Parent Meeting Tonight

Tonight, Wednesday, May 25th, we have our Summer Kickoff for our youth program and we don't want to leave you behind or uninformed! At 6pm, right before the youth overwhelm room 214 with their out-of-school energy, we will be having a special Youth Parents meeting in room 214 to give you a calendar for the summer and catch you up on where we've been and where we're going. You won't want to miss it!

Details on The Amazing Post-Prom Race

As you may have heard, the Youth Ministry of FBCJC is sponsoring an after-prom event called "The Amazing Post-Prom Race." Open to ALL high schoolers (regardless of whether or not they attend prom), this event will take place from midnight on the evening of Friday, April 29th until 7am on Saturday, April 30th, and here are the details you may wish to know: * Any student interested in participating MUST sign up in advance and pick up a Permission Form that must be signed by a parent; Permission Forms must be handed in to Dave before the event begins in order for that youth to participate; * Each student wishing to participate must pay $10, which will help to cover the cost of gas and miscellaneous items for the event; * The event itself will begin at midnight after the prom, at FBCJC (students are required to find transportation to and from the church) and will consist of a number of team challenges throughout the evening; * Each team will consist of 3-4 students being led and driven by one of our adult chaperones (no students will be allowed to drive during this event); * Students will be allowed to leave FBCJC as early as 6am and need to be picked up (if they do not have their own car) no later than 7am on Saturday morning. If you have any other questions, please contact Dave at 475.3826 or cndavemcneely@aol.com.

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.