Ice Skating

No choir this Sunday, but we will have ice skating.  If you really want to sing though, Glenn will be there so you can probably sing a little on the ice.  Who knows it might be so good we could work that into our performances...

Sunday, January 4

6:00-10:00 pm

$8  (eat dinner before you come, & feel free to bring $ for concessions)

Whats happening?

Our regular Sunday night snack supper and Bible study will be canceled during September to make time for special Christmas activities each Sunday night.  

 

Sunday, December 21– Youth & Adult Christmas Concert 6:00-7:00

Join us for a great concert with fellowship following

Monday, December 22– Christmas Shopping Trip

9:00am-9:00 pm

Lennox Square in Atlanta

Sunday, Dec 28– Ski Trip Registration Deadline  

Mon & Tue, Dec 29 & 30- Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC)

 

Thanksgiving Events

Middle School Roller Skating

Monday Nov 24

4:30-8:30 p.m. (time we will leave and return to church)

Skate Galaxy

$2 (bring extra money for food)

High School Capture the Flag

Tuesday, Nov 25

6:30-8:30 p.m.

Gribbles House (314 Joe Chambers Rd) 

Light snacks will be provided.  Dress for being outside. Parents are welcome and can join in the fun or play cards indoors.  

YEC

Now is the time to register for YEC (Youth Evangelism Conference).  Its a super huge, super awsome event with thousands of youth rocking out to powerful worship led by Fee and a cool Hawk Nelson concert and a speaker who will be fun and meaningful.  Sign up by the end of November.  

Date: Dec 29-30

Cost: $30

Register: Turn in $30 to Josh or the church office to register

YEC Website

Hawk Nelson Website

Hawk Nelson Music Video

Fee Worship Video

Upcoming Events

October 22- Youth Help lead children's Pumpkin Hunt

October 29- Ultimate Frisbee 

October 31- Halloween Fifth Quarter Haunted House

November- Registration for YEC

November 8- Youth Help at children's Fall Festival

November 9- The church will vote on a Long Range Plan which includes a new youth facility

November 16- Parent's Meeting

November 24- Middle School Roller Skating

November 25- High School Capture the Flag

November 30- YEC registration deadline

December 7- Parking lot Christmas party (Middle School and High School will each decorate a vehicle for the contest)

December 14- Christmas Parties (there will be separate parties for H.S. & M.S.)

December 28-30 YEC

Lock-In (Bad News)

Sorry y'all, looks like we won't have enough chaperones for lock-in that was schedled for October.If you get about 4 more adults to volunteer this week we could still do it, but we are currently canceling (rescheduling?) the lock-in.   The good news is we will have three 5th quarters in October and still do a special event (like bowling or something fun).

Also, middle schoolers will still be able to get a lock-in, but they will have to earn it.  Our "hero" party at the end of the year (December) will be a lock-in party featuing an all night guitar hero world tour (which will feature drums and singing).  Make sure you memorize your stuff  so you can be a special VIP at the party.  This lock-in is BY INVITATION ONLY!  

YEC

YEC is a huge youth rally in December. The two big parts of YEC are great music and a great speaker. Last year the music included Matt Papa who led worship and Thrid Day, who rocked out for a concert. The speaker, David Platt communicated in a way that was funny and made sense. One big highlight was the "Chalk guy" who told his story about growing up as a "special needs" student and how Christ transormed his life. His chalk paintings were amazing and showed this in a super powerful way.

This year, you get to choose between two sessions. The biggest difference is in the band that will perform the concert. The choices are Hawk Nelson and Leeland. Both bands should be awsome.

YEC

Hawk Nelson

Leeland

The Leeland Video wasn't embedded so here is a link to the youtube video.

video

Fail Devotion

Bad Dog

the LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

-Numbers 14:11-12

Last night I ended up sleeping on the couch.  Not because I had a fight with Sunny, or because I accidentally fell asleep watching tv.  I was trying to catch my dog in the act of destroying the screens on the screened in porch.  He ruined four of them in the past few days and its started to get pretty annoying.  

So this got me thinking about the old Testament. The Exodus was a huge thing for Israel.  They were slaves to Egypt and even had to kill their baby boys as a form of population control.  Moses frees them from Egypt thanks to God's miracles.  They get going and the Egyptian army follows them.  God miraculously parts the Red Sea and helps them escape.  They run out of food and God gives them food.  

BUT, in the midst of all of this the people aren't satisfied and turn on God.  They rebel against him and complain.  God was furious with the people.  In a really strange twist to the story, Moses talks God out of killing all the people.  In the long run we see that the people continue to fall into a cycle of forgetting about God, getting in trouble and calling on God, and then forgetting all about God.  

What does this have to do with destructive dogs?  What does "old story" have to do with my life today?  It is the reality of what we are like.  My dog is to stupid to know not to destroy my house.  But still I love him.  I work with him to help him get better, even at a sacrifice to myself (ie. sleeping on the couch).  And even if he keeps ruining stuff, I'll still love him.

That's how we are with God too.  Except we are the bad dog.  God continues to love us even though we quickly forget how he has taken care of us.  God did a lot more than stay up on the couch.  He actually sent his son to the earth to die for our sins.  

Next time your dog does something stupid (like destroying your porch), think about how you so easily forget and rebel against God.  And know that God still loves you.  

100 Songs

We've just reached teh 100 song mark for our blog playlist.  You may notice the obnoxious music that starts when you visit this blog and have identified it comes from the Project Playlist thing on the left side a little way down.  Its got a selection of Christian music. With a little country (one artist) and hiphop but mostly modern pop rock stuff.  

If there is any Christian music you would like to add please let me know.  

Josh 

Fifth Quarter

Don't forget, we have a fifth quarter this Friday after the game!

Weekly Fail Devotion

Mixed Signals

 27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. – Matthew 23:27-28

It’s a great feeling to be welcomed isn’t it?  As a stranger it warms your heart when you show up at some ones house for the first time, or at a new church and you feel right at home.  One of the things I really hate is trying to guess which door to go to.  The garage door is usually closest, but it seems a little inappropriate if I haven’t really ever been to the house before and I usually debate between going in there or walking around to the front door.  I don’t visit churches as much as I used to but I know the feeling of showing up at a church and not knowing anyone.  You want to join in the fun and conversations, but usually just hope someone talks to you. 

 

I suppose that is why Welcome mats or signs were invented: to send the message that visitors are invited and welcome.  The irony of this picture is the glaring inconsistency between the two signs.  The whole reason it got on the “fail blog” was because it is just so stupid to put up such opposite messages.  Who would do that?

Well, maybe we would.  Sure not with two actual signs, but with our actions.  On one hand our church advertises that we are an “authentic community of faith and caring.”  We gladly invite folks and tell visitors “we are glad they are here.”  But what do our actions say?  Do we put up “Keep out signs” by forming cliques?  Do we post “no trespassing” warnings by saving our pew and giving the “evil eye” if someone sits there? 

Think about it this week, what kind of mixed messages are you sending?  

Middle School Guitar Hero Party

This Friday (Sept 12) we will have a super fun Guitar Hero and Rock Band party for Middle School. Meet at 6:00 in the Youth House. Pizza & drinks will be provided.

Christina L. drew this picture for the advertisement.

Wed Missions

Yesterday we had our first Wednesday night missions speaker. Carrey Russel and Sunny shared with us about ESL here at FBC. ESL (English as a Second Language) is a program in which we help teach English to whoever wants to learn. We are inspired to do so by the love of God, and through ESL classes have built meaningful relationships with peoples of various countries and shared in the good news of Jesus.

The highlight of the night was undoubtedly when Sunny showed us what its like to not speak the language. Speaking nothing but Korean she led a fun game of Shirum (Korean Sumo wrestling). Check out the video provided by Christina.

See You at the Pole

See You at the Pole will be September 24. This is a national day of prayer in which students gather at their middle schools and high schools to pray for their school and their country. Check out these youtube videos.

