Week One Review

Hello All! We are so thankful for your prayers and so excited to be a part of what God is doing down here in South Africa! We wrapped up an incredible week of VBS style outreach club for the children that live around the Pines. We had over 60 children on Tuesday when Katie taught on the story of Noah's Ark and how we can trust God's promises to us, and ended the week with over 12 children praying to ask Jesus to come into their lives through the explanation of the gospel through the 5 color bead bracelet. It truly has been an indescribable week so far! Next week we are headed to the Public High School in Thabong, the townshi

p right near Whelkom, to speak to the senior class for a week about American, education, AIDS awareness and prevention and social issues such as gender, race, and basic human rights from God's perspective. Should be a great time! Thanks again for you prayers and please enjoy the pictures....

Katie teaching the Children

The Gospel bracelets the Children made

Week One Review

We Arrived in South Africa!

                         
Well, we all made it safe to Chicago, then to London, and finally to Johannesburg, South Africa. After a long drive we showed up at the Pines with 12 kids in tow! After getting settled we took a tour of the property and got the schedule for the week. So we are settled in and we are having a Bible Club for the kids at the Pines as well as the children that live at the #7 camp down the road. We are excited to be here and even more excited to see what God will do in and through us over then next 2 weeks! Thanks for your support and prayers and be sure to look for updates and pictures to be posted as the activities get going!

Gold Medal Monday! - June 16th

Gold Medal Mondays are just fun activities during the summer to generate community and have fun as a group. We hope you will join us for all three this summer! The first one in this Monday, June 16th and its a pool party at Katie and Kurt's apartment. It is from 12-3pm and costs $5 for Jimmy John's Lunch! Here are the directions to the pool:

Take I-35 to Mills Civic Parkway. Go east on Mills Civic to 50th Street and turn left on 50th. Turn Left on EP True Parkway. Go under the Interstate and then turn left on Prairie View Drive. Take the second left into the apartment complex and look for the balloons. The pool is through the clubhouse (1000 building) which is directly in front of you.

See you there!

Move Up Parties!

MOVE UP WEEKEND is coming!
June 1st is the day! Current 5th graders will move up to Junior High and current 8th graders will move up to High School! It's going to be an exciting day! Here are the details for each group:

THE SPARK (Junior High: Current 5th-7th graders)
Show up to you normal room on June 1st, and then the new sixth graders will come over to the Student Zone all together! We will have a very special service to welcome them! After second service, at 12:00 noon, we will have our Move Up Party out on the West Lawn! You will not want to miss it! We will have tons of free food, fun games and special prizes! Be sure to bring your swimsuit and a towel and change of clothes, because we will have a Dunk Tank, where you can dunk the Student Ministries Staff, and an Inflatable Water Slide! This party is for new 6th - 8th graders only! Pick up is at 2:00p.

We will also have a brief New 6th Grade Parent Orientation Meeting from 12:15 - 1:00p in the Student Zone (Theater). If you are the Parent of a new 6th grader, please make plans to attend this short meeting so that you can ask any questions that you have, and be up to speed on way for you child to get connected to the Student Ministry this summer!

4ORTY 2WO (High School: Current 8th-12th graders)
Be sure to show up at 5pm for your MOVE UP PARTY! We will have free dinner, ice cream, music and fun games! Bring a swim suit and a change of clothes because we will have a Dunk Tank and Water Slide so you can get nice and soaked before 4ORTY 2WO. Then at 7:00p we will have our Welcome Service to bring in the new freshman, as well as celebrate the exiting Seniors! You will not want to miss it! This party is for new 9th-12th graders and graduating seniors only! The night will end at 9:00p after 4ORTY 2WO.

We hope that you will be there! It won't be the same without you!

NO STUDENT SERVICES THIS WEEKEND! (4/27)

There will be no Student Ministries services this weekend because the Student Ministries staff will be in Atlanta at the ORANGE Conference. Please enjoy this weekend with your parents as they celebrate the Live Like You Were Dying series in the Main Auditorium. Also please pray for us as we travel, and that God would bring us fresh insights and creativity as a team to create even more irresistible environments where you and your friends can experience God, connect with others and serve your community. Have a great week and we will see you next weekend (May 4th) for the start of our new series:

EXPOSED! the naked truth about sex and dating

We are starting a new series this weekend called EXPOSED! the naked truth about sex and dating. It is going to be an incredible series as we discover together what God says about sex and dating. (Hint: It may not be what you think...) We hope that you will invite your friends to come with you for this exciting four week series! You won't be disappointed!

SPRING BREAK!

Spring Break is only 1 week away!! And we have a ton of fun activities each day to keep you excited and connected! So now you have no excuse...

