Sycamore Student Ministry

February 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, is it really already February?? Well I guess that means that it is time for the Sycamore Report's monthly run! Go check it out! Lots of important dates and information!!

February 2012

January 2012

2012-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, is it really January 2012?! Time has flown by so stinking fast! As we prepare for a new year with many new challenges and adventures ahead of us let us hold fast to the hope that is found in Christ and Christ alone!! And ohh..go check out the January 2012 Newsletter! Follow the link below!

January 2012 Newsletter

December 2011 Newsletter

2011-12-05T14:23:00.001-08:00

Here is the link to the December 2011 Newsletter! Check it out and enjoy it!

December 2011 Newsletter

November 2011 Newsletter

2011-11-03T13:49:00.001-07:00

Here is the newsletter for November 2011! Hope you all are doing well!

November 2011 Newsletter

Blessings,
sg

July 2011 Newsletter

2011-06-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

Its the end of June so here it is!! The July 2011 Newsletter!! Enjoy!!

July 2011 Newsletter!

Blessings,
sg

June 2011 Newsletter

2011-05-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, here is the June newsletter. Hope everyone's summer has started off well. God bless

June Newsletter.

May 2011 Newsletter

2011-05-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all, here is the May 2011 Newsletter! I hope this finds you all well! Blessings!

May 2011 Newsletter

April Newsletter

2011-03-28T12:52:00.001-07:00

Hey guys and gals. The April Newsletter is up and ready for your reading enjoyment! Also, the newsletter now has a name. "The Sycamore Report" not all that original but I thought that it needed a name. Anyhow, follow the link below to read and check it out!

Blessings,
sg

April 2011 Sycamore Report

March 2011 Newsletter

2011-03-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the March 2011 Newsletter. Go check it out and read the article on Mission Artesia and let me know ASAP if you are interested in being a part of this great opportunity!

March 2011 Newsletter

Blessings,
sg

February 2011 Newsletter

2011-02-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the newsletter for this month! I pray that this finds you all in good health and plenty warm!! Blessings!
sg

February 2011 Newsletter

January Newsletter

2011-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the January Newsletter! I hope you all are having a great first few days back at school! Blessings!
sg

January 2011 Newsletter

Useful Forms

2011-01-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few forms that will be useful to you all in the near future. We have the CCYM forms, Medical Release Forms, and the Mission Trip Forms all conveniently located here on the web!! If you have any questions about any of the forms please contact the church office. Blessings!

CCYM Forms

High School Mission Trip

Mid High Mission Trip

Medical Release Form

December Newsletter

2010-12-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

The December Newsletter is now up and it is completely online. We are going to see how this works. Follow the link below to get to it!

December 2010 Newsletter

Have an amazing December and Christmas!!!

November Newsletter

2010-11-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

Below is the link to the November Newsletter. I am looking to change some things up here pretty soon with the newsletter making it a online only newsletter. I think most of you can access this online and it will save us some money each month on paper and postage! Have a great November!!

November Newsletter

October 2010 Newsletter

2010-10-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

So.. I have fallen behind on keeping things up to date on the blog. As most of you have probably become accustomed to by now. But I am attempting to keep things more up to date and hopefully will be better at this in the near future! Anyhow, below is the link to the October Newsletter if you haven't already seen it. Have an amazing day!!

October Newsletter

blessings,
sg

Change!

2010-05-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

There are many changes taking place right now here at FUMC Artesia! We have several positions on our church staff that are changing as well as we are receiving in a new pastor at the beginning of July. With these changes, there is sadness for those leaving us, but at the same time joy for their new stages of life! For myself I will greatly miss those leaving but I am also looking forward to the changes that God has in store for us! While we are talking on change there are two other changes taking place that will effect the Youth Program here at FUMC Artesia! (No, I am not leaving) One, we have a Summer Youth Staffer coming to help us this summer!! Jeff Heidenreich will be assisting me in all of the workings of this summer!! I am crazy excited about this!! Secondly, as those of you who were at youth last week know, we are changing the name of our Youth Group from Chi Alpha to Sycamore Student Ministry (and for those of us who hold a special place in our hearts for Chi Alpha you can call our Youth Group, The Youth Group Formerly Known as Chi Alpha!).

