Messiah's Youth

No Youth Night / Missions Dinner Planning

2008-03-25T08:23:00.000-05:00

To all members of our Messiah's Youth Community,

We have decided to postpone Youthnite this Easter Week. So, there will be no Word for the Hungry Bible Study this Wednesday, March 26th, but we'll be back the following week, April 2nd. Instead, this Wednesday we will begin planning our Annual Youth Mission's Dinner. The Dinner, scheduled for May 2nd, is a large undertaking, and we realize we need to start now and include as many as possible in the planning. So all leaders, 412 members, students even remotely thinking of going on the trip and their parents are invited. The Mission's Trip Planning meeting runs from 6:30-8:00 this Wed, March 26th. Please reply with any questions you may have.

Blessings of the Risen Christ,
Dave

Messiah's Youth March Update

2008-03-05T19:11:00.001-06:00

To all Messiah's Youth, parents and leaders,

It is Lent. No, really it is. After a very busy season for Messiah's Youth we have slowed ourselves down, from a fast paced to a Lenten rhythm. From January through late February we had a rather intense (^) season of events: Confirmation Retreat, Monster Lock-In, Phat Tuesday Pancake Supper, a visit from the Teen Challenge Choir, and Acquire the Fire. Thank you to all the youth who attended, those who invited friends, parents for your support and to all the leaders who gave so much of their time. We have also seen a few new emphases, with a new Confirmation Class of ten students, a new Sr Hi Sunday School Class (known as Relevant Meet!), and a Youthnite focus on 'Being--and Breaking--Free from Drug and Alcohol Abuse.' We end this series tomorrow, March 5th, at 6:30 in theLoft, with a time of commitment. It’s Catacomb Night, with quiet worship, a very special presentation from Teen Challenge and prayer with our Healing Team. I'd especially like to invite parents to join us; I believe the information shared by Teen Challenge can lead to important and positive conversations at home.

Of course, we continue to be in prayer for our former intern and leader Emily Liddiard, after her serious car accident in Colorado. She is home in Michigan and doing miraculously well, thanks be to God. For more about Em, you can read her Caring Bridge journal.

With every blessing,
Dave

Happy Leap Year!

2008-02-29T19:03:00.002-06:00

Just a reminder to everyone that today is a day that only comes once every four years: February 29th!!!! So enjoy it and use it to glorify God!

Acquire the Fire Deadline Extended

2008-02-09T09:32:00.000-06:00

Friends,

I recently had the privilege of spending time with the National Director for Acquire the Fire. Kamel Glasgow, a fellow Canadian, shared much of his heart and his hopes for this year's event. I'm excited and am trusting God for an impactful event. To make sure that many youth and their friends join us I've extended the deadline to this Wednesday. All of our friends who attended the Monster Lock-In were also invited to ATF--with a discount! It would be awesome if they were personally invited as well.

Note to Parents:
We will need at least six mini-vans to drive students to and from Target Center Friday (5:30 and 10:00pm) and Saturday (8:00am and 10:00pm). We'll also need folks to help with breakfast on Saturday. Please let me know what you can do.

Note to Parents of Sixth Graders:
Let me clarify what I mean when I say that the content of ATF is geared to older youth. Acquire the Fire deals with many of the issues that today's teens face. I am becoming more aware of the pressures our sixth grader faces. I believe ATF is one tool to help Christian kids answer the challenges they face, especially those facing negative peer pressure. There is something powerful for a Christian kid to be part of a worship event where they know they are not alone. In the end, it is a parents call.

With every blessing,
Dave

Summer Events

2008-02-02T12:26:00.000-06:00

Here are the dates for our 2008 summer events:

All Church Retreat @ Crosswoods: June 13-15th
Jr. High & Confirmation Camp @ Crosswoods: June 15-20th
Sr. High Mission to Winnipeg: June 24th-July 2nd
Sonshine Music Festival July 17-19th
Great Adventure Camp (VBS): July 29th-August 1st

Mark your calendars!

(and don't forget to check our events page where you can get all our events and subscribe via RSS or iCal)

February Youth Update

2008-02-02T12:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Parents, Leaders and Students,

First let me thank all the parents and leaders who helped to make our Monster Lock In a great success. Thanks to you we were able to welcome over 65 youth to Messiah. Please don't forget that Acquire the Fire is also coming very soon. Last year we made a special purchase of tickets. We reserved 50 places! We’re confident we can fill them. That is why, if a student attended our Monster Lock-In, they earned a $25 discount toward ATF. Our registration fee covers the ATF ticket--regularly $62--as well as transportation, Pizza Friday night, Breakfast at church, and Lunch and Dinner out on Saturday. (We can also offer the same scholarship to those with demonstrated need. We don’t want lack of cash to keep you away, so please talk to me. Thanks)

