CORNERSTONE YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL

Congrats to Nahum from the blue team (junior) and George from the red team (senior) on winning MVP for this week. They showed integrity on and off the court. We had a good turnout with 36 boys out. Our Character Matter Trait for May is "Courage", We face challenges directly. We seek help from others when necessary. We do the right thing even when it may be unpopular. We are able to recognize risks and danger and do not take unwise risks to gain the approval of those around us.

STREETLIGHT'S '08

Name: STREETLIGHTS '08
Tagline: BE BOLD AND BREAK THE MOULD.
Host: Jonathan Tao
Type: Fundraiser
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Fellowship Baptist Church Markham
Street: 7478 Kennedy Road
City/Town: Markham, ON

A night of worship, praise, and much more to fundraise money for the Christian Centre Church's Jane & Finch Summer Missions Project.Feel empowered as we listen to testimonies and a short sermon from Johnathan Knight as he challenges us to take up the cross and follow Him.Whether it be the inner city on the streets, another city in the world, or even on our very own school campuses, we are called to be lights in this world.So let's start by being that light on our own street corner..BE BOLD AND BREAK THE MOULDlet the youth revolution begin...snacks & refreshments to follow.$2 admission with free-will offering and doors open at 6:30pm.All guests arriving before 7:00pm are automatically entered into a draw.**$30 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO BEST BUY AND MUCH MORE!

A NOTE TO STARKIDS LEADERS

Attitude - What's really inside?

If you bump a glass of Pepsi, what spills out? (Pepsi, of course!)

What attitude spills out when you get bumped?

Whatever is inside of us is going to spill out and spread onto others every time we're a bit jostled... attitudes are transferable (Read Proverbs 13:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:33).

What Are We Reflecting?

a) Am I hassling others with my hurried life?

- death from overwork (Read Psalm 46:10)

b) Have I reflected defeat with a hopeless life?

- When we deliberately live each day in the recognition of God's presence... we can hardly reflect defeat (Read Jeremiah 29:11)

c) Have I added to the work with a heavy life?

- this person is overwhelmed with the sheer amount of the work (Read Matthew 11:28)

d) Do I spark overreactions with my own overheated life?

- am I ready to snap...little things are really big things to us (Read Philippians 4:6-7)
e) Am I draining others' energies because of my hollow life?

- are you running on empty? (Read Isaiah 40:31)

When we spread attitude, when we reflect attitude, our attempts to do it right will be severely tested. How will we respond?

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus - Philippians 2:5

* taken from: Craig Jutila, "Leadership Essentials For Children's Ministry" Group Publishing Inc. Loveland, CO. 2002.

SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

High School Students! Come join us for our picture scavenger hunt. tomorrow (Friday April 25th) From 7-8:30pm. Bring your own team of 3-5 people. You will be given a set of pictures. Start at Cornerstone's church office (227 Main St. North, Markham, suite 203 - across from Markham Go station - same complex as TD Bank and LCBO) and with a digital camera (bring your own) try to recreate the exact same pictures from the exact same angles. You will be give clues to help you along the way. All pictures are taken from the street level of Main St. and go from the office to the Scotia Bank. The clock starts at 7pm sharp so don't be late! The winning team will receive a gift bag filled with movie passes, gift certificates, totalling $75! Get in the game!

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL - ELEVATE

Lesson: Sunday April 20th

God's Goodness

God shows us his goodness in many ways, sometimes subtle, sometimes in-your-face.It's not too hard to find examples of his goodness. During class time, we walked out into the parking lot and each chose an object from the outdoors that reminded us of what we liked about the outdoors. We don't have to look far to find something in nature that God created just for us. God's goodness is close to all of us.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

WEDNEDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL - GREENSBOROUGH

We had another great night with 36 boys out. Congrats to Luigi (junior) and Ahmad (senior) on being tonight's MVP for showing integrity on and off the court. Both from the green team. It's a dynasty! Remember, integrity - consistency between what we say and what we do as well as what we believe and how we behave.

TODAY IS EARTH DAY!

