If you weren’t at Velocity on Sunday you missed a really fun morning. We signed close to 700 beach balls to send to our friends in Kenya. You can check out some of the pictures on our Facebook page now. We also watched a video shot in Kenya several years ago showing life in the Mathare slum and the difference the Missions of Hope schools have made in the life of several students we sponsor. Visit our Just Add Hope website to see the video and find out more.
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 and check back to make sure there aren’t any changes.
Latif, Kiran & Kalyan– Sleepover onSaturday (5/14), 6PM atLatif’s House. Bring snacks, video games, G-PG movies, sleeping bag. Pick up at church on Sunday.RSVP to licarus@rocketmail.comor 608-213-8111
Ben & Tim – Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM, Pizza & Dodgeball in the WSCC Gym
Lance & Brian – Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM, Pizza & Dodgeball in the WSCC Gym
Bob, Justin, Chad & Jay – Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM, Pizza & Dodgeball in the WSCC Gym, Bring $3 and a drink
Tina, Bethany &Amy – Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM, Mall (Pick Up/Drop Off in front of Dick’s), Bring$ if you want to shop orget a snack
Bridget, Brenda &Maddy -Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM at the Pizza Machine. Bring $10 for pizza & soda (extra if you want to do games/rides).
Dawn, Melissa, Heather & Amanda – Wednesday (5/11), 6:30-8:00PM at WSCC in Room E205. Bring $3 for pizza.
While we will no longer have our weekly V-Group times over the summer, we will still have monthly 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.
This Wednesday, April 6th from 6:30-8:00PM, during our normal V-Group time, we’ll be hosting a special worship night. Our Velocity worship band will be leading us through a worship experience. Whether you come to V-Groups every week or you’ve never been to a single night, take this chance to come and worship with us, perhaps in a new way. We’ll meet down in the gym like usual and then we’ll all head up to E205 together. In addition to some time for worship, we’ll still have some time for groups to break out and talk together so you’ll still get to see your group. See you Wednesday!
Meet us at Strike & Spare West on Wednesday, April 13 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm during our normal V-Group time forthis chance to hang out with friends and show off your bowling skills (or lack of skills). We’ve even got some fun prizes (but don’t worry if you’re not a good bowler…they aren’t based on how good you are). We’ve worked out a reduced rate of $5 including both your bowling and your shoes. (Ifcost isgoing to keep you from coming, talk to Chris and we’ll work something out.)
Don’t forget to invite your friends to come and meet some new people!
Recently, we challenged all of our groups to figure out a way that they can work together to live out their faith by serving others around them. This coming week, instead of our regular group time (Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00), groups will be planning their own serving times. Groups will NOT meet on Wednesday at the church this week unless it’s specifically listed below. Some group plans are still being finalized. If a ny plans change they’ll be updated here so be sure you check back so you know what your group is doing.
Dawn, Melissa, Heather & Amanda – Wednesday (3/23), 6:30-8:00PM at WSCC in Room E205
You’ll notice that some groups will be be meeting next week (3/30) due to scheduling issues. That was scheduled to be an off night (5th Wednesday of the month) so some groups are meeting then since it worked out better to have everyone there.
If you aren’t currently in a group but would like to get involved, let us know. We’ll help you find a great group!
Mark your calendars now and come check out Overflow, our brand new program for Jr. High and High School students looking to go deeper. We’ll meet one Saturday morning each month in the new cafe and tackle topics like how to reach your school for Christ, how to more fully pursue a relationship with God and how to change the world. If you’re looking to be challenged in your walk with God and want to make a difference with your life, this is for you!
Our first Overflow will meet on March 19 from 9-11AM in the new Fireside Cafe.
We’re now two weeks into our Exposed series and we’ve gotten a great response so far. I’ve heard from a number of parents interested in more information about what we’re discussing so I wanted to pass on what I can to help best equip you to talk with your child. It could also be helpful if you’ve had to miss one of the weeks for any reason.
The series is based on something done at another church so I’ve attached their original outlines. I’ve also included mp3s of the audio for each message so far and even video (it’s a rough cut as we originally only intended to use the audio) of week two’s message.
2/20- What went wrong? -- Original outline, Message audio(right click to download), Video (low quality…first try by one of our students but could still be helpful)
PARENTS: This can be a tough topic to discuss with your kids but I’d encourage you to take advantage of this as an excuse to talk for the first time, or talk more in depth, about these topics. Look over the things we’re discussing in this series and then set aside a time now to get some ice cream or go to starbucks and talk things through. With such an important topic we want to make sure we address it with our kids at church but the real lessons will be learned, and lived, at home and throughout the week.
As always, if you’ve got any additional questions or if there is any way we can help, don’t hesitate to let us know.
Finally, as a little added bonus, you can check out our Jr. High band leading us in the song Like a Lion from this past Sunday.
*Post updated 3/1/11 to include final message audio
In a world where students are bombarded with false messages about love and sex every day, it is vital that they hear the truth about God’s plan. On February 13th we will begin a new 3 week series in Velocity called Exposed: God’s Plan for Love & Sex. We’ll cover three big questions:
What was God thinking? – God’s plan, intended for man & woman inside marriage
What went wrong? – Four lies the the world tells about sex
What’s a Jr. Higher supposed to do? – Five steps toward purity
Parents: Obviously this series will address topics a little more sensitive than an average Sunday. They will all be Jr. High age appropriate but if parents have questions or concerns they are free to contact ChrisS@wschurch.org. If you feel your student isn’t ready to hear this material they are welcome to attend adult worship/ABF with you instead during the series.
To kick off 2011 we’ll be going through a new series on spiritual growth called, R.O.O.T.S. It focuses on equipping students to take responsibility for their own spiritual growth. Each week kids will be challenged with a new way they can begin growing to develop their own faith. To help them, we’ve designed spiritual growth tools for each week’s topic. You can preview each of the tools right now.
In addition to the ROOTS tools for students, we’ve created a parent discussion guide for families to use together. You can download a copy here or pick one up in E205 this week. Then use it to talk with your family about how you are all growing and how you can help each other develop spiritually.
Don’t miss our end or year V-Group Christmas Parties on December 15 from 6:30-8:00PM. Even if you’ve never been to V-Groups before you can come and join in the fun. We’d love to have you!
Just make sure you bring some sort of goofy, weird, cheap or ridiculous white elephant gift to exchange. See you there!
