Great End #2: Youth Group Info

First Presbyterian Youth Group

July 22^nd, 2008

Great Ends of the Church Bible Study

The Shelter, Nurture and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God.

‘Fellowship’

Scripture Reading:

1 John 1.1-4

Deuteronomy 6.4-9

Acts 2.42-47

We were not intended to live alone. Again, we were not intended to live alone. No, God intended for man to be with someone, to have a partner. Beginning at the very beginning in the story of God, we see that God tried having man live alone. After letting Adam name animals, God noticed that none of these would do. So God put Adam into a deep sleep, removed a rib, and created a partner, a woman, Eve. From there, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” Genesis 2.24 It is not good for man to live alone.

As children of God, it is encouraging to know that we are called to live as a community, a holy people. We are to get life from each other, while giving life to each other. Community then can only be experienced through Christ and in Christ. We belong to each other through Jesus Christ. We then gain community in Christ by living wholly by the Word of God. It is through this, which gives us Breath, the Word of Jesus Christ that we can gain insight, redemption, righteousness, innocence and blessedness. Christ then becomes present in our lives and we then demonstrate Christ’s love to our brothers and sisters. We then, when all dwell in the Word and live out the Word, become an authentic community. Thus to see Christ alive and God at work in our lives, we need each other to show these things, to live these things and to be Christ to one another. Community can only be authentic and real when we Christ is the center of our community.

We’ve established then that Christ is that which gives Breath to our lives together. We also have gotten an understanding that we are not intended to be alone in the world. That we are not rugged individuals, rather, we are children of God called to be the body of Christ for the world, called to be, the church. Often times the gathering of people together outside of worship is labeled as fellowship. It is where we all go to share our common stories and we learn how to love each other. In these moments, we can put into practice meeting people where they are at the same way God has met us. Where we have missed the mark, God has showed us the way back. Where we have been judgmental, God has forgiven us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it best, “What God did to us, we then owed to others,” (Life Together, 25). True fellowship happens when students are known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in their spiritual journey. It is in these moments then that we can be sheltered, nurtured and cared for, all the while being in spiritual fellowship with each other. Much like our own bodies, if we do not take care of it, if we do not stop to nourish it, we will become weak and no longer be able to function properly.

Jack Rogers said, ““The primary functions of this church are to bring people to salvation—a right relationship with God—and to guide them in living the Christian life,: (Claiming the Center, 52). As the body of Christ, the church, we can provide such a life together by recognizing that we are called to care for one another, demonstrating what Paul calls, “a ministry of reconciliation with God,” and to reconcile the world to God by overcoming those bridges that separate us from God. This is the driving force of the Gospel message, to make disciples and take the message of Christ to all worlds, yet allowing space and time for its members to rest and be in fellowship with each other. To bring people to a right relationship with God, salvation and providing this place of sanctuary, is what the church exists for. Being one unified church, longing and striving to allow salvation to take place and helps reconcile our relationship with God.

Unity must take place then if community is to exist. Thankfully we have the Companion that Christ promised us, the Holy Spirit. Joseph Smalls says, “We are called to live God’s difference in the world, building community, ministering to others, and praying for God’s gracious presence,” (Great Ends of the Church, slide 45). Church is to be a place where all are welcomed and all are greeted with love and in the manor of Christ. We are to be a place where we can discover how we can live out our faith and not simply talk about it. It is a place where we come and find out how we can make a difference in the world for God and take that with us we travel this journey. Through fellowship with each other, we can communicate the Word of God to each other, which is put there by God, dwells in us through the Holy Spirit and we come together to gain a better understand of the this story and how God is restoring the world and how he is using us to do it.

Coming together, living life together as a community allows us to see God’s story unfolding around us and having one another help us be more attentive to God’s presence in our life. Through spiritual exercises and disciplines, our faith formation and direction in our lives, begin to unfold too before us as we learn how our story intertwines with the story of God. We discover the ways that we can live out our faith rather than simply talking about it. Kendra Dean says, “Arguing whether information or experiences of formation come first is a chicken and egg argument; it really doesn’t matter, since both are essential to Christian discipleship…Orthodoxy and orthopraxy—faithful belief and faithful practice—are the two lungs of Christian discipleship,” (A New Kind of Youth Ministry, 51). Our times together worshipping, praying and using other spiritual practices, give shape and life to our body, the church. Our spiritual formation that occurs defines and show the way God has transformed our lives, helps us realize the new life that lies within Christ, and helps us down our discipleship journey that calls us towards holiness and imitating Christ. Through the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God, this is made more available to us.

