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!

City Sights/City Lights 2008 Review

City Sights/City Lights 2008 has come and gone. We here at FPC Owensboro had an absolute blast spending time with our fellow brothers and sisters of our Presbytery working hard with each other and getting messy with ministry. Personally I have no photos to share but I am posting a link to the Henderson Presbyterian Youth Group blog where you can see some of the photos that their YD took. Great pictures!

As for the work we did, we spend all morning at the Neblett Center helping them with their grounds, cleaning and putting things back in order. This facility is a unique shelter and organization for people to go to. It is a place where indeed it meets what Christ ministry was all about. Facilitating many life management skills, the Neblett Center provides a place where people can come and get a help with their second chance. Providing money management classes, rehab classes for those recovering from drugs and alcohol and to simply put it, a place where people can come and find rest, hope and love for all ages.

Finishing up with our work 2 hours early, we decided that it was too early to eat and too late to call it quits, so we gathered our canned food goods we brought and took them to the local food banks, the H.E.L.P Office. There we stocked the shelves of this organization that provides food, clothes and help to those in need. Doing so with a very in depth interview process, the H.E.L.P. Office helps anyone who comes to their doors, turning away no one, not even strangers. It was great to sit down and hear the testimonies of those who work their and how their lives have been impacted by the way they serve those who are in need of help. Getting hands on with food for the hungry was a great way to live into the Matthew 25 text, "when I was hungry you gave me food to eat." That too went by fast with 25 people working together!

From there we went to a near by park, English Park, where we ate lunch, sat by the river and played games with one another. The temperature was rather warm but no one really noticed as we stayed busy taking steps towards community. It was fun to interact with all of the different youth that make up the churches and begin developing some new relationships. When I say that, I speak on behalf of all the youth here in Owensboro.

Finally we arrived at our last work site, a Habitat for Humanity house, their 75th one or something like that. We were greeted warmly by the site head and were given a brief history of Habitat and the good work it has done in Owensboro. After this, we were distributed different tasks which included staining a picnic table, painting some furniture in the garage, weeding around the garage and in the alley way, washing the Habitat truck and working on the front lawn, removing excess gravel and dirt. Two hours the 25 of us worked, sweating in the hot June sun and drinking cool refreshing water as often as we can. Again, a great way for a group of strangers to get to know each other better by simply working together, alongside one another and getting messy with ministry.

Overall City Sights/City Lights was a success, if one could somehow determine what makes a trip successful. We didn't loose anyone, nobody was hurt and no skirmishes broke, out if one were to rank a success by these qualifications, then it was a success. However, although these are great pieces of a trip to celebrate, what makes a success is if a group of strangers could come together in the name of Christ and work side by side. That the love that was shared between strangers would show the love of Christ to those whom we ran into. After walking and talking, laughing and swimming, we could at the end of the day, turn to our brother and sister and say, "the Lord be with you," and they would reply, "and also with you." This is success to me and indeed the Western Kentucky Presbytery demonstrated the love of Christ not only to the places we worked at, but to each other.

Thanks be to God for such a great 2 days and for the new friendships made. See you all at Loucon in November!

Shalom!

City Sights/City Lights 2008

"Those who say, ' I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also." 1 John 4.20,21

Being in communion with God is when we as God's people begin to love God. For it is a God we have not seen that tells us when we begin to love one another, then He will live within us, we can bring God's love to one another. Everyone is created in the imago dei, the image of God. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his site, we are all beloved children of God. We are called to love one another despite what makes us different. If anything, we should love one another more because of the differences. Imago Dei, the image of God, love. How can one love if they do not know the God of love?

Taking on the imago dei, today is liking being a fish swimming against the current. To go against the grain. To be different. Living into the image of God is for us to love each other, those we know and those we don't know . Not by seeing how many cool Christian t-shirts we can wear or by how many Christian songs we can remember no, God, through Christ, redeemed the world and sent Christ to bring a new humanity. To bring heaven on earth. We have a choice, to either embrace the imago dei, or to turn away from it and do the opposite, hate.

Our junior high students in the Western Kentucky Presbytery will have the opportunity to bring the love of Christ to local organizations in Owensboro. Next Monday evening beginning at 6 pm through Wednesday ending at 10 am, they will be in community with each other through the breaking of bread, through the reading of the great story, through working with each other and the redemptive grace the waters bring and around a common table, the youth will begin to take the light of Christ into a hurting world.

We ask that you pray for us Tuesday as we will leave at 8:45 am to go and do work at the HL Neblett Community Center here in Owensboro. Pray that our hearts may be tender, our eyes be soft and our attitudes reflect that of Christ. After we serve here, we will then take canned goods to the H.E.L.P. Office to stock their shelves and to learn more about poverty in Owensboro. After that, we will celebrate the day through story telling and breaking of bread around the table together. Then it will be time for a little R&R and swimming. On Wednesday we will wake up and begin the day the best way possible, with prayer and the Eucharist, followed by dinner and a departure.

Throughout our time together if you have not already picked up, the theme behind City Sights/City Lights 2008 is Love. Being influenced by pastor/theologian Rob Bell's Sex God, our liturgy will guide our liturgical movements providing a contemplative atmosphere for our youth and adults to pray about, contemplate and eventually, live out a life of love. So come and join us on this adventure, relearning what it means to love, relearning what it means to serve and relearning what it means to be a Child of God. If you can't make it, pray for us and take sometime to allow your lives to be shaped by the words of Christ.

May it be that both you and I, the youth and the chaperone's will come to encounter the holy and may it be that our hearts may too grow strangely warm in the presence of Christ.

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." Mother Teresa