Lift Youth & Family Ministries

2011-10-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

I want to quickly highlight some events for the next month and a half.

First, coming up on October 15, we are doing a Hike and Praise. We will be going up to Santa Rosa Plateau for a hike and a time of worship on the trails. We will meet at the church at 4:00PM on Saturday then carpool together up to the reserve. We need adults who are willing to drive the teens up there. We can grab dinner after if there are enough interested.

Next, we have our annual Costume Party at the Sturgis' on October 30. It is going to be a last. Many of the college students are volunteering to help this be the greatest Costume Party that we have ever had. You don't want to have your teens miss it.

On November 4-6, we have Impact Jr. High retreat. This is a one of a kind retreat designed specifically with Jr. High students in mind. There are devotionals, worship, games, active learning experiences, and small groups discussions all planned to benefit Jr. High students. If you have a child in this age group you can grab a form in the lobby to sign them up. It's going to be a great weekend.

On November 18 & 19, we have Lunches for Jesus planned. On Friday night we will meet at the church building at 6PM to make lunches for homeless people and we will receive training on reaching out the to homeless population we are reaching out to. Then we will reconvene Saturday morning and head to Santa Monica to deliver the lunches and reach out to the homeless people there. Then on Sunday evening, November 20, we will be going to a concert in Ontario call Winter Jam. The cost for the concert is $10 and the artists featured are some of Christian Musics top artists. Those artists included but not limited to are: Newboys, Kutless, Matthew West, Red, and Fireflight. It will be a great concert and a wonderful weekend for our ministry.

As you can see, the next month or so is packed with events for your children and family. I hope that you can participate is as much as possible and make it a priority to be involved. If you have any questions please let me know.

Dan

Calendar and Upcoming Events

2010-10-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Above you can see is our Calendar through December. You should have received a digital copy over email and you can pick a printed copy up in the Lobby at church alongside the letter which explains all of the events. Please make a note of all we have coming up.

Here are some highlights of things to look forward to.

Family Fall Retreat

Sign Ups are going on now. Please sign your family up on the sheet in the lobby. We need to get a count soon so we can prepare for the classes taking place and food. Cost is $25 per person. Get that money into Dan as soon as you can. To see the lodge we are renting go to http://www.aaretreats.com. We are staying at the Royal Canadian Lodge.

At the retreat, we will be talking about Spiritual Disciplines, Modeling Discipleship, Parent/Child Relations, and more. Please plan on being there. It will be an amazing weekend for your family.

Game Night @ Dan & Lindsay's

This Saturday night, October 16th, we are having a game night at our new house. Have your child bring $5 for food. Time: 5:00-9:00PM

Girl's Sleepover

There will be a girls sleepover at Dan & Lindsay's house on Friday, October 29th while Dan is on his hunting trip. Cost is $5 each. Please bring sleeping bag, pillow, and toiletries. Time: 7:00PM-9:00AM

Lunches for Jesus

Mark your calendars for November 5 & 6 for our trip to Santa Monica to feed the homeless. Friday night we will be making the lunches and go through a brief training then Saturday morning we will meet at the church and drive together to Santa Monica to feed the people down there.

If you have any questions please email Dan or call him at the church.

February and March Events

2010-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

We have some great opportunities to be involved with what is going on in the Youth & Family Ministry that are coming up. Below are events that we have planned through February and March. Please take note which you and/or you children can be a part of.

February
13-Lunch for our Senior Saints (who had birthdays in January and February)
@ Church Fellowhip Hall (12:00-2:00PM)
We are asking each teen to arrive at 11:30 to set-up tables and to serve the meal
26/27-So Cal Retreat Leader Training
Each high school teen that decides to be a leader for So Cal Retreat in March must attend this training at Sunny Hills Church of Christ.

