Trunk or Treat

I had the pleasure of participating it my first Trunk or Treat this year. If you have never done one let me give you my view of the event.

Picture the furthest corner of Target’s parking lot; we took up about 60 parking stalls. At the welcome table Pastor Jeanette and her daughters greeted the roughly 700 people who came through. Russ was on hand as Santa at the entry as well which was a highlight for many kids would didn’t expect St. Nick to make a trip out of the North Pole before Thanksgiving.

 

29 cars parked in a horse shoe filled our space distributing some 27,000 pieces of candy. The trunks that came where amazingly creative and so well received. Many were Disney or princess themed; we even had two Frozen trunks. Others included Christmas for Halloween, Alabama Roll Tide, two Duck trunks and Pastor Dave has the duck himself, a shark, a football and a ladybug. This year we had several trunks that had small activities like bean bag or ring toss and some great football and golf challenges.

I was so impressed with all the costumes. Of course Frozen characters were the little kids favorite this year. Our middle schoolers were very creative though. The boys did a Pretty Pretty Princess trunk and dressed in tutus, tiaras and there was even a unicorn. The girls did a Disney trunk and we had some beautiful princesses and fairies.

By the end of the night many were cold in their costumes but had a great time and stayed warm with cider, popcorn and friends. I learned that we have an amazing church family to pull off this event each year and provide such an outreach to the community in that part of Kent. Trunk or Treat in some cases is the only safe way for kids that live in apartments or culturally wouldn’t go door to door to participate in Halloween. It was great for our students to help families from our area experience Halloween in a positive way. I pray that this event will grow and that those who came through saw the love of Jesus through the hands of all our students and volunteers. I encourage you to plan to help with this event in the future. ~ Interim Amanda

Amanda Krohn- New Interim

Time Flies when you are having fun! We have been incredibly blessed to have Amanda Krohn join us on our youth staff as the Interim Middle School Director. She's been on the team for a month now and what an impact she is making. Her first week on the job she ventured out with our Middle Schoolers on the Thunder Retreat. It was there where we learned about her creative and passionate spirit. She made every student and leader yellow bandannas, gave them glow necklaces, and daily came outfitted at a "Yellow Yak" ( see blog below). She is married to her husband Justin and they have 4 year old daughter, Hannah. As we are searching for a new Middle School Youth Pastor please welcome Amanda and her family to the team!!

Thunder

Thunder was Awesome!

October 24^th – 26^th we took 20 students and 5 leaders to Cascades Camp in Yelm for a weekend to remember.

Tom Dierenfeld of LifeSpring Covenant Church in Loveland CO took the kids through three days of messages on what it means to be a part of the “team” of the church body.  In one sermon they were given “permission to be you.” Permission to be the person that G-d created them to be. Not necessarily the person they feel expected to be. In another sermon each student was given a penny to symbolize all the things they have been holding onto. The grudges they are holding and need to give forgiveness for. They were encourage to lay down those grudges at the alter and pick up a nail, serving as a reminder that they are forgiven. Jesus was nailed to the cross and died for their sins. The students were given the opportunity to accept Jesus as their personal Savior or if they already know the Lord to rededicate their lives if they felt so led.

 

We had several students who made the decision to rededicate and others who prayed for all those making these commitments. Please take this opportunity to talk to your student about where their walk with the Lord is and be transparent about your own. Let your student in on praying for you and what you are working on as much as you want to be praying for them.

As campers we were divided into 4 teams and Kent Covenant was part of the Yellow Yaks. The kids really got into the yellow glow necklaces, bandanas, face paint, clothes etc. They competed in games in front of the sessions, as a huge group before session, individually and we even had a selfie challenge as a church group.

I had an amazing time getting to know the kids in my first few days on staff. For those who don’t know me, I’m Amanda Krohn, Interim Middle School Ministries Director. My family and I have been attending KCC for the past year and I’m excited to fill this position until G-d brings us the right person permanently. I look forward to getting to meet you all, please email me if I can help in anyway.

Amanda Krohn, Interim Middle School Ministries Director

CHIC 2015

Dear Parents,

Every three years our family of churches known as the Evangelical Covenant Church, put on a conference of epic proportions.  The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is taken over by over 5000 students and leaders from all over the US, Canada and abroad.  And for a week, July 11-18 2015, our students get to experience an event like none other.  From the time they arrive, students are stunned by the sheer number of their peers who have intentionally gathered out of a desire to play, worship, learn and grow in understanding and in faith with people from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds.