I am sure many of you have the same look on your face that the youth had last week, and maybe even some of you have the same reaction. Sycamore?????? Scott, what are you thinking??? Or, maybe Scott how did you come up with that?? Well my answer is simply, God! There are those times when I am in prayer that God just lays on my heart heavy something and a few weeks ago while driving back from Texas God pressed this on my heart! It was such a strong pressing that I got my iPod and in the notes section wrote down the name and the 4 main foundations of why we will be called Sycamore. Here are those 4 foundational points!

God is at Work- God is at work in the World, and in each of our individual lives!
We are small-We too are wee people like Zaccheus when compared to God! We have to lead lives that take into account the Bigger Picture of God's story!
We Need a Clear View- We have to climb above the things of this world that keep us from seeing God!
Wanted-God desires relationship with us despite our reputation as sinners and He calls us from the lives we lead to follow Him!

So over the next month I will take one of these foundational points and expand on it a little! So come back and walk with us through this time of change!
blessings
sg

May Newsletter

2010-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Wow I hadn't realized how far behind I had fallen in getting the Youth Newsletter up on our blog. Looks like March and April's never made it up :-(. So I apologize for that! We have many exciting things coming up in the next few weeks and months so go check out the Newsletter and read up on the upcoming events! I pray that you all have an amazing and blessed May!!

May 2010 Newsletter

blessings,
sg

February Newsletter

2010-01-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

The February newsletter is up and ready for you to read online!! Go check it out if ya wanna!! Below is a list of upcoming events you dont wanna miss out on!!

January 31st Youth Worship Service 5pm in the Sanctuary
February 6th - Souper Bowl Luncheon set up 4pm in Fellowship Hall
February 7th - Souper Bowl Luncheon directly after Sunday Morning Worship!
February 7th - Super Bowl Party 4pm in the Youth Room

Also, remember that I need to have all of your forms and deposits in for the Mission trips as soon as possible!!!
Blessings!
sg

February Newsletter

January 2010

2010-01-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the January 2010 Newsletter in PDF format!

January 2010 Chi Alpha Newsletter

I pray that everyone has a wonderful and blessed New Year!

December 2009 Newsletter

2009-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, it doesnt seem right that it is already December! The year has flown by way too fast! The years has been filled with many great things and there have been many great memories made! Here is the final newsletter of 2009! Hope you all enjoy! Happy reading!!

