night Leaders: Dara Hensley, Anita Dawson, Shiela Farmer, Darla McJunkins, Ginger Morgan, Sheila Durham, Chris Dufrene, Will Dawson, Jerry Pico, Darin Farmer
Life Group Leaders: (7th-12th) Jr. & Sr. High Ladies - Bev Davidson; (7th-9th) Jr. High Boys - Darin Farmer; (10th-12th) Sr. High Boys - Will Dawson, Doug Davidson