Program Reminders

Sunday Morning Program Reminder
Don’t forget: We will not be meeting for Middle School THIS Sunday, August 28th and Sunday, September 4th (Labor Day Weekend). We will be using this time to re-tool our Sunday Morning Program, and prepare to launch our new program which will happen on Sunday, September 11th, at 11 AM. The students can sit with their families in the main service on 8/28 and 9/4. We are so excited to launch our new Sunday Morning Program on Sunday the 11th!

Parents Meeting Reminder:
We will be having a Parents Meeting on Wednesday Night, September 7th. That evening we will talk about the vision and future for the Middle School Ministry here at WCC. Let’s meet in the church lobby, at 7 PM. I hope you can all make it!

Adventure Day is Imminent!

Hey everyone!

ADVENTURE DAYAdventure Day is almost here! This Saturday, August 13, we will be heading down to the Salem Ropes Course. It’s only $50, and it’s going to be a great time.  We’ll provide lunch and dinner!  If you have not signed up, make sure to do so by this Thursday.  We will be closing signups on Thursday at 6:00 PM.

All signed up?  Great!  Here are a few things to remember for Adventure Day:

  1. Meet at the Church at 8:30 AM (meet at the Student Center, south end).
  2. If you have not paid online, bring $50 check or cash!
  3. You will need to have filled out an updated Willamette Christian Church medical consent form. (The old ones expired July 31st, so if you haven’t filled one out for the 2011-2012 school year, make sure to do so.) There are two ways to complete WCC medical release: either as a PDF to download and print, or complete the online version.
  4. You will also need to print off and fill out a release for the YWAM ropes courseThe YWAM release can be found here.
  5. Closed-toe shoes.
  6. Clothes comfortable to be active in.
  7. WEAR SUNBLOCK!!! (It looks like it’s going to be hot outside on Saturday, and we don’t want anyone to get burned)
  8. Bring a water bottle (We don’t want anyone getting dehydrated).
  9. Pickup at the church will be at 6:30 PM that evening, after we eat dinner.

If you’ve got any questions, feel free to contact Andrew Martin at andrewmartin@willamettechurch.com.

We hope to see you all there!

Ben

More information and Signups are here!

Welcoming Andrew Martin, our new Middle School Pastor.

We are happy to introduce Andrew & Jodie Martin, who joined us August 1st. Andrew is our new Middle School Pastor. Here’s a message from him:

Andrew & Jodie MartinHey everyone! Well I have been living in Oregon for 3 days, enjoying the sun…everyone tells me it’s always like this, so that’s exciting! But I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little about me.

I have been a youth pastor in California for the past 8 years. My relationship with Pastor Joel goes all the way back to the mid-90′s when I was a student in Joel’s first youth group. He has been an amazing friend and mentor to me over the years. My wife Jodie and I were both born and raised in Northern California, in the Bay Area, but had to go all the way to Los Angeles to meet each other, while attending Biola University.

I grew up a Pastor’s Kid, and I first felt the call to go into full time youth ministry after college when I was living in Mozambique working at an orphanage and teaching at a Bible College. After I came home I became a volunteer in the middle school youth group at the church I grew up in. I have been working in ministry ever since. I love hanging out with students, teaching, discipling, and just building relationships and being involved in the lives of kids.

I enjoy basketball, baseball, college football, ultimate frisbee, coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, Monster energy drinks, reading, fishing, Chipotle and listening to music. I also have an 1 year old Siberian Husky named Posey who only has two working legs.

My wife and I are so excited to be here and be a part of the Willamette Christian family, and work with the middle school students and their families! We can’t wait to meet you!

-Andrew

Last Sunday- Philip

Back when I was in 8th grade, the television show “24″ premiered.  From the first episode that I watched, I was hooked.  The “real time” format, the action, the cliffhangers so engulfed me in the drama of Jack Bauer’s life that I couldn’t help but tune in week after week.  I soon became obsessed.

My obsession overflowed into my friendships as I soon tried to convince all of my friends that they should watch this new show.  I was a premiere evangelist of “Jack Bauer’s gospel.”  My friends soon found themselves as hooked as I was, and by the time I was a senior in high school, there were probably 25 people in my living room every Monday night to see what new struggle Jack Bauer would face.

We all preach certain “gospels”.  Maybe it’s about a sports team, or a brand, or a job.  Let’s be honest, we are confronted by different “gospels” every day.  The whole point of advertising is to preach the “good news” of whatever product or service that is being presented.

Sadly, the voices of these other “gospels” too often drown out the voice of the true gospel.  The greatest news gets lost in a fog of politics, sports, and innumerable other things.

What if our desire was not to convince people the Blazers are the best and the Lakers are the worst thing to happen to humanity?

What if our desire was not to sell people our services?

What if our desire was not convince people that whatever fill-in-the-blank politician is an idiot?

What if our desire was that people met Jesus?

This was Philip’s desire.  In Acts 8 we see Philip preaching the good news of Jesus wherever he found himself.  It didn’t matter where he was; all Philip wanted to do was tell people about Jesus. Is this our desire?  Maybe it is time for us to rethink our priorities.

Live Loud | Philip

When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? Not just anyone, but an unbeliever. When was the last time you truly owned your faith and talked with an unbeliever about his or her need for Jesus?  For the record, “I’ll just be really nice, and they’ll figure there is something different about me and figure out that I’m a Christian” does not count as sharing the gospel with someone. Let’s be honest, when was the last time someone said to you, “You’re really nice. Tell me about Jesus.”

We live in a culture that is afraid of being open. We live in a culture that views every belief as equal. We live in a culture that needs Jesus.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It is not just the pastor’s responsibility to tell people about Jesus. If you call yourself a Christian, it is your responsibility as well. Sadly, many of us neglect this responsibility in our lives. There are a number of reasons for this. We feel that we don’t know how to share the gospel or what to say. We are scared of people’s responses.

The thing is, are fears and doubts don’t abdicate us from our responsibility to share Jesus’ message. In the book of Acts, we see the story of Philip.  Don’t confuse this Philip with the apostle Philip. This Philip wasn’t charged with preaching, but he took every opportunity to share with others the message of Jesus Christ.  In Acts 8, we see Philip as a model of how to share the gospel. Read through Philip’s story with your student and discuss principles of evangelism for our lives in order to be ready for this Sunday as we continue in our series, “Live Loud”.

In Him,

Ben

Adventure Day is Coming!

Hey everyone!

Adventure and Fun are just around the corner! Saturday, August 13, we will be trekking down to Salem YWAM to spend the day on their Ropes Course!

Through the experience, we will learn some valuable lessons, such as who is afraid of heights! Just kidding (although I know of at least one leader who is)! Instead we will be learning things like teamwork, perseverance, patience, and communication as the YWAM staff leads us through different challenges and elements both on the ground and in the air! It’s going to be AWