Wow, a new school year has begun. Our children headed back to school and reconnected with friends they haven’t seen all summer.
I was challenged over this summer to take a hard look at the past 40 years of my life, and noticed that there are stopping points along the way that challenged me on my “Journey.”
7 When my mom and I prayed to ask Jesus into my life.
13 When I found out my hip was broken, and spent a year on crutches
22 The summer internship that changed my future from missions to teens
23 Met my future wife and knew she was the one for me
28 The birth of my first child, my daughter
34 Birth of my son
38 My mom passed away
40 Recommitment to youth ministry
My journey has been full of positives and negatives, happy times and sad, but I can look back and see how God has helped me through those times and helped my faith grow.
My prayer and goal this year are to help students on their “journey.” I want to provide opportunities for them to grow from one point to the next.. To assist this goal Crossroads Student Ministries has made some changes.
Middle School:
This year we divided up our middle school and added the fifth graders into a new program called Route 56.
Route 56 (5th – 6th graders)
r Every Thursday night during the school year from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Great Room students have the opportunity to meet with creative teachers talking about life issues, creating opportunities for them to grow in their faith and relationships, and reaching their community. There are small groups, worship time, and a whole lot of fun.
r Every Sunday at our 9:00 and 10:30 am hours in room 203/204 – they will be taught by a group of gifted teachers about God’s word and how it relates to them. They are challenged to learn scripture and apply what they have learned to their everyday life.
Revolution (7th – 8th graders)
r Every Thursday night during the school year from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Chapel students have the opportunity to meet with creative teachers talking about life issues, creating opportunities for them to grow in their faith and relationships, and reaching their community. There are small groups, worship time, and a whole lot of fun.
r Saturday night from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Chapel there is a small group discussing scripture and taking an in-depth look at how it relates to their lives.
r Sunday at our 9:00 and 10:30 am hours in the Chapel students are taught by a group of gifted teachers about God’s word and how it relates to them. They are challenged to learn scripture and apply what they have learned to their everyday life.
High School (9th – 12th graders):
r Every Tuesday night during the school year from 7:00-9:00 pm students gather in the Chapel. This year we are dividing the groups by grades to be able to teach to them at their different levels of learning. 9th and 10th grades will learn more of the basics of Christianity and their faith. 11th and 12th grades will be challenged to apply what they have learned and to make a difference in their community. All of this is done through small groups, teaching, and a time of worship. My goal is to help these students be prepared for when they graduate, so that they will have the tools they need to make it and be successful with a solid faith in what they know and fall in love with God.
Ultimately – On their journey, we want to prepare them with a sustainable faith that will last a lifetime and especially whey they hit the years where they are out of the house and on their own.
Pray with me and our volunteers this year that our students can look back on this year as a growth point in their faith and person, see lives changed, people connected, and teenagers making a difference in their community and the world