Since 1956, our denomination has put on an intentional youth conference every three years with a clear purpose:  The purpose of CHIC is to be a catalyst that inspires Christ-like change; challenging students to see themselves as part of something bigger and inspiring students on the journey of following Christ.  And this coming summer our church will have an opportunity to participate in this event!

The planning for CHIC 2015 is already underway.  In fact a team of people have been planning this for over year already.  In order for our group to participate it is going to take some significant planning as well.  CHIC is a costly event and logistically complicated.  To make sure that we have enough time to prepare our group adequately, we are having a parents meeting to get the ball rolling. 

On November 23rd we are going to gather Student Center to:

●     Explain the purpose and benefits of CHIC

●     Walk you through a “Day in the Life” at CHIC

●     Share some exciting photos and videos from CHIC 2012

●     Share with you the cost and our plan on fundraising.

●     Share with you are transportation plan

●     Answer any questions you may have.

●     Enjoy some coffee and cookies as well. 

CHIC really is a once in a lifetime event and I want your child to join us for it.  We recognize that CHIC is an expensive experience, but we believe the benefit of CHIC actually warrants the cost.  Because CHIC is the largest event we do every three years, the cost, logistics, and spiritual impact of such an event is complex and challenging.  And for these reasons, we invite you to our parent meeting to learn all about CHIC 2015.

Please consider joining us with a “come and see” sort of perspective.  We will be accepting deposits on this night, but there is plenty of time for you to prayerfully consider.  For further reading, check out the CHIC 2015 website.  http://chic2015.org

I look forward to seeing you and sharing this amazing opportunity for your child with you.

Sincerely,

Pastor Ruby Varghese

Student Ministry Kickoff

Fall is my favorite time of year  pumpkin seeds, large cups of chai/pumpkin spice lattes, the smell of a burning fire, leaves changing color, oversized sweaters, and the most exciting part is students/leaders returning-renewed- ready for a new ministry year!!!

This past Sunday we had a great kickoff with 75 students and 14 leaders at TOV. We kicked the fall off "country style".
Students gathered in the student center for breakfast cooked by the amazing Russ Jones and his Hard Rock HRL team- biscuits, gravy, cereal, sweet tea, and lemonade. We then gathered in the wedge for worship ( lead by our amazing band) and introducing we introduced leaders for the fall. Kira Schuttler transformed the wedge into a barn. We even had Reber Ranch donate Hay to make couches for the front of the room. It was a wonderful day of celebrations.

This week kicks off mid week programs as well. Wednesday night high schoolers will join us up in the gym for a sports-themed night! Our leaders are providing a spread of "game-food munchies", tons of games, prizes, and talking about the new year together. Thursday night we will be launching a new Primetime year. Grab your capes, sparkly spandex pants, and favorite facemasks and  join us!

Sunday we will be back at it at TOV- talking visions for our new ministry year, navigating transitions, and opportunity to be Christ hands and feet in our community and world this year!

Parents will be invited to a brief meeting in the fireside room after church.

We have tons of great things planned for this coming year. I hope you will join us for this epic ride!
Stay plugged in....more stories to come!

Pastor Ruby

Day 4: Jonah's Journey

Dear KCC,

It’s been an awesome trip in Detroit so far. The first thing I noticed is that it’s so different from what I expected. Whenever I told people about going to Detroit, they’d always tell me to bring a flak jacket, and not to get into any drug deals. However, the city is really not that different from Seattle. Of course, there are tons of abandoned buildings, and some very low quality houses, but the people here represent a much better community than what I’ve seen in Kent. No matter who you walk past when going down the street, they will say hi to you, and ask how your day is. Even the guys who drive the fancy cars, and blast rap music, will give you a friendly wave as they cruise by. The church that we’re a part of is also incredibly different. The sermon we went to was nearly three hours long, and the pastor was very passionate about what he had to say. One of the coolest things is that at one point the assistant pastor was reading through prayer requests, and one of them was to pray for a woman who was in the hospital with cancer. After he read it, however, one of the staff members informed him that the woman had passed away just two days ago. The man took a second to pause, but quickly reassured us that she was a brave and happy woman, and when he visited her the week before, she said she wasn’t afraid of death, and was very cheerful. What could’ve been a disaster was quickly turned into something incredible. Also at the church we cleaned windows, cleaned the chapel pews and floor, and stained an entire wooden ramp, which I was a part of and now looks great. We also got to work with a group of kids at the church Tuesday through Thursday, at an event called KSA. This is kind of like VBS, but instead it’s more of a short summer day care. A lot of the high schoolers were able to get really close to the kids here, after going to a park, going skating, and going to a community garden.

