If you're not on The City and need an invitation, or if you're on but have questions, please email Diane at five15youth@gmail.com and we'll get you sorted out.

Thanks!

Global Week of Student Prayer
Sunday, Sept 22 through Saturday, Sept 28

Click here to learn more.

On a related note, the five15 blog will fully transition to The City by September 30. That means no more five15 blog posts! The City will be the official source of five15 communication. 

See you Saturday!

Have you joined The City yet? If not, please request an invitation at five15youth@gmail.com. Remember to join by midnight September 13 to qualify for the tablet giveaway!

Join us for pizza and salad at 5:15 (available for purchase). The meeting begins at 6:30 with a time of worship. Games and Group activities follow. And, this is the night of the tablet giveaway! Remember—you must be present to win.

See you there!

HOW? Join the five15 group on The City.  Request an invite at five15youth@gmail.com if you didn’t get one yet.

If you’re on Facebook, like five15 Youth page and share.

If you’re on Twitter, follow @five15youth and re-tweet.

Entry deadline: Sept 13 at midnight! MUST BE PRESENT ON SEPT 14 TO WIN.

Order Now

As follow up to what was shared at recent five15 Meetings and Parents Meetings about this coming year's "Groups" Meetings, I am excited to let you know that our list of Group Leaders for next year is now complete! These leaders are ready to get to work and we had a great kickoff meeting yesterday to discuss the year ahead as a team.

I'm so grateful for the parents and young adults the Lord has provided to take up this work in five15 next year. I'm looking forward to how these groups will help promote discipleship and create community in five15 as these leaders put to work the manifestation of the Spirit given them for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Below is a list of leaders for each group. You can anticipate leaders in each group reaching out to teens and their parents between now and the September 14 five15 Kickoff meeting.

Here are two photos from our kickoff meeting. The second shows this group’s lighter side -- a characteristic necessary for the work they will be doing!

Here is the list of leaders:

Please be praying for these group leaders as we approach our September 14 five15 Kickoff Meeting. If you have any questions about your specific group, please contact one of your group leaders.

Hope to see you at our first outdoor movie night on August 24! Bring lawn chairs and blankets. Grab a friend or neighbor. The show will start around 8:30 p.m. Feel free to come at 8:00 p.m. for snacks and fellowship. If it rains, we'll move indoors.

Calling all teens and parents!

We invite you to a night of eating snacks and spending quality time in fellowship with other teens and believers. We will have lots of uninterrupted time to worship around a campfire at the Schaaf's house (7507 Amkin Court, Clifton,VA 20124) on Friday, July 26th at 6:30 pm.

This will be a special time for us to gather together praising our God through passionate singing, playing of instruments (more musicians welcome), dancing, and other personal expressions of worship in a casual, comfortable environment.

For more information contact AnaMichele Babyak.

July 27^th  Ministry Fair Menu

Help us make five15 a great place to be. Prayerfully consider how you will get involved. Be prepared with your top 3 choices!

Design Team~  Design an awesome space where teens want to come and linger.

Worship Team~  Help lead us into passionate, gospel-centered worship of our great God.

Sound Team~  Provide crisp, clear sound of worship and speaking.

Projection Team~  Enhance meetings with a multi-media experience.

Games Team~ Create fun opportunities to interact with new people.

Set-up Team~  Set-up the space where it all happens and build muscle.

Media Team~  Present five15 news and events through creative, multi-media advertising.

Welcome Team~  Welcome and include every person who walks through the door.

Coffee House & Pizza Team~  Provide dinner and specialty coffee before the meeting.

Evangelism Team~  Learn to share the gospel through fun and innovative means.

Activities Team~  Plan activities outside of the meetings to serve others, have fun, and make memories.

Hope you can be there!

Psalm 63:1-8

Hope to see you there!

Did you catch all the changes? 

5:15 pm start time, food, longer worship, and middle school and high school splitting up when we focus directly on the Word of God.

Katherine Sawyer has served five15 as its administrative assistant for the last year and a half and has been on the church’s administrative staff for over five years. This fall, Katherine will be going back to college and subsequently will be moving on from working at the church so that she can focus on her studies. Katherine’s last day at the church office will be near the end of June.

I have really appreciated Katherine’s kind and gracious spirit as I’ve worked with her and as I’ve observed her interacting with everyone in five15. She is an example of faithful and steadfast service of others. I am grateful for her faith-filled willingness to take on the administrative responsibility for five15. Even over the last year, she has gone beyond the scope of her staff duties and has served five15 out of her own time by helping lead a group in our five15 Girls Gatherings and also by being a part of a recent panel that discussed “wisdom from above” in James 3:13-18.

I’m thankful for the ways Katherine has invested in five15 over the past year and a half. If you see Katherine in the coming weeks, please take a moment to thank her.

You are probably wondering how we will pick up the slack with Katherine gone. Well, as the church office begins work on a long-term plan, we’ve created two temporary positions that Diane James and Heather Alexander have agreed to take on. During the summer, we’ll begin preparing for an official job opening and interview process. If you hear from Diane or Heather regarding five15, please give them your full support as they take on these new responsibilities.

I’m grateful that God has continued to raise up members of this local body to serve in various ways to build up the other parts (Ephesians 4:16). There’s going to be a lot more of that this coming year and I look forward to what the Lord will do.

(Thanks to Kate Mullery for the photos)

Children’s Ministry needs more helpers for next year. Will you help serve the younger generation? Please email CMhelpers@yahoo.com to sign up. They need your name, phone number, preferred classes, and which week of the month you’d like to serve. Thanks!

Here are the details:

Shell Station on Burke Center Parkway near Kohl's, Safeway, and Chipotle. 

Arrive at 9:30 a.m. to set up. Car Wash 10:00a.m.- 2:00 p.m. 

People needed to wash cars or hold signs on the street corners.