Snack Supper Starts September 7

Share Memories, Make Money (make sure you read the fine print)

Upcoming Events

August 17– Youth Choir Resumes at 4:00
August 20– M&M Block-party at 5:30
August 23- Youth Choir Kickoff
August 24– Parents Meeting
August 27- Wednesday night schedule resumes. Supper is at 5:30 and we will have a recreational event at 6:15 (check out the weekly schedule below for more details)
August 29– Fifth Quarter after the football game.

September 6– Pet Parade (at the Taylor House). 9:00 a.m. If you would like to help with the Pet Parade show up at 8:30.
September 7- Snack Supper & Bible Study Begin at 6:00 following choir (check out the schedule below for more details). Tracey Buff will be teaching the New Testament portion and I'll be leading the O.T. This should be really good so be sure to stick around after choir or come at 6:00 if you aren't in choir.
September 12– Middle School Guitar Hero Party
September 19– Fifth Quarter
September 20– High School Lake Party. Meet at the church at 12:45

October 3– Fifth Quarter
October 10– Lock-in (subject to change). Lock-ins are super fun but can only happen with good parent support. Be sure to encourage your parents to volunteer to help withthe lock-in so that we can do it :)
October 31- Halloween Fifth Quarter

New Youth Group Changes

We've made to big changes for the youth group. First, we've added 6th grade into the youth group. This means we will have a middle school group (6th-8th) and a high school group (9th-12th). We will also do some stuff combined. The second change is we have dramatically changed our regular weekly schedule.

6th Grade

We are adding 6th graders for several reasons. Overall the main reason to is make a youth group that contains the best ages and will allow us the most freedom to learn and have activities that work. This change should offer a lot more for sixth graders, but should also have a positive impact on all youth.

We will seperate into seperate groups on some occasions like Sunday School and Sunday night Bible study. We will also have a bunch of seperate activities. This should allow some events to have a more specific atmoshphre for that particular age group.

We will combine into a large groups at other times, such as Wednesday nights and for some events (such as a ski trip, YEC, and MMM).

New Schedule

Wednesday Youth Missions

We will have a rotating schedule where we do something different each week.

1st Missions Speaker
2nd Missions Activity
3rd Worship
4th Fellowship Activity
5th Surprise

Sunday Night
4:45 Choir
6:00 Snack Supper in the Fellowship Hall
???? Split up into middle school and high school groups for all new Bible studies. This time may change each week since we may have large group activities planned, or we may have seperate into middle school and high school groups before doing any activities.

Click on the images below to visit the blogs for the Middle School and High School groups.

Middle School

High School

Water Wars

Water wars is this Wednesday. We've got some cool inflatables like a giant water slide and it should be pretty fun. Its 5:30-7:30. Wear a bathing suit and be prepared to get soaked.

Paintball

When: Saturday, July 26
Time: 9:30-3:30 (play from 10:00-3:00)
Where: Dan’s Land
Cost: $40 (includes gun, equipment, 1,000 paintballs, & lunch) The cost is $30 if you have your own gun.

Meet at the church at 9:30 and transportation will be provided up to Dan's Land. We will play paintball from 10:00-300 with a stop for lunch (sandwiches). We'll be back to the church by 3:30.

Check Out the Newsletter

We have offered a church letter for a long time. For the first time, I'm recommending that you read every issue. Here's why; we have moved it from a weekly newsletter to twice per month. We've also added a page designated to youth and children. The end result is that the weekly newsletter (called the Reminder) is a great source of information on whats going on with youth and children. If you check it out each week (which takes about 2 minutes) you will always know whats going on.

Look for the next issue Thursday, July 17.

Somthing to Think About

In the Sunday night adult Bible study we have been studying a book called Faith Works. It is about taking action based on faith- action in our community, in the world, in politics. The central idea is Jesus' message to care for the poor.

This book has spurred some interesting conversations. Here are a couple thoughts to think about.

Who do you know who lives in poverty?
This book suggests that around a quarter of the people who live in America are in poverty (questions continue to pop up as you talk about this stuff, like "what counts as "poverty"). Think about those around you. Are you currently aware of people in poverty? Are you insulated from those in poverty (you know insulation keeps cold air from escaping your house in the summer, it works pretty much the same way to keep yourself separated from poor people).