December 2009 Newsletter

Forth Year Almost in the Books

2009-11-02T12:52:00.001-08:00

Can all of you believe it? This week marks my 4th year of being in Artesia!! Wow has time flown by! I usually write a piece for the youth newsletter about my favorite memories from the past year but decided this year to post it in blog form in order that I may ramble on as much as I would like! haha! As another year passes I see just how truly blessed I am to be in ministry with such an amazing Church family! In recounting some of these memories, I am sure that some will slip through my grasp but that is where all of you can chime in! So on to the memories of the past year that I have truly cherished. A year ago we were in the midst of a huge project with the sanctuary renovation! This was such an exciting time to see how God works to bring about changes in our local church! Reminds me of the restoring and renovating He so desires to do in our lives! One cool thing about the remodel was the ability for us to meet down in Fellowship Hall! Some of you might have felt a little cramped, but me, I felt nice and cozy! Reminded me of the home I grew up in and it was nice to be in range to talk to practically any and everyone in the room! The annual bonfire went great as usual and it was great fun celebrating another year in Artesia, much like I am doing at this very moment! Christmas time came and so did the Live Nativity! I took a break from being Joseph and took a turn at being a narrator which I thought was a great thing! Christmas Eve service came and with great strides and work by the construction workers as well as many volunteers in the church we were able to hold our Christmas Eve Candle Light Service in the newly renovated Sanctuary! What a beautiful scene that was! The new year came and things began to pick up and become busy as they usually are in the spring semester! We took a group of kids up the Angel Fire for a ski trip that was great fun! We had cool condos and great food and fellowship while we were there! We then took a group of kids up to R.O.C and had a great time and it was so much fun getting to spend some time in the mountains with you guys! (Love me some Mountains!!) Spring rolled around and we had an event called Night of Nets which helped us raise some awareness for each of us about Malaria and the great need for ways to prevent and care for this disease! We had a fairly good sized group attend and had hours of fun playing Sardines and Underground Church! It was truly an amazing weekend. We then moved on to a Clowning Service that went very well and allowed the kids to step out of their comfort zones and step into some ministry God had for us as a group! (We followed it up later in the summer with a trip out to the Good Samaritan home where the kids loved on some of the residents there!) During the spring we also had a new event called Jahva Thursdays where some of the kids and myself would go and chill at the Jahva House and just talk about life! It was a great time for fellowship and I look forward to another round of this next spring! On one particular Thursday I was completely blown away by some kids who were taking time out of their busy schedules to plan and to stand up for they believe in in trying to get some measures put in place where they all could have a fun and safe prom night! It's so stinkin amazing to see kids taking a stand for what is right! May brought about great joy with a class finishing up their schooling here in Artesia, and the great privilege to speak to them at their baccalaureate service! That same week I also got to see George W give an inspirational speech at the Chase Foundation. Summer came up so quickly! It was quite possibly the busiest summer of my life! The opportunity I had to go to Honduras was one that I cherished and hope that as a church we can go back again in the near future! The time spent there was amazing! It was a beautiful country with many great people who made our trip there very enjoyable! I was back for a few days and then it was off to California for the High School Mission trip! It was so great to see the growth of the kids during the trip and see all of them have the message of Christ click with them and desire change in their lives! We came back from the trip to California and VBS was roaring and waiting for us with a bunch of young kids hungry to hear the Word of God. It's so cool to see the youth of our Church ministering to the younger youth of our Church! Amazing! The Mid-High mission trip was next! We went over to Carthage, Tx! It was so pretty over there, and green! The kids blew me away at how they served and how much they learned throughout the trip! They kept me entertained the whole time as well it made for a great time and so cool to see God move in the lives of the Mid-High group! Summer was fast coming to a close but there was enough time to squeeze in Youth Week! We had a swim party, a trip to Lubbock, a night of Worship, and then my favorite some Mud Volleyball!!! School started and we were right back into the grind of the school year! The first weekend of school we had Freedom Weekend where five different churches came together to learn about how God desires us to have Freedom in our lives and how He desires us to live pure lives! Now we are in November of 2009 and I cant begin to believe how fast the past year went by. Those were alot of the cool things we did throughout the year. There were a few other times for me in my life where things were a little rough. This past January my dad got sick which was a very scary time for me, but it was so great to have a Church family that stood with my family and I in prayer and offered me tons of comfort and gave me many needed hugs of comfort. For this I am truly blessed! Then also there was that time in May when according to rumors of the youth I had swine flu (it was just strep throat). In those times of me being a little under the weather, many of you pitched in and cared for me just like my family would have done! I couldn't be a part of the Clowning service the kids presented to the congregation but I was blessed to have a group of them come by and bring me a balloon and a little cheer! My fourth year here in Artesia was truly a year of blessing for me! I am so blessed to serve in such an amazing Church and have so many wonderful people who support me! You all have no idea just how thankful I am to God for placing me here and giving me such an amazing Church family so serve along side!! God is definitely good!!

Blessings,
sg

November Newsletter

2009-10-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Its already November! Craziness!! The link for the November Newsletter is below. Also, at the beginning of next week I will posting some blogs on here of my favorite memories of the past 4 years and have a countdown of all of the best times of 2009! I hope all of you have a great and safe Halloween!

November Newsletter

tired of just ok,
sg

Lesson 7 Communion and Commissioning

2009-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

Communion and Commissioning! These are two different aspects of our Christian Faith that are vital to the health and vitality of all Christians! Communion can be a few different things. On one hand it helps us remember the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, the sacrifice that cleanses us of all sin! On the other hand we are reminded that our Christian faith should be lived communing with/being in relationship with others. Our Christian walks are not to be lived alone! Then we have commissioning, the truth that we have been commissioned to spread the Word of God with the lives we live on a daily basis! These were a couple of the general ideas we talked about in this lesson. Click the link below and you can get the lesson as well as a few short devotional thoughts towards the end of the lesson.

Lesson 7

blessings!
sg

Lesson 6

2009-10-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

This weeks lesson was on prayer! Bigger Picture part 6! I think that this coming week will be the last lesson in the Bigger Picture series, although we will continue to have The Bigger Picture as an over arching theme for our Youth Group! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this lesson. Remember there is a section for some short family devotions at the end of each lesson!

