November Parent Newsletter

Where did the year go!? It's November already, and the leaves are falling on the ground. I personally cannot wait for my house to be covered with snow soon as Winter comes around the corner.

October Highlights

October was a fantastic month of ministry! We had our highest week of attendance ever, with over 40 individual kids coming to youth group between Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night. That represents a lot of newer kids who have never come to our church (or any church!) before. We have been giving out new Bibles to kids who don't have one at home - and they are reading their new Bibles on their own! I have been blown away at what God is doing in these kids' life, and I hope that this is also exciting for you to hear as well! 

November Prayers

Please join us in prayer through the month of November as we are praying for the following:

Our Schools - Every week (particularly at middle school youth group) I hear a heartbreaking story about what goes on at school. Bullies who can't be punished, vaping and smoking in the bathrooms, harrassment by peers and other kids. This breaks my heart, and if you have a kid in the local schools, I imagine it breaks yours as well. At this time, I'm not sure what all can be done to remedy the pain that our teens experience on a regular basis at school. But I do know that prayer works, and it's a good place to start. Let's begin to pray together that God would begin to move in our schools in Fallon.

Evangelism - This has been working! We still want everyone to come to know Jesus. Without this drive, we become barely more than a social club for insiders. Let's continue to pray - and invite - others into a Christlike community where they might come to know and receive God's grace for them!

Revelation

We are continuing in the book of Revelation together on Sunday mornings. It is a lot to cover, so make sure your middle schooler is bringing their Bible to follow along. Also, please follow up with them after church to see what they were able to glean from this traditionally confusing book of the Bible! At the moment, it looks like we should be wrapping up our study on Revelation sometime in December! I'll be sharing more in the December newsletter what we have planned for the new year!

If you are interested in the curriculum we will be using, let me know and I can get that to you!

November Series - Shattered Life, Solid Hope

Reminder that there will be no youth group on November 22nd due to Thanksgiving. Have a great Thanksgiving with family!

This month we will be taking a deeper look at a hopeful passage from 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, where Paul reminds us that hope does not come from us, it cannot be found "in us", and cannot result from our own effort. True and lasting hope comes from Christ. It is His promise of eternal life that gives us the needed anchor to keep us strong in the midst of hard times. We will be unpacking this passage over two weeks to grasp the fact that His hope is the greatest hope we can have in our fragile and temporary lives.

Christmas Series - "What are we Waiting for?"

November 26th marks the start of our Christmas series. Leading up to Christmas, the Church has historically seen Christmas as a time to celebrate the first coming of Jesus, while also anticipating the second return in this season. Though Advent technically begins December 3rd, we will be using the 3 weeks we have* to look at 3 reasons why we should be excited about the return of Jesus, as well as invite our friends into this same hope that we carry!

* We break for the last two weeks of December to give our leaders a well deserved holiday break

As always, if you are interested in the teaching content or curriculum for any series, reach out and let me know!

OSM Strike Teams are a great way to get plugged in with serving around the church! Here is how it works:

Sign up here!

When I get asked about a service opportunity, you'll receive a text from me!

If you are willing and able, reach out and let me know, then I will connect you with the point person to find a time and date to help!

This can count as service hour opportunities. Just let me know beforehand. If you have any questions, let me know!

* We really want to try and attend as many events as we can, but note that cost, time, and other obligations may intervene with our ability to attend most events.

Talking to Your Child about Difficult Topics

"Your kids will talk to you about things you talk to them about. Your kids won’t talk to you about things you don’t talk to them about." - Craig Gross

Have you ever had the thought, "I should probably talk to my child about _______, but I just don't know enough about it - or even know how to approach it"? Be it sex, drugs on campus, music choices, mental health, wise usage of social media or techology, the newest fads on TikTok, etc. The reality is that teen culture is often a rapid subculture of it's own. Meaning that a teenager's world moves faster, and speaks a whole other language - with its own values, methods, and ideologies - than we do. What can we do about that?

As a youth pastor, I am constantly trying to understand the latest trends, because it is so important in communication to understand your audience well. I believe that is also something important to do as a parent. When we look at the Bible, we see that God chose to understand our world, our context, so that He could speak into the world in meaningful ways for us to understand today.

This is why I would like to invite you to check out the website Axis.org. This is a website that is dedicated to being a bridge-builder between the complex and ever-changing culture of teenagers and the parents who want to love them well. It is an absolutely FREE resource that covers hundreds of topics, ranging from bullying, drugs, social media, video games, latest tv show fads, and so much more. I get a weekly email from their Culture Translator that provides some helpful context for something new in the world, and it comes with great questions for dinner discussion at home!

I know a few parents who have been using this resource, and for them it has been very helpful. I pray that it would also prove helpful to you as you navigate the often hazy terrain of parenthood during the complex years of adolescence.