March
7-1st Sunday Family Devotional @ Van Saun's
Please bring a dish or two to share
12/13-Lock-In (8:00PM-8:00AM)
Hollywood Themed
We need chaperones!!
20-Church Got Talent (6:00-8:00PM)
This is a church wide talent show to raise money for scholorships for the teens in the youth ministry.
26-28-So Cal Retreat (high school)
27-Pancake Fundaraiser for Youth Ministry(for all those who aren't attending So Cal)

Look through the events and mark them down. There will be a Calendar through Summer produced in the next few weeks and it will be in the lobby.

-Dan

New Series for High School Class in December

2009-11-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

This December, we will be beginning a new series in the High School class on Sunday mornings entitled, "Unbalanced." I am really excited about the teaching that can take place through this series. We would love for you to be a part of this series. If you have stories, a testimony, or any other input that you feel would be an asset to this class, please let me know. If you have seen just how unbalanced life can be without God at the head, please talk to me and let us see how you can be involved in this series.

The goal in this new series is to help our teens to understand the power of following Christ in a new light. That living a life for Christ would be defined as "unbalanced" by the world's definition.

This is the series premise:
So much of our world calls us to balance. Balance school work with jobs, family time with church time, play time with responsibilities. Has this balance compromised our spiritual relationship with God? Christ didn’t call for balance. HE was a radical. HE threw everyone off balance. HE called people to a new way of life. A life, focused on God and HIS way. That calling has changed the world forever. God doesn’t want to be balanced into our schedule, HE wants to be in control of every aspect of our life. HE calls us to a life that is "Unbalanced".

We hope that you can be involved in some way during this series. If you have some ideas, please contact Dan.

Upcoming Events

2009-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is gonna be a busy week or so. We have a ton coming up. Please take note of which you can be a part of. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Wednesday, October 28th: 6:00-8:00pm
Please come and support the Wednesday Night Alive group. The youth ministry students will be helping and volunteering at Trunk-or-Treat. If your student didn't sign-up to help this last Sunday they can just show up and we will plug them in where needed. They also need adult help so try to make it. It will be great time with our church family.

Thursday, October 29th & November 5th: 6:30-8:00pm
Boost and Uplift will be combined for the next two weeks as we will be having an Alcohol and Drug Seminar conducted by Dr. Dustin Smith and Deputy Sheriff Mike Woodruff . This is for the whole family, except young children, so please plan on being there. It could very well change you and your families lives. Feel free to invite neighbors and/or friends alike.

Friday, October 30th: 6:00-9:00pm
Our annual Costume Party is this Friday at the Sturgis's Home. There will be maps in the lobby on the Youth Ministry table and one attached to the email as a clickable link that I just sent out. Please bring $5 for pizza and drinks. Also, bring one item to share (chips, dessert, etc.) Come in your best costume and be prepared for a ton of games and fun. It's gonna be a blast.

Sunday, November 1st: 6:00-8:00pm
This upcoming Sunday is our 1st Sunday Family Devotional at the home of Randy and Lydia Marrs. This will be a time for our youth ministry families to come together and worship with one another and eat and hang out together. Please bring a dish to share with everyone.

Friday, November 13th-Sunday November 15th
Impact Jr. High Retreat is coming up. This is a retreat specifically designed for 6-8th grade students. The early registration price of $95 is due by this Friday. The forms are in the lobby.

God is truly blessing our Youth & Family Ministry. I pray that you will find a place to be involved if you are not already involved.

-Dan

Youth & Family Ministry Meeting and Upcoming Events

2009-09-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
A big thanks to everyone who was at the Parent Meeting on Sunday. It was very productive. Each parent who was there received a Youth & Family Ministry Informational Packet. There are some for each of you on the Youth table in the lobby. Please take one.

On page five of the packet is a release form. Please fill this out and give to Dan. This release form will cover all the events between now and next summer. This way, a new release form will not be needed to fill out for each event.