Lesson 6

Blessings!
sg

Lesson 5 The Bigger Picture

2009-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to lesson 5 of the bigger picture! Talking a little about our individual part of the bigger picture!

Bigger Picture Lesson 5

Blessings!!
sg

October 09 Newsletter

2009-10-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the October 2009 Newsletter. Enjoy it!

October 2009 Newsletter

Lesson 4 of The Bigger Picture

2009-10-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

I slacked on my job this week and didnt get the 4th lesson of the Bigger Picture Lesson up by Monday like I usually do :-( sorry bout that! So here is the 4th lesson! Its about Christ and His sacrifice for us!!

The Bigger Picture Lesson 4

Lesson 3 of the Bigger Picture Series

2009-09-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

We are to lesson #3 in the Bigger Picture Series! I think things are moving along very well! In lesson 3 we talked about how we are all sinners and how we are all very much in need of a Savior. The lesson can kind of a downer if we just focus on this lesson (the part about us being big fat sinners) but because we know a little bit of the Bigger Picture, we know that we serve a Living and Loving God!! I hope you and your family can check out this lesson this week and discuss some about each of our need for a Savior!!

Lesson 3

in need of a Savior,
sg

The Bigger Picture Part 2

2009-09-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Here is Sunday nights lesson. The Bigger Picture Part 2, man and his story. Go check it out! Remember there is some short devotional bullet points on the second page that you and your family can do together during the week! I hope you all are having a blessed week!!

The Bigger Picture Part 2

The Bigger Picture Lesson 1

2009-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here is lesson one from The Bigger Picture series we started. Check it out if you want. Click the link before.

Lesson 1

I Will Say It Again

2009-09-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well I do know that I have said it before, but I am going to say it again! I am going to try and be and do better at keeping this up to date with current info so that all of you can stay as informed as you would like to be! A couple of new things I am going to do on here is have some of the forms as well as a digital copy of the monthly newsletter linked to here (September 2009 Newsletter)like this one! You will be able to click the link and it will take you the Google Documents website where you will be able to view and even print if you'd like the newsletter as well as other forms I upload. In the future I plan to have the Medical Release form as well as other trip forms so that they are easily accessed by you in the comfort of your home or office! I hope that it is helpful for you all.

On a different note we are finally going to be back on regular schedule with Chi Alpha Sunday night activities. This year we are doing something a little bit different have a theme for the semester. The theme for this semester is "The Bigger Picture" -seeing our lives in the context of God's story. From time to time I might also put up some discussion questions or other things on the blog and maybe even a PDF file or two where you all as a family can maybe look over some things and discuss at home what we are discussing at Church.

I know this is all very lofty talk and that some of you may be thinking, Scott how in the world are you going to have time to do all that, well I am not promising that things will drastically improve and you will all feel 10 times more informed tomorrow, but I am saying that I am striving to help all of you be better informed in what is going on in youth and on youth activities as well as allowing you to see as well as be apart of what your kids are learning about God! I pray that this is going to be a great year for us as a local church body to begin to see just where we fit into God's bigger picture!

Blessings!
Scott Gray

Mission Trips

2009-05-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

The Mission Trips are just right around the corner! If you havent gotten your final deposit in I need that as soon as you can get it to me. Also, the forms that need to be filled out are outside my office door. I hope you all are having a great week and give me a call if you have any questions about anything!!

blessings!
sg

Mission Trip Meeting This Sunday!!

2009-04-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

This Sunday May 3rd we will be having a meeting about our summer mission trips directly after the worship service. I will be handing out the necessary forms that will be needed to be filled out for the trip. I will also give a short overview of what we will be doing on each trip. I hope that you all can make it for this meeting! If you cannot please call me at the church or set up a time where you can come by and get all of the forms. Blessings!!

Night Of Nets

2009-04-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to remind as well as invite all of you to Night of Nets this coming Saturday starting @1pm. We will have a great time of fellowship and also learn a little about Malaria and how we can help stop the spread of this terrible disease! There will be many fun activities and great fellowship time for us all to grow closer together as a group throughout the time we will be together.