If you cannot serve all four hours, shifts are ok. 

Bring buckets and rags/old towels.

Please contact Ken Jones or Dorrie Peace to volunteer to serve.

Thanks!

The deadline to sign up to serve is Sunday, June 2. 

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact John Suh or Monique Burgos. 

Thanks in advance for serving!

This Saturday's five15 Meeting is our annual Senior Night!

Here is the plan:

• We'll have shoeboxes out to fill with notes of encouragement for graduating seniors
• Worship
• Announcements (Retreat registration, Retreat activity team, VBS serving, Lamb Center serving, CM serving, Manskool, Dominican Republic)
• Testimonies from a graduating senior and a parent
• Prayer for graduating seniors
• Seniors group photo and seniors group photo with parents
• Seniors "launched" and picked up for surprise fun night by Crossroads
• After the seniors depart, we'll talk briefly about the upcoming year, play a game, and hangout over snacks

I hope to see you there!

We are now 110 days away from the 2013 five15 Retreat for rising 9th - 12th graders and parents! On Sunday, August 18, we will return to Camp Hebron in Halifax, PA and stay through Wednesday, August 21.

The theme for this year’s retreat is “The Depth: Knowing the Love of Christ” which is taken from Ephesians 3:14-19 where Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church is that they would have strength to comprehend the depth of the love of Christ. Guest speaker Jon Smith from Covenant Life Church will be joining us to help us connect the love of God to our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

My prayer for this retreat is that we would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to comprehend more of the Father’s love in what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. Additionally, I pray that this time will be one of building relationships, community, and memories that will carry us into the 2013-2014 school and ministry year and beyond.

Registration for the retreat is now open online and will be open through Friday, June 28. You can register here.

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Thorson, who is serving as one of the administrators for the retreat and is overseeing registration.

I hope to see you in August!

6:30 pm: Everyone meets in the Main Auditorium for worship, testimonies (three of them!), and announcements.

7:00 pm:

• Middle School Forum: continuing through the Westminster Larger Catechism, looking at Question #7, "What is God?"
• High School Forum: continuing through the book of James, Daniel Hinders will lead a panel discussion on "Wisdom from Above" in James 3:13-18. The panel will consist of three guest church members: Peter Lewis, Katie Strylowski, and Scott Remer.
• Parents Meeting: following up our last parents meeting, we will continue our dialogue about how to best minister to and serve each age group in five15. Some parents who have been serving on the Evaluation Team that has been examining this topic over the past month will share with parents what they've been working and some possible recommendations. We'll spend the last half of our time gathering input from parents to assist the team as they move toward making a recommendation to the elders.

I hope to see you on Saturday!

Please click here for more information and to sign up through the church event registration site by Wednesday (4/17), or email Sarah. 

Thanks!

• Games
• Testimony from Seth Middleton
• Devotion from Joseph Henson on Psalm 25:8-11

For info on the Girls Gathering and pizza contest here. 

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Hope to see you there!

Guys / Girls Gathering (Saturday, April13,6:30 pm)

• Pizza contest!
• Girls Gathering: Continuing in "Who Am I?" by Jerry Bridges, focusing on "I am a saint, a servant of God"
• Guys Gathering: details coming later this week

Pizzas will be judged before the meeting, then we will share them for dinner together and hear how God worked throughout the mission trips that some of our teens and parents recently participated in. 

five15 will provide drinks, sides, and desserts - you bring the pizza.

Here are the details:

• Please bring 2 pizzas so that we will have enough for everyone. 
• Bring your pizzas to the kitchen no later than 5:30 p.m.
• Please list potential allergens (milk, wheat flour, etc.) on a 3 x 5 index card.
• Judging will take place between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.
• Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

- Best presentation

- Best toppings

- Best crust

- Best overall pizza

I going to be attending this event with a five15 parent to check it out and see what info we can get from it. If any other five15 parents are interested in joining us to check this out and compare notes after, let me know and we can meet up there and sit together.

Thanks!

This Saturday is our regularly scheduled five15 Forum focused on teens. However, as was previously announced at our last five15 meeting and in the monthly parent email, we'll be having a parent meeting, as well.

Here are the details:

• 6:30 pm - worship
• 7:00 pm
  • Middle School - Westminster Catechism Question #6 "How many persons are there in the Godhead?", Main Lobby
  • Senior High - The Tongue (James 3:1-12) - guest speaker Vince Hinders, Basement Auditorium
  • Parents Meeting with Luke in Room 204 (parents should have received topics and documents for the meeting in their monthly parent email, if you did not, please contact Katherine Sawyer)
• 8:00 pm - hang out and snacks

I hope to see you there!

Here are a couple of excerpts: 

Aim to give our kids a huge view of God who is gloriously delightful. We can't simply tell our kids to stop doing certain behaviors; we must also teach them to delight in what God has made.

...

Teach them the gospel. Our kids are spring-loaded legalists. They have to see us model gospel truth through active repentance and forgiveness. They have to know their acceptance before God isn't based on their performance, but on Christ's. They have to know their standing as a family member doesn't depend on their obedience, though their standing does imply a certain type of living.

You can click the above link to read the article, which includes some very practical steps for parents.

At this Saturday's five15 Gathering (teens and parents), we'll be looking at John 3:1-8, where Jesus says, "You must be born again." 

Please be praying for this meeting. I hope to see you there.

Hermeneutics - Mark Mullery

8 Sessions

Spiritual Gifts - Dave Andrews

5 Sessions

These are open to all ages, so please consider attending! 

More info and sign-ups are available online: click here

Hope to see you there!

Thanks!

This Saturday, February 16, is our five15 teen Forum.

Mark Mullery will lead the Senior High students in a study of James 2:14-26, discussing "Faith and Works". 

