Since the beginning of this blog, we've told you the story of who we are and how you can pray for us, but we really haven't said what we do exactly. As Christians, I want to be more about DOING things for the Kingdom than TALKING about what we are about with mission statements and feel-good information. Here are some things that are currently in the works:
1) Baby Bottle Campaign for the Endless Mountain Pregnancy Care Center
For the last few weeks, we've been tagging baby bottles that will be distributed in churches and business to be filled with coins as a way to raise money for the Pregnancy Care Center, which reaches women in our local area. The organization receives no federal funding and relies on the community and local churches for financing. If you'd like to donate, contact Pastor Mara to get a baby bottle to fill, or mail a check to the Center directly. To find out more information about the Center, go to www.empccfree.com
2) Speed the Light- Digging a water well in Africa
Speed the Light (STL) is an organization that supports missionaries in the field by providing them with transportation and supplies in various forms. Our youth group has chosen to raise $1000 to donate to a project to dig a water well in Africa. To find out more about Speed the Light, visit their website at www.speedthelight.ag.org
3) Girl's Bible Study-Wednesday afternoon @3:30/Night and Day Cafe
No boys allowed-sorry guys. There's just something about studying God's Word with other girls that is extremely powerful.
4) SO MUCH MORE!
As things unfold, check back to see what we're actually DOING to expand the Kingdom of God. Please be praying that God would guide our hands and bring our attention to His work, not ours.
Blessings!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Up and coming...
For the next few months, we will be studying our beliefs as Christians and how to defend them when people ask us questions about it. This first week, we're going to be starting with the basics: God. (YES, I know. It's an amazing concept talking about God in youth group of all places ;) But it seems like the first building block and a great foundation for things to come. I (Pastor Mara) want to explain the purpose of this study and how God put it on my heart because, as important as the lessons are, the inspiration is a part of the overall picture.
As a New Covenant Academy alum, I went to Bucknell University as a freshman because I wanted to put myself in an environment that challenged my faith. Well, it did. Many people, professors, students, friends would ask me hard questions about what I believed, and all I had for them was a carefully rehearsed Sunday School answer that did very little to convince them of my beliefs.
It is for this reason that we as a youth group need to TRULY know what we believe so that it doesn't become stale in our hearts and minds. So many times as Christians I believe we take for granted our knowledge of who God is and why we believe what we believe . We forget that there is a world waiting for a chance to believe if we give them the testimony and opportunity. We forget that Christ commissioned US to tell the world about him and the good news of salvation, not just by living "perfect" lives, but by showing God in our lives to those around us.
As a New Covenant Academy alum, I went to Bucknell University as a freshman because I wanted to put myself in an environment that challenged my faith. Well, it did. Many people, professors, students, friends would ask me hard questions about what I believed, and all I had for them was a carefully rehearsed Sunday School answer that did very little to convince them of my beliefs.
It is for this reason that we as a youth group need to TRULY know what we believe so that it doesn't become stale in our hearts and minds. So many times as Christians I believe we take for granted our knowledge of who God is and why we believe what we believe . We forget that there is a world waiting for a chance to believe if we give them the testimony and opportunity. We forget that Christ commissioned US to tell the world about him and the good news of salvation, not just by living "perfect" lives, but by showing God in our lives to those around us.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Prayer...
So, I just realized how long that last post was. WOW! SO, for those of you who don't have all day to read our blog and just want to find out ways to pray for us, here's a nice, neat list. The Church of the New Covenant will be participating in a week of prayer from Jan 6-13th, as will we. Here are some things to remember for us as you go before the Father:
1) For the students, that God will continue to manifest himself in tangible ways to them, through the Word, worship, fellowship and relationships.
2) For the Youth Council, that they would be full of wisdom, leadership and vision for what direction God would lead us in. That they would be on the same page and in common confession with one another.
3) For our ministries and outreach, that God would unite our hearts with our churches and the churches in our communities to reach the needs of Tioga County. That God would open the door of opportunity and we, being believers in faith, would have courage to walk through it.
4) For Pastor Mara, that God would continue to pour Himself into the ministry He has called her to and would refresh her spirit daily with vision and purpose.
We appreciate all of you who lift us up before the Lord. We will try to keep you posted as to how God moves through your prayers and your hearts for us.
1) For the students, that God will continue to manifest himself in tangible ways to them, through the Word, worship, fellowship and relationships.
2) For the Youth Council, that they would be full of wisdom, leadership and vision for what direction God would lead us in. That they would be on the same page and in common confession with one another.
3) For our ministries and outreach, that God would unite our hearts with our churches and the churches in our communities to reach the needs of Tioga County. That God would open the door of opportunity and we, being believers in faith, would have courage to walk through it.
4) For Pastor Mara, that God would continue to pour Himself into the ministry He has called her to and would refresh her spirit daily with vision and purpose.
We appreciate all of you who lift us up before the Lord. We will try to keep you posted as to how God moves through your prayers and your hearts for us.
Ringing in the New Year...
I apologize that this has been the first post in a while. I'll try to keep more up to date information posted in the future.
We've begun a new year and have been given a fresh start to begin our ministry in Tioga County. Here are the highlights of the past few weeks:
Top 10:
10) Christmas Caroling December 19th: We shared a message of hope and our love of song with the people in our community. We had many comments about how our music blessed people and it was great to see their faces light up as we sang.
9) Concert Planning: More details to follow as soon as they are known, but get ready for an AMAZING concert coming your way in late April. It's gonna be great!
8) Mall Scavenger Hunt: About 20 of us went to the mall December 15th to do some last minute Christmas shopping and compete in a scavenger hunt. The competition was fierce, and it was a great time.
7) Spiritual Giftings Evaluation: All the youth took a spiritual giftings evaluation to discover what God had gifted them with and to find out ways to put those gifts into action. We'll be doing a lot of work next year to exercise these specific giftings and to strengthen our individual and corporate ministries to our churches, schools, families, friends and community.
6) GenerationNext Christmas Service: Reckless Abandon Youth, partnering with the Powerkidz and SuperChurch presented a Christmas Program here at the church on December 16th. We were in charge of the entire service including the ushering, greeting, announcements and worship, as well as our skits and human video. The congregation was blessed to see all the students so actively involved in the presentation of the Christmas story and how everyone demonstrated their personal abilities to make it all possible.
5) Our first Youth Group Light took place the last week in November and will become a trend during the coming year. The last week of every month will be a fun time of playing games and hanging out together. We took care of redecorating the youth office with some great wall decoration and learned "The Song Game" which has become a favorite of the youth group and basketball teams everywhere ;)
4) Christmas Card Distribution. Our youth group raised almost $50 that will be put toward our "Speed the Light" missions which are going to help build a water well in Africa. Our total 2008 contribution pledge is $1000. Keep checking back to see other ways we are trying to raise money for this great cause.
3) Recycling Drive: For those of you who have walked into the youth office anytime in past 2 months, you know what this is about. The closets are filling up with soda cans and plastic bottles which will be recycled and the money also given to "Speed the Light" This will be an ongoing fundraiser, so you can bring in your recyclables at any time. Soon, Pastor Mara won't even have a place to sit!
2) Tagging Baby Bottles for the Pregnancy Care Center: Our youth group has begun to foster a relationship with the Pregnancy Care Center in Canton, PA. This ministry is funded completely by the local communities and is doing an amazing work caring for mothers and their children. Every year, they do a "Baby Bottle Campaign" to fill old bottles with change to support their ministry. Our youth tagged over 600 baby bottles for distribution to local businesses and churches who will help with this drive. If you would like more information about how you can help, you can contact Pastor Mara at the church.
1) NEW'S YEAR'S LOCK-IN!! Absolutely crazy and awesome! We had over 40 students celebrate the New Year at the church playing games, watching movies and NOT sleeping.
So there you have it. 2007 was a year of lots of changes and new faces, and the God of 2007 will continue what he's doing in 2008.
We've begun a new year and have been given a fresh start to begin our ministry in Tioga County. Here are the highlights of the past few weeks:
Top 10:
10) Christmas Caroling December 19th: We shared a message of hope and our love of song with the people in our community. We had many comments about how our music blessed people and it was great to see their faces light up as we sang.
9) Concert Planning: More details to follow as soon as they are known, but get ready for an AMAZING concert coming your way in late April. It's gonna be great!
8) Mall Scavenger Hunt: About 20 of us went to the mall December 15th to do some last minute Christmas shopping and compete in a scavenger hunt. The competition was fierce, and it was a great time.
7) Spiritual Giftings Evaluation: All the youth took a spiritual giftings evaluation to discover what God had gifted them with and to find out ways to put those gifts into action. We'll be doing a lot of work next year to exercise these specific giftings and to strengthen our individual and corporate ministries to our churches, schools, families, friends and community.
6) GenerationNext Christmas Service: Reckless Abandon Youth, partnering with the Powerkidz and SuperChurch presented a Christmas Program here at the church on December 16th. We were in charge of the entire service including the ushering, greeting, announcements and worship, as well as our skits and human video. The congregation was blessed to see all the students so actively involved in the presentation of the Christmas story and how everyone demonstrated their personal abilities to make it all possible.
5) Our first Youth Group Light took place the last week in November and will become a trend during the coming year. The last week of every month will be a fun time of playing games and hanging out together. We took care of redecorating the youth office with some great wall decoration and learned "The Song Game" which has become a favorite of the youth group and basketball teams everywhere ;)
4) Christmas Card Distribution. Our youth group raised almost $50 that will be put toward our "Speed the Light" missions which are going to help build a water well in Africa. Our total 2008 contribution pledge is $1000. Keep checking back to see other ways we are trying to raise money for this great cause.
3) Recycling Drive: For those of you who have walked into the youth office anytime in past 2 months, you know what this is about. The closets are filling up with soda cans and plastic bottles which will be recycled and the money also given to "Speed the Light" This will be an ongoing fundraiser, so you can bring in your recyclables at any time. Soon, Pastor Mara won't even have a place to sit!
2) Tagging Baby Bottles for the Pregnancy Care Center: Our youth group has begun to foster a relationship with the Pregnancy Care Center in Canton, PA. This ministry is funded completely by the local communities and is doing an amazing work caring for mothers and their children. Every year, they do a "Baby Bottle Campaign" to fill old bottles with change to support their ministry. Our youth tagged over 600 baby bottles for distribution to local businesses and churches who will help with this drive. If you would like more information about how you can help, you can contact Pastor Mara at the church.
1) NEW'S YEAR'S LOCK-IN!! Absolutely crazy and awesome! We had over 40 students celebrate the New Year at the church playing games, watching movies and NOT sleeping.
So there you have it. 2007 was a year of lots of changes and new faces, and the God of 2007 will continue what he's doing in 2008.
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