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth (Psalm 57:5 New Living Translation)

11th ANNUAL LEGACY 5K RUN FOR MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE HOSPITAL

Be a part of a worthwhile community event! Funds from the 2008 Legacy 5k will help support the Maternal Child Unit and Dr. Bear program.

Join the group Sunday April 27th @10:00am in front of Markham Stouffville Hospital. Register at the Markham Running Room or online http://www.runningroom.com/

For more information 905 472 7373 x 6606 or http://www.legacy5k.ca/

A NOTE TO STARKIDS LEADERS

Attitude "Interprets" Your World

...The way we think about a situation before we enter in greatly affects its "reality" for us.

...Other people don't create your spirit, they only reflect it.

Ways to help develop and maintain a sanctified attitude...

1. Start a Habit of Seeking the Joy
- an action repeated becomes an action realized (Read Philippians 4:4)

2. Surrender the Moment
When things don't go your way... when you feel you're being treated unfairly...

Whatever it is we are holding on to so tightly, whatever seems to be saving us from despair, is usually the thing that is keeping us from intimate fellowship with our Lord. When we let go, our hands and hearts are free to embrace him fully (read Philippians 2:6).

3. Serve the Body
- it takes sacrifice and loving service to "build one another up."
- take sacrificial action-whether through compassionate service or the service of tough love (which is also compassionate) - read Romans 14:18-19.

4. Support the Team
- a successful team boils down to two things: mutual respect among team members and a common vision about where the team is going (read Romans 15:5).

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus - Philippians 2:5

* taken from: Craig Jutila, "Leadership Essentials For Children's Ministry" Group Publishing Inc. Loveland, CO. 2002.

CORNERSTONE YOUTHQUEST - JUNIOR HIGH SNACK & CHAT

God is Like Rain

Today we look at:

1. Understanding why God is like rain

2. Talking about how young teens can be like rain

3. Deciding how we can be like rain in another person's life

Key verse: "Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rain, like the spring rains that water the earth" - Hosea 6:3

CORNERSTONE YOUTHQUEST BASKETBALL - GREENSBOROUGH

We continue our Character Matters theme of the month, "Integrity." We had 38 boys out today for another full house. Congrats to Andrew Y. and Kevin M. on winning MVP for showing integrity on and off the court.

HOW TEENS SPEND THEIR TIME

A Canadian study reveals some teens spend as much time in front of a screen as it would take to work a full-time job. 52% of boys and 26% of girls report an average total screen time of more than 42 hours per week (TV, computers and videos).

SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

WHEN: FRIDAY APRIL 25TH, 7:00PM SHARP!!!

WHO: HIGHSCHOOL STUDENTS

WHERE: "MAIN CONNECTION - 227 MAIN ST. MARKHAM (HWY 48)

Teams can be a maximum of 5 people and the hunt will take place along Main St. (no cars allowed). There will be 10 pictures, and the group will have to figure out where the picture was taken, and take an exact replica picture (Obviously, one person in your group will need a camera). The group who finds the most pictures wins a bag filled with gift certificates and stuff totalling $75!

30 HOUR FAMINE

Congrats to Amanda, Zach, Brian Tim and Kevin for doing the 30 hour famine! It's not too late to support them, they are raising funds for World Vision until the end of April (Don't worry, this picture was taken at 3:00pm, after we broke the fast).

YOUTHQUEST JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL

Today we continued our theme of Elevation looking at, "Joining With What is Good - Practicality Unleashed." It was very cool the way that God made this lesson coincide with our Bridges II pledge banquet that we last week as the goals of that campaign is to build a physical bridge (church/community center) and relationship bridge in the Markham community.

Our lesson involves becoming a relational bridge builder in the following ways:

1. Praying for pre-Christians: Watch God work as you pray for specific people to come to know Jesus.

2. Invite a Friend Challenge: Bring one or more friends to our Sunday School class or Friday night events.

3. Serve the poor in Markham/York Region: Serve the less fortunate in our area.

4. Serve at Cornerstone: Help hosting/set up teams on Sunday mornings.

We also made a physical bridge building commitment:

I pledge to give _________ over the next three years towards the purchase of land so that Cornerstone can build a church/community center.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6)

A NOTE TO STARKIDS LEADERS - ATTITUDE

As we continue our P.A.T.H. (Passion, Attitude, Teamwork and Honour), for April, we focus on attitude.

