Parent Blog 5-4-12
Dear Parents,
What I am about to write might sound very compromising to some of you. I work with students and it feels important to have the right “vibe” to be in their world and yet not of it. Anne Lamont who wrote a book called “Traveling Mercies” calls youth-group leaders, “adults who know how to act like adults but with a kid’s heart.” So, I like my music loud. My kids think I sing loud enough to be considered a little bit crazy. What I like to sing most are the classics. Good Rock N Roll songs from the era when I was in high school and college. Songs like More Then a Feeling by Boston or Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith. I even sing songs that I should not admit to singing like one from a group called Meatloaf. I know the morality is wrong but the tune and the lyrics are clever and they make me smile.
This morning after spending time in God’s word I began to sing another song. “Praise Ye the Lord The Almighty” A song from my childhood and written in the 1600’s. What struck me about this was that I was not singing one of the great contemporary songs we sing in our church today. I was not humming along to a song by Chris Tomlin or singing out loud something from worship this past Sunday. Maybe I’m just old and sometimes what comes to mind for me when I’m reflective or needy are all those songs that were imprinted in my long-term memory when I was a child. I like the songs we sing at our church. I raise my hands and sing with passion with the people around me. Sometimes tears come as the words from these songs touch something so true or real about God in my soul. But it’s interesting to me that when I am in need or I discover some wonderful truth about God the classics come to mind before the contemporary. I guess that there is some good and bad with that. Sometimes old habits or thought patterns are hard to break. I am not talking about music here but feelings or thoughts of low self-worth or even bad memories of a time gone by but I digress. I am grateful that the Bible tells me that in Christ God will remember my sins no more.
So after my time with God this morning I was singing, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is my health and salvation!” I am grateful to God today. Despite all my worries for my children or wondering how I will get done all that needs to get done today, God has been good to me. So I leave you with the words from another classic song to begin your weekend, “Be at rest once more O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7
Program Notes:
*Any senior graduating from High School will be recognized during the 11:15 worship service on May 13th. Our seniors will be prayed for and be given a gift devotional from Hope.
*For you calendars, middle and high school ministry will not meet on Memorial Day weekend Sunday. The following Sunday June 3rd will be the last regularly scheduled “youth group” time for the school year. Both High School and Middle School will meet at the same time on June 3rd for an end of the year dinner and teaching on the patio beginning at 6:00. We will be finished that evening by 8:00.
*Registration is now open for Middle School and High School summer camps. These summer camps have been life-changing for many of our students and have deepened relationships with each other. Please go to www.hopecentral.com and look for the Great Escape or Fun in the Son link on our student page.
What’s your Story? Info for Junior/Senior camp out.
We are inviting students who have been involved with us in Hope Student Ministries on a Junior/Senior camp out. As juniors and seniors, you are the leaders of your age group and the future leaders of the church. We invite you to come explore your story, God’s story, and what he’s writing in your life for the future. This will be a great time of hanging out, slowing down, and sharing our lives together! Plus we’ll build a huge fire. 
Details for the weekend:
The cost is $20, which covers transportation and food. We will be meeting at Hope Church on Friday the 27th at 5pm and will be returning on Saturday the 28th at 5pm. Drivers to this event will include Nicole Unice, Cody Buchan, Stacie McGeever, Andre Pliodzinskas and Jacob Minnick. We have rented a 15-passenger van and will also be driving larger SUV’s. A few other staff will also be attending. Again, all your meals will be included.
We will be going to a cabin in Cumberland county that a family in Hope owns and has graciously offered it to us to use for this event! The cabin has a big yard, field and a pond that is beautiful and a perfect place for us to get some quality time with the Lord and with each other! There are indoor bathrooms for us to use. We are going to be splitting up the very large yard into a ‘girls camp’ and a ‘guys camp’ where we will all be sleeping in tents. Nicole, myself and the other youth staff are looking forward to this time of community together!
Attached is the packing list along with the waiver form that. Be sure to bring the signed waiver form with you on Friday night when you arrive at Hope!
Parent Blog 4-20-12
Dear Parents,
As I was commuting to Hope Church with my wife the other day I was driving too fast. I was preoccupied in conversation and my coffee induced foot was pressing down on the accelerator. My wife told me to slow down and then passed on this quote from her devotions that I would like to pass on to you: “On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.”
I do not want to be an amateur in life. I want to take time to pray for my kids and my family. I want to grow deeper roots into my faith and not stay the same. If I am cranky, I do not want to become crankier as I get older. If I move too fast, I do not want to go faster and miss the wisdom God might have for me. There is a speed limit to the soul and their are consequences when we break it. So here’s to slowing down our souls this weekend and being present to our God and our family.
Below is some information that I handed out at the latest parent meeting. You may find it helpful as we go into the spring and summer. More information will be coming in the weeks ahead. Please note that you can now sign-up for our summer camps on-line at www.hopecentral.com Go to the “Connect and Grow” bar, scroll to “Students” and select “Summer Camps 2012″. On this page it will navigate you to the retreats listed as well as their corresponding registration pages. Please also note that if you have a senior in High School we will be recognizing them at the 11:00 a.m. worship service on May 13th.
HSM Summer Programs and Events!
Dear Parents,
Below is a copy of the Summer 2012 HSM Flyer that we passed out at our meeting on Sunday night. If you were unable to attend, please download a copy to see what’s going on for your students at HOPE!
Death by Meeting
Dear Parents,
In my early days of student ministry I went to an all day “conference” on Counseling led by a respected author and counselor Larry Crabb. During one of the afternoon sessions I was getting a bit restless so I stuck the eraser end of a pencil in one of my ears and continued to take notes. I thought I might get a laugh from some of the youth staff sitting around me. Much to my chagrin Mr. Crabb noticed from the speaker’s podium. He pointed my way and said, “does that young man have a pencil in his ear?” Now the whole room was laughing. I hate meetings.
One of my favorite business book titles is called “Death by Meeting” by Patrick Lencioni. He writes a blueprint for leaders who want to eliminate waste and frustration among their teams. He thinks meetings should create an environment of engagement and passion. This is my heart when we “meet” together as parents. I want our meetings to be more then information for our calendars. I want us to gather together as parents to encourage one another and remind one another of our great call to parenting.
So, all of this to say we will gather as parents right after the 5:00 service this Sunday, April 15th. We will talk about our calling as parents from 1st Thessalonians. We will meet some of the passionate young adults who work with your kids and we will let you know more details about this summer and camps. But mostly we hope that this time will be a time of encouragement for you. To add a little fun to this gathering we will give away a few door prizes for families, like sweet frog certificates and iPads (kidding about the iPad).
This is how it will work. Please bring $10.00 if you can to contribute to the meal. The $10.00 will be for your whole family. We are eating Rudino’s pizza and grinders. We will meet from 6:15 to 8:00. We will set up serving tables right outside the auditorium. Your kids will grab the food and go outside to the patio for an all middle and high school time together. We will go back into the auditorium as parents to eat and meet. Can’t wait to see you all there and here is to avoiding death by meeting.