For the Middle School students, Joseph Henson will discuss the fifth question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "Are there more Gods than one?"

Parents: if you are interested in taking part in and/or hosting parents' fellowship during the five15 forums, please let me (Luke) know. 

To join the group, you can email Sarah Lannon by 7 p.m. this Sunday evening, or just find her at this Saturday's five15 meeting.

More details:

We will be preparing and serving a meal on Monday, February 4th at the Lamb Center (which is a Christian homeless center in Fairfax). The volunteers will be split into groups. Each group will then be assigned to a house, where they will arrive at 10:00 a.m. to prepare the food. Each group will work together to make two dishes of pasta (a recipe will be provided) and two loaves of bread. All of the groups will then meet at the Lamb Center at 11:45 a.m., a prayer will be said, and we will then serve the food at noon. We will not be needed to help with clean-up, and will be released before 1:30 p.m. Also, each volunteer will be asked to supply an ingredient necessary for the pasta; however, that should be no more than $5.

Thank you for your support of this mission trip!

*For our gluten-free friends, the chili will be gluten-free, though the pizza will not.

To sign up online, please click here.

For a refresher on what the Career Night is all about, click here.

Hope to see you there!

Hello five 15! 

At our next meeting (Feb 2nd) there will be a fundraiser where you can make donations for a cause called "to write love on her arms" in support of stopping self harm. Later this month at Robinson secondary high school, carnations will be taped to the lockers of senior girls to let them know they are loved. This is one way that you can help encourage and support some of the students in our community.

There will be no food for this fundraiser, but any amount of donations will be greatly appreciated. Just see me before or after the five15 meeting. Thank you!

- Noah Herrera

This Saturday is a five15 Guys / Girls Gathering. 

What's that mean? It means that after worship and announcements, we'll split into two separate meetings: one for guys (teenage guys and dads) and one for ladies (teenage girls and moms).*

Here is the rundown of what we'll be doing:

• Guys Gathering - we'll be looking at 1 John 1:5-9 and discussing in smaller groups what it means to "walk in the light" and what that can mean for fellowship and accountability. 
• Girls Gathering - a panel of women will be addressing the topic of our adoption by God. They will share about their journey with Christ, each unique but all headed to the same place with the same God. If you have questions about any of the material already covered in the "Who Am I?" book or questions about living for Christ, this panel of ladies will be there to field your questions from their experience and what they know about God. 

*As previously mentioned, if you are a dad bringing your daughter to five15 (or a mom bringing your son), that's no problem. You can still go with your respective gender group and participate, contribute to, and benefit from the meeting.

Online registration for the 2013 Middle School Retreat (for 6-8th graders and their parents) ends this week. The deadline is the end of the day this Thursday, January 31st. 

For more info and to sign up, click here.

A son and father will be leading a discussion on the pursuit of holiness, pulling from 1 Timothy 4:11 - 6:2, while focusing on 4:12, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."After the discussion, we'll break down into tables for smaller group discussion and prayer.

I hope to see you there!

[image credit: istockphoto / fotografstockholm]

Has the topic of a teen's future career path ever come up in your house? Are you wondering what career path might be best for you? Are you searching for information on career fields so you can consider the pros and cons of each of them for you? 

If so, the upcoming five15 Career Night could be a great resource for you. 

This event is on Saturday, February 9 and registration closes a week from today on Wednesday, January 23. In case you missed the announcement at the January 5 five15 meeting, here are the details:

What is the five15 Career Night?

It’s an opportunity for five15 students to learn more about careers in various fields from adults in our church who work in those fields.

What is the format of the meeting?

There will be two separate 45-minute sessions consisting of two separate panels.

What career fields will be represented?

15 church members in the following fields will make up our panels:

• Business & Management

• Teaching & Health Care

• Engineering & Computers

• Law & Intelligence

When and where is it?

Saturday, February 9, 6:30 pm, at the church.

Is there a cost?

No. This event is free.

Is food provided?

Refreshments are provided during a break between the two sessions. This will allow a context for students to ask follow-up questions of panel members and inquire about learning more or even job shadowing with them (where possible).

How do I register?

Click here to register. At registration, you’ll be asked to select which sessions you want to take part in.

Should parents and teens both register?

Yes. This event is open to both parents and teens. Please register ahead to help us have accurate numbers for planning purposes.

Questions?

If you have questions about this event, you can contact Megan or Michael Marriott. If you have questions about registration, please contact Katherine Sawyer.

Some of us attended the Gospel at Work Conference at Covenant Life Church earlier this month. For everyone, whether you went to the conference or not, videos of the main sessions and audio of the breakouts are now available online.

Enjoy!

This Saturday, January 19, is our five15 teen Forum.

[image credit: istockphoto / KateLeigh]

Senior High students will be looking at and discussing partiality from James 2:1-13 as we pick up the James study we started a few months ago. Our time will facilitate hands-on Bible study and guided discussion about God's Word.

Middle School students will be taught by guest speaker and church member Joe Cooper who will be unpacking the fourth question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "What is God?" This teaching series will continue to build a theological foundation for younger teens.

Parents: if you are interested in taking part in and/or hosting parents fellowship during the five15 meeting, please let me know so I that I can connect all interested parties.

For more details see this post. To sign up to join the group, please contact Shannon or Liz directly. 

Some of you may know that the Marriott family is planning a five15 Career Night. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about different career paths from adult members of the church. Registration is available online through January 31st.

Click here for more information and to sign up through the church online registration. 

Please contact the Marriotts or Katherine with questions. 

Thanks and Happy New Year!

On Sunday, January 13, between our Sunday church service and church family meeting, there will be a fundraiser lunch and bake sale for the 2013 Rancho 3M trip. This is an opportunity to provide a lunch for folks staying around the church between the two meetings. There's a lot of work to do, so we need all hands on deck. 