So what is this night of nets all about?? Night of Nets….. To end Malaria is an advocacy event to help advocate and raise awareness of Malaria. The event is organized by World Vision and coincides with World Malaria day which is Saturday April 25th. Along with helping advocate and raising awareness we will also be raising money to help purchase Mosquito Nets that help in preventing the spread of Malaria by protecting families while they are asleep which is a time they are most vulnerable. For every $20 we raise, we will be able to help provide enough nets for an entire family. You may say, Scott we don't have enough time to raise money for this. Well here is what we are going to do. For the whole month of May we will be raising money and then at snack supper on May 31 I will announce how much we have raised and we will get the money sent to World Vision so that they can purchase the Mosquito Nets.

So what all will we be doing?? Well we will be learning about Malaria and how to help prevent the spread of the disease. We will also be playing games and just enjoying the fellowship of each other! We will also have a prayer and worship service on Saturday night @7pm. (Parents if you want to come to this please feel free to come and join us! It will be a grand time of worship as well as prayer) Then we will end the event with a Pancake Breakfast on Sunday morning!! If you have any further questions about the weekend please feel free to contact me at the church or on my cell.

Blessings

I Have Been Horrible About Updating This :-(

2009-04-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all of you, I am so terribly sorry that I haven't used our Web Blog to its full potential! I promise that I will strive to keep things more up to date and when I send out the monthly newsletter I will try and figure out a way that I can either upload that to here or just highlight the main things from the newsletter. Anyhow, just wanted to say sorry and I will start posting to this more regularly!!

blessings!

2009 Will Be Mighty Fine!!

2009-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, there I go again with a corny saying. If you have read your most recent newsletter you have read my let your light shine in 2009 also, which is also pretty corny. But whats the point in celebrating a new beginning to a year if you cant be just a slight bit corny?? Anyhow, we have many fun and exciting things coming up in 2009! We have retreats, ski trip, mission trips, and we are working on a few other things for this year! As you have read in the Youth Newsletter if you are going on the Mission Trips either the Mid High or Senior High I need to have your youth covenant and a $50 deposit by February 1st so that you will have a spot on the trip! Also, we have the CCYM Winter Retreat for Senior High which is February 13th-15th as well as the R.O.C. (Rythm of Christ) Retreat for the Mid High which is March 6th-8th. Both of these retreats are $100 for the weekend, for CCYM I need a $30 deposit and a form that you can get from me signed and back to me by January 21st which is a Wednesday so that we can get the $1oo rate. I haven't gotten any information yet on R.O.C. but I am guessing we will have to have the forms turned in around February 18th we a deposit of $30. On both of these trips make your checks payable to FUMC Artesia and then from there we will send in one check for the whole group. You may pay the deposit and final payment seperate and or all at once, either works for me. One other trip we have coming up is our Annual Ski Weekend up in Ruidoso! I am leaning towards the weekend of February 6th-8th but will not have a finalized date until I get with the owners of the cabins we usually stay in. The cost of that trip will be $25 base cost plus your ski/board rental, lift ticket, and a couple of meals. Ski rentals are usually around $25 and if we get some good snow between now and then the lift tickets will be around $50. If you are interested in going, please let me know ASAP so that we can make sure to have plenty of room! Well, I hope that you all had a wonderful 08 and I know that 09 will be just as great!!

blessings,
sg

Jack O Lantern Jamboree - Slime Time

2008-09-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

We have our annual Jack O Lantern Jamboree coming up here in just a few weeks on October 26th. This year we are doing something a little bit different! We are doing a follow up to Power Lab which is called Slime Time! We will begin to set up and prepare for this event this coming Sunday October 5th at 4p.m. in the Youth Room. All of you youth are welcome to come and help prepare also if any of you adults would like to help out please feel free to come and help as well. This is going to be a wonderful time of ministry and fellowship! I hope you all would come and join us!! So mark your calendars for October 26th at 5pm for Jack O Lantern Slime Time!!

2009 Mission Trips!

2008-09-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

We have the 2009 Mission Trips set!! How exciting! For the Senior High we are going to San Diego, CA the week of June 21-26. We will most likely leave the Friday prior to the trip which is June 19th. We will return on June 27th. For the Mid High trip we are going to Carthage, TX the week of July 12th-17th. We will leave the Saturday prior and return Saturday July 18th. I hope that you all are marking your calendars and setting those weeks aside for a great time of ministry and growth!! I know that it is a long time away but begin now to pray and seek God about these upcoming opportunities!

Pie and Cake Auction - Jack O Lantern Slime Time!!

