January Newsletter

Hello Families,

There is something about the concept of NEW. When I hear the word NEW, the little connectors in my brain have a party. It is a very exciting word, and with it I usually tag phrases on like, “Who knows where this can go?” and “The possibilities are endless.” So, with that, Happy NEW Year.

To start off the year we will be in a series called, “Grow Up.” It asks us, in a very straight forward approach …

“How do you know you are growing in your faith?”

I think this message and a NEW Year can go hand in hand. What can be more important this New Year than being sure you are growing in the relationship that matters most? I hope you have time to investigate how you are changing, and you see that, with God, the possibilities of where you can go with Him this year are endless!

Angela Hill

Student Ministries Director

Talent Show Re-Cap

The 2nd Annual Talent Show was a hit again this year with many memorable acts. We had singers, board breakers, comedians, pogo sticks, and more. It was a great way to celebrate the end of the year. Our overall winner was Mackenzie Nutter who, we think, sounds better than Taylor Swift. We also had a contest for who wore the ugliest sweater and the winner was Christian Remienstaufer.

Here are a few pictures to remember this fun day!

November Is Here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October Update

Dear Families,
Sometimes it is really easy to all get to church and then head our separate ways. Then, after church with our stomach’s growling and our heads full we rarely revisit what each family members’ take-away from the morning was. In an effort to combat this I am going to be sending out a regular email letting you know what we are taking about on Sunday mornings in Junior High. Sound good?

We just started a series called, “Knowing God By Name.”

God has over 150 names! God’s names, like ours, have strong significance. Some of our names were given at birth but others describe our relationships and our purposes. When we learn these names for God we learn that “There is no other. He alone is God.” This is vital as have face-to-face encounters each day with people, things, and thoughts that tell us they can be our god.

Here are some great spiritual conversation starters for the month of October

Week 1: The word Yahweh means ‘Self Existent One.’ That means God is big enough; He needs no one or anything, and that includes us! How does that change the way we view serving God?

Week 2: Immanuel means ‘God is with us.’ We often feel very alone and that when bad things happen, it was because God chose to not be involved. How does this name prove otherwise?

Week 3: El Hakkadoesh means ‘Holy God.’ Holy means to be set apart and perfect. In fact, to emphasis how different He is from the rest of creation, God says it three times in a row in Rev 4:8. Take a few moments together to reflect on how uncommon God’s character is.

Week 4: Rachum Ve-Chanum means Merciful and Gracious. Sometimes these two words get confused. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. One refers to a lack of punishment and one refers to receiving above and beyond. Sometimes we have a picture of God that he is ready to throw down the second we mess up, or that we have to earn every gift. When have you experienced mercy and grace?

Mission Arlington 2011

We had another great trip to Texas this year to work with a ministry that challenged us all a lot! Mission Arlington’s theme is to “take church to the people.” So they go out to different apartment complexes and start churches within in the community that is gathered there. We couldn’t believe how dedicated the people are and how much they trust God to take care of them!

Our main objective everyday was to have fun with kids. Not a hard job right? Especially because these kids were full of life and energy, even though it was 110 degrees. We told Bible stories, sang, and had some mean games of hop-scotch. Here is a recap of our time via photo tour.

Puppets were a big hit! They especially like the lion.

 

VBS formula was simple. Tarp + a teacher+ kids with energy + snacks = fun.

 

Facepaints were also a big hit, and WALL-E was one of the more challenging jobs.

 

 

Summer Schedule

Program these into your brain! You don’t want to miss even one!!!

How To Raise A Jerk

This is a picture of Eli. No, he is not a jerk. He just made a face that fit with our title. Eli is a typical eight-year-old growing up in a good home with parents who want to make sure he develops good character. But parenting any kid like Eli can be confusing.

Some leaders say too many who work hard at building children’s self-esteem are raising kids who will exhibit a lifestyle of entitlement and egotism. Other specialists say those who talk about children being innately bad are raising a generation that feels inferior and insignificant. Every expert has an opinion and it’s hard to know where the line actually is. Many promote their agenda by pushing the opposing opinion to the extreme.

One of the keys to parenting with balance is helping your children develop an attitude of humility. Every child has the potential to grow up and understand why it’s important to “put others first.” There is just a fine line between raising kids who have a healthy self-esteem and kids who are too egotistical. A life of arrogance that goes unchecked can result in a sad and lonely existence for someone, and frankly there are enough self-centered people around. How does someone develop an overinflated sense of self-worth and entitlement?

