The game tonight was a challenge between family groups. Each group had a list of 25 tasks they had to complete. All the tasks were either impossible, very hard, or no fun to do with out other people. The point was to show the youth that they were made by God to help one another.

Next we watched a video clip from the movie To Save a Life where Jake gives up his dreams to help Amy and to show her that she is not alone. We then watched another clip called got service. In this clip, a man is able to see how everyone is hurting because labels show up saying how they are hurting. At the end of the clip he does something to help one of the hurting people.

We then had the privilege of Jeremy Creasy sharing his story followed by an activity based on the movie clip. Each of the youth put a paper on their chest that was a tagline of something they dislike about themselves or that they are struggling with. Then each of the youth went around and wrote new tag lines on another piece of paper on their back. The goal was to show they youth that they need each other and that they can help each other.

We then had family group time where we talked about what they had just experienced. Jason then told the story of Margaret who at a young age had been insulted by her entire class and how 30 years later a councilor helped her realize that Jesus will always be there for her and be kind to her. He then told the story of Zaccheaus and how Jesus had inspired him to change.

We concluded the night with prayer and singing a song. Once again the youth were given the opportunity to take a challenge card (and remember if they took it the committed to doing it during this week) and also to write notes of encouragement to each other.

Next weeks purpose is to show that God can actually use our small acts of service for the hurting and lonely to save peoples lives and change the world.

Jason will be spending a couple of days this week in solitude praying and figuring out what the next step is for Ignite when this series done. Please pray for him and that God will guide him.  Also it is Jason’s birthday on Saturday so make sure you wish him a happy birthday.

-Geoffrey Bazuin-

We started the night by playing beach ball volleyball and then we watched winter retreat highlight video (if your child went on the retreat we have a cd for them with the video and a bunch of pictures from the trip). Jason then talked about the lessons he is learning from the Darfur diet challenge especially about how we so often get so upset about our own problems and do not think about the rest of the world. He reminded everyone about what things are like for everyone in Haiti and how many of them are still praising God.

We then watched a clip from the movie where Jake (the main character) challenges the the rest of the youth at youth group. We then had the privilege of having two of our youth share stories from their lives.

The youth were then asked to quietly reflect on a series of questions including of thinking of people that they have thought of as “less then” themselves. We then got in our family groups and had some discussion. One thing we discussed was about what we are passionate about and how we can use that to serve God.

Next Jason gave a message encouraging the youth to be actively be searching for ways to serve God. Following Jason’s message the youth were given the opportunity to tell everyone how they were going to take what they are passionate about and use it to serve God.

The youth were then given the opportunity to take a challenge card again this week and to write notes of encouragement to each other.

Next week the purpose will be to empower students to meet their peers in their hurt and to help others rewrite their stories based on how God sees them.

I personally would like to thank everyone for the great support you all showed at the Wild Game Feed last weekend. It means the world to us and the youth that you are so willing to help them grow. Thank you again so much.

-Geoffrey Bazuin-

After introducing what we were doing for the night and going through announcements we played Musical Chairs of Death. Next, we had the youth walk across the youth room in complete darkness with chairs as obstacles. The goal was for the youth to feel what it can be like to be alone in the dark and that there are those around them feel like they are in dark. We then watched Roger’s monologue about how he felt so alone.

We then had two of our youth talk about who they are and about some of the tough times in their lives. Jason then gave the group teaching lesson where he talked about how we are all pennies; some of us know it but others of us think we are $20 bills. It is important that we treat everyone the same way because none of us is better then anyone else around us.

In small group time we were all challenged to think of those who we look down on and were encouraged to change how we treat them and to ask for forgiveness. We then sang a couple of songs and the youth were given the opportunity to take a challenge card and to write encouraging notes to each other.

Jason would like everyones prayers for him this lenten season because he has decided to go on the Darfur diet. This diet consits of him eating only the foods that the Darfur refugees eat (and at their portions) and drinking only water. Pray that he is able to keep with the diet and he is able to gain from this experience.

-Geoffrey Bazuin-

We are really excited about how this fundraiser will help send our youth on SERVE and LQ this summer. The more involved the youth and parents are in helping get donations (food, silent auction, and door prizes), the more successful it will be. You can also help by spreading the word as much as you can. Tell all of your friends and family about it and keep it visible on Facebook as well. The more the merrier.

Don’t forget that if we hit our goal of $3,000 dollars, Jason will be wearing a dress to church the next morning!!! (We are hoping that is incentive…lol)

We watched a clip from the movie where Roger (the kid who commits suicide) talks about being alone and how he feels like he is the only one in the world who feels that way and that it doesn’t matter to anyone around him. To show our youth that they are not alone in what they are going through we lined everyone (youth and leaders) up on line and Jason read some statements. If they related to the statement they were to “cross the river” to the other line. The statements included; you stressed out, you been betrayed, you feel pressure to conform, or you know someone who has tried to commit suicide. By the end of the exercise the youth were able to see that they were never the only one who has or is dealing with issues.

Two of our youth then got up and shared some of their struggles and how they were able to overcome them. Following the stories we got into our family groups and had an extended discussion about many of the things that the youth have been struggling with.

We finished the night with Troy sharing a poem and song that really touched him. Lastly the youth were again given the opportunity to take a challenge card and to write a note to fellow youth.

We passed out packets for making prayer bracelets for the youth afterward unfortunately I was misunderstood what was going on and sent some kids home with incomplete packets. If your youth brought home a kit that had only one color please have them bring back the kit to one of the leaders and we will give them the correct materials. To learn how to make the bracelets there is an informational video on our website.

Next week we will be trying to help the youth identify the hurting and then be equipping the youth to help the hurting by being Jesus’ hands and feet.

-Geoff Bazuin-

There will be a sign-up sheet in the foyer on Sunday morning or you can click here and sign-up online. Thanks for all of your support!!

The registration deadline is March 15th and the form is available on the Tentmaker website.

This week the purpose was to “Help students realize that if they are going to love the hurting and lonely, then they first need to know how much God loves them.” To start the discussion we talked about icebergs and how you can only see about 10% of what the iceberg really looks like. We then had discussed how we, as humans, often put masks on so that people do not really know what we are like.

Two of our youth were asked to talk about their masks and shared with the group what they had been hiding. We then split into our family (or small) groups. Each person in each of the families then shared with their families facts about themselves that the others in the group might not have known about them including some masks that they were waring.

Jason then gave his message about how in the Roman city of Ephesus people who were to have a deformity (including being the wrong gender) were destined to be no more then a slave or a prostitute. Paul writes to Ephesus “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure end will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” This was God saying, “you are mine and you are loved.” The youth were reminded that God’s love amazing and never failing. We were then given the opportunity to hear from another of the youth share their story.

To finish up the night the kids got back in their family groups and were reminded that even when we screw up God still loves us and he is not afraid to show it. Lastly the youth were given the opportunity to take a challenge card. They did not know what the card had on it but if they took it they were committing themselves to complete the task on the card.

One other opportunity the youth have in this series is to write notes of encouragement to each other. The notes are given to the leaders to distribute at the beginning of the following week.

We look forward to next week when we will help the youth identify those who are the most in need.

-Geoff Bazuin-