We also discussed our Fall Events. Below are the dates of all the events between now and 2010:

1st Sunday Family Devotionals
October 4
November 1
December 6

2nd Sunday High School Praise Nights
October 11
November 8
December 13

Six Flags Magic Mountain
October 3, 8:00am-8:00pm
Cost: $40 (Ticket + Lunch on own) Dinner provided

Costume Party @ Sturgis’s House
October 30, 6:00-9:00pm
Bring snacks to share

Impact Jr. High Retreat
November 13-15
Cost: $95 (lodging, food, and transportation)

Our two upcoming events are Magic Mountain and 1st Sunday Family Devotional. We need drivers and chaperone's for Magic Mountain. Talk to Dan or Allan Lumagui if you can volunteer on October 3rd.

Our 1st Sunday Family Devotional on October 4th will take place and the home of Steve and Terri Emmett. Bring a dish to share and a heart for worship. It will be a great time of fellowship.

If there is anything on your mind, any question about the youth ministry, or any praise that you want to share, please feel free to call Dan.

2009-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I hope that you all had a great summer. We will be having an informational parent meeting on Sunday, September 13th after church. This will be a potluck lunch so please bring something to share. I will remind you as it draws closer but I wanted to give you enough time to put it on your calendar.

We have some very exciting things for the fall that I want to make you aware of.
We have a new Wednesday night class for 5th-7th graders beginning in September called Boost. If you have a child in that age group, please make sure you check it out. If you have any questions about Boost, please let me know.

Uplift and Boost will begin September 2 and 3 with Uplift moving to Thursday nights now that Boost is on Wednesday nights. The times for both classes are the same: 6:30-8:00 PM.
Our Fall Teaching Series is entitled "Contaminated." We will be looking at how our culture influences our lives. I am very excited about this series as it pertains to what these teens are and will be going through. This could be a great opportunity for you to be involved.

If you have any questions about anything involving the Youth & Family Ministry then please feel free to call or email.

Thanks and God Bless,

Dan

Two upcoming events and WBS

2009-03-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

You should have all received the calendar and letter for the first half of the year. Let me know if you did not receive one and I will get that out to you promptly.

We have two upcoming events:

GM-Pottery Painting
This will be a time for the girls to come together, make pottery and paint it. It should be a blast. Should cost around $20 for supplies. Expect an email from Lindsay with all the details and how you and your daughter can be involved.

So Cal Retreat
This is a really unique event that it is led by high school students from across Southern California. The student leaders plan and implement the small groups, facilitate worship, and share their lives in speaking sessions. This should be an amazing weekend of spiritual growth for our group. Cost is $110 due by March 20, 2009. If your family needs financial help sending your child, please talk to Dan. Forms are on the Y&F Ministry table.

If you have any questions on either event please email or call Dan.

Weekly Bible Study
I have been reading through the book of Luke the last few weeks and I came across this scripture:

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Exalt–verb (used with object)
1.to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate:

You've heard it said that "pride comes before the fall."

Jesus basically says that the "fall" leads to exaltation. That when we lower ourselves, we will be raised up. I can think of times in my life where I was prideful or arrogant and I can look at time where I show humility.

I can say that I have never seen blessings from the former, but I always see blessing from the latter.

I challenge us to evaluate our lives.

In what ways are we prideful?

Do we need to learn humility?

I pray that humility would be a Godly characteristic that we all possess.

May God bless you in your walk with Him this week,

Dan

Weekly Bible Study

2009-02-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Hopefully you were at church on Sunday and heard the message. I believe that God is calling our church to amazing things. I believe that he wants to do transformational things in our life, our families, and this church. I hope that you and your family will be in prayer over that.

I hope that you have had a great beginning to your week. I am spending my first three days of this week in beautiful Ventura, being blessed through planning and prayer over YouthWAVE, which is one of our week-long events during the summer. Whenever I am a part of planning an event I am reminded of the importance of community in our walk with God. It is through the strength of this community that God can continually work on us and through us.

I pray that this Weekly Bible Study will be a blessing in your life.

Weekly Bible Study
"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." -Mark 9:35

When you think of leadership, what comes to mind?

Is it someone who is out in front of others?

Someone who is outgoing? Extroverted?

Is it someone who we view as more talented than others? More gifted?
Someone who is in charge? Someone who is older or more wise?