Here are a few ideas to help you effectively raise a jerk:

• Protect them from the consequences of their own mistakes.
• Make sure you do whatever they can do for themselves.
• Keep them away from anyone who thinks differently than they do.
• Try to give them everything they want.
• Tell them over and over again you just want them to be happy.
• Convince them that they are more special than other kids.
• Always take their side when they get in trouble with their teacher at school.
• Always take their side whenever they are in a conflict with a friend.
• Keep insisting that they are the best player on the team.
• Don’t give them consistent opportunities to help or serve other people.
• Never require them to do chores.
• Reinforce their prejudices about people from different cultures or backgrounds.
• Make your relationship with them more important than your relationship with your spouse.
• Rarely express genuine gratitude to those who help you.
• Teach them to talk more than they listen.
• Never let them hear you say “I was wrong. I am sorry.”

Maybe you can add a few ideas of your own… on how to raise a jerk.

* This article is written by Reggie Joiner with orangeparents.org

Canoe

We have the place. We have the time. We are going to do some canoeing! With all this water and beautiful scenery it is only right that we should take full advantage of where we live. We are going to head down to Ponca, Arkansas on the Buffalo River very close to Lost Valley. Some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen were on a hike in Lost Valley!

We will meet at the church Friday May 20th at 4pm and car pool down together just south of Harrison. We will eat dinner, play some games, have some worship, some fire ,some treats and some sleep at Ponca Bible Camp. It is a neat place with all sorts of big trees, and wilderness adventures. We will be sleeping indoors with running water, and air conditioning. If you want the real camping experience you can bring your tent and bear repellant.

Lost Valley

The next morning Saturday the 21st, we will wake up, make some flapjacks, and go for a canoe ride and hike. Depending on our group size we may split up into two groups and alternate activities. If for some reason canoeing is not available ( lots of rain, not enough rain) we will check out some more trails and maybe do some caving!  After we are throughly tired and our arms are achy we will pack up our cars and head back to Missouri. The plan is to be home around 7pm.

The cost for this trip is $25. You will need to sign up, pay, and fill out a waiver in the Youth Booth. When you sign up I will send you more info like a packing list and a detailed schedule.  Any parents, junior high, high school, or leaders are welcome to come! For questions please contact angela@woodhills.org.

Haiti In Pictures

You all helped make this trip to Haiti possible. You should know that all your prayers, giving, and well thought out ideas made a big difference. We had a really great trip and feel like we now have great friends in Haiti who we will continue to encourage like they encourage us.

As you will see in the pictures there are so many faces filled with joy and this is despite their circumstances. Many don’t have homes, and their school is pretty chaotic looking but they love each other deeply. Watch for much more to come as we partner with these folks in Haiti.

A teenage boy and his not pet chicken.

Two sweet girls after church

Many buildings still look just like this.

Just around age 13

This man is a teacher in a classroom that has no walls, no chalkboard, but the kids still learn. He is amazing.

Spiritual Parenting: What It Is About

The Spiritual Parenting Workshop will be unique! You won’t need to tell yourself, “I really should go today because don’t all GOOD parents go to these sorts of things.”

You will enjoy your time because our whole goal is to get you to take the pressure off of yourself. As I have been studying this material I have found it to be a completely freeing message to share. It asks you to let go this idea your role is to produce good behavior and to instead start depending heavily on the Holy Spirit to shape your family.

Think of this workshop as a parental sabbatical. Okay, no this is not a Carnival Cruise, and it is not a break from being a parent. It is a time, however, to be completely re-energized to do the big job God has asked you to do.  The first week is all about story telling and what kind of story we want to tell with our families. We will give you lots of time to dream, process, and surrender all concerns to God. We encourage you to take what you know of God, your kids, your dreams and put them all together to form a more perfect union.

Here are a few questions to start thinking on:

1. What do you daydream about?

2. Whose opinion do you value the most?

3. What is your end goal in raising the children God has entrusted you with? How do you parent with this end in mind?

This workshop does need to be signed up for ahead of time, and you can do that in the Youth Booth this Sunday. It starts Feb. 13th and March 27th. It will meet during 2nd Service in the Student Life Center. Invite others because this is for any parent, grandparent, or someone who someday might want to be a parent! The cost is $10 and this will buy a great book and a binder full of places for you to dream/scheme.