Lunch Info

Here are the needs:

• Ticket sales
• Set up
• Serving
• Food prep
• Clean up

Please email Jeanine Babyak as soon as possible to tell her where you'd like to serve.

Bake Sale Info

Also, we need many ovens fired up to provide for the bake sale. If you remember last year we raised almost as much money on the bake sale as the meal.  Please begin thinking about what you want to bring. We are still in need of a coordinator for the bake sale, so if you would like to step up and volunteer (or volunteer someone else!), let Jason Remer know.

"Can I help with the lunch and/or bake sale even if I'm not going on the trip?" Yes! We need all the help we can get. As we were reminded in last Sunday's message from James 1:27, we are all called to play a role in the care of orphans, whatever that role may look like.

[istockphoto.com / alexsl]

We will use this Saturday's Gathering to start the new year with a worship, ministry, and prayer night. Our theme will be "Better is One Day" as we draw from Psalm 84:10 which depicts for us the truth that knowing and worshipping God is better than anything else.

God has met us in powerful ways through these meetings over the years. But it's not about anything we do in setting up a meeting - it's about God. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). With that in mind, I'd like to invite any that are interested to join me for a small prayer meeting prior to the five15 meeting. From 5:30 - 6:00 pm, we can pray for the worship, ministry, and prayer night, making our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6). We want to see Jesus Christ glorified and the Holy Spirit change lives, so let's boldly approach the throne of grace asking the Father to do these things. If you have any questions about this prayer meeting, let me know. If you want to participate, meet me in the basement auditorium at 5:30 pm.

See you Saturday.

Hope to see you there!

As was announced at church this past Sunday, Covenant Life Church will be hosting "The Gospel at Work" conference on Friday, January 11 and Saturday, January 12. 

The conference will address questions such as:

• What is God’s purpose for my work?
• How does the gospel change my work?
• How does applying the truths of the gospel help me manage differently?
• How does a Christian strategize and plan his or her career?

Speakers include:

• Os Guiness
• Mark Dever
• Michael Lawrence
• Eric Simmons
• Matt Perman
• Carolyn McCulley
• Andre Yee
• Bob Doll
• Jonathan Leeman

The conference is for all ages and I hope five15 teens and parents consider taking this opportunity to explore what God's Word says about work. Let me encourage you to consider carpooling with other families and sharing meals together to create contexts to talk about your work and how the teaching from the conference can apply to it.

You can register here. If you register before December 17, you will get the early bird rate of $49.00. After that, the cost rises to $79.00.

I hope to see many five15 teens and parents there.

five15 Christmas Party this Saturday!

• Who: five15 teens, parents, and volunteers
• When: Saturday, December 15, 6:30 pm (doors open at 6:00 pm)
• What: fun, food, and fellowship

We need you to bring the food! All attendees are asked to bring their favorite finger food (appetizer or dessert) with a 3x5 index card noting any potential allergens (wheat, dairy, nuts, etc.).

See you there!

This Saturday, December 1, we'll meet for a Guys / Girls Gathering*. 

What We're Talking About:

• Guys: Leadership: Whose Joy Are You Working For? (2 Corinthians 1:24)
• Girls: "I am Justified" (Galatians 2:15-16) from Jerry Bridges' book "Who Am I?" For more info on the Girls Gatherings topic and corresponding reading, click here.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Time: doors open at 6:00 pm, meeting starts at 6:30 pm, snacks come out at 8:00 pm.
• As previously mentioned, if you are a dad bringing your daughter to five15 (or a mom bringing your son), that's no problem. You can still go with your respective gender group and participate, contribute to, and benefit from the meeting.

*Background of Guys / Girls Gatherings: The first five15 meeting of each month is a "Gathering" and at every other Gathering, guys and girls meet separately for the teaching / discussion time. This setting creates a unique context for discussion and topics. These meetings are for middle school students, high school students, and parents. For more background on these meetings, click here.

The 2013 Mission Trip to Rancho 3M in Guadalupe, Mexico, will take place on March 23-30.

December 1st is the last day to add your name to the interest list* for this trip.

If you would like to sign up and have not already done so at a recent five15 meeting, there will be one last opportunity at the December 1st meeting, or you may email Katherine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

*by adding your name to this list, you are expressing interest in receiving further information about this mission trip, not necessarily committing to the team.

Thanks!

We are still in need of 75 more individuals to serve that evening. We really need everyone's help to make this event happen.

Here are the details:

• Biggest needs -- Two areas that especially need more helpers are Table Hosts* and Childcare**.
• Sign-up -- Sign-up is open here at the church website and includes a brief description of each serving position, including the time commitment. The deadline to sign-up to serve is Wednesday, 11/14.
• Arrival times -- If you have already signed up to serve: please note that the arrival time for some teams has changed to accommodate an etiquette lesson for the team members serving during the event. If you signed up to serve with set-up, décor/table prep, or food prep, your arrival time is 3:00 p.m. All other teams will arrive at 4:15 p.m. Please visit the online sign-up to view more details for each individual serving team.
• Orientation & training -- All teams will receive orientation & training to engage International guests. An etiquette lesson is currently scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on the day of the event.
• You can eat, too! Everyone serving is invited to participate in the dinner with our guests! 
• Bring a side dish -- Please plan to contribute to the potluck by bringing a side dish, meat dish, or dessert (one per family unit). Truro will already be providing: mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and green beans. Sides that our church could provide are: salad, sweet potato casserole, or any other Thanksgiving favorites.
• Dress code -- if you are serving at this event, please plan to wear black/dark pants (or the ladies may choose a skirt) and a white/light top.

*4:15-10:00 p.m. These folks (two hosts per table) will be trained on the day-of to warmly receive and serve guests at their table, and will be equipped with conversation topics suitable for connecting with our international guests. The idea is to help our guests feel welcome and to let them know that they can come to you if they have questions about the event (i.e. location of child care or restrooms, what’s on the menu, etc.).

