Fall 2010 Youth Ministry Calendar

Regular Weekly Schedule

Sundays
9:15 a.m. – Confirmation Class (6th Grade)
9:15 a.m. – Sunday School Class (7th – 12th Grades)
11 a.m. – Worship Service
6 p.m. – All Praise with Josh Havens & Band – Sept 12, Oct 3, Nov 21

Wednesdays
6:30-8 p.m. – Middle School Youth Group (6th – 8th Grades) – Starting September 8
6:30-8 p.m. – “D9” (Discipleship – 9th Grade) – Starting September 8

Middle School Special Events

September 8, 6:30 p.m. – Middle School Youth Group Kick-Off
October 15-17 – Middle School Fall Retreat
November 24, 7 p.m. – Thanksgiving Eve Worship
December 3, 7:30 p.m. – Big Band Christmas Concert
December 8, 6:30 p.m. – Middle School Angel Tree Shopping
December 15, 6:30 p.m. – Middle School Christmas Party

High School Special Events

October 31, 6 p.m. – High School Halloween Party
November 24, 6 p.m. – Thanksgiving Eve Worship
December 3, 7:30 p.m. – Big Band Christmas Concert
December 5, 6 p.m. – High School Angel Tree Shopping
December 12, 6 p.m. – High School Christmas Party
December 17-21 – High School Winter Retreat

Holiday Cancellation Dates
No classes or activities on:
Wednesday, November 24
Sunday, November 28
Wednesday, December 22 – Wednesday, January 5, 2011

All classes and activities resume on Sunday, January 9, 2011.

D9: 9th Grade Wednesday Nights

9th graders, join us Wednesday nights for games, food, fun, music and the big questions about life.

Middle School Youth Shop for Angel Tree Gifts

At Christ Church, we want all of our members to worship, grow, and serve (Pick 3!). You will find this simple, biblical model undergirds all of our ministries and everything that we do as a church. As we train up disciples in our Children and Youth Ministries we want to make sure that these core values are passed on to the next generation of christians in our midst. This was on display this past Wednesday night when our Middle School Youth Group took the opportunity to serve together. In fact, 87 Middle School students and 22 of the High School Teen Helpers that mentor them every week, along with a dedicated team of adult volunteers and our wonderful Youth Ministry staff went Angel Tree shopping together! Our students contributed financially and then personally selected gifts for 67 people, ranging from ages 3 to 83. This will be a huge blessing for those receiving gifts and was a blessing to our students, as well.

More than the number or gifts purchased and participants involved, I know that Pam Coghlan, our Youth Ministry Director, was struck by the care and compassion of these young followers of Jesus. Our students were on a mission to make sure that each person received what was on their list and even went above and beyond to supplement the gifts with additional items. For example, what good is a new waffle iron without some Bisquick and syrup to go along with it?

Great things are afoot in our Youth Ministry and it is wonderful to see such enthusiastic service from our middle school students. Our high school students have a full morning ahead of them this Sunday as they worship and grow together at the 9:15 hour and then serve by going Angel Tree shopping at 11:00. Then they’ll return to the church to wrap the Christmas gifts and have lunch together. If you have a student in middle or high school, I hope you will let us partner with you to raise them as a follower of Jesus through our Youth Ministry Department and the leadership of Pam and her team.

High School Retreat Wrap Up

Toward the end of the Psalter, you can find the Psalms of Ascent (Psalm 120-134.) Worshipers who were making pilgrimage to Jerusalem for one of the major feasts of the Jewish calendar would sing these together on their way up to that great city. In one of the Psalms of Ascent, King David belts out “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

This past weekend, 55 high school students and 25 adults spent two days living together and it was “very good and pleasant!” They traveled to Pine Cove Timbers retreat center, a brand new facility near Tyler, TX. In the midst of this picturesque setting, the students and adults had the opportunity to worship together, pray together, and play together. Indeed, they were able to “live together in unity!” At the beginning of the weekend, several different groups of students and adults got on school buses together and journeyed east to Tyler. By the end of the weekend, they returned as a group – tired and weary from their play, strengthened and encouraged in their faith, and also united together as a family. In fact, there is a new energy and sense of excitement as we move forward to see what the Lord is going to do in and with this amazing group of students and team of adults He has put together!

If you are an adult, parent or student who would like to get plugged in to this group, we would love to speak with you. We regularly gather for worship on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. upstairs in the Archgate Youth Praise Center (we will not be meeting on Easter Sunday.) We also have i2i groups (accountability and Bible study groups) that meet throughout the week in various locations in our community. Finally, we have monthly moments where our students can fellowship, hang out, and have a great opportunity to invite friends to be part of the group. Our next fellowship moment is a Destination Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, May 3. We’ll load up into cars and scatter out into the community for a fun-filled scavenger hunt followed by sharing a meal together at one of our fine North Texas dining establishments. For more information about the High School Ministry of Christ Church, please contact our youth minister, Pam Coghlan, at 214-291-5019.