Other than the church, we’ve been working a great house called the Detroit Hope House. This house is a safe haven for all nearby kids to come and play, and we’ve volunteered there to help out. We’ve done multiple projects for the Hope House and its staff members. The first one was we picked up trash at a nearby park. We found some scary things in the park, like little drug baggies, and many alcohol bottles, but after we left we feel the park will be a much better place. We’ve also helped clear out a burnt down shed, which was scary at first because we were handling big pieces of wood with nails sticking every which way, but it went well, and we only had two (minor) injuries. My favorite project is when a group of us went to a house down the road in order to clean it up. We met the woman there, who was a nice and old Russian lady named Nikolai. I wouldn’t call her crazy, but I would say she’s very specific. She’s also a hoarder. When we first got to the house, you literally could barely see her house or her garden because of all the brush in the way, but after we finished you could see her entire, wonderful garden. We also made paths for her out of sawdust, and just helped trim up outside of her house. Today she even stopped by the church and brought up thank you cards for Sarah and the crew who helped. She was so thankful for us, which I’m really glad to see. After working at Nikolai’s, the boys took a little tour of GrossPointe, which is a town bordering Detroit full of rich people who are trying to separate themselves from Detroit. My favorite thing this trip that doesn’t involve working or helping was going to see a street in Detroit called the Heidelberg Project. The entire street was filled with art, whether it was an entire fence hung with old shoes, or it was a burnt down house that was used as a music memorial. Even the streets had painted polka dots, and the sidewalk had a silly face on each square. The artwork is such so hard to describe, and you have to see it in person to see its beauty, but it really represents how even a suffering, bankrupt city like Detroit can make something beautiful.

In conclusion, I’m really glad that the Mission Trip was to Detroit this year. The downtown of the city is full of magnificent sky scrapers, and the suburbs are filled with quaint houses, both used and abandoned. However, the biggest thing for me is to be here to help these adults and kids, and hopefully this city will return to its former glory.

Sincerely,

Jonah Hames

Kira's Post

Hello Everyone!

                We are having so much fun here in Detroit. We are learning so much and really feeling the love of Jesus Christ. We have done so much in the short time we have been here. We painted, tore down a shed, did yard worked, cleaned (I know, crazy right?) The people here on our street are so friendly and there is a real sense of community! It’s strange to say hello back to everyone on the street. The people are also very thankful of the work we are doing. There are so many kids here that we have been working with and they are all so funny and cute. Just the other day Mark Tingstad let a little girl paint his big-toenail pink!! Ruby and I took a drive down another road today and there is a drastic change in the quality of housing just one block over. It’s very devastating to see houses that could have so much potential just be left to rot. Everyone has gotten super close and having a ton of fun with each other. Thank you all for your constant prayer and support.

                Sending God’s Love,

                                Kira Schuttler

Day 6: Candice Brandenburg "nurse lady"

Candice's Blog

This has been an amazing trip. I'm am so proud of each of these kids! There have been many challenges in between the joys and celebrations and they have all faced them with love and grace. I've seen each of them grow on this trip: moving out of their comfort zones, reaching out to others, trying new things, meeting new people, serving each other, and loving others and God. They are making a difference in the world! 

Today we started the day delivering fliers for our "Big Event" (watch tomorrow for details). It took us on to different streets in much more disarray and despair than our street. It was an eye opening experience for all. Yet, our brave kids were kind, gracious, and confident in reaching out to neighbors and seeing the people behind the circumstances. They were excellent examples of hope and faith.  The rest of the day was spent prepping the church room for painting tomorrow, 2nd coat of stain on the ramp (of which Matt who turned 18 today stuck it out until the bitter end), helping with church office work, returning for the last day of helping KSA (kids summer activities), read around the block at Hope house, and the girls got the tour of Detroit the boys did earlier.  The night ended with the kids participating in Hope church's youth group and a surprise visit from Jeff, Kristen, Emma, and Finn Hunter!

My nurse report is all good as well. I've gone through a lot of ibuprofen and bandaids, but no major injuries or illnesses. Prayers are being answered.

Thank you to all the parents for sending your fantastic kids. And thank you to all the prayer partners and donors. Off to bed for much needed sleep!

Day 5: Mark Tingstad Diaries

 Mark Tingstad

Reporting on Day 5 of Mission Detroit

Today (Wednesday) was by far the most physically demanding day for the kids and adults.  For the morning we broke into two groups – a group of 6 kids with Sarah and Candice went to a home in the neighborhood in much need of some love; the remainder of the kids and adults were tasked with taking down a garage that had been in decay for years (steering clear of stray nails and a madman on a bobcat made the morning exciting).