**4:15-10:00 p.m. Keep children engaged and safe during food prep and event. Kids will eat with their parents (6:30-8 p.m.), then be sent to childcare rooms for the program afterward, as parents see fit.

Please direct any questions about serving to Katherine. You can find out more about Truro’s International Ministry here.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us.” On this verse's use of the word "ambassador", Paul Tripp notes the following: “The job of an ambassador is to represent someone or something. Everything he does and says must intentionally represent a leader who isn’t physically present.”

Thank you for considering representing Christ through this event!

As promised, here are the details on this Saturday's bonfire:

• What: A time of snacks, music, and hanging out around a bonfire.
• When: This Saturday, November 10th, 7-10p.m.
• Where: Nelson home – 11567 Lilting Ln. Fairfax Station, VA 22039. Click here to view a map.
• Who: All five15 teens and parents welcome!

What you can bring:

• If your last name starts with A-F: please bring drinks: 1-2 bottles of soda, juice, or a large thermos of pre-prepared hot chocolate or cider
• G-M: please bring paper products (one small bag each of cups, small plates, napkins)
• N-S: a savory finger food
• T-Z: a dessert/sweet finger food

EVERYONE: please bring a folding chair, pillow or blanket to sit on.

Parking guidelines: Parking is available along the street. Please keep the traffic circle in
front of the house open and unobstructed so everyone can come and go easily. There are NO
streetlights, so a small flashlight might be helpful for finding your car at the end of the evening.

[Important!] Weather/cancelation decision: if weather conditions are not conducive to an outdoor bonfire
gathering (raining, too windy, etc.), this event may be canceled. In the event of a cancelation, notices will be posted on the blog, Facebook, and Twitter by 2:00 pm on Saturday.

[If you received blog posts via email, you will need to check the actual blog website. There is a delay between blog posts being published and the automatic emails being sent.]

Many thanks to the Nelson family for their hospitality!

Here is a recap of the main points:

• Be passionate (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17)
• Be loving (Mark 12:29-30)
• Be faithful (Hebrews 11:6, Romans 14:23)
• Be pure (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
• Be wise (James 1:5)

I hope that the meeting helped add to the discussions already going on at home between parents and teens regarding this topic.

Attention upperclassmen (that is, high school juniors and seniors)!

As was mentioned in previous announcements, the upcoming Middle School Retreat (MSR) on February 23, 2013 will be run, powered, and driven by … you!

This Saturday at five15, Charis Okada, who is the administrator for the retreat, will be telling you more about this opportunity to serve and will be providing a sign-up sheet for those ready to take on this challenge.

Here are a few details:

• The team will consist of 15 upperclassmen (if more than 15 sign-up, we may need to prioritize based on grade, then age)
• You can sign-up at the meeting or by emailing Katherine Sawyer
• Sign-up for the team closes on November 26
• The team's first meeting will be at 5:00 pm on December 1 (before the five15 meeting)
• Members can anticipate monthly meetings (December, January, February), however, that will be subject to change depending on the plan the team comes up with
• If you have any questions, please contact Charis Okada

Parents of upperclassmen, please encourage your teen to consider serving in this way. 

For MSR participants, more info will be coming your way in mid-November.

five15 Gathering meeting (parents and teens) this Saturday!

Time: The meeting starts at 6:30 pm. Doors open for hanging-out at 6:00 pm.

Teaching: Vince Hinders will be joining us to teach and lead discussion about guy-girl relationships. Our goal in this meeting is to help parents and teens think through Biblical principles that apply to this area of life. We want to consider how disciples of Jesus Christ can think about guy-girl relationships. The teaching will be discussion-based and offer opportunities for anyone to ask questions. However, if you have any questions you'd like considered beforehand or any thoughts on how to use this time to best serve five15 families, please let me know.

What else?

• Our annual pie / cobbler contest
• Eating pie
• Info on serving opportunities (Rancho 3M, Middle School Retreat, decor, Operation Christmas Child)
• Eating more pie

I hope to see you there!

Our annual five15 pie / cobbler contest will be November 3 as part of our regular five15 Gathering.

Here are the details:

• Bring your pie / cobbler to the kitchen no later than 5:30pm 
• Tape to the pan or dish a 3x5 card with the following info:
• Type of pie
• Potential allergens (e.g., contains nuts, milk, wheat flour, etc.)
• There is no limit to the number of pies an individual can enter
• Judging will take place between 5:30pm and 6:00pm
• First and second prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
• Best presentation
• Best filling
• Best crust/whatever you call the stuff in a cobbler
• Best overall pie/cobbler

Middle School Retreat: February 23, 2013 at the church building

The MSR is a little later this year. Why? Primarily, to get farther away from Christmas break (easier on those serving and may make for a smoother registration process). In addition to that, some church calendar conflicts pushed us back a bit, too. As a side note, maybe we can finally avoid the snow and ice we for some reason seem to always hit in January -- please pray to that end!

High school juniors and seniors: we're putting together a team of you to make this retreat happen. Please be on the lookout in the coming weeks for a sign-up. Great opportunity for you to serve and lead.

High School Retreat: August, 18 - 21, 2013 at Camp Hebron

2012 - First, thanks to everyone who provided feedback forms for the 2012 retreat. Please know that each form has been read and your thoughts considered. However, due to the sheer quantity of feedback forms, it is not possible for me to provide individual responses to everyone who submitted a form. If you had a particular item you wanted to hear back on, please let me know and I'll be happy to talk with you.

