Is Your Teenager a Good Samaritan?

According to a story widely circulated, a group of young seminarians, pastors-in-training, were given a simple but exciting assignment: Prepare a sermon on Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan and walk down the street to the local radio station to deliver the sermon across the airwaves. What made the assignment unique, however, was the situation their professor had set up for them. Unbeknownst to the young preachers-to-be, a man had been hired to lay beaten and bruised and crying in pain in an alleyway near the radio station. Sadly, each student acted out the wrong portion of the parable quite well, passing the man without offering to help, because apparently they had more important things to do, like . . . preach about helping the beaten and bruised on the side of the road. This past week, we decided to conduct an experiement of our own with our youth group to see how they would respond in a similar situation. After a game and a brief Bible study on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, our youth were instructed that they were going to prepare bags for the homeless but that they first had to walk down to McDonald's to purchase a gift card to put in the bags. Unbeknownst to them, a friend of one of our leaders had been tasked with showing up at McDonald's with a sign begging for food. So, how did the youth respond??? Much to my joy, our youth came back with fewer gift cards than expected because they gave two to the young man in need, along with buying (with their own money) a meal for him. I'll never forget the excited amazement on the face of one of our young girls, when she came up to me and said, "You're never gonna believe this! There is a man begging for food here, and we JUST talked about the Good Samaritan!" Thank God for teenagers who get it!

Ice Skating and Winter Jam Info

Have your teens been mentioning something about a "Purple Day?" Allow me to explain . . .

We are blessed to have some wonderful female adults who devote a lot of time and effort to ministering to and with our teenage girls and they frequently have "Girls Nights." The guys, of course, are insanely jealous and beg for their own. So, when you mix girls (pink) with guys (blue), what do you get?

Purple, of course.

This Saturday, February 26, we'll be taking the guys and girls out for an afternoon of ice skating in Knoxville. We will meet at and leave from the FBCJC parking lot at 1:15pm and we will return between 5-5:30pm (just in time for Family Rec Night at the MSAC at C-N!!!). Each youth will need $8 to cover the cost of ice skating - they're on their own for snacks, too!

Also, next Friday, March 4th, we will be making our annual trek to Knoxville for WinterJam, a concert that includes 8-10 Christian artists for the low, low price of $10. We will leave from the FBCJC parking lot at 4:30pm and stop for dinner before the show. We should be back in Jeff City by 11pm. Students need to bring $10 for their concert ticket and $5-$7 for dinner (fast food). And make sure to RSVP so we have a seat on the van for them! For more info on WinterJam, visit http://www.jamtour.com/.

Updated Information on Super Bowl Party

On Sunday, February 6th, our youth Super Bowl party at the Jones' will begin at 6pm. Rides will be provided from the FBCJC parking lot at 6pm, as well.
For directions to the Jones' house, e-mail Christine Jones at cjones@cn.edu.

Follow-Up to Last Week's Question

Last week, we asked the question, "So what happens to your faith when the church doors stay closed?" Recently, we asked our youth to share what they themselves did to develop and nurture their faith over the extended holiday break. Their answers are . . .

Encouraging.

As I reflect on their responses, what stands out for me the most is that God is clearly on the minds of our teenagers. While only a handful of youth seemed to have a close-to-definitive approach to nurturing their faith, a strong majority of them pointed to their efforts at prayer, seeing God in others, and reading the Bible. The clearly good news is that God is reaching out to these youth and they are making efforts to respond. Which throws the ball back in our court and asks of us . . .

How well are we encouraging them?

As we all know, youthful impulses, like their hormones, are fluid, volatile, and ever-changing. Often, the key to sustaining faithful development is tied to having a strong community of support that encourages, guides, and models faithful behavior. Our teens need our encouragement to find and stay on "the way everlasting" - are they getting it?

Upcoming Events

With a new semester beginning (finally!), here are a few upcoming events that you'll want to have on your calendar:

Friday, January 28th - Youth Game Night

7-10pm, Rm. 214 (Youth Room) at FBCJC

Guys bring a 2-liter, Girls bring a snack, Everyone bring a friend!

Sunday, February 6th - Super Bowl Party

Time TBA, Greg and Christine Jones' house

We need parents to help provide snacks - let Dave or Christine know if you can help!

Friday, March 4th - WinterJam Concert

Time TBA, Knoxville (Transportation will be provided)

Cost: $10 + dinner

For more info, check out http://www.jamtour.com/.

As always, you can find up-to-date information on FBCJC events on our website, http://www.fbcjeff.org/ (look on the Calendar for the most extensive info). And, if you're a member of Facebook, look for our Youth page ("First Baptist Jefferson City Youth Ministry") for more updates, including notices when there are last-minute changes in events and activities.

What Happens When the Church Doors Stay Closed?

I doubt I need to remind any parents that Jefferson County Schools haven’t been open in quite some time now. No, with each “snow day” tallied, each of us adds a new frazzled nerve to go with it. Cabin Fever catches a hold and we feel like the desperate characters in a “survivor” movie. One more day and we must might . . . well, some things are better left unsaid.

If you’re keeping score at home, you may have also noticed that – with Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, snow days, traveling, and more – we haven’t exactly had a lot of youth activities lately. And, by lately, I mean . . . some of us haven’t even been to church in almost two months straight.

Which makes me wonder . . .

What happens when the church doors stay closed? In other words, how do our teenagers continue to develop their faith when the programs they’ve come to depend on are not readily accessible? Do they just set faith development aside for a time? Pull out their Bible and read? Call their friends and pray together?

The answer to those questions has a lot to do with the answer to this question . . .

What do YOU do when the church doors stay closed? Whether we think it’s true or not, our children look to us for guidance, especially in situations that are new to them. And what kind of guidance did your kids receive from you over this wintry holiday?

Did extra family time become extra opportunities to discuss faith?
Did more meals together lead to more prayer together?
Did cancelled Sunday services lead to special times of family worship?

Or did winter vacation simply become a “faith vacation” as well?

Xchange Resumes January 5th

After a nice holiday of mirth and rest and hopefully not too much egg nog, we're excited to begin a new year at FBCJC! Xchange, our Wednesday night gathering for youth, will resume this Wednesday, January 5th, with a WILD WEDNESDAY!
Stay tuned for some exciting upcoming events!