Here is the break down:

MONDAY: Movie and Jordan Creek Century 20 Theaters
Meet at the DEW ZONE at Jordan Creek Town Center and we will have lunch in the food court and then see Penelope (PG). You need about $12 for movie ticket and lunch. Pick up will be at 3:00pm.
TUESDAY: Bowling at Warrior Lanes
Meet at Warrior Lanes (Across Hickman Road from Church) at 12:00 noon to have some fun bowling! Bring $10 for bowling, shoe rental, or more for the arcade and snacks. Pick up is at 2:00pm at Warrior Lanes.
WEDNESDAY: Sports Day at Sports Plex West
Meet at Sports Plex West (890 SE Olson Drive, just west of Alice's Road between Hickman and University) at 11:00am and we will have 2 hours of sports (Dodgeball, Basketball, Indoor Soccer and Rock Climbing Wall). This event is FREE!! So invite a bunch of friends! Every student must have a signed parent permission slip, which you can download from the Sports Plex West website. Even though this event is free, if any student doesn't have a signed permission slip, they cannot participate. Sorry, no exceptions.
THURSDAY: Girl's Only Breakfast
Meet at Point of Grace at 9:30a for a free Breakfast in the Hub! Bring your girlfriends for a great time of food and community! Sorry guys, girls only!
FRIDAY: XBOX Tournament, DDR, Guitar Hero, Games and Pizza Lunch
Finish out the week hanging out in the Student Zone at Point of Grace from 11:00am to 2:00pm. There will be prizes for the winners and a pizza lunch. Bring $3 if you want to eat pizza.

Hope to see you all there!

No Student Ministries Services This Weekend!

There will be no Student Ministries Services this Sunday (Feb. 24th) because we will be at SNOWFEST '08! If your student is not coming with us to SNOWFEST '08 then please join you in the main service this weekend. (They are finishing up the PUREsex series) If you (or they) would rather not be in the adult service, then they can help out in Children's ministry. Have them talk to Debbie or Jodi at church this weekend to volunteer. We will return to normal service times next Sunday, March 2nd with the start of our new series: MYSPACE.

NO 42 DUE TO THE BLIZZARD!

There will be no 42 Service tonight because of the snow storm!

No Life Groups Tonight!

Hopefully you get this in time, but there will be no Life Groups tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 6th) due to the Snow storm. Please enjoy the night with your family and stay safe! We will see you on Sunday!

Bless Back Project!

Be sure to tell us how God used you this week to bless back! Visit the website and fill in your comments to tell us what you did with the money! Hope you had a great time!

http://blessbackproject.blogspot.com

Student Ministries South Africa Meeting

If you or your student would like to come with us to South Africa this summer, you will want to be at this meeting! All your questions will be answered and you will be able to get a better idea of where we are going and what we will be doing. We will be having a meeting at 12 noon on Sunday January, 27th in the Student Zone (Theater) to discuss the South Africa trip. If you want to go, you need to come to this meeting! Let us know by emailing students@pointofgrace.com. Hope to see you there!

Student Ministry Weekly Podcast Is Live!

Now you can listen to the weekend message on your iPod! Did you miss a week of the series? Have a friend who wants to hear what your church is like? Just like hearing the sound of Katie or Kurt's voice as you go to sleep? Well you can download the weekend message from The Spark or 42 and listen to it on your computer, iPod, or other mp3 players! Check it out by clicking the link on the right in the menu bar!

Said in (RED)

This weekend we are starting up a new series called Said in (RED) and we will be talking about Jesus' words, and why they are so important that they are printed in red ink. You will not want to miss any week of this series! It's going to be huge!!

No Spark or 4ORTY 2WO until 2008!

We will not be having any Student Ministry services on December 23rd or December 30th so that you can join your family for your Christmas Celebrations. We encourage you to worship together as a family and celebrate Christ's birth and the new life He provides for us! Be sure to attend The DIVINE at Point of Grace on Saturday night, Dec. 22nd at 5:30p or Sunday at 9:00 or 10:30 am or 5:30 or 7:00 pm. From all of us on the Student Ministries Team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will resume our normal schedule on Sunday January, 6th for the beginning of our new series: Said In (RED). See you in 2008!

SNOWFEST 2008

Don't miss out on the biggest event of the winter! We will be heading up to Afton Alps, Minnesota to enjoy a whole weekend of snowboarding and skiing, great fun and new memories with friends! The cost for this trip is $200 if you have your own equipment and $245 if you need to rent it, and you will need to fill out a signed permission slip to turn in with your money to hold your spot. This trip is going to be a great time to get away and get connected! Charter bus transportation, lodging, most meals and lift tickets are included! If you drop your spot after December 1st, you will be refunded all but $50. There are only 45 spots for this trip and it will sell out, so sign up quick! For more info, you can email students@pointofgrace.com or come to the Habit Shack in the Student Zone during any weekend service. We hope you will come with us!

DON'T MISS ONE!!!!

You will not want to miss this event! We are headed up to the incredible Y-Camp in Boone, Iowa for a weekend getaway with a ton of fun games and activities, great music, inspiring messages and plenty of free time to connect with all your friends from The Spark and 4ORTY 2WO. In addition to all that, you can choose from additional activities like Horseback Riding, Ropes Course or the daring Zip Line. You will not want to miss this retreat! Sign up at the Habit Shack at a weekend service by turning in a permission slip and money. The cost for the ONE Retreat is only $89! But you must register by October 10th... which is only ONE WEEK AWAY!! For more information please email students@pointofgrace.com or call Dawn at 515.987.9595 ext. 130. Don't miss this once a year opportunity to grow deeper with others and with God! It's gonna be a blast!

FACE THE MUSIC - New Series

Starting this Sunday, September 16th, we are beginning our new series called "Face the Music" and its going to be awesome! We will be discussing the spiritual implications from popular songs by artists like Switchfoot, Relient K, Fergie, Paramore, Linkin Park and others. Throughout the series you will get a raffle ticket for every week you come, and if you bring a friend you get an extra ticket and at the end of the series we will raffle off and give away a brand new iPod and other iTunes prizes! Don't miss one week of this exciting 6 week series!