October Newsletter

Hey Church!

October is here. Time seems to be flying by too quickly. Students are fully in the groove of this new school year and are deep into their respective athletic seasons. Our students are definitely busy to say the least! This past month we had our Frozen Frisbee event. It was a great time playing ultimate frisbee and then enjoying some wonderful homemade ice cream! Thank you to all who took the time to make ice cream for this event. We allowed some of our students to vote on the best ice cream and they voted Coach OJ’s homemade lemon ice cream the winner. I have to say that it was some of the best homemade ice cream I’ve ever had! I also had the opportunity to go and support some of our students at Smiths Station High School for See You at the Pole. It was great to start our day in prayer and I was proud to see one of our students, Libby Parkman, leading her fellow students in prayer! That night, in spite of all the rain, we had around 150 students from six different churches gather together in the FAC for worship. It was a good day in the Lord! As I teased earlier, this generation of students is busy. They may be the busiest generation of all time. Almost every minute of every day is accounted for, and there is a struggle for them to make time for God when they barely have time for themselves. Our Fall Retreat this year will be November 8th-10th. We will be going to Pine Eden and the theme for the weekend will be “Pause”. Our students will be challenged and equipped to press “pause” and take the time to cultivate their relationship with God. Please be in prayer for Fall Retreat and reach out to me if you would like to be a part of this special weekend.

In Christ,

Josh

Our Fall Retreat this year will be at Pine Eden November 8th - 10th. This retreat is open to all students 5th-12th grade. The theme this year is "Pause". This generation may very well be the busiest generation there has ever been. Almost every minute of every day is accounted for, and there is a struggle to make time for God when they barely even have time for themselves. That's where "Pause" comes in. Students are going to be challenged and equipped to press "pause" and take the time to cultivate their relationship with God. Cost for this trip is $60. See David or Josh to sign up. Deadline is Wednesday, October 9th.

Our first mission's fundraiser for 2025 is on October 12th from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Annual Clay Shoot. If you or your student would like to volunteer and earn money towards your trip, please see Josh.

Our Annual Canned Food Drive will take place on October 16th and October 23rd. The Student Ministry does this every year in our community. We need drivers and volunteers to sort canned goods! If you would like to volunteer to drive or sort, please contact Josh.

October 16th & 23rd: LOAF Can Food Drive (6:00-8:00pm)

The 11th Annual LOAF Can Food Drive will happen in place of our normal Midweek Schedule. Students will meet at the FAC by 6:00pm to hand out bags in the community on the 16th. On the 23rd, students will meet at the FAC by 6:00pm to go back into the community to pick up the filled bags. We need volunteers to drive on both dates and volunteers to sort and put up canned food items on the 23rd. Let Josh know if you would like to volunteer!

October 20th: Combined Worship and Fall Festival

We will have Bible Fellowship at 9:15am followed by a combined worship service in the Sanctuary at 10:30am. Immediately following the combined worship service, we will have our Fall Festival. Be sure and join us for a fun day in the Lord!

October 25th-26th: LOCK-IN @ THE FAC (6:00pm-8:00am)

This LOCK-IN is open to any Middle School Students. Let Josh know if you plan on attending.

October 26th: Feed the Homeless (11:00am-2:00pm)

This will be the last Feed the Homeless of 2024. So come on out and help us serve the less fortunate on this day. We will also be handing out candy bags to children in the community that day as well. Please donate Halloween candy, candy bags, and the usual hygiene products if you feel led to do so!

October 27^th: The Great Pumpkin Hunt (6:00pm-8:00pm)

Join us for a THRIFTY Not-So-Halloween Party down at the FAC! We will have games, food, and a hunt for the Great Pumpkin. Be sure to join us for a great time. Let Josh know if you plan to attend.

Fall Retreat at Pine Eden November 8th - 10th This retreat is open to all students 5th-12th grade. The theme this year is "Pause". This generation may very well be the busiest generation there has ever been. Almost every minute of every day is accounted for, and there is a struggle to make time for God when they barely even have time for themselves. That's where "Pause" comes in. Students are going to be challenged and equipped to press "pause" and take the time to cultivate their relationship with God. Cost for this trip is $60. See David or Josh to sign up. Deadline is Wednesday, October 9th.

SWO Winter Retreat Registration Link

Above is the link to register for the SWO Winter Retreat. DO NOT REGISTER OUTSIDE OF THIS LINK. If it asks you to pay any amount during the registration process, do not continue as you have managed to register outside of our group. We only have 20 spots reserved at this time. So, it is important to register as soon as possible so that we can reserve extra spots if necessary and available. 

The cost for this trip is $150. The payment plan for this trip will be as follows:

September 1st: First $50 payment is due.

October 1st: Second $50 payment is due.

November 1st: Final $50 payment is due.

As always, never allow money to be a reason your student does not attend a trip. Contact me and we will have a confidential discussion about sponsoring your student.

Join us in the FAC on Sunday Mornings at 10:00am for our guys and girls small group time. Our guys are led by Jacob Baker and Colt Spires, and our girls are led by Jordan Baker and Naomi Masuoka.

Who is Jesus? We will be looking to answer this question during our fall semester sermon series through the Gospel of Mark.

Parent Cue App - Parent Cue (theparentcue.org)

Raising kids with faith and character just got easier! Go and download the Parent Cue app today!

The Culture Translator

Get informed about the cultural trends impacting your student's world- all in a five-minute weekly read. It's free and there are many other resources for parents to be found at: axis.org

Be sure to like, follow, and share our social media accounts! This will be a great resource for you and your family to stay connected to the student ministry.