2013 - Thanks to those who have let me know about the complications that a late August date causes for those who play sports and are involved in extracurricular activities. I'm sorry for the trouble this causes. Unfortunately, we are locked into this particular week each year with Camp Hebron. We have asked about switching with other groups who have earlier August weeks, but are not able to. Additionally, we've researched some other locations, but so far, have not found anything that would not result in either a price increase or a loss of quality when compared to what Camp Hebron offers. If you know of a place that provides similar benefits to Camp Hebron and would not increase our cost, please let me know. I will continue to keep my eye open and reexamine this yearly.

November 3 Gathering

• Teaching: Luke and Vince will be speaking with parents and teens about being a disciple of Christ and thinking about guy-girl relationships. This topic has come up a lot in recent months in conversations with church members and we'd like to help provide Biblical principles for thinking about this topic. I've already received some input from five15 parents and teens on questions they have or things they would like to hear covered in this talk. If you have questions or ideas, please let me know.
• Pie / Cobbler Contest! Stayed tuned for details!

November 10 - Bonfire [NEW!]

• Late-breaking news: weather permitting, the Nelson family will be hosting a bonfire on Saturday, November 10 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm for five15 parents and teens. More details will be coming soon.

November 17 - TIPS Thanksgiving Dinner [CHANGE!]

• As was announced at our last five15 meeting, a unique opportunity has come to our church to partner with Truro's International Programs & Services (TIPS) by hosting their annual Thanksgiving dinner that serves, on average, 200-220 individual who have been a part of their ESL classes, GMU outreach, and other ministries. We are turning our regularly scheduled five15 meeting into an opportunity to serve and partner with another local church in reaching out to those from other nations. The logistics are currently being coordinated between Truro and our church staff. Once they are established, I'll let everyone know how to go about signing-up to serve that evening. 

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

The following is a note from Katie Bricker following up the October 6 Girls Gathering...

***

Grace and peace to you!  Thank you for joining us and participating to make the evening so fruitful!  I promised the five 15 moms that I would give you the Bible verses, the chapters to be read by session, and my contact info for questions.  The Bible verses and chapters indicated above the verse are as follows:

Week 1, Oct 6

• Creature
• Genesis 1:27
• Christ
• Romans 5:19

Week 2, Dec 1

• Justified
• Galatians 2:15-16

Week 3, Feb 2

• Adopted son of God
• Romans 8:15
• New Creation
• Ezekiel 36:26-27

Week 4, Apr 13

• Saint
• 1 Peter 2:9
• Servant of Christ
• Colossians 3:23-24

Week 5, Jul 13

• Not Perfect
• 1 Peter 2:1

Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

For any that are still in need of the Jerry Bridges book, "Who Am I?", the book is on its way to the church bookstore where you will be able to pick up a copy.

Grace and blessings to and through you,

Katie Bricker

By way of recapping what was covered at the meeting: at a high level, these individuals have been put in place to help us connect teens with more of the church. At a practical level, they have three simple objectives in five15 meetings:

1. Model Biblical fellowship around God’s Word
2. Serve as needed
3. Assist in safety and security

Thanks to everyone who communicated questions to me regarding the addition of this role. Your questions and input helped sharpen this process and increase clarity. Please know that I am always available to listen to any questions you have. Additionally, at this Saturday's parents fellowship time at Vince & Bonnie's house, Vince will set aside some time to answer any questions any parents have about these changes.

For those that couldn't make it to the meeting and for those who can be helped by faces and names being connected again, here are the volunteers that were introduced:

Ed & Hailey Bastelli

Shannon Fox

Deborah Herring

Daniel & Rebekah Hinders

Seth & Rebecca Middleton

Colin & Molly Mullery

Lynne Wilson

On October 24, the fifth of five discipleship groups held at the Middleton home in 2012 will begin. This senior high group will meet six times (schedule below).

As we as a church seek to increase our focus on mission and outward focus, we're going to do something a bit different with this group than previous ones. We are going to be watching the DVD series "Dispatches from the Front" which depicts what the Gospel is accomplishing in the lives of hard-to-reach peoples in Southeast Asia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, West Africa, India, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. My prayer is that the stories of Christ's power depicted in this documentary will stir a heart for missions in our teens, as it already has for me as I've previewed the series. You can read reviews of the series here.

Because of the uniqueness of this opportunity, I want to open the group up to parents of attending teens who are interested in this topic. 

Here are the rest of the details on these groups:

• Luke & Kristin Middleton lead these co-ed groups
• The group meets on Wednesdays (see schedule below) from 7:30 - 9:00pm
• This group is for senior high students
• You must be able to commit to attending at least five of the six scheduled meetings (if you are under unique circumstances, please contact me directly and we can talk about it)
• You must bring your Bible (an actual book / paper version - not on your phone or iPod)

Dates:

• October 24
• November 7
• November 14
• November 28
• December 5
• December 12

You can sign-up here. Registration closes on Monday, October 22.

If you have administrative questions, please contact Katherine. For any other questions, please contact Luke.

Our October five15 Forum is this Saturday, October 20. 

Time:

• Doors open for hanging out at 6:00 pm (remember, there is no pizza)
• Worship at 6:30 pm
• Middle School and High School will split at 7:00 pm
• Snacks come out at 8:00 pm (everyone back together)
• Everyone can hang out and enjoy snacks until 9:00 pm

Here is what will be discussed:

Middle School -- Joseph Henson will continue taking the middle school students through the beginning of the Westminster Catechism. This week's question is #2: "How does it appear that there is a God?" Parents of middle schoolers, let me encourage you to follow up with your teen in the days following the meeting by asking them if they remember the answer to this question.

Senior High -- Seita Sakaguchi will be our guest speaker and will be talking about discipleship and the Word of God as he walks us through part of John 15 and shares a bit about the role the Word of God played in his own conversion. 

Parents fellowship at Vince & Bonnie's -- as was previously announced, during every five15 Forum meeting this year, parents are welcome to go to Vince & Bonnie's house for a time of informal parents fellowship. During this week's fellowship time, Vince will set aside some time to answer any questions you bring regarding recent changes to five15. 

