JUNIOR HIGH YOUTHQUEST

Yesterday we had our first Junior High YouthQuest Transformers of the 2012-2013 season! We played some team building games, ate some pizza and started the "Kingdom Experiment." If you missed it, here's the  highlights and challenges:

Chapter 1 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 5:3

Choose 1 of the 7 experiments to do over the next month

1. Shut your pie hole.
- Fast from food for a period of time as a way of making yourself aware of its physical and emotional ownership over you. Think about how important food is to us; then reflect on Christ's suggestion that life is more important than food.

2. Ten items or less more.
- Not everyone has the luxury of choosing between steak and grilled chicken. Skip a meal or use some allowance to go grocery shopping; then donate everything to the local food pantry. Try to buy things you would like, not just the cheapest stuff on the shelf.

3. Don't even give me the evil eye.
- The Bible describes a person who chases after material things as having an evil eye. So when Jesus speaks of a person with good eyes (Matthew 6), he is talking about someone who is generous and not solely concerned with his or her own needs. Try to be generous this week. Instead of spending your extra cash on new clothes or music, spend it on a friend who doesn't have as much as you. Even better, don't let them find out it was you!

4. Roughing it. Air mattress not included.
- Sleep on the floor for a week. Think about how life might be different if you didn't have a comfy home. If you're feeling extra adventurous, take a few showers without warm water. Remember, with less of you, there is more room for God.

5. Let it go. 
- Take a trip through your room and find something valuable, something you depend on, something you feel like you can't do without. Practice what it means to depend on God by giving it away and not replacing it. Have a conversation with one or both of your parents before you do this experiment. Talk about what it means to you to give something of great value, knowing you are not going to replace it for a while.

6. Because she believed her life counted 
- Go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/ and give a donation to help fund cancer research for dying children. Those who are sick often see God's kingdom much differently than we do. Remember the lesson Alex's life can teach us as you save up for this worthy cause.

7. Thanks but no thanks, Mr. Edison.
- Minimize your use of electricity (eg., candlelight instead of 60 watts, books instead of TV, line dry instead of tumble dry). Talk with your parents about donating the difference in your electricity bill to your electric company's poverty account or about making this a way of life for the long run.

YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

 Tonight we had our volunteer training. A certified ref came in to teach us the finer points of how to ref basketball games.

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Joseph: From Slave to Deputy Pharaoh - Genesis 37; 39; 41-48, 50

Homework: Join the Story
Pick ONE of the following questions and create a response:
- Which character(s) in the story are you most like? How?
- What events or memories from your own life did the story evoke?
- How did this story challenge or inspire you to live differently?

Create a sketch, collage, poem, prayer, journal entry, or song here or on another sheet.

YOUTHQUEST TRANSFORMERS - SENIOR HIGH

Yesterday we had our first meeting as a senior high group of the 2012-2013 season. We had some good times, did some group building activities and starting the "Kingdom Experiment." Chapter 1 was based on Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

Tonight we had our introductory night for our 2012-2013 volunteers. We did some team building activities, laid the foundation for the year and played some ball.

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

This past Sunday our topic was, "God Builds A Nation." Our main passages of Scripture included Genesis 12-13; 15-17; 21-22; 32-33; 35, Romans 4 and Hebrews 11. We cover alot of ground in these classes so make sure you do your homework!

This week's homework:

Pick ONE of the following questions and create a response: (Questions are also on your handout if you were in class)

1. Which character in this story are you most like? How?

2. If you had to "wrestle" with God over something, what would it be? (Maybe it's a fear of something? A frustration in your life? An injustice in the world?)

Create a sketch, collage, poem, prayer, journal entry, song, or whatever you can come up with!

* Remember to bring your green duotangs each week 

** If you haven't returned your registration forms, please get your parents to fill them out and bring them back this Sunday

YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

Yesterday we had our first night back for the school year at Greensborough. We kicked off our year by having the alumni students face the adult leaders. It was a good night, and the young legs of the alumni students proved to be too much for the adults - this time!

YOUTHQUEST JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Today was our first class of the new year. After spending some time to get to know each other, we dove right into the material. We are currently using a curriculum called, "The Story." This curriculum will take us through the whole Bible in one year. It looks at the big picture (Upper Story) of what God is up to in the world as well as how individual stories (Lower Story) fit in (whether people in the Bible or ours). We watched a video on some of the lower stories in Genesis, had a reader's theatre recounting some of the same stories and then drew images and wrote out key parts of the story that stuck out to us.

Chapter 1: Creation

Homework: Join the Story
Pick ONE of the following questions and create a response:
- Which character in this story are you most like? How?
- In your own words, what does it look like to take care of God's creation? as Adam and Eve were instructed to do?
(Create a sketch, collage, poem, prayer, journal entry, song, or whatever you like!)