The picture that we get from Jesus is one of servant hood. His example and lead was through service! How contrary to what we sometimes believe!

Here is my challenge to us all. Who can you serve tomorrow?

The next day?

This week?

Maybe you serve your waitress by talking with her about her day and encouraging her. Maybe you serve your boss and tell them that you are thankful for them. Find someone to encourage. Find someone to serve.

I pray that we can lead like Christ.

Through service!

Have a blessed, service-filled week

-Dan

Family Devo and W.B.S. (Weekly Bible Study)

2009-02-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,
I hope that you all had a great weekend. We had an awesome family devotional on Sunday night with over 30 teens and nearly 10 old folks, I mean adults (I'm included in the latter according to the teens). I hope that you will be a part of one soon. We have a family devo in March and May. Please try to make one of those.

You will be receiving the semi-annual calendar and letter in the mail by weeks end. If you have any questions once you receive them please let me know. We would love for you to be involved in all the wonderful things that we have going on in the ministry.

Weekly Bible Study
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." -Mark 2:17

In this day and age with shows like The Biggest Loser and Celebrity Fit Club; magazines like Men's Fitness, or Women's Health; culture is pouring on the need to be healthy. There are entire sections in nearly every grocery store that are deemed "The Healthy Foods."

Society tells us that we need to eat this meal, or be a part of that gym, or own that piece of equipment which will let us reach our full exercise potential. Our society is standing on the healthy soapbox.

What if we ran our churches like this? We'd have sermons entitled "The Biggest Loser: Losing Sin in a World that devours it" or "Christian Fit Club: Using Jesus as Your Trainer." Would we have areas of our building that are devoted to becoming healthier followers of Christ?

One thing that Christians can learn from society in this is the passion to become healthy. Every gym that I drive by each day is packed! It doesn't matter when I drive by it.

What if we treated our building the same way every day? As a place to come and get spiritually healthy. A place that was packed every day.

Let us be challenged. How can we use our building to create a culture of spiritual exercise and health and are we doing this? I pray that we are a people who are always looking to get healthier and help others see Christ.

Remember, Jesus came for YOU. He wants to heal you. Let us continually go before God in humility and love.

Have a blessed week,
Dan

Hot off the Press...well, at least warm

2009-01-29T14:42:00.001-08:00

I believe 2009 is going to be a great year for this ministry. God blessed us in 2008 in ways that we could never imagine and we are looking towards God and His promises to bless us even more this year.

If you have not immersed yourself into a ministry at church, we would love to have you serve in this ministry. In these formative years, our teens need more and more adults in their life that love God and have a desire to share that love with them. Please consider how you can be involved. We are always in need of people to serve.

On a sad note, we have chosen to postpone our annual ski trip. With consideration to our family and church budgets and with the economy in the shape it is, we believe that this could be a burden for many families. Our vision has always been for every child to attend any event they wish regardless of whether they could afford it or not. Due to where we are financially, we believe it is wise to postpone the trip until 2010. Thank you for your understanding in this. With the cancellation of the ski trip, we will be able to help more families send their child(s) to the other, more costly, trips (i.e. So Cal Retreat, YouthWAVE, Teen Camp).

On a good note, we have plenty of other opportunities to connect with one another this spring. Soon, all families will receive our calendar through the summer. This should help with planning any vacations in which your family may take in the coming months. Hopefully everything we do will be uplifting for your family and your teens.

Finally, below are some of our upcoming events. They will be in more detail when you receive our calendar as well as the letter that will be attached. God bless you and your family.
Dan

Upcoming Events:
February
8 1st Sunday Family Devotional 6-8PM(technically 2nd Sunday)-Lumagui House
8 Elevate 4-6PM-Lumagui House
21-22 Mexico City of Children Trip
22 Elevate

March
1 1st Sunday Family Devotional-House tbd
6-7 So Cal Retreat leaders training
8 Elevate
22 Elevate

April
3-5 So Cal Retreat (high school students)
5 Elevate
18 Waters for Jesus
19 Elevate

Two Upcoming Events

2008-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

We have two exciting events coming up.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and you all know what that means...that's right, the 1st Sunday Devotional. This month we will be at the home of Ken and Joann Rabon from 6-8 pm. There will be directions to their house on the Youth & Family Ministry table. Please also sign up to bring a food or drink item to the devotional

Also, as I announced last Sunday morning, we have Waters for Jesus coming up. This will be an amazing time to reach out to our community and get into conversations about Christ. Please sign up at the Y&F Ministry table. This event is for everyone so talk to your friends at church about being involved in what should be an amazing day.