Of course, Lent is right around the corner. This Lent, Messiah will again offer a number of mid-week ministries. These ministries are intended to enhance our journey together with Jesus toward Holy Week. (Look for other opportunities as well, such as our Lenten Reconciliation service, in the March Newsletter.) This month look for the following:

Phat Tuesday Pancake Supper, Tues, Feb. 5th, 5:30-7:00pm
Messiah’s Confirmation Class will again serve a delicious “All You Can Eat” meal of pancakes, sausage and fresh fruit. There’ll be special fun for the kids and live music for your dining enjoyment. Tix are $6 per person, or $4 per person for families or groups of four or more. Tickets will be on sale at Coffeehour, or call the church, or e-mail info@messiahepiscopal.org to reserve your space. All proceeds go to fund the Confirmation Class Annual Retreat.

Teen Challenge Comes to Messiah
Youthnites in February will focus on “Being--and Breaking Free--from Drugs and Alcohol.” As part of that focus, the Teen Challenge choir will be featured in Sunday worship, on Feb. 10th, to share their story of breaking free from drug and alcohol addiction through Christ. We have also reserved 20 spaces for Messiah parents, teens and youth leaders to attend, “A Night to Know the Truth” with MN Teen Challenge on Monday, Feb. 25th. Look for more info in the bulletin.

Wednesday Gather & Grow Nites for Lent begin Feb. 13th
Gather & Grow Nites meet Wed, Feb. 28th through March 19th. We’ll begin with soup together at 6pm, followed at 6:30 by Adult Christian Education, Festival Choir, Kidz Klub (K-5th gr), and Youthnite. Childcare is provided.

Family Formation on Gather & Grow Nites
Family Formation is the Adult Education focus for Gather & Grow Nites during Lent. We’ll begin with an overview of the Church & Your Family on Feb. 13th, followed by two weeks on Spiritual Disciplines for Families (Feb. 20 & 27th). We’ll then spend another two weeks (March 5th & 12th) unpacking a Messiah Parental Tool Kit: Tools to help our kids be Christ Centered, Healthy, Safe and Free from Drug and Alcohol Abuse. We’ll conclude Gather & Grow Nites in Holy Week with an Inter-generational Seder Supper on March 19th.

I invite you all and trust that many will take advantage of these excellent programs, all made possible by our wonderful lay leaders.
Blessings,
+Dave

One Awesome Night

2008-01-28T17:37:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys!
Thanks to everyone who was a part of the Monster Lock-In this past weekend! We had around 75 students who came so thanks for inviting your friends and making this our biggest event! But don't forget to invite your friends to Acquire the Fire too. It's coming up fast so make sure to grab a permission slip and get it into Dave ASAP. This is an awesome way to help your friends meet Christ and for you to grow in your relationship with Him as well. So don't miss out!

Lock-In Deadline Extended

2008-01-22T07:19:00.000-06:00

As of Monday there are 51 students signed up for the Lock-In. Please don’t miss out, there is till room for you and your friends.* We need all applications here at Messiah by the end of this Wednesday’s Youthnite. By the way, this week is Small Group night, so we’ll be having Pizza (suggested donation of $2 per person.)

Note to Parents and Leaders:
We are still in need of five adults who are willing to spend the night as either Security or chaperones. We especially need female leaders. We also need at least three more to help serve breakfast and do clean-up in the morning. (*Without these additional numbers we will need to cap total registrants at 60 in order to guarantee a safe event for all students.) Please get back to me by Wednesday.

-Dave

January Youth Update

2008-01-07T07:43:00.000-06:00

To the Messiah's Youth Community:

Parents, Students and Leaders

Happy New Year to you all! I trust the Christmas season gave you all time together with your families. Our Christmas break is coming to a close and we are ramping up for a wonderful winter season of Youth Ministry here at Messiah Episcopal Church. Our Youth Team just finished a prayer and planning retreat and the excitement was palpable. This Sunday Sunday School is back and this Wednesday, Jan. 9th, sees another Youth & Family Potluck. Youthnites follow, with this month’s theme of "Reaching Your Peers," some practical teaching on friendship evangelism. Look for some of our large, fun and life-changing events as well, with our Monster Lock-In on Jan. 25th and Acquire the Fire on Feb. 15th-16th. Because we were able to purchase a bulk of tickets for Acquire the Fire lat year, we can make this very special announcement: students who pay their fees for the Monster Lock-In in January earn a $25 discount toward Acquire the Fire in February.

Two future notes:

First, our Youthnite theme for February is "Know the Truth," helping families learn about, prevent and overcome chemical dependency. Look for more info soon.