The afternoon was more of the same with a team of 5-8 kids joining Hope Church’s KSA (their version of VBS) for some roller blading.  The dynamic duo of Ted and Russ were called on yet again to patch a gaping hole in the roof of house that was getting an outdoor makeover by the KCC mission team.

As the groups made their way back to the house where we all congregate, I heard one youth say “God sure does work in mysterious ways!”  There is a lot of truth in this statement.  We came to Detroit not knowing exactly what to expect or what we would be doing.  The kids and adults have been able to see firsthand how God is present and how he is working through the gracious and loving acts of a handful of people to make a difference.  We are not so different from the people of Detroit – we all need Gods love (agape love) and hope to bring that feeling of love and inclusiveness back to Kent when we return.

Our night wrapped up with some worship and the sharing of one of our youth’s faith story.  Finally, the kids assembled to have some fun and play a random game or two.  What rang out was the unforgettable sound of a game that has become of a mission trip favorite – “Big Bootie”.  Sources tell us that the originator and organizer of this game (which is innocent and God friendly) is none other than our own Sarah Butler Wills.  Be sure to thank her when you see her and you can fit right in by yelling out “Big Bootie”.

God surely does work in mysterious ways!

Day 3: Micah Wills's Blog

 Micah Wills

Hello everybody! Wooooooowwieeeee What a week this has been! We've been serving constantly none stop for the past 5 days and it's been great. Sounds weird right? Working outside sounding great? But it is. Loving this community and working for them and been so much fun for all us I believe. We have cleaned an entire church (literally. the floor, windows, pews, walls), painted a ramp, cleaned a big-ole-park, Tore down and recycled a garage, and cleaned and cleared a super duper over grown house/garden. The words the pastor of the church we attended said has stuck with Mark and the rest of our group (Micah, Evan, Daniel). And that was.....that the most important thing we most do is to love each other! ABOVE ALL THINGS WE MUST LOVE. He was a very passionate pastor, we loved him. So that's what I and the rest of us have been trying to do, love all. This community, each other, and when we get back home!

Day1: From a leader, to the parents. Day two Detroit Mission.

Sarah ButlerWills
I know coming on mission trips is about service, and what we can do for the amazing Christians who are here. We want to make the good work that they are already doing here a bit easier, or cleaner;  we are partnering with them in their work. And we are here for that, Hope Community Church in Detroit is A-MA-ZING. But I come mostly to see your (and my) kids in action. Our kids are A-MA-ZING too! They all just drove off in a big yellow school bus with 37 kids from Detroit to go to a park. After our morning clean-up of a huge park by the river (different park than where VBS is going right now) we took the KCC students back to Hope Church and they ate lunch with VBS.. Our kids fit right in. They all starting talking with and laughing with the kids, they were assigned a group and are looking after 3-5 kids. Our kids are really, really good at playing with and talking with kids!
Parents, your kids have not complained once. I am not kidding, I have not heard ONE negative word. (OK, I know it's only day 4 of the trip!) The weather has turned, we no longer have the heat and humidity that we had on Sat. when we arrived or Sun. when we were in Detroit. We got stuck in a HUGE thunder, lightning and hail storm in the city of Detroit during our scavenger hunt. Even the kids afraid of thunder had a great time as we were pummeled outside the Fox Theater and climbing on the Detroit Tiger.
In the airport on the way down here we started a community building strategy of "secret servant". Its like Secret Santa's but better for missions! So each person on the team picked a name, and we are secretly trying to serve that person through acts of kindness, leaving notes, clearing their plates, etc. I bought a whole bunch of candy bars and the kids had to pick one not for themselves, but for their secret buddy; thinking not about what kind of candy they liked, but what kind their buddy might like. Then they hid them through the house, or left them on the person's bed. Its been really fun to see how much service of each other is going on!
They are also being so inclusive with one another on the team. I saw two girls today who were about to sit down and talk and they saw one kid by himself. They went over an sat with him instead, and asked questions like, "so what do you do for fun?" and "how many siblings do you have"? They didn't have to do that, they could have sat and chatted, it was great to see that small unprompted act!
We have four "other leaders" here, two men that Merge have here (based in Chicago) and two (an engaged couple) who work with the ministry of Hope House through Hope Community Church. They are the ones that have planned the time we have here, and are with us this week. The kids have been respectful and so engaged with these guys, its great. They had to come up with more work for us to do this morning, as we completed the whole list of jobs the church had for us to do yesterday (the facilities guy at the church told us it would take us all week to complete!) The kids are working hard, listening well, and loving on the kids of Detroit. Honestly, its a joy to see and I am always amazed that I have so much fun with these students, and my respect for them, and your parenting, increases each day.
T, W, Th. of this week we partner with the church in VBS, and in the late afternoon we work with neighborhood kids at Hope House. On Weds. we lead the organized game at Hope House, and on Friday we are in charge of an "event" at Hope House. Last "event" they had at Hope House 67 kids came from all over this part of Detroit. They are expecting more than that as they know now that the team from Seattle is hosting. We're getting Russ to BBQ, and playing games (capture the flag has been requested), painting nails, dance competition and of course....basketball!

Day 2: Josette Lake (aka "JOJO") Day One of Detroit Mission

July 28
What a day today! We are all well and excited, coming off a great day at the church on Sunday. Today we worked in the church for hours, cleaning. Its an old church, brick outside and wooden pews inside. We scrubbed the pews, floors, stairs, cleaned tall windows and replaced dry wall. I was exhausted. My job was cleaning windows and moping floors. After lunch we scrubbed down the balcony, that took forever. Finally at 4pm some of us went over to Hope House where they have a neighborhood hangout place (its an actual house and the neighborhood kids hangout outside at the basketball hoop and a long stretch of yard). There were kids of all different ages, kids younger than me, some kids the same age, and some really young ones. They played basketball mainly, even though we tried to get them to play soccer, they said no way.
Once I arrived there, there was this little girl names Taylor. She hugged me as soon as I got there. She told me we were going to be bestfriends...turns out she was a handful. She had toy handcuffs and would handcuff you and take you to jail. She led you over to the soccer net and told you to sit down. Then all you had to do was pray to Jesus and you could go free. Great game.
All the boys in Detroit know basketball. The girls do too, but they were mainly just sitting and watching. Me and Brandon introduced ourselves to the kids on the bench. Their clothes looked worn (like they didn't have much). I tried to be nice and talk to them, but first they looked like they couldn't care less of what I had to say. I felt uncomfortable so I returned and played soccer with Brandon. Then after that we jumped rope. It has been years since I jumped in. Daniel, on our team, surprised us all by being really good at jump rope. We got lots of kids involved with jump rope.
After that I see a guy named Chris who is 13 years old. I see him trying to juggle a soccer ball. I told him I would teach him how to juggle if he teaches me how to do the free throws so good. We embraced each others culture through what we knew how to do. I asked Chris a bit later how is the white people in Detroit. He said things pretty good but sometimes they can be racist. I've noticed more of a division between rich and poor more than black and white. From 5:30-7pm is an organized game each day at Hope House. Today it was sports stations, so I partnered with Chris.
The hangout time did not end until 7pm, so we had a late dinner, we are always hungry. Devotionals and then bed.

SummerTime with Jesus @ TOV

Where has all the time gone! We are well into the swing of things here in student ministries. A few weekends back we had a blast with the Middle Schoolers at Moses Lake for H20!! ( Rob and team will be posting some photos/blog entries- so check back in with us to hear more about that!). Several of our kids are headed off to summer camps ( attending and counseling), family vacations, working, and trying to keep busy for the summer. In just 3 weeks we leave for the Detroit Missions Trip!! Rob and I are busily trying to catch up with summer and fall recruiting- but finding it challenging with all the good ministry happening around us!
Summer can be a blessing for many- it's that chance to slow down, relax, catch up on all the things you neglected during the  year but it can also leave us feeling disconnected. With the busyness of going every direction for some and for others the unbearable stillness of homelife and being away from community- we want to encourage you to use this space to draw closer to God and find new ways to grow in faith this summer.
We have begun a new series at TOV- (good, beautiful, exactly the way God intended it) and have decided to study the book of Psalms. There are not enough week to go through every chapter so we want to encourage you- if you are looking for a way to get in the scripture Psalms is a wonderful books to dig into.

This summer we are diving into a Psalms study where we explore God's word...it's a collections of hymns, songs, poems, and prayers to God. It's an opportunity for us as a community to spend the summer recentering  our lives upon God who loves us and wants to draw us back to himself. Hope you can join us!!

 Here are the Psalms we will be covering... this summer if you want to follow along:
Psalm 1
Psalm 119
Psalm 73
Psalm95
Psalm 74
Psalm 84
Psalm 32
Psalm 116

 

If you plan to follow along we would love to hear about your journey through Psalms. We  hope you are having a wonderful summer! Look forward to seeing you at TOV this summer!

 

R&R

 



 

30 Hour Famine 2014

Four years ago we started an event, 30 Hour Famine. It's an event where students/leaders fast for 30 hours- to fight against hunger in our community and world. This weekend we are at it again with 27 leaders and students participating in fasting, praying, studying, and making a difference.

We began the fast yesterday at noon. We are now at hour 26!! Although our bellies are rumbling and begging for food we are staying strong. Throughout our weekend we have been able to learn about hunger through devotionals, build cardboard houses to sleep in, serve at crosswalk, and other hands on experiences.

One of our former KCC students, Elizabeth Turner Botts,  who now works for World Vision joined us Friday night.. It was great to hear from one of our own and hear about World Vision. It is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision provides hope and assistance to approximately 100 million people in nearly 100 countries. In communities around the world, we join with local people to find lasting ways to improve the lives of children and families living in poverty.
She shared with us several videos from World Visions that we powerful display of the fact that  even the youngest of kids can understand and fight for justice. One of our favorite quotes from Liz is, " We are all little Christ that should try our hardest to make Him proud!"

Today we woke up and joined Kent Covenant at Crosswalk. Our students had the opportunity to go out and paint over graffiti and pick up trash. Along the way we two people who stuck out. One was a homeless woman that was nine months pregnant and drinking a beer when we met her. She was wondering who we where and why we where cleaning up the community; we had the opportunity to tell her about our participation in 30 Hour Famine and give her a homeless care kit our middle school students had previously made. We also got to meet Rocky living in a recovery house not far from church. Their fence had been vandalized and we were called over to clean it up. We invited Rocky to come join us at KCC for worship.

Our last mission was pray for our community. We split up into 3 team and went to various locations Kent Station, Earth works park, and Clark lake. Some of our students gave out kits, another group bought a meal for a homeless woman, and we all focused on praying. As we walked around it was eye opening to see how many homeless men, women, and kids are around. It challenged us to pray, show compassion, and think of ways we can serve those who are struggling in our neighborhoods.

We ended our time with worship, communion and break-fast. It was a time to gather together to give thanks to God for all that he has given us as students/leaders. Pastor Ruby reminded us that as when we come to the table for communion we meet with God who died for us- as we partake of the bread/juice it's us responding to this incredible gift.The Famine this weekend was not about simply doing something that is "good" it is about justice and doing what is right. The Gospel leads us to work for a world where all are fed, clothed and loved, and where clean waterflows. It is possible to make a difference.

It was a great weekend- thanks to everyone who made this event awesome!
It was an incredible example of faith in community. Thanks for all  your prayers, support, and donations! It was amazing what could be accomplished through the grace of God and the spirit of a powerful community.

PS-Two huge boxes of items were donated to the KCC food cupboard too!

Written by Hanna Hordan ( Ruby assisted)

Slavery is Still Going on

A simple question can make a big difference to someone’s life. The question, what can YOU do to end slavery? Well the first thought that came to my head was, oh no here we go again. Here comes another person who is going to give me a whole new lecture about what slavery is and how it’s happened. All that was going through my mind was bla-bla-bla. I was ready to hit the snooze button but then he said many children your age have to carry 10 bricks on their head every day. He then again said children your age; even younger; have to sell their body to men. The first thing I said was “slavery is still going on, I thought it ended?” The topic suddenly became interesting. Some people might not understand the feeling I felt when he said that young girls had to sell their body to men. I felt chills running down my skin rushing through my blood. All I wanted to do was to cry for them. My blood was rushing with rage, but not towards the men that held these children captive; but to the men that let this happened-the men that would go each day to take these young girls sense of courage and freedom. Our guest speaker then said “YOU can also help stop slavery around the world” he showed us all these examples of how kids my age are doing small things to make a difference. They were using what God gave them. They used their gifts. The one that really got to me was girl who decided to wear a dress every day, and she would take picture of it and post it on Instagram. I thought it was a great idea. It got me thinking I might not be able to go to these young children who are suffering, I might not be able to physically save them but I can try to save at least one of them. I am giving you a challenge what if we all instead of taking pictures of dresses we all took picture of something that’s dear in your heart- for me it would be my shoes maybe for you it might be a video game or your art work it can be anything I challenge you to take a picture and post it in the Hard Rock facebook page or Instagram KCCSM. You too can make difference don’t let your age fool you. I now know that I can make a difference- we might not know what the future holds for us, but for these children they know what it is. For most of them they don’t think they will ever get out of slavery. Remember what you have don’t take it for granted because what you have today can gone tomorrow. 29 million children are in slavery right now -What can you do to end slavery?