Fall Calendar and Events

2008-08-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

What a summer!!! I hope that you all had a great summer.

You should all be receiving our new Fall Calendar as well as informational letter by weeks end or the beginning of next week. Let me know how it serves your family. My goal is to be able to adequately communicate with you all so please let me know if that goal is being attained or if I can add to our current communication to better serve your family.

Please make sure to jot down each date in your calendar so that it doesn't sneak up on your family. Some of the events do cost so hopefully your family can budget those events.

Please keep this ministry in your prayers. God has been blessing our group and we want to continue to come to His throne room and pray that His will is done in this ministry.

God Bless

Dan

Fresh Off The Press!!!

2008-07-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
We have had a great start to our summer. God has been blessing all of our events. We have been praying that God will do some amazing things through all the events and trips we have going on this summer and we will trust in that. Thank you all for being involved with what we have going on this summer.

We need your help!!
We have quite a few events coming up that we need help with. Next week, we have our annual Six Flags trip. We need chaperone's for the trip. You would be driving there and back as well as hanging out with our kids and loving on them. It is an awesome time to reach out to our teens. Let me know ASAP if you can chaperone.

High Tides, our weekly beach trip, starts next Thursday. We will meet at the church at 1 PM and return at 10 PM. Please let us know if your child will be attending so we can have a way for him/her to get there. The church will provide the food and we ask that the teens bring any gear they need for the beach. We will be hanging out, playing games, and having a devotional with other churches around southern California. It will be an amazing time. We need drivers also. Please consider if you can serve in this way.

In a week in a half we are sending 3 of our teens to serve at YouthWAVE in Portland. We need your help. God can do amazing things through all the teens going but it is so important that these teens are immersed in prayer. So please pray for them. They will be gone from July 12-19.

Teen Camp is quickly approaching and we don't have many registration forms in yet. Please get them in pronto. If you are having issues with the registration fees, please contact me. We will do whatever we can to get your child or children there. We also need drivers to take the teens to camp and to pick the teens up from camp. Please let me know how you can serve as soon as you can.

Finally, please keep our group in your prayers. God has amazing things in store for all of these teens.

Thanks

News Flash and Upcoming Events!!

2008-06-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Summer Kick-Off Party was a huge success. We had nearly 30 people there and all had a great time eating, hanging out, and playing games. The worship and prayer time at the end of the night was great. A couple guys even had a Man vs. Wild moment and jumped into the freezing waters of the Bates pool. A big thanks goes out to Shon & Lisa Bates for opening up their house again this year for our party.

Please get in Teen Camp forms by this Sunday to save $50. That is nearly enough money to buy half a tank of gas. Go to the teen camp website, which is on the side bar of this page, and print out a registration form then bring it by the church.

Don't forget that our Senior Graduation Party is this Sunday. It starts at 6:00 PM. Please bring a BBQ dish to share. It will be a great time to honor our high school seniors.

Summer is only a few weeks away and we hope you are planning on attending as many events as possible.