How do you treat people with less money?
In our adult study all we talked about was how to help people in poverty. We all say we care about these people but is that really true? Regardless of what we say in a Bible study, our lives will reveal what we truly believe. A big question we face is "how do we really feel about our fellow humans- particularly those who are poorer than us or from different backgrounds (race, lifestyle etc.) As youth do you judge people based on the clothes they wear (if its the cheap brand they aren't cool)? What kind of people can make it into your circle of friends? Are wealth, race, weight, parents jobs, etc. things you use for putting other people down?

How can we make a difference?
Honestly, under close evaluation none of us love others perfectly. We all have a tendency to be a little judgmental. But even in our imperfection we may find that we want to make a difference in our community and in our world. What can we do? How can we be engaged in politics, in personal action, in the lives of people that will make a difference?

More than just talking
How can you move from wanting to make a difference to doing it? Probably the most important thing is to not put it off, but to take action now. Start small, but make sure you start. Conversation about change is great if it leads to action but otherwise is useless.

I think people have a tendency to talk about big problems. Its great to see the big picture and to see big things to change. The funny thing, is that big changes come from small ones. As we become a little more loving to those around us, as we learn to live a little more simply, as we learn to hear God more clearly, we can be a force of change not just in our community but in the world.

Don't just talk about "what are the worst problems regarding poverty?" ask yourself "what action can I take today?".

Upcoming Events

July 10- Whitewater Water-park
July 13- Middle School Lunch with Gribbles
July 20- High School Lunch with Gribbles

Every Wed- Sports Night (board games also available)
Every Week Day- During the summer there is a bit of an open door policy around FBC. If you are bored fell free to come by the church (its a good idea to call first though) and help do some work (picking music for the blog, calling people, designing a post card etc.) and hang out (chill, play pool, etc.).


Provide Your Feedback
Help us plan a few more summer events. Here are some events to consider. Let us know if you have some more ideas (think events that don't involve long transportation and don't last all day).

Karaoke at Shoki
Paintball
Bowling
Skating
Pool Party

Wednesday Sports Nights

Throughout this July we will have Sports Nights every Wednesday night from 6:00-7:30. Join us for ultimate Frisbee, flag football, volleyball and more. If you aren't really into sports come and hang out or play board games.

Whitewater

On July 10 we will spend a day of fun in the sun at Six Flags Whitewater.

Date: July 10
Time: 9:00am-9:00pm
Cost: $35 (covers ticket and transportation- bring money for food)
Signup: by July 6

Meet at the church at 9:00 and be back by 9:00 that night. Please be sure to sign up and turn in $35 to ensure a ticket and transportation.

Lunch with the Gribbles

You're invited (if you are a youth that is) to lunch at the Gribbles house with Lewis, Josh and Sunny (pictured above from left to right).

Meet at church following the service or join us at our house at around 12:30. You are invited to stay till 3:00 and enjoy food and games. We'll provide transportation back to the church at 3:00.

July 13: 7th-9th grade (this past year)

July 20: 10th-12th grade

VBS

Tired of sitting around your house this summer with nothing to do? Come help with VBS and have fun leading kids in games, crafts, and more. VBS is June 23-27 from 9:00-12:00.

Call Josh and let him know if you would like to help. 973-9329.

Cookout & Band Party

This Wednesday we will be joining Mt. Zion Baptist church for a party. We'll have3 a cookout and Andy Kirk will be performing.

Happy Spring Break

Hope everyone is having a great break. Here are some upcoming events. Some dates/times have changed and have an asterix next to them.


YIHAC (Youth In Homes After Church)
Sunday, April 6 from 7:00-9:30
Sunday April 27 from 6:30-9:00

All youth are invited to join us for food and fellowship following church. This Sunday we will have a DVD of Dinner Theater available to watch. Come to church at 6:00 and stick around for a YIHAC!


Youth Sunday
Sunday April 27

Youth Sunday has been rescheduled from April 20 to April 27 due to a scheduling conflict. Throughout the year youth are offered many opportunities to help lead worship (such as music, reading, and drama) but once a year we entrust them with planning and leading an entire Sunday from Sunday school to the sermon. All youth are invited to help lead.