Eunice Elongo, HS Student @ KCC

Lenten Devotional

Spring can be filled with lots of clutter, distraction, noise and misdirection.  Student Ministries wanted to provide a way for all of us to center and focus on the journey which Christ has set before us.  Thanks to Sarah Butler-Wills and Pastor Ruby and their high school volunteers (Navid, Kira & Lindsey) who helped publish the Student Ministries Lenten Devotional booklet which was available at the Student Center and Welcome Center.  We hope many people were blessed by it.  We would love to hear from you if you took that opportunity to remember the life of Christ and respond to his call to truly worship him.  We know the high schoolers who studied it at Ruby’s house on Monday nights were appreciative of the opportunity to grow in their faith.

Janelle Reber, Student Ministry Parent/SMT leader

Justice Night: "What Can You Do to End Slavery?"

This Wednesday we are combining both the middle school and high school programs for a special night of learning about justice.  Our guest will be Brian Cress the Student Mobilization Director with International Justice Mission.  His talk will combine God’s heart for doing justice with the gifts, skills and passions God has given us. Included will be stories of the work IJM is doing in the field and stories of students across the country making a difference.

To find out more check out our Facebook event page here.

To learn more about International Justice Mission click here.

LENT BIBLE STUDY @ Pastor Ruby's

Hi, I’m Kelsie Dodd. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Monday Night Lent Bible Study and I wanted to let you know what it's all about.... We are reading through Romans Chapter 8. This small group has been an incredible blessing. Not only has it helped me to be in the Word more, but also it has been huge in the recognition of my sin. During the Lent season we often focus on something that we can take out. This Lent season, I have come to the realization that sometimes it is not just what we take out, but also what I put in. Romans Chapter 8 talks of, after the burden of guilt is lifted, what we are to do with that new found freedom. Through this study I have found that with this freedom, comes to conviction to live a life glorifying to God. The conviction of trying to live a holy life does not make it easier to complete, but it is a great reminder of the goals we should have as Christians.

LENT

Have you grabbed a Lent Devotional yet? 
There's no time like the present! Our students, Sarah Butler Wills, and I have put together weekly readings- walking through Romans 8. It's been great to study and reflect on this passage during Lent. High Schoolers are invited to my house on Monday nights @6:30pm (during Lent- after that no guarantees I will let you in) or you can find your own group ( friends/family/work buddies), or do it individually. Take time this Lent to reflect on the character of God and who he's calling you to be!

Romans 8:9-17

I'm struck by the reminder of who/ what is guiding my life? Are you being led by the spirit of God? Hope you take some time to sit with this text- though we face trials we can anticipate an amazing life with God. Thankful that I call God "Abba" and he calls me his!
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit ...of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:9-17 NLT)

Justice Series Study Guide

Want a glimpse of what Prime Time middle school students will be learning over the next couple months as we go through our next series "The Story of Justice in the Story of God"?  Just shoot Rob an email rob.merrill@kentcov.org with the subject title "Curriculum" and I will email you a copy ASAP!

Last week we had an interruption that prevented us from starting our series so to find out what we are looking at this Wednesday please refer to the previous blog post!

KCC Middle School Parents,

This Monday we begin our first part of “The Story of Justice within the Story of God”!  This week we are going to look at the fact that God created a good world and created us as his image bearers.  However, looking at our world today it is hard to believe that things started this way.  So we are going to talk about how it all began and what went wrong.  We will look at the Biblical text of Genesis 1-3.

 

The real world content of justice will include a personal story that Marissa Ito shares about the first time she met a woman in a shelter who was there because of injustice.  She won’t go into a lot of details of that woman’s story but focus more on the fact that for her in high school it was the first time that she met someone who suffered injustice and hadn’t done anything wrong.  We will also show a two minute spoken word piece called "Is Justice Worth It?"  

Lastly, students will be given journals on Wednesday that we will go through during our series.  I will put that journal online as a digital file so you can follow along with what your kids are learning!

Thanks for all you do!
Peace,
Rob

HS MUD RETREAT 2014

After not going to MUD retreat last year, I was sure that I wanted to come this year's ( MUD2014). I was unsure of what to expect. When we first showed up, I just figure that it would be the same more or less as Thunder Retreat, just everyone's a little older. However being able to stay for the extra day, along with some of the various activities, such as making homeless care kits, and learning all about NPU, it allowed more time together to fill our time with meaningful things. These factors all helped me grow in my faith. The BIGGEST thing about MUD retreat was the last night. The last night was so filled with energy, emotion, challenge through things like the talk and through the prayer stations. It was on that night that everything seemed so much clearer to me about my faith and the fact I got to be there with my friends made it even more amazing to say the least. On a side notes, even though the music was a bit hard to connect with personally...but I thought Kevin Farmer is a GREAT speaker, and Camp of the Cascades blew me away with their food once again.