Events over the next few weeks:
June 8, 6:00 PM- Senior Graduation Party
June 15-20- Mexico Mission Trip
June 22-Family Day
June 25-29- VBS
June 29-July 2- Men's Fishing Trip

Summer Kick-Off Party and Senior Luau

2008-05-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is our annual Summer Kick-Off Party at Shon & Lisa Bates House. This will take place of our 1st Sunday Devo. We will be having a great time swimming and eating then end the night with a devotional. We hope that your family will be able to make it. There are sign-up sheets in the lobby with what you can bring.
Where: Shon & Lisa Bates House
When: Sunday, June 1, 2:00pm-8:00pm
What:Summer Kick-Off Party

The next Sunday will be our annual Senior Graduation Luau here at the church. It is a great time to support and encourage our high school graduates as they are entering a new phase in their lives. Please make plans to attend.
Where: Fellowship Hall
When: Sunday, June 8, 6:00pm-8:00pm
What: Senior Graduation Luau

We hope that you plan on attending both events. They are going to be a blast. Please sign-up in the lobby for what your family can bring to each event.

Thanks & Upcoming Events

2008-05-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone
I hope you are having a blessed week. I wanted to send a big thank you to all of you who have been helping with Uplift of any of the events that we have had this month. God is doing some amazing things through this ministry.

A couple of quick reminders:
- Indiana Jones Lock-In May 23-24 8:00PM-8:00AM
- Get Teen Camp registration in pronto to save $50
- Hopefully, your family will be able to plan your summer vacations around the events that we have at the church so that your family or children can attend.
- Senior Grad Luau is coming up June 8th 6:00PM

News and Upcoming Events

2008-05-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the mothers and daughters who were involved with the brunch on Saturday. I hear that everyone had a great time together.

Remember, its time to start getting in your forms for Teen Camp and YouthWAVE. If your child wants to attend YouthWAVE, please let me know. We need to work with you on the fundraising process. For Teen Camp registration, just give them to me. You save $50 if you get the registration forms in by June 6th. If you family needs help with the registration costs, please shoot me an email or call.

Indiana Jones Lock-In: May 23-24, 2008
We are still in need of a few more chaperones for the Lock-In. Your help would be much appreciated. Please let me know if you can help that night. We need some adults who can help organize the food and help run some of the games during the night. Thanks for your consideration.

Hopefully you all have received the summer letter and calendar in the mail. If you didn't, please let me know and I will get one to you. If you plan on attending or your child plans on attending any trip you may let me know at your earliest convenience.

We have some great things happening this summer so please try to be involved. Thank you all for being a part of this ministry. Please keep it in your daily prayers.

Dan

Parent Meeting last Sunday

2008-05-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

A big thanks to all of those who attended the Parent Meeting this past Sunday. For those who didn't make the meeting, below is a summary of what we talked about. There is info on the table in the lobby as well. Remember, we need your help! Look at the summer events and see how you can help out. We need lots of volunteers for all of the things that are going on during the summer. Check your schedules and see how you can help out.

Summary of Parent Meeting:
- Passed out summer calendar (if you weren't there you will receive one in the mail)
- Discussion about all Summer Events
- Discussion about Fund raising for YouthWAVE and Mexico, as well as passing out of letter template to send out to raise monies
- Discussed High Tides(weekly beach trip and devotional on Thursday's which will take place of Uplift for Summer)
- Discussed needs for teachers for both Middle School and High School classes

For info on Teen Camp and YouthWAVE click on the links below. The links will take you to their respective website. You can get all forms you need on the event from the website.
Southern California Teen Camp
YouthWAVE

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
-Dan

Upcoming Events

2008-04-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Every family should receive a summer calendar in the next week and a half. Here are some things we have coming up in the next 3 weeks that you should be aware of.

May 4, 12:00pm Summer Parent Meeting (at least one parent per family should be there). Please bring a dish to share for the potluck (sign-up in church lobby)

May 4, 6:00pm 1st Sunday Family Devotional at the Cole's House

May 7, 6:30pm Uplift

May 10, 10:00am Mother/Daughter Brunch(in Fellowship Hall)

Welcome

2008-04-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone
I set this blog up as another form of communication with you all. It is so important to communicate, and even more important to communicate well. Please use this site and let me know how it can serve you and your family better.
I desire this to be a place where information can be shared and ideas discussed, a place where all types of media (ie movies, music, books) can be reviewed and talked about as well as much, much. more.
I'm excited about what God is doing and going to do in this ministry.

Dan