Goodbye Drew

This coming Sunday will be Drew’s final Velocity service with us.  His last official day will be May 31st before he moves to Carbondale, IL to begin a student ministry of his own at Grand Avenue Christian Church.  Drew has been on staff with us as Student Ministry Intern since January of 2012 and he’ll definitely be missed.

To say goodbye and send him off right we’re doing some fun things in Velocity this Sunday.  Drew will be teaching, we’re going to do some fun trivia and even have free cake!  We’ll also have some cards out for anyone to sign and write a memory or a note of encouragement to Drew.  We’re encouraging all students to come a little early (remember our new 10:30 start time) or stay a little late to write him a note.  Anyone else who’d like to write a note to Drew is welcome to stop by as well.  Hope to see you Sunday!

If you’d like to reach Drew to say goodbye, you can also email him at drew.kanzler@gmail.com.  You might want to save some for the cards though since we’ll give him those to take with him.  (If you know you won’t be able to make it Sunday, you can leave comments on this blog post and we’ll try to add them to the cards).

FNL Capitol City Adventure

Next Friday, May 31st from 5:30-7:30PM the Family Ministry Team at West Side is excited to host another great Family Night Live event!  This time around we’ve got a very special scavenger hunt planned all around Springfield.  It’s designed for your whole family, whatever their age.  We’ll meet in The Hub at 5:30PM and give instructions before sending everyone out to their vehicles to begin the adventure.  We’ll wrap it all up with ice cream treats together at our final mystery destination.  Hope to see you there!

C-U Mission Trip

On June 25-27 we’ll be taking our annual mission trip to Champaign-Urbana. It’s a great chance to get away and serve in a variety of different ways. We’ll spend one whole day working with Salt & Light, a terrific organization we’ve partnered with for the last several years. You may have seen them when they were featured on Extreme Home Makeover last fall.

The cost of the trip is $40 and you can signup online. Space is limited so be sure you sign-up and turn in your money ASAP to hold your spot. If you haven’t filled out our annual WSCC Liability Form we’ll need that too.  The official deadline to sign-up is Sunday, June 9th but we may run out of space before then so sign-up now.

V-Group Final Parties

Our weekly V-Groups are wrapping up for the semester and our groups are planning fun nights to celebrate the end of a great year. See below for your group’s plans the week of Wednesday, 5/8 and check back to make sure there aren’t any changes.

• 6^thGrade Boys (Sean & Chris) – Buffalo Wild Wings & Culvers West, 6-8:30, Bring $ for food
• 6^thGrade Boys (Roe & Jared) – BBQ at Jakoby’s (1009 Monarch, Chatham), 6-8PM, come hungry!
• 7^thGrade Boys (Patrick & Jim) – White Oaks Food Court, 6:30-8PM, Bring $ for Dinner & Games
• 7^thGrade Boys (Randy, Jason & Drew) – Skateland, 6:30-8PM, Bring $
• 8th Grade Boys & Girls (All) – Snacks & S’mores at Ellen’s House, 6:30-8:30PM, More info on attached flyer
• 7^thGrade Girls (Heather & Jessica) – White Oaks Food Court, 6-8PM, Bring money ($15ish)
• 7^thGrade Girls (Dawn & Michelle) – Cherry Berry, 6:30-7:30PM (also, Sleepover, 5/31 @ 6PM at Dawn’s)
• 6^th Grade Girls (Teresa & Twyla) – Skateland, 6:30-8:30PM, $4 admission+$3 rental
• 6^th Grade Girls (Hannah & Dawn) – Chuck E Cheese, 6:30-8pM, Bring food & game $

If you’re not sure where to go or have any questions, contact Chris. You may also want to check back before you go just to make sure there have been no changes.

While we will no longer have our weekly V-Group times over the summer, we will still have occasional opportunities to see each other (in addition to Velocity on Sunday mornings). Check back soon for more info on what we’ll be doing over the summer.

Meet Hannah!