2008-09-24T10:22:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful turn out for our pie and cake auction this past Sunday! We broke yet another record of the amount raised!! It is such a blessing to be a part of a Body of Believers who are so supportive of all that the youth do! I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with!! We have another big event coming up on October 26th Jack O Lantern Jamboree which will actually be Slime Time this year, which is a follow up to the Power Lab VBS we did back in the Summer! The Christian Living Sunday School gave us a small push toward the idea and we are going for it. We will start preparing for this event the 1st Sunday of October which is October 5th then also again on October 19th both at 4pm. It will be a great time to minister to the kids of our church as well as the kids of our community!! If any of you are interested in helping out please let me know and come October 5th and we will find you a place to help out!! Thanks again for all of your support during the Cake and Pie Auction and for just being supportive of all that we do!!!

Much Love!!

Chi Alpha Youth

Keeping Things Updated

2008-09-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I am sorry that I have not kept things up to date on here like I really wanted to or like i should. But I am going to try to be better at that! We have a few things coming up here pretty quick. On Sunday September 21 we have our 3rd Annual (Doesn't seem like it could really be the 3rd one) Brisket Meal and Pie and Cake Auction. I need the Youth to try and round up a couple of cakes or pies to be auctioned off. This fund raiser helps pay for the mission trips we have coming up in 2009. Also cakes are welcomed from anyone who desires to donate a pie and or cake to be auctioned off. The meal will consist of Brisket, Potato Salad, Green Salad, Rolls, and if you so desire you can purchase a cake or pie in the auction and eat it right there on the spot!! If any of you have questions about anything please give me a call up at the church or on my cell phone, those numbers are on the bottom of the Youth Newsletter. I hope that I can keep this more readily updated!! Until next time. Blessings!

The Week Is Flying By!!!

2008-07-16T15:25:00.001-07:00

Hey all!! We have had a great day so far today!! Today we had kids club. This morning we went and hung out at a park and then this afternoon we did Kids Club! It was tiring, but at the same time it was a great time today! The kids there are so cute and friendly! Some definitely need some extra attention but it was a good situation for our kids to be in! I'm updating the blog a little bit earlier today because we have a little bit of free time this afternoon. I was going to put some more pictures up, but unfortunately I left my camera at kids club so I don't have it to upload new ones. I should have some time tomorrow afternoon to upload some pics! I can really see growth in the kids! It is a great thing to see! Continue to pray there that each of us, adults included, would be open to God's prompting of us and calling of us! We are having a great time and the kids have been injury free so Praise Jesus. I tweaked my ankle chasing a kid today but that should be better in a day or so. I pray you all are having an amazing week where ever you may be!!

Blessings

Chi Alpha Mid High Youth!

Having A Blast In Alamosa

2008-07-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Day two is under out belts now!! We have had an amazing time so far! The kids are really enjoying getting to work in the community! Today we finished our days on work projects, and tomorrow we will be heading to Kids Club which is similar to a day camp. It should be a great time and maybe just a little bit stretching for the kids! But God is faithful to provide and us all that we need when we get out of our comfort zones!! Anyhow, here are a few pics of the week.

Hiking Monday Night!

Hiking near Creede

I will upload some pictures tomorrow of the kids doing different things around the work projects as well as some pictures from Kids Club if I get the chance! I pray that God is richly blessing all of you!!

Chi Alpha Mid High Youth!

In Alamosa and Things Are Great!!

2008-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Hey all!! It has been a great week so far!! We have completed our first full day here onsite in Alamosa! Everyone is having a great time. All 7 of us are in one group! Today we helped a lady around her house moving some dirt, cleaning out under a car port, and cleaning out a shed. We also started scraping some paint at a house that we is going to be repainted. Then tonight we went on a hike about 30 miles south of Alamosa, it was beautiful! Tomorrow I hope to upload some pictures for you all, so you all can share in the beauty of southern Colorado with us!! I hope that all is well in Artesia or wherever you may be!!

Blessings,

Chi Alpha Youth!

Summer Is Flying By!!