Why then do we do what we do? Why then do we gather together in the name of Christ? Why then do we come together outside of Sunday school and worship on Sunday mornings? To give life to each other. To breath the breath of God to one another that comes through Christ, the living Word. “For we proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” These words from John in his first letter set up can define our Great End, for nurture, fellowship and for salvation. Knowing that titles to selections in our Bibles were not written that way, I must say that I do love the title the New Living Translation gives to Acts. 2.42, “The Believers Form a community”. So it reads then Acts 2.42, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” This is what the early community of believers rooted themselves in, these aspects of community is what we must too root ourselves in. Exploring the worship spectrum both on Sundays and when we gather together in the name of Christ. In order for community and this Great End to happen, we must devote ourselves to the teachings of the Apostle’s, the breaking of bread and fellowship with each other!

May it be so that we devote ourselves to one another. Recognizing that we share in a common story with many authors who have gone before us to write previous chapters, we are dipping in the same ink with those around us and that our chapters will then be handed on to those after us. May we pledge our allegiance to Christ alone, coming together as often as we can, being in holy fellowship with one another. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I, in the midst of them,” Matthew 18.20. May we live by the Shema Yisrael, the great prayer of our Hebrew brothers and sisters, stemming from Deuteronomy 6.4-9

“4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^{* 5}You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. ⁸Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem^* on your forehead, ⁹and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

May it be so. Amen.

Questions for your Pondering over Great End #2

First Presbyterian Youth Group

July 22^nd, 2008

Great Ends of the Church Bible Study

The Shelter, Nurture and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God.

‘Fellowship’

Stop and think of your friends. What makes them your friends? Why is it you enjoy spending time with them?

Where is a place that you have gone to or that you go to, where you found extreme rest and relaxation?

What comes to mind when you hear the words shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship?

In what ways have you been nourished, cared for or found rest/peace, at youth group?

What activities from the list below interest you in regards to your spiritual growth?

o Praying with Icons

o Praying with a Prayer Bead

o Prayer Book

o Journaling

o Solitude and Silence

o Nature or other leisurely walk

o Singing/music

o Labyrinth

o Lectio Divina—Divine Reading

It is said that nourishment is essential to the lives of the believers and to carrying out the mission of the church. With this said and using Acts. 2.42, how can we as a group carry out the mission of the church together?

God moves through us and in us. He goes before us and behind us. Above us and below us. Where is it that you have seen God moving within this group? What has been your favorite part/trip/thing we’ve done as a group?

Prayer for healing:

O’ God, let the hearth fire burn away today’s discontent. At the end of this day, I am most grateful for:

Questions for your Pondering over Great End #1

First Presbyterian Church Youth Group
July 15th, 2008
Great Ends of the Church Study
The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind.

*Evangelism*

Evangelism can take on many definitions. It can also be done in many fashions. Tell of an experience you had either doing the evangelizing or being evangelized to.

Read John 1.8. Who is the “light” and what does it mean to bear witness to the “light”?

What about you? How do you think your life has been a witness to or made a difference in the lives of someone who has never heard the good news before?

Think about your week to come. Think about the people you will encounter. Think about your friends and the things you will do. What then can you do, what action can you do, that will proclaim the gospel to your friends?

What has been some good news that has recently come to you? Not speaking or looking for anything too deep, but any good news.

In what ways can we, as a youth group, better proclaim the gospel for the salvation of humankind? In what ways may we evangelize and to whom?

For the Fun of it:

You are to write a book about your life. Your editor called and needs you to give a BRIEF preview as to what the book is about.

Write then, a preview or a teaser trailer, to what a book about your life would be about. Your life being up to this point.

Great End #1: Youth Group Info

Great Ends of the Church Bible Study
“The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind”
July 14, 2008

Behind every identity lies a framework to work with. Behind every person, physically, there is a skeleton that shapes us and holds us up. For us here as a youth group, that is no different. Although there are no “bones” per say, we do have a structure or an outline that sets up framework for us, the 6 Great Ends of the Church. Tonight we begin, the Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind.

Perhaps another way to define this would be to use the word, evangelism. Many of you I am sure shiver when thinking of this. When we hear of evangelism we think of movies like Jesus Camp or other ways that include bold actions and scary pieces of paper that tell others how one is going to hell unless they turn or indeed they will burn. Yet, we do have the responsibility to evangelize or to put it as Jesus did in the great commission, “To go to all nations, making disciples of all people and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” This was what Christ commissioned the disciples to do. It was what Christ instructed us to do.

Gospel, a word that we are pretty familiar with hearing and reading from it on Sundays and often when we gather together in settings like this. It is important to our understanding of this great end or, evangelism, to know what Gospel means. In English, the word gospel means, good news. The Greek word is euangelion, from which the English word, evangelism comes from. Gospel then means to tell others of the good news. What then is this good news? The story of Jesus the Christ, which includes his life, ministry, death and resurrection, is what makes up this good news. For indeed it is good news to hear that through Christ, God became human, allowing himself to be known to us. Christ, was not God in disguise, no he was one of us. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1.14.

Often times the Christian faith gets limited to what is to come of us in the end. Yet, we are told in the gospel that we will not know when this will be. We have the opportunity though to, “walk with God” through Christ as he breached the gap between God and people. This bridge, which was the death and resurrection of Jesus, allows us life eternity. Jesus came to the earth and fulfilled God’s promise of restoring the earth, key to how one can and potentially should proclaim the Gospel. However, this salvation is also here and now through the presence in life of the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation then is an ongoing journey. It is not a make a decision tonight and be done. Like the disciples three year commitment to following Christ, our salvation is an ongoing process too. Discipleship takes a lifetime. We then as people of God are to live out God’s story and be participants in the restoration of the world, demonstrated to us by Jesus himself.

Above all things we must realize that God is the creator and ruler of all living things. We come from him and abide in him. All the life of humankind has its being in the justice and love of God. With the aid and companionship of the Holy Spirit, the counselor that Jesus promised he would send to the disciples, leads us then back to evangelism. We as a youth group, as a church whole, have the responsibility to preach the gospel, the good news, which is salvation that comes through Christ both past, future and most importantly, now, to all humankind, our fellow brothers and sisters in the name of Christ to spread the love of God. Joseph Small says that, “The church’s clear proclamation of the gospel is a primary way that the church exhibits the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
This first Great End—the proclamation of the gospel—is foundational to all that follows it.” Evangelism we must do no choice. How we do it, now there is a choice.

Let me begin this final piece on this great ends of the church with some quotes from St. Francis of Assisi:

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
“Lord, make me an instrument of they peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”

St. Francis of Assisi gives evangelism its original meaning. Somewhere along after the Reformation, around 1820, some began to preach a message that would scare people into their “salvation”. We are familiar with the stereotypical street corner preacher who yells at you as you walk by. Telling you how worthless one is until they make this decision that will take all things such as pain and hurt away. A false proclamation and a religion that leaves people unfulfilled wondering where God is. This is not to say this sort of proclamation is bad or wrong, as long as it has a message of hope and redemption. One of the best ways one can show the way Christ has called them to a radical lifestyle, is to do just that, live the life of a radical for Jesus. That is, ministering to those whom our culture tells us we can’t be a part of: Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, offering water to the thirsty and welcoming the stranger.

Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words. Let your actions speak louder than your words. Be the Jesus-Freak we are called to be and go against the grain. Love them as a child of God, see them for who they really are and be who you really are, a beloved disciple of Christ, and the Holy Spirit shall do the rest. Chris Folmsbee in his book, A New Kind of Youth Ministry, puts it best when he says, “God invites us to recognize that the story of God is unfolding around us each day, and that we share in God’s mission by becoming agents of restoration. Recognizing our calling to fulfill the Great Commission is one thing. But recognizing that in doing so we become partners with God in his mission of restoring the world is so much more.”

May the peace of Christ be with you now and forever this day. May our youth think about the ways we evangelize and how this pillar of our church, this Great End, holds up our foundation for what we do. We are called to share the good news of Christ to all people. We can and we will, simply by dedicating ourselves to ministry and teachings of Jesus. Acts 2.42.

July 2008 Senior High and Middle High Calendars

I AM sr high calendar
8th—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
13th—Destination Unknown 5 pm @ the church bring $5
15th—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
20th—Pool Party at the Loucks’ meet at church 4:30 pm for a ride
22nd—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
27th—Rites of Passage Night—Commissioning of the Seniors 7-9 pm
29th—Bible study at the Church 6:45 pm
30th—Holliday World Trip leave @ 9 am

I AM middle high
6th—Pool Party at the Loucks’ meet at church 4:30 pm for a ride
8th—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
13th—Destination Unknown 5 pm @ the church bring $5
15th—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
22nd—Bible study at the church 6:45 pm
27th—Rites of Passage Night—Commissioning of the Seniors 7-9 pm
29th—Bible study at the Church 6:45 pm
30th—Holliday World Trip leave @ 9 am

July 2008
Much of July is spelled out for you on the front of the newsletter. It is important that you let your parents know these Bible studies are vital to our youth group and important to the functioning of our group as a whole. Plus, it will be good preparation for us as we gear up for August 24th, youth Sunday!

Important dates to note are obviously every Tuesday night at 6:45 pm but more importantly the car wash on the 19th. We will meet at the church at 9:00 am where we will make the signs and gain battle stations for our car wash. It will last until 2 pm. Also take note of the 24th. There is a potential trip to Nashville to learn more about Islam, Judaism, Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholicism as we have an opportunity to go and visit all these places. Total cost for the trip will be $20. After this trip a few days later we will be making our way to Holliday World on the 30th where we will leave the church at 9 am, returning home around 6 pm or so. More info to come soon.

There are going to be signup sheets for these events outside the youth room I advise you to use them and let me know if you are coming or not. That is about it for July. I am excited to spend more time with you all!

July 2008 Youth PresbyNotes

Unity of the Youth Group

Summer has come and is heating up! It has been exciting thus far as we find ourselves taking more and more steps towards authentic community. Knowing that there are many more steps to take, we have continued to dedicate ourselves to one another. With this said this a perfect time in the life of the youth group to step out and evaluate who we are, what we do and why we do it. That’s right, its time for us to begin to ask the tough questions.

Starting next week, July 8th, we will be meeting on Tuesday nights from 6:45-8:00 pm in the youth room where we will begin the discussion of what youth group is. We will gather around those elements that bring the church whole together the table, bath, our common story and time. These traditions will aid us and be our blue print for encountering and embracing Christ in our youth ministry. We will begin to learn and eventually base our youth ministry around these holy things: bath (Baptism), book (Bible), table (Eucharist) and time (Liturgical Calendar). Doing this will allow us to draw closer together and more importantly, draw nearer to God and gain better understanding of our baptismal vocations and how we should share life together.

Each week we will look at what is the foundation for our church, the 6 Great Ends of the Church. We will learn what each of them are and what they all represent. Once we have a better understanding, we will attempt to define for ourselves what our 6 Great Ends, or pillars, are for our youth ministry. Thus this study will shape our youth Sunday when we lead worship for our church on August 24th.

After four or five weeks of studying what these 6 Great Ends of the Church are, we are going to have a 24 hour get together where we then work together coming up with a new youth group name, purpose and vision. Why is this all so important you ask? Almost all organizations have a mission statement to express purpose and vision and it is time that we come up with one for our youth group. We will be discerning what we think the foundational purposes are for our group and know what it is we are called to do. To be the body of Christ is what we must learn to be, to function as a whole and to learn to love one another. For if we can’t love and welcome each other, how then can we welcome and love those who are strangers? Community centered on Christ while practicing the liturgical holy things; bath, book, table and time, will bring transformation, a radical transformation that can make a difference in the world. That is what we will learn to do.

Included in the New Testament are letters from the Apostle Paul to some of the early churches. Often times Paul was writing because the churches had wandered away from why the church was started. Paul would hand write letters to these churches and ask them what is happening to their church, reminding them of where they came from and aiding them in love to get back on the right path. May this opportunity for us be the same. May we begin to be vulnerable with each other, not being afraid of looking across the table to a fellow brother and sister and sharing our concerns and joys. As we embark on this journey together, may we hold tightly to Paul’s words to the church in Corinth, “Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. And everything you do must be done with love.”

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus!