Video from Wednesday…

Also, we were going to watch this video on Wednesday night, but didn’t because of time.

It’s about a group of teenagers who went to Vietnam, which is a Communist country and closed to sharing the Gospel openly.

Check out the video.

WINDOWS Recap…

For the past four weeks at River’s Edge, we have been in a series called “Windows”.  During these four weeks, we have been taking a look throught the “window” of the Bible to see what God has to say about missions.

Week 1: God sends out Christians on His terms to: (1) meet needs; (2) proclaim the Gospel; and (3) make disciples.

Week 2: Christians ought to protect their spiritual lives from sin.  Sin’s design is to manipulate our desires (physical, mental, and pride…see 1 John 2:15-17).  The danger of sin is spirtual separation from God.  If we die separated from God (no confession of Christ as Lord and Savior) we spend eternity in Hell.  As Christians, we are ultimately and most completely delivered from sin through repentance of sin and confession of Christ as Lord and Savior.  Throughout our spiritual journey, we can restore “breaks” in our fellowship with God through confessing our sin and protecting our lives through study of God’s word, prayer, and obedience to God’s will not our own.

Week 3: Christians are called to meet needs (physical, social, emotional, financial, and spiritual) of people within their realm of influence.  This could be the people we see daily or on special occasions like on missions tirps or divine appointments.  Remember 1 John 3:16-17 that says, ¹⁶“By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”  Perhaps meeting people’s non-spiritual needs can be the greatest testimony to the redemption of the Gospel in our lives.

Week 4: Of meeting needs, the most important need that can be met is a person’s spiritual need.  As Chrisitans we have the high privilege and responsibility to share the Gospel with people.  Three great ways to do this are: (1) Sharing your testimony; (2) Giving a broad overview of the Bible’s message: Creation, Fall, Redemption through Christ, and New Creation; or (3) Giving specific scriptures detailing the message of the Bible: Gen 1:27; Gen 3; Rom 3:23; Rom 6:23; John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Rom 10:9,10, 13.

So here’s the challenge:

(1) Pray for people in your life to share the Gospel with

(2) Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel

(3) Select an unreached people group HERE to pray for the Gospel to shared with them.

**As you select an unreached people group, comment on this blog post and tell us which people group you have chosen.  After a few days, we’ll post the people groups that have been chosen.

Videos from the Past Two River’s Edges

As promised, here are the two videos that we have seen in River’s Edge the past two weeks.

First up is the video from the Discovery Channel’s show “Time Warp” and the PET plastic film on glass.  If you remember, we talked about protecting our spiritual lives like this film does the glass.

Check it out!

The next video is from Hillsong, a church based in Sydney, Australia.  It has to do with a lot of what we take for granted, use to entertain ourselves, and even complain about.  It also highlights many of the injustices that dominate the landscape of the world.

Check it out!

Birthday Shout Outs!

It’s halfway through the month of February, and well, we have had several birthdays among our Student Ministry!
Here’s the people who have been celebrating this month:

Feb 1: Michaela Thompson

Feb 2: Dustin Guard

Feb 3: Ryan Parks

Feb 7: Kelsey Hammonds

Feb 9: Devon Loyd and Anna Jane Davenport

Feb 11: Olivia Crudup

Feb 14: Brooke and Blaire Oatsvall

Hope you all have had a great birthday!  Be sure to say “Happy Birthday!” to these fine people…even if it is after their birthday!

Check out this video…

This poor kid. What if your parents had video taped you like this?

Student Ministry News…

Overload Recap

On this past Sunday, we had an OVERLOAD, which is a great time of fellowship for students, breakfast, giveaways (who won?), and most importantly, Culture Challenge and the Golden Plunger.

For the first time in history…the MIDDLE SCHOOL GUYS won the Golden Plunger! Great job guys!

Middle School Guys with Golden Plunger

I’d also like to thank all of you that brought food as a part of OVERLOAD, which helps out Long Hollow’s Food Pantry. It was a HUGE help!

Quest

Have you signed up for Quest yet?

Here are some Questions you might have…

#1: Can I invite a friend?
Answer: YES! If you invite a friend that doesn’t normally come to our church, if you friend is the same gender as you, they will AUTOMATICALLY be in your group. I encourage you to bring friends to Quest!

#2: What if I have to miss part of the weekend?
Answer: No problem! If you are working at a job, do the best that you can to ask off, switch your schedule, etc. to make it for the whole weekend. If you are playing a sport, cheering at a game, or even have to work a shift, just let us know. We are very flexible with Quest. Don’t let that be the reason you don’t come.

#3: What if I don’t have the $45 to go? Or a ride?
Answer: No problem. All you have to do is let us (one of the adults that work with students or Michael) that you can’t pay the entire $45. PAY WHAT YOU CAN. We’ll work on the rest. If you need a ride, let us know as soon as possible so we can work out details. DO NOT let money or transportation be the reason that you don’t go to Quest.

ALSO….We are having River’s Edge tomorrow at 6pm…even though the rest of the activities have been canceled. Come on to River’s Edge!

Quest 2009

Have you signed up for Quest yet?

You DO NOT want to miss this great weekend of fellowship, spiritually challenging discussions, a service project, and fun!

When is Quest? Thursday, February 26 – Sunday, March 1. (Thursday and Friday are in the evening)

How much does Quest cost? $45 if sign up before February 22 ($60 after February 22)

What if I can’t pay all of the $45? No problem. Talk to Michael Jenkins, Bill Davis, or a Student small group leader, and we will make sure that you get a scholarship for the amount that you need.

What if I have something going on during that weekend? No problem. Just turn in a time away form letting us know where you are going, when you will leave and when you will return. We are super-flexible, but we want to make sure that you get to participate.

Where will I still Friday night and Saturday night? In a host home. Host homes are families who are members of Long Hollow who have been screened by our Student Ministry staff. Only one gender will be staying at a host home.

How do I sign up for Quest? Easy. Fill out a registration form to “Save A Spot” on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights OR CLICK HERE and sign up online.

Quest is one the biggest events in our Student Ministry all year. I want to encourage you go as a student and invite friends to come with you. If you bring someone who does not normally come to Long Hollow. they will stay with you in the same host home (unless of course, they are of a different gender).

If you are a parent, I encourage you to sign your student up.

It’s going to be a GREAT WEEKEND!