Big Stuf: Day 1 Update

Well as we wrapped up the first day, we are all very tired and maybe a little sunburned, but it has already been an incredible experience, even though we have only been here for about 8 hours. The opening session totally blew the students away with the amazing set, flashing lights and creative and fun games. The theme this year is "Broadcast" and the whole week we are asking ourselves "What am I broadcasting to the world around me?" It's really going to be amazing! Tonight we heard from Jared Heard and he challenged us to live out loud for God and to look at our life like a puzzle, and truly be honest about whether our life is a bunch of pieces or is it a complete, beautiful picture. Often times we each hold a piece of our life puzzle that we refuse to give God control of. Usually this is the piece that we desire the most; we think that because this thing is so valuable, that we have to hold on to it and have control of it, so that it is taken care of, rather than put that thing in the hands of the One who truly can control and change that one thing, that one thing that we care about the most.

As we go on through this week, your friends will be asking themselves, "What am I broadcasting, not just with my words, but with my life?" Maybe you could ask you self the same question...

Please pray for God to move in their hearts and change our lives as we all fall deeper in love with Him!

Big Stuf Countdown: 4 Days!

Can you believe that we leave for Big Stuf in only 4 days!! Here is the information that we covered in the meeting and all the details for what you need to bring, and what not to bring, to camp this weekend:

Registration begins at 10:00 am this Friday, July 18th, in the Atrium at Point of Grace. Please arrive as soon after 10:00 am as possible as we have almost 100 people to check in. We will be leaving by 11:00 am. A parent or legal guardian must sign in every student going on this trip, and stay for the short Parent Meeting. At registration, Parents will be giving the Parent packet with information about details at camp, your room leader and their cell phone number to contact them in the case of an emergency. Your parent or guardian will also have to sign the Big Stuf Release Form. If they do not sign you in and fill out this form, you cannot get on the bus.

We will be stopping on the way down to Florida at the City Museum in St. Louis, MO, and the cost for that is $6. We will also be stopping at Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, TN, on the way home.

You will need spending money for this trip. We suggest between $75 and $100 for food on the way down and back (6 meals total) souvenirs while at camp, admission to the City Museum, as well as snacks and food while at camp. Also there are extra optional activities while at camp that cost money such as parasailing, Jetski rentals, Shipwreck Island Water Park and the Movie Theater, which are all options on Tuesday during Free Time. Please ask your parents for spending money as we will not be able to cover students who do not have money for food.

Please bring:
Toiletries
Pillow and blanket for the bus ride
One piece swim suit
Bible and pen
iPod, CD player, and other personal media devices (please put your name on them because they are for the bus ride only. They will be collected when we arrive at camp and returned the night before we leave for home)
Camera
Spending money (we suggest between $75 and $100)

Please DO NOT bring:
Cellular phones (if you are caught with your phone, it will be confiscated and you will not get it back until we meet with you and your parents)
Tankinis
Cigarettes, alcohol or other drugs not prescribed by a doctor
Bad Attitudes

If you have any last minute questions, please feel free to contact us at students@pointofgrace.com, or check out bigstuf.com and we will see you Friday morning at 10:00 am for registration and then it's off to Florida! It's going to be a great week. We are looking forward to it!

Gold Medal Monday!

Come hang out with us this Monday, July 14th, at Jordan Creek Mall! We will be having lunch and seeing Wall-E. Bring $12 or so for lunch and your movie ticket. We will meet at the Dew Zone at noon and pick up is at 3:30p. Hope to see you there!

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!