The Journey
Teens may sign up for the winter retreat that is Jan. 18-20 by turning in a signed and notorized medical release form along with their $30 payment. Registration deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 9.

Girls Revolve Tour
Final payment for the Girls Revolve Tour is Sunday, Jan. 13. Please make checks payable to LRC. Only those paid in full will be registered unless you’ve spoken with me about payment arrangements.

Parent/Teen meeting
Hopefully you have received a letter detailing Jan-May plans as well as listing some of our summer 2008 ideas. We will meet Sunday, Jan. 13 immediately following our morning worship gathering to go over those plans. Lunch will be provided in the Nichols Ministry Building.

Tonight is the last Refuge of 2007. Refuge will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

RAMP Groups are taking a break until Sunday, Jan. 13. All RAMP groups will resume meeting in the Nichols Ministry Building then with a study of Song of Solomon for teens.

THIS WEEK (Dec. 2-8)

Sunday AM Bible class (Dec. 2) – We will continue our 7-12th grade combined class this Sunday morning. We’re currently focusing on how to meet the physical needs of others as an expression of the good news of Jesus Christ. As part of our study the teens are participating in the intramural food can challenge. One of our teens is also organizing a blanket drive. See below for more details.

RAMP Groups (Dec. 2) – RAMP Groups will meet Sunday night. Check with your child’s RAMP leader for details.

Refuge (Dec. 5) – We will have Refuge as usual this Wednesday night from 6-8 PM.

LOOKING AHEAD

Blanket Drive (Now-Dec. 12) – One of our students, Katie Keen, is organizing a blanket drive at her school and we’d like to support her by participating. You are invited to donate new or slightly used sheets and blankets. Katie said she’d even wash them for you. Blankets and sheets will be passed out at the Salvation Army in Little Rock. We will try to arrange a time for the teens to help with that.

Winter Retreat (Jan. 18-20) – Information and medical release forms for our annual winter retreat are available on the table at the back of the auditorium. Please return a signed and notorized medical release form for your child along with the $30 registration by Wednesday, Jan. 9 to sign up.

Girls’ Day Out (Dec. 8 ) – Girls in grades 7-12 are invited to join Deana for a girls’ day out on Saturday, Dec. 8. The girls will meet at LRC at noon, go eat together and shop. They will return to LRC around 6 PM. See Deana for details.

Don’t forget to check the youth web site. You can keep up with different aspects of our youth and family ministry there. We try to post what we’re discussing, share pictures of events and it’s a great place for prayer requests.

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m in Houston at Deana’s parents spending time with her family. We’ll be home Saturday. I hope all of you are having a great weekend with family. Here’s what’s going on in our student ministry for the next few weeks.

This week (Nov. 25-Dec. 1)

RAMP Groups (Nov. 25) - Your teen needs to check with his/her RAMP leader to find out what they are doing Sunday night.

Refuge (Nov. 28) - We are having Refuge this Wednesday, Nov. 28. You’re encouraged to join us for the night. Students eat free. Adults pay $2.

Looking ahead

Revolve (Feb. 22-24) - So far, I have 5 students and 4 adults registered for Revolve. I will reserve seats this week, so please let me know Sunday if you and/or your daughter is planning to attend.

BFR 2007 was a huge success. 4 student ministries, 80 teens, and 26 adults spent the weekend at Camp Tahkodah exploring the idea that though we are weak vessels, God’s power and glory are demonstrated in our weakness. We challenged the teens to consider the ways they focus on the vessel rather than allowing God’s glory to shine through them. We then asked them to exchange the things in their lives that take away from the treasure of the gospel in their lives. It was a great weekend that included an ice cream fight, Guitar Hero, Capture the Flag, other games and great food. Pictures from the weekend should be available on the youth web site.

THIS WEEK (Sep 30-Oct. 6)

Refuge (Oct. 3) – Refuge begins at 6 PM with dinner. We hare having a variety of wraps, Rice Crispy treat and fruit for dinner. Please pick your teen up at 8:15 PM.

LOOKING AHEAD

Sunday AM class (Oct. 7) - We will have a combined youth class this Sunday morning because some of us will be at Gateway. Sam Peters will lead the class.

RAMP Groups (Oct. 7) – RAMP groups will meet this Sunday night from 6-7:30 PM in the Nichols Ministry Building. Jimmy Poteat will begin taking over the 9-10th grade boys RAMP group. Please make this a priority. The purpose of RAMP groups is to challenge our teens to a deeper relationship with Christ and to journey with one another.

Understanding Your Teenager (Oct. 14) – It’s not too late to register for the 3-hr parenting seminar LRC is hosting. It’s going to be well worth your time. Contact me if you haven’t registered yet or have questions. We are providing child care for this if you need it. Information is available on the church web site as well.

Hay Daze (Oct. 21) – Hay Daze is fast approaching. IT will be Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21 from 4-7 PM at the home of Janet Williams. I’ll send out directions the week before. Thanks to Jill Dabbs and her mom for hosting this event. Cost is $15 per student to cover the food and square dance caller. Please pay by Wednesday, Oct. 17.

5th Quarter (Oct. 26) – We are hosting a late night concert on Friday, Oct. 26 in the Nichols Ministry Building. A Christian band that Jeff Medders knows well, Three Cord Wonder, will perform that night. We will open our doors from 10 PM-midnight. Cost is $6 and includes pizza and drinks. We could use 3-4 adults to help with the night. Let me know if you can help. I’ll start enlisting you if I don’t hear from you in the next week.

Girls Revolve Tour (Feb. 22-24) – I haven’t said much about the teen girls’ conference in the past few weeks. I’ll have a payment schedule and more details by Oct. 7. We will post them to the youth web site. This is a girls’ youth conference for teens in grades 7-12. It’s hosted by Women of Faith. We are making plans to travel to the conference in Houston, TX. Cost will be approximately $135 per teen to cover travel, lodging and the conference.

We had 27 students in RAMP groups last Sunday. I want to encourage you to affirm your teens for being there and help them see the positive aspects of moving RAMP groups to the building for the fall. While most seem open to the idea, they’re not sure about it.

Also, this year we’re trying to encourage the teens to take the next step in their spiritual journey and commit to spiritual disciplines during the week. It’s not homework. All of us, as followers of Christ, should be in the word and building deeper relationships with one another. We’re emphasizing these two things this year in RAMP group.

Just a reminder about why we’re trying RAMP groups at the building for the fall:
1) It makes transportation much easier for those who have more than one child to get to RAMP groups, expecially my RAMP leaders who have teens.

2) We’re all studying the same material, so being in one place allows us to do some basic teaching for a few minutes and then break the students up.

3) It makes RAMP leaders more accountable to me and allows RAMP leaders to get together each week to pray and discuss what’s going on to help improve the times.

4) The building is the most centrally located place since we have people coming from all over for those parents who have HC on Sunday nights.

We will provide snacks for the RAMP groups this week.