Ready to "Fly High" in Ministry?

- We must refuse to focus on the circumstances around us

Adjust your flaps

1. Look up - keep your focus on what God is doing in the kingdom

2. Slow down - we all make better choices when we pause for a moment

3. Reach out - focus on helping others reach their potential

- the attitude you use is the attitude you choose

- the way you think about a situation before you enter it will greatly affect its outcome

- remember, other people don't create your spirit, they only reveal it

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus - Philippians 2:5

Craig Jutila, "Leadership Essentials For Children's Ministry" Group Publishing Inc. Loveland, CO. 2002.

30 HOUR FAMINE ON NOW!

30 hours... No food... A handful of students... The world... Amanda and Zach, lead us!

Global Hunger & Poverty

Each day, over 29,000 children die from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.
More than 852 million people in the world are malnourished - 799 million of them are from the developing world. More than 153 million of them are under the age of 5.
In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before his fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. one child in 165 will die before turning five years old.
In the last 50 years, 400 million people worldwide have died from hunger and poor sanitation. That's three times the number of people killed in all wars fought in the entire 20th century.
The wealthiest fifth of the world's people consume an astonishing 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consume 1 percent.
Of the 6.39 billion people in today's world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
Malnutrition can severely affect a child's intellectual development. Children who have stunted growth due to malnutrition score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do well-nourished children.

A CHANCE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY!

Hey guys,

here's a great way to get involved in the community we feel God has called us to.

Did you know that Rouge Valley is right across the street from where we have put in a bid for our community centre/church?

A group called 10, 000 Trees for the Rouge is looking for volunteers to help plant trees in the Rouge Valley.
Date: Sunday April 27th, 2008 (any time after 9am!)

Do you want to:
- turn empty fields into growing forests?
- spend some time outdoors?
- help improve our environment?

Then come out and help reforest the Rouge Park!

What to bring?
- a shovel and bucket (they can provide if needed)
- work gloves
- waterproof boots
- your family and friends!
- your appetite - lunch provided

Students:
Need community hours? Be sure to sign in at the registration tent before you plant.

For more information contact:
Cindy Robinson 416 755 9903
public outreach@10000trees.com
www.10000trees.com

Cornerstone Youthquest Basketball - Greensborough

Some great ball today guys! We had 37 boys altogether (23 for the 1st session and 14 for the 2nd session). Congrats to our MVP'S (Paul and Wilson). They displayed integrity on and off the court.

MARKHAM IS MINORITY MECCA

Did you know that Markham has more visible minorities than anywhere else in Canada? York Region is one of the most diverse municipalities in Canada. Nearly 40 per cent of our population is made up of visible minorities.

Name - Population - Minorities - %

Cananda - 31.6 mill. - 5.06 mill. - 16.2 %

Ontario - 12 mill. - 2.7 mill. - 22.8 %

Markham - 260, 755 - 170, 540 - 65.4 %

* The Markham Economist and Sun - Thursday April, 3, 2008 (pg. 1&17)

Youthquest - Junior High Sunday School

ELEVATE - JOIN WITH WHAT IS GOOD

Today we studied the book of Esther.

Our goals were:

1. Demonstrate how God can use one life to make a huge difference

2. Overcome our fears and recognize our privilege position.

3. Begin to think through possible actions to join with what is good

We summarized the book of Esther by doing an 11 act play.

Memory verse: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons (and daughters) of God (Matthew 5:9).

Weekly challenge: If you could really make a difference in the world, what difference would you make?

STARKIDS - LEADERS DEVOTION

Attitude

Continuing on our P.A.T.H., this month we are looking at, "ATTITUDE"

Here are some thoughts.

Nose Down, or Nose up?