Band & Cookout
Wednesday, May 7 from 6:20-8:20

We are joining Mt. Zion Baptist Church for a BBQ and band party. Worship artist Andy Kirk will be performing. Meet at First Baptist at 6:20 and we will be back to the church at 8:15. Visit Andy's Myspace.

7th-9th Grade Guys Work Day

This Saturday (the 15th) all 7th-9th grade guys are summoned to the Youth House for a work day. There will be some simple cleaning and more complex fun (painting a bathroom, fixing holes in the wall) projects. Show up ready to do a little work.

Meet at the Youth House at 10:00.
Lunch will be provided.

Upcoming YIHACs

There have been a few changes to the YIHAC schedule. Grab your calendar. And a pen. You ready?

April 6
April 27



Whats a YIHAC?
It stands for Youth In Homes After Church. Youth get together to hang out and fellowship and have some food in the home of a parent of youth or other church member. Transportation is provided. Meet at the church at 7:00 and we will be back to church at 9:30.

MMM In the News

13WMAZ ran a story on March Mission Madness. Check it Out.

MMM Pics

Hey y'all. There are a bunch of pictures of March Mission Madness up on the MMM website. Check it out!

Vertical

"Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the LORD, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.

Vertical music invovles an element of interaction bewteen God and humanity. The distinctive feature about Christian music is that it strives to connect humans with the reality of God.

This Week's Challenge
In the comment section of this post list:
1. Evaluate five artists from this link. (were they good or bad, why? Oh, yeah, After Edmund is there!)
2. Pick one new worship song you think we should do as a youth group.

Music Mania

For the next couple weeks we will be diving into the topic of "music" for our Wednesday Bible studies. Respond to the online challenge and you will have a chance the to win an iTunes gift card at the next Bible study.

February 13- Vertical
February 20- Horizontal

Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang.
-2 Chronicles 5:13

A balanced Spiritual Journey

What is the goal of a youth group? What is the goal of church? What is the goal of Christianity?

These are important questions that must be asked to help us on our spiritual journey. Renovare presents several categories of a "balanced vision" for this Christian journey. Take a look at these categories and ask yourself if this is what we should hope for and expect from church and in our own lives. If so, how balanced our you between these various areas?

Contemplative: the prayer filled life...focuses upon intimacy with God and depth of spirituality. This spiritual dimension addresses the longing for a deeper, more vital Christian experience.

Holiness: the virtuous life...focuses upon personal moral transformation and the power to develop "holy habits." This spiritual dimension addresses the erosion of moral fiber in personal and social life.

Charismatic: the spirit filled life...focuses upon intimacy with God and depth of spirituality. This spiritual dimension addresses the longing for a deeper, more vital Christian experience.

Social Justice: the compassionate life...focuses upon justice and shalom (peace) in all human relationships and social structures. This spiritual dimension addresses the gospel imperative for equity and compassion among all peoples.

Evangelical: the word-centered life...focuses upon the proclamation of the evangel, the good news of the gospel. This spiritual dimension addresses the need for people to see the good news lived and hear the good news proclaimed.

Incarnational: the sacramental life...focuses upon making present and visible the realm of the invisible spirit. This spiritual dimension addresses the crying need to experience God as truly manifest and notoriously active in daily life.

D-Now Pictures

We've got pictures from Disciple Now available on the D-now blog.

New Videos

Christina has shared some nice videos with us on her Youtube page. Check these out.

Disciple Now

Check in at Camp Kaleo at 5:30.

We will finish up on Sunday at 12:00 at church

We will spend be at Camp Kaleo for the whole event except when sleeping at various host homes.

Check out the D-Now blog for more details.

Volleyball

Saturday, January 26
4:00-7:00
Bank Stephens Middle School

Various churches from the Ministerial Association will get together for volleyball and a pancake supper fundraiser. Tickets for pancakes are available now or at the event for $5. Proceeds to towards Habitat for Humanity.

Disciple Now

Visit the Disciple Now blog for details on this awesome upcoming event. Don't forget to turn in your registration form and $10 by this Wednesday!