2008-07-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can believe how fast the summer is flying by! It seemed like yesterday we were at the '08 graduation. The High Schoolers and I went on a mission trip two weeks ago down to Houma, LA! We had a blast and learned so much through our serving there! God is truly amazing!! The Mid-High kids and I will be leaving this coming Saturday July 12th for Alamosa, CO!! I am really looking forward to the opportunity to serve with them and watch them grow just as I did with the high school students! I hope to be able to update the blog at least a few times throughout the week and let you all see what is going on! I was unable to do so while in Houma just because of lack of time but prayerfully will have the opportunity to do so! I pray that you all are having a great and blessed week!! (Also, it is my hope that I can keep the blog more up to date with current events and things of the sort. I have kinda fallen down on the job here lately.)

Blessings!!
sg

On Our Way

2008-06-21T22:15:00.001-07:00

Hey all!!

Just checking in! We are right outside of Houston, Texas staying the night. Tomorrow we will be on our way to Houma, LA and hopefully should be there between 5:30 and 6:00pm!! We had a good trip to Boerne, Tx last night and a good stay there as well. I had to take the van to get a valve stem replaced this morning, but that didn't put us too far behind getting to Sea World. We had a great time there! It was a little bit warm, but there was a little bit of cloud cover part the day so that made it more bearable! We left Sea World about 6pm and headed this way to our hotel. There isn't much in the way of updates today but I hope to be able to update this daily!! I thank each and everyone of you for all of your prayers!!!

Blessings,
Scott Gray and Youth

R.O.C. 2008

2008-03-12T10:02:00.001-07:00

Well we just got back from ROC on this past Sunday and it was a great time! There were over 300 people there for the weekend which is the biggest grouper of ROC'ers ever! YAY! Anyhow, just wanted to post a few pictures of us and let you all know about all the fun we had!

Spring Time

2008-03-05T09:33:00.001-08:00

Wow it is pretty much spring now! Aren't you all super excited? I have fallen off on keeping the blog updated, and I apologize for that. We dont have all that many activities planned for the spring, but we are working on a few things. The March paper newsletter will be going out today March 5th so it will give you a few new dates. One date that you need to remember is March the 16th. That day we will be helping some with the Easter Egg hunt for the children of the Church. It will be a great time to minister to the kids and also just have a great time of fellowship with them. Another date we have is May the 4th which is the Youth Musical. I am working on getting some dramas and a few songs together for that. If any of you have input please feel free to give it to me. I think I will try and write a monthly blog here just on upcoming events and things of the sort. So this concludes the March blog. If you have any questions please feel free to email me or give me a call, both my email and numbers are on the Monthly Newsletter that goes out. Have a great March!

Mission Trip Dates

2008-02-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

As you are planning for your summer I wanted to give you all the dates of the mission trips. The Senior High, that is for kids who are currently in 9th-12th grades, trip is scheduled from June 20th-June 28th. The Mid High, which is for kids who are currently in 6th-8th grades, trip is scheduled for July 12th-July19th. I hope these dates are helpful. Also if you don't see a date for an upcoming even you can always check the church calendar link on the right hand side of the page. Adios.

Souper Bowl Sunday Luncheon

2008-01-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up and that means our annual Souper Bowl Sunday Luncheon is just right around the corner. We will be serving some Patriot Stew and Giant Hamburgers (actually they are small hamburgers). This coming Sunday I will have a sign up for all of you youth to sign up to bring certain ice cream items and toppings. We will be setting up on Saturday February 2nd at 4pm for the meal and will serve the meal as soon as the Worship Service concludes. If you have any questions please feel free to call me at the church.

A pic or two from st louis this past year

2008-01-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Justin and Russ participating in the trading game!

Jeff and Seth gettind all painted up by a very talented 4 year old!!

Mission Trips

2008-01-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

The senior high and junior high missions trip are fast approaching. I have been mentioning on Sunday mornings and at Youth I need to know ASAP if you will be going. Spaces will fill up somewhat quickly, so if you are going I need to know! We have our first count deadline on January 17th. Up until then we can add or drop spots without being penalized. After that we can only add spots if they are available. If we drop spots we will lose the deposits. So pretty much I just need to know fairly quickly if you are going. If you need any of the forms please come by the church office or pick them up at youth on Sunday night! Also if you have any further questions please feel free to call or email me.

Hey We Are Trying Something New!!!

2008-01-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hey all of you out there. I have been wanting to get a youth website going and this is what I have decided on for now. So I will occasionally post new thoughts or discussion topics and we all can share our thoughts here on this. I will also post new dates or calendar events on here. To get the word on certain events out there as soon as it comes available. I hope that this can be a useful tool for all of us!!