Our attitude will determine our altitude. How high will you go in life? Check your attitude. What heights will your ministry reach? Check your attitude. What personal mountaintops will you conquer? Check your attitude.

What Causes "Attitude Slippage?"

Turbulence

-have you ever taken a hit to your self-esteem?

How do you see yourself? How does God see you?

"Comparison is the root of all inferiority"

Read Genesis 1:27 and 1 Peter 1:18b-19

Locking Up

- some of us are so afraid to fail that we never get into the cockpit.

- we need a "flight director" - God's Word

Flaming Out

- your attitude and performance could actually improve if you just reduced your speed!

Read Psalm 127:2

- take some time to renew, refresh and rejuvenate.

- when is the last time you went on vacation, and were totally "plugged out"

Circling, Circling, Circling...

-Life is difficult. If we refuse to accept that most basic, all-encompassing truth about existence, our attitudes will nose-dive.

Read James 1:2-4

Bad Weather

- when conflict goes unresolved, our attitudes head straight downhill.

- our attitudes are like oil...

1. You have to constantly check it

2. It reduces friction in your life

3. It needs to be changed regularly

Craig Jutila, "Leadership Essentials For Children's Ministry" Group Publishing Inc. Loveland, CO. 2002.

Junior High

Tonight we had a great time bowling at Markham bowl from 6:30-8:30. Next junior high meeting is at the Main Connection on April 18th.

Wednesday Night Basketball

Yesterday we had 36 boys out for our 2 sessions. For April, our Character Matters trait is "Integrity"

Integrity affects the world one person at a time. It's easy to comprimise in the little things. Sometimes you may wonder, "Do I (one person) really make a difference?" You may think you are just one drop in bucket (and you are) but every drop helps to determine what that bucket will be. What are you like when nobody is watching?

What would it mean if you and I lived with integrity? How would it affect our families, neighbourhoods, cities?

Congrats to Mostafa and Timbit on being our MVP's for the night. They showed integrity on and off the court.

Kids Mirror Parents

An American Bible Society study conducted by Weekly Reader Research found that children actually do mirror their parents’ behavior. Parents who attend church weekly tend to have teens that worship weekly, while 78% of parents who never attend worship services have teens who never attend, according to christiannewswire.com. The survey found almost 80% of America’s 30.2 million 12-18 year olds think the Bible is important and 87% of parents agree. Yet, only 11% of teens read the Bible daily.
Pastors Weekly Briefing 3/7/08

Junior High Sunday School

ELEVATE - JOIN WITH WHAT IS GOOD

This month (April), we finish our journey through the Elevate material. Our topics will include: "Stepping Up" (Kevin), Practicality Unleashed" (Kevin), "Celebrating God's goodness" (Jason) and, "Go Forth and Do Great Exploits!" (Jason).

Youthquest Basketball - Greensborough

Character Matters

Our trait for the month of April is Integrity; "We are truthful and sincere. We ensure consistency between what we say and what we do as well as between what we believe and how we behave."

Senior High

Youthquest - What's God's Story?

On Friday (March 28th), we continued our journey through the material, "How to Become a Contagious Christian."

There were 4 major parts to the gospel message we looked at: God, Us, Christ and You

God:
- God is LOVING. (1 John 4:16b)
- God is HOLY. (1 Peter 1:15-16)
- God is JUST. (Psalm 9:16).

Us:
- We have all SINNED (Romans 3:23)
- We deserve physical and spiritual DEATH. (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:22)
- We are spiritually HELPLESS. (Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:8-9)

Christ
- Christ is GOD, who also became human. (John 1:1, 14, 8:24)
- Christ died as our SUBSTITUTE. (1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
- Christ offers forgiveness as a GIFT (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23)

You:
- You and I must RESPOND. (John 1:12, Romans 10:13)
- You and I must ASK Christ to be our FORGIVER and LEADER (1 John 1:9, 1 Peter 3:15, John 10:27, Luke 13:5)
- The result is a spiritual TRANSFORMATION by the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

* From "Mittleberg, Strobel, Hybels, Becoming a Contagious Christian, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2001.