Last week a new intern, Hannah Knight, officially joined our staff team.  She’s going to be a full time student ministry intern from now through next April.  Hannah has attended WSCC for a while now and is looking at pursuing a career in ministry so we invited her to join our team.  Drew will be transitioning away on May 31st to lead a ministry of his own so we’re especially excited to have Hannah jumping in now. Many of you already know Hannah and can share our excitement to have her on our team.  If you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, we asked her to share a bit about herself below:

1. What were you doing before coming to work at WSCC?

I was a swim instructor at the Kerasotes YMCA and I taught a 4 year old class at My Friends Discovery Center.

2. What are 3 things most people don’t know about you?

I won the 2013 American Red Cross Workplace Hero Award, I take kickboxing classes, and I am really interested in Human Trafficking and Rapha House.

3. What was your very first paid job?

My family owned a lawn mowing service, so I helped mow cemeteries.

4. What do you love?

I love kids, reading, and Branson, MO.  I also love tacos!

5. Greatest fear?

Flying.

6. Most Recent Purchase?

Super exciting…tires for my car.

7. What does your ideal day entail?

My ideal day would be out on a boat fishing or tubing.

8. Secret Ambition?

I want to adopt a lot of kids.

9. Favorite Scripture?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

10. Favorite Quote?

“More is not better in God’s kingdom. Simply being obedient to whatever he asks matters most.” –You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream

11. Describe one of your proudest moments.

Wining the American Red Cross Hero Workplace Award and being nominated for an American Red Cross Certificate of Merit.  (Be sure to ask Hannah about this sometime…it’s a pretty cool story!)  It was also pretty exciting watching an Autistic child I was teaching write his name by himself!

12. What is the best way to contact you?

My West Side email… HannahK@wschurch.org.

Please help us welcome Hannah to the student ministry team!

WS101: Student Edition

On Sunday, May 5th from 4:00-6:45PM we’re hosting our next West Side 101 class. It’s a class that our church offers every once in a while to help people better understand what baptism and membership are all about. It includes dinner together (free food is always good!) and it’s been a great class for everyone who has been a part of it in the past.

As a part of this event we offer a student specific version of the class. If you’ve been thinking about making the decision to be baptized, or even if you don’t know much about baptism and want to know more, this is the perfect class for you. We’ll have dinner together and participate in the regular 101 class for a short period of time.  Then the students will split off to hang out and talk more about baptism and what it means for students.

If you’re interested in signing up you can register by sending an email to WS101@wschurch.org. Or, if you’ve got more questions, feel free to contact me at ChrisS@wschurch.org.

Arise Deadline

We have a can’t miss weekend coming up fast so we want to send one final reminder that the final deadline for our 7th Grade boys father/son weekend experience is almost here.  Arise is a special event we offer once each year (5/17-18) just for our 7th grade boys and their fathers (or mentors/father figures).  This Sunday is the last day to register and turn in payment ($55 each if you haven’t paid yet).  You can get more info at our Arise detail page.  If you have already let us know you plan to come but haven’t paid yet make sure you turn in your payment so we can confirm your registration.  If you haven’t registered but would like  to go, simply email us to let me know and then bring your money by the church office on Sunday.

Velocity Worship Band

Play an instrument or sing?  We need you!  If you’re interested in serving with our Jr. High worship band contact MichaelS@wschurch.org for more information.  We’re especially looking for people who play drums, guitar & keys.

LSCA Family FUNDay

Lake Springfield Christian Assembly is planning a fun day for families including live music, food and many other activities on Saturday, May 4th from 9AM-3PM.  Get more information at the LSCA website and add it to your calendar to help support the Eagle Lodge project and enjoy a great day with your family.

LSCA Summer Camp

All students entering 6-8^th grades in 2013-14 are encouraged to join us at LSCA for summer camp on July 21-26, 2013. This year is going to be especially awesome as we’re hosting a special week just for West Side and using camp to kick off our brand new school year!

Registration:
Step 1: Sign Up online
Step 2: Turn in registration form and payment to West Side Christian Church office.

     $175 if registered by May 1, 2013+ $20 canteen optional
     $195 if registered by July 1, 2013+ $20 canteen optional

Payment is due with registration form. You are not registered until paid. As always, if money is keeping you from attending contact ChrisS@wschurch.org and we’ll help work out a way for you to attend.