I'm looking forward to what God does through these contexts this Saturday.

Trinity Christian School be hosting the Fairfax Christian College Fair on October 23, 2012 from 7-9 pm at their Braddock Road campus. Over 30 Christian colleges from around the country will send representatives to share information and answer questions for high school students who are considering their college options.  

For questions, please contact Yvonne Gaffin at Trinity Christian School (703-273-8787 ext. 120).

As a follow up to Saturday's announcement regarding Rancho 3M, I am happy to tell everyone that we were able to confirm this week that there will be a five15 missions trip to Rancho 3M over spring break (March 23 - 30, 2013). 

This morning, I met with Jason Remer, who will be leading the trip again. More details will be coming. Here is what we can tell you now:

• Like last year, the trip will consist of construction work and VBS
• We are limited to 40 people
• Sign-ups for those who are interested will be posted at the next two five15 meetings (October 20 and November 3)

Last year's trip was incredible and I'm looking forward to this coming year's trip. Please pray that God would provide leaders, laborers, and funding.

In related news: for any that are interested, our church will be doing another Dominican Republic missions trip in July 2013.

The first five15 meeting of each month is called our Gathering. At every other Gathering, guys and girls are split after worship and announcements. This setting creates a unique context for discussion and topics.

This Saturday is our first Guy / Girl Gathering. These meetings are for middle school students, high school students, and parents. Here is what you can expect.

Girls Gathering

As you heard mentioned in a recent Sunday morning announcement, our church's women's ministry is going to be taking the lead on these girls gatherings. In five meetings over the next ten months, the girls will be learning about finding their identity in Christ by using Jerry Bridges' book "Who Am I?" (free copies of this short book will be provided to all five15 ladies compliments of the women's ministry). Teaching times include small group discussions and the February meeting will feature a panel discussion.

Here is a brief interview I did with Katie Bricker and Molly Mullery, members of our church's women's ministry, to help you get an idea of the plan for these meetings and the heart behind them.

Guys Gathering

This Saturday, the guys will follow up last Saturday's Manhood Conference at Covenant Life Church. Let me say up front: you do not need to have attended the conference to attend or benefit from this meeting. We will be hearing from a few guys that attended the conference about what stood out to them and then will be using those topics as a launch pad for our own discussion this Saturday.

Misc. Notes

• As always, the meeting will run from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, with snacks available at 8:00 pm and doors closing at 9:00 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm for anyone that wants to come early to hang out.
• As previously mentioned, if you are a dad bringing your daughter to five15 (or a mom bringing your son), that's no problem. You can still go with your respective group and participate and benefit from the time.

***

All senior high girls (9th-12th grades) are welcome to join Liz Jensen and Shannon Fox for a weekly Bible study on Wednesday nights. It will be held from 7-9 pm, at Shannon's home, which is located in Fairfax off of Stringfellow between Rt. 50 and 286 (7100).

The start date is the October 3 and will go until April 24, broken into two semesters. The first will be 10 weeks (Sept 26 to Dec 19) and the second will be 16 weeks (Jan 9 to April 24). When the second semester starts we will reopen sign up to allow for any new comers, as well as a natural transition for those girls who can't commit to the new year.

The plan is to go through Esther, John, and Romans during the first semester and Nehemiah, Matthew, and Revelation in the second semester, using the inductive method of study.

We are both super excited to meet with you and do life with you.  We realize that October 3 is just around the corner, so we will keep "registration" open until October 7.  If you have any questions, or are interested in signing up please email Shannon.

Here is a high level overview.

Two Monthly five15 Meetings

Both are at the building. Both are from 6:30 - 8:00 pm with hangout times from 6:00 - 6:30 pm and 8:00 - 9:00 pm (the latter with snacks).

• Gatherings (first meeting of the month; parents and teens)
• Forums (second meeting of the month; teens and adult volunteers)

Additional five15 Activities

In addition to those regular meetings, there are options for pursuing fellowship, serving, and outreach

• Groups
• Field

Here are the details:

• When: first five15 meeting of every month
• Target audience: parents and teens
• Purpose: preach to teens and provide a context for parent-teen discussions
• Format: worship, the Word, parent-teen discussion, snacks
• Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm, with hangout time from 6:00 - 6:30 pm and 8:00 - 9:00 pm

Every other Gathering will be a Guy / Girl Gathering. What does this mean? It simply means that every other time we have parents and teens together, we are going to split the males and females after worship and announcements. These settings will create a unique context for discussion and topics. If you are a dad bringing your daughter to five15 (or a mom bringing her son), that's no problem. Each can still go with their respective group and still participate and benefit. 

As far as scheduling, don't let this confuse you. These Gatherings keeps right in step with the "Gatherings" umbrella: it only happens within the first meeting of the month and it is parent-teen focused.

More details on our first Guy / Girl Gathering (October 6) will be coming your way within a week. Stay tuned.

• When: second five15 meeting of every month
• Target audience: teens and adult volunteers
• Purpose: engage the Word with teens in an interactive way, focus on Bible study, theological topics, or current topic (e.g., devotions, preparing to get the most out of the retreat, etc.)
• Format: worship, the Word, discussion, snacks
• Time: Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm, with hangout time from 6:00 - 6:30 pm and 8:00 - 9:00 pm

• Purpose: create a context for teens to fellowship in smaller settings, meeting in homes, build relationships, connect with leaders, and study God's Word in a more hands-on way
• The Groups category is fluid. Groups come and go as people step up to lead them. So far, we've had one girls Bible study, one girls book study, four discipleship groups at the Middleton home, and Manskool
• When: each group creates its own schedule

• Purpose: 1) serve 2) have fun together
• Examples: Rancho 3M, Dominican Republic, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army bell ringing, laser tag, etc.
• When: subject to opportunity and availability of leaders

There you have it.

Here is the schedule for meetings this year.

If you have any questions at all, please let me know. I'm happy to answer them once, twice, or ten times. My goal is to make sure everyone has arrived at a comfortable understanding of the schedule.

Next Wednesday, September 26, millions of students all over the world will take part in See You at the Pole (SYATP) by rallying around their school flagpoles to lift up their schools, teachers, friends, families, towns, and nation to God in prayer.

The theme for this year's SYATP is "Awaken". The passage that is driving the theme is Ephesians 3:14-21:

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father… I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts…And I pray that you… grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and…that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…"

I've been told that students at Robinson will be gathering to pray at 6:30 am. For students attending other schools, if you know when SYATP is happening at your school and you let me know, I'd be happy to update this blog post with the time.

For more information on SYATP and this year's theme, click here.

As was announced in church today, Covenant Life Church is hosting a men's conference that guys in our church ages 12 and up are invited to. The cost is $10 for those ages 18 and up. It is free for ages 12-17.

The pastoral team is encouraging all guys in our church ages 12 and up to attend this conference. five15 dads and sons, let me encourage you to find some people to carpool with. Grab breakfast before you go or get dinner together after the conference to process what you've heard.

Dr. Randy Stinson is the the conference speaker and will be talking about Jesus Christ, the perfect man, and the call of men who are disciples of Christ to image Christ in whatever roles they occupy.

You can register for the conference here.

And looking beyond the conference...

The following Saturday, October 6, is our first five15 Guys / Girls Gathering where we split the guys and girls (both including parents). At the guys gathering, I'll be leading a discussion to process and extend the shelf life of the conference topics. After the conference, if any sons or dads have testimonies to share about what God taught them, I'd love to hear it so we could consider sharing it at the guys gathering. More info on the Guys / Girls Gatherings will be coming your way soon.

Middle School students heard from Joseph Henson that their highest aim in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. 

Senior High students heard from Isaiah 66:2 that God looks upon those who tremble at His Word, as evidenced by humility (a realization of who God is and who we are in light of that) and a contrite spirit (not just recognition, but remorse for sin). We connected this to personal devotions: God's Word is like an earthquake that causes things to tremble. We are impacted by the Word of God. With that in mind, we posed the following question: how close to the epicenter of this earthquake are you?

*****

I am writing this post on the heels of the five15 retreat. A retreat where we experienced great teaching and great fun. I am so grateful for Luke and all the wonderful people that made the retreat happen and made it a great success. God was praised and lifted up and we were filled up with Him.

My first morning after the retreat I was working through my devotional reading and in the providence of God I came upon a wonderful devotion from John Piper’s book, A Godward Life, Book 2. The entry is entitled “Discernment by Desire.” Mr. Piper was writing about the number of things we do reflexively -- without really thinking it through. “We dress and eat and sit and walk and a hundred other things without consciously asking: Is this the will of God?” He goes on to connect these types of decision and discernment to desire. We do what we want to do.

As I read and pondered this entry, I was reminded that Luke had spent time talking about devotional times and reading the Bible. Our devotional time is not just checking a duty off the list but we read our Bibles so that we can learn more about God and how we are to live godly lives. The goal being to make application for our lives from what we are reading, studying and meditating on, resulting in a godly change in how we think and act.

For me there is a connection between these two, decision making and Bible devotions. There are tons of decisions we make everyday. Sometimes it can feel like they come at the rate of a rapid fire machine gun. How can we make sure we are honoring God? Even in those times when we do have the time to evaluate all the aspects of a decision, how do we know we are honoring God?

When we take time daily to bathe ourselves in the Word of God, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, there is a transformation that occurs. As Romans 12:2 tells us, “be not conformed to this world but be transformed by a renewal of your minds”. The result is -- “...that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

How do we know when our devotional time of praying, meditating and reading the Bible is fruitful? Maybe when we find that more and more our decisions are God-centered and God-honoring and it did not take much thought and effort to get to that decision, it just happened.

Our first five15 Forum meeting of the new ministry year is fast-approaching. Here is everything you need to know for this Saturday. Please read carefully as there is new info here you don't want to miss.

Forum Meeting Plan

After Scott Berquist and the five15 worship team leads us in worship, we'll split the middle school and high school students.

Middle School

Middle School students will go with Joseph Henson to begin a nine-part teaching plan covering the first nine questions of the Westminster Larger Catechism. I want to see five15 expand its efforts to provide a strong doctrinal foundation for teens. Joseph's plan will help reinforce core truths about God, man, and the Scriptures for young teens.

Senior High

Senior High students will stay with me (Luke) and look at Isaiah 66:2:

But this is the one to whom I will look: 

he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

At the recent five15 retreat, I had a good discussion with teens at one of our teen sessions about Bible reading. There's a lot we can do to encourage teens in this area this year and I want to open up Isaiah 66:2 and see what it has to say to us about our approach and response to God's Word.

Logistics

• The meeting is from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, with snacks being provided at 8:00 pm.
• Doors open at 6:00 pm for hanging out (pizza, etc. is not provided).
• We will close up the building at 9:00 pm. We recently tried 9:30 pm, but it seemed a bit too late, so we're adjusting. Please ensure your teen has a ride home by 9:00 pm

Teens, don't forget to bring your Bibles to five15 meetings.

Parents Forum

Another takeaway we had from the retreat was the benefit of the parent sessions led by Vince, Mark, and Lou. I received a large amount of feedback from parents who said the parent sessions were helpful, timely, and encouraging. Many parents asked for more settings like that this year. In response to that feedback, Vince & Bonnie Hinders will be hosting a parents forum at their home from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm to continue the conversation about parenting. All five15 parents are welcome to attend.

So, that's the plan for this Saturday. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.