It was a great weekend!

Written By Thomas Connelie ( HS Junior)

Blizzard 2014

This past January our middle schoolers were invited to our 14th annual Blizzard!  With the help of 28 amazing volunteers, we hosted 61 students for a 13-hour all-nighter!  The evening was full of action as we went off site to play laser tag and then headed to the ice rink for some broomball and skating!  When we got back to the KCC campus, we continued with games like Steal the Bacon, Sardines, scavenger hunts, and the ever popular jousting bouncer inflatable.  Lots of kids could be found just hanging out and having a good time together.....all night long.


What did we learn?  We learned we can actually survive a blizzard without Ruby.  And that laser tag just never gets old.  When you are too tired to keep your eyes open, you can pretend to watch a movie.  Oh - and middle schoolers prefer pancakes over egg casseroles.  Hey - at least we were able to then provide breakfast to KentHope - the local women's & children's shelter.


When Rob was asked what he learned, he replied:
- if you don't respect the ice, there will be consequences;
- if you play laser tag, its better to fight solo than on a team;
- if you are normally used to sleeping at night, a gallon of coffee is required;
- if you stay up all night at a youth event, it will take you about 48 hours to recover;
- pizza is great to eat at any time during the evening or wee hours of the morning;
- and it is impossible to do an event like this without an incredible crew of volunteers!!


Thanks to our 2014 "champs" - those crazy volunteers that did BOTH shifts....Rob Merrill, Amanda Beller, Leshaun Lake, Mark Moerdyk, Jeff Smith, Ted Stephens, and Dusty Thomas - plus the 4-5 high school leaders as well.  YOu and the other 14 drivers and volunteers made this another FUN & safe youth event for KCC!  THANKS!!


Signing off.....Janelle Reber, Editor & Chief

The Blog is Back!

 Dear KCC YOUTH Fans!

The Student Ministry blog is back!  How long depends on YOU!  If you read it, we will post.  The intent is to keep you informed of what is going on with  youth group at church.  So, please keep me motivated to take the time to post by just letting me us know you read it.  Please give feedback.  If I make a joke, tell me how bad it was.  If I throw Ruby or Rob under the bus, give them a hard time!  If a make typos, volunteer to be my editor.  Oh, wait!  That won’t happen – I’m a certified English teacher (and VERY humble too.  LOL).  Well, it could happen – but more because of the lack of carrots in my diet.  NO!  It’s not age that is making my eyes go bad.  I can’t believe THAT!

We hope to see ALL parents of middle & high schoolers at the Quarterly Parent Meeting after church on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 12:30pm in the student center.  Light refreshments, lots of information, and some time to connect with other parents.  Please make a point of attending.

SHOW THE LOVE

Lisa Tingstad and her auction fundraising committee (Cindy Scott, Amanda Beller, Candice Brandenburg-Wong, Trisha Hordan, Rob Merrill and Ruby Varghese) have been hard at work preparing for the March 8^th  Show the Love Auction.  What can you do to support them?  Glad you asked!!  First, please buy your tickets to go to the Auction on March 8^th…. and invite your family, friends, and neighbors to attend with you.  It will be a nice night of fellowship, dessert, entertainment by our youth at the talent show, and buying items at the silent auction to support our youth programs – especially the high school mission trip to Detroit in July.  The second thing you can do ASAP is procure something to be donated – a gift card at your favorite restaurant or nail salon (or anywhere you frequent – just ask!); your own services (deliver a home cooked meal, help with taxes, childcare, host a ladies night out Bunco party, or couples….options are endless, be creative); or re-gift a NEW Christmas present that you just don’t need.  For this fundraiser to be another huge success, we need lots of items for people to bid on.  Please help.

I will soon be posting about some past events – Blizzard for middle schoolers and MUD Retreat & Winter Party for high schoolers so stay tuned for reports on the last few youth events.  And look forward to future reports on the Sex, Drugs & Rock-n-Roll HS series, MS series on Justice, as well as the Ash Wednesday service on March 5.

                                                                                                                                              Signing off…Janelle Reber, Editor & Chief

New Blog coming Soon!

Hey Guys we are working on revamping our student ministry blog! Stay tuned......