Second, a new Confirmation Class begins in Lent. Our current class concludes its classroom work at the end of January and moves into ministry internships. There will be an info meeting for interested parents and students, mature 8th graders and up, Sunday, Jan. 27th.

Also, look for exciting Summer Ministries info in our February e-mail.
With every blessing for 2008. And, please bookmark our new blog, faithfully updated by Dwight Reynolds and Kevin Hendricks.

Dave

Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T22:56:00.000-06:00

Hey Messiah's Youth,
Hope you all had an awesome Christmas and our excited for the new year after celebrating the birth of Jesus. At the start of the new year it is important that, aside from our new year's resolutions, that we committ ourselves to growing closer to Christ in 2008. It may be something like committing more time to prayer and scripture reading or perhaps simply seeking to develop more godly qualities such as patience and humility. It may be difficult, but we cannot stand still in following God, we must always seek to become more like Christ and the beginning of the new year is a great time to look for more ways to do this. My prayer is that we can encourage each other to do this at church, at school, at home, and everywhere we go so we can show the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to those around us. So Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to see you at the potluck on Wednesday!

- Dwight

New Photos!

2007-12-22T10:38:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys,
Just wanted to let you know that I've uploaded some new photos for your enjoyment!
Merry Christmas!

December Youth Update

2007-11-27T13:14:00.000-06:00

To the Messiah's Youth Community,

As I wrote to you all some time ago: The old liturgical calendar is rolling to an end. Each year, as we get closer to Advent, I’m reminded that I have another chance to get it right, to prepare my heart for Jesus' birthday and to better integrate my faith, my work and my family. For Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and even the New Year celebration are times when we have clear permission to be with our kids, our extended and our church families.

At Messiah we want our ministries to children and youth to support families and the parental role of nurturing Messiah’s kids in the Christian faith. As we move into the holy-holiday season we want to be sensitive and supportive of our families' need for time together, all the while providing ministry that prepares our children for Christmas. As you’ll see in the calendar there are some old standards and a few new events:

For all ages: The Hanging of the Greens and Salad and Dessert Potluck on Dec. 23rd. Youth and adults can beautify the church for Christmastide with a Children’s Activity in the Undercroft for the little ones. Older kids (grades 3-5) will also rehearse for the Interactive Nativity Pageant. And don’t forget the Family Christmas Eve Service with Interactive Nativity for children of all ages, 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

For Youth: Our annual Christmas-Adventure Party: Dec. 7th, our Youthnite Christmas Service Project (Cards & Cookies for Messiah Shut-ins: Dec. 5th &12th), and our annual Advent Play on Dec. 9th. We’ll also add one new opportunity, by serving at the Annual Christmas Party for the families served by Episcopal Community Services, Saturday, December 15, 2007 St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral.

Dave

Wednesday Night UPDATE

2007-11-08T17:42:00.000-06:00

Hey Youths!
Everyone remembers this month's topic, riiiiiiiiight? SPIRITUAL GIFTS! As we've done these past couple of Wednesday nights, we must remember to take time and look at what spiritual gifts we have and how we can use them to honor God. We also have to remember that each of us have gifts that are vital to the church, we are all an important part of the body of Christ! We looked this week about where in the Bible it talks about this, so let's all remember to live out I Corinthians 12:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

- I Corinthians 12:4-26

November Youth Update

2007-11-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Messiah's Youth Community (Students, Parents and Leaders),

Before I offer a few thoughts, a quick note to let you know there is still room for those who want to stay and play Romans & Christians after the All Saint's Fest. Please reply to this e-mail (or post a comment) to let me know your interest, and fill out a form and pay $10 on Saturday. Now to those thoughts:

As you are no doubt aware I am in the midst of my diaconal work, which, if all goes as planned, will lead to my ordination to the priesthood on December 20. My work as a Deacon is to represent the work of Episcopal Community Services to the youth ministries of the Region 7 Episcopal Churches. What that means is that I attend Diocesan and Regional events (Clergy Conference, the MDG Summit, Region meetings, Diocesan Convention and St. Paul Teens Encounter Christ) and that I visit youth groups and Sunday School classes. In part I am also creating a network for youth ministries that, I trust, bears fruit beyond December.

To that end I am working toward a multi-purpose event, hosted by Messiah, that pulls all the above together. We will host an U2charist here on Nov. 30. According to Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation: “A U2charist is an Episcopal Eucharist service that features the music of the rock band U2 and a message about God's call to eradicate global poverty. The U2charist is a great opportunity to reach out to the people in your congregation and larger community, especially young people. The music and message of the U2Charist is about global reconciliation, biblical justice for the poor and oppressed, and the importance of caring for your neighbor.”

Youth from other Episcopal Churches will be invited, with the admission price of a winter hat or mittens for the children served by Episcopal Community Services. An offering will also be taken for our Haiti Partnership. The event is not just for youth; the whole community is invited!

Dave

Be sure to check our calendar for the latest upcoming events.

Jesus Rocks Nov. 30

2007-10-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

Holy communion with the music of U2 is coming to Messiah Episcopal Church on Friday, November 30, 2007. It's U2charist--ancient ritual and rock & roll--a One Campaign benefit to fight stupid poverty.

Admission will be a children's hat or pair of mittens for the Episcopal Community Services Winter Hugs program. A freewill offering will also be taken for Messiah's Haiti Partnership.

It all happens Friday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Messiah Episcopal Church. Contact Dave if you have any questions.

Fall Retreat Pics

2007-10-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

Dwight just posted some photos of last weekend's Fall Retreat at Camp Crosswoods. Head over to our Flickr group and check 'em out (and feel free to upload your own).

Hope everybody had a swell time.

Get Updates via E-mail

2007-10-25T12:01:00.001-05:00

Hey, check it out. You can now get updates from this blog via e-mail. All you need to do is subscribe to Messiah's Youth by e-mail.

If you're so beyond e-mail you can also subscribe to our RSS feed.

Either way, it should be easy to stay up to date.

October Youth Update

2007-10-18T22:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

I know how important timely communication is for youth, their parents and our youth leaders. So, this mea culpa: sincerest apologies for a very late October youth update. I've been without a computer these past few weeks, but thankfully, today I am re-connected with a reconstructed address book to boot!

As you are no doubt aware I am in the midst of my diaconal work, so while I will be less present on Sundays I will be more present on Wednesday Youtnites and at our special events. Speaking of Wednesday nights, we had one of our most profound and spiritually impactful themes this past month. We learned from our annual youth evaluation two areas in which we need to pay more attention: spiritual renewal and spiritual gifts. This past month we focused on spiritual renewal, using Alpha's curriculum on the Holy Spirit (Who is the Holy Spirit?, What Does the Holy Spirit Do?, and How Can I be Filled With the Holy Spirit?) Last week was the last night in the series. As we had informed the kids over the past month they would have an opportunity to receive prayer for more of Jesus in their lives, for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, or for whatever they might need. Both Dick Guiton and Terry Frazerhurst from Messiah's Healing Team were present, and our leaders were available to pray with students who needed prayer.

There are two things that I want to report back: first, after a time of Praise & Worship and teaching students were eager to receive prayer. This was the first time in my eight years here that we have offered this opportunity to students; at one point during the evening there was line of young people six deep waiting for prayer. Second, there was a palpable sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Loft. Students worshipped, prayed or were unusually still and quiet. I discerned that for these very busy students a night to rest in God was much needed. (Perhaps this is something this generation needs to hear!) In any case, many students and leaders lingered in prayer long after our official ending time. My hope is that we can incorporate such opportunities for prayer into our monthly Wednesday Catacomb worship.

Finally, because I’m not as present on Sundays as usual please feel free to contact me with any concerns/questions during the week. I find e-mail, now that I have a working computer, the best way to communicate.

With every blessing,
Dave

Scripture 10/1

2007-10-01T16:33:00.000-05:00

Today's Scriptures:
AM: Psalm 89:1-18
PM: Psalm 89:19-52
OT: II Kings 17:24-41
NT: I Corinthians 7:25-31
GSPL: Matthew 6:25-34

Here's today's Scripture for discussion:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

- Matthew 6:25-34

What is God saying to us through this passage?

Scripture Discussion to start soon

2007-09-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hey Messiah's Youth!
Sorry for the delay, we're still trying to figure out the specifics of exactly how we will discuss scripture on this blog. We'll try to start this Sunday, and for anyone interested in further Bible reading, I will be posting daily scripture refrences on here using the Book of Common Prayer's Daily Office. Also, if anyone has any pressing prayer requests, please feel free to e-mail them to me at DDRcool500@gmail.com. Catch ya later!

Welcome!

2007-09-25T12:28:00.001-05:00

Hey guys!
Welcome to the blog for Messiah's youth! Since Dave, myself, and the other youth leaders want to see all of you really get into God's Word this year, we decided to help you out by starting this blog where you can read Scripture passages each and every day and be able to discuss them outside of church. I'm excited to see all of you become greater followers of Christ this year and truly apply His word to your lives! God Bless!

Upcoming Events

2007-09-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

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About

2007-09-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

"To see kids come to Christ and see Christian kids become Christian adults."

That's our mission. We're the youth ministry of Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minn. This site is to keep youth and parents updated about what's going on and to further engage youth outside of youth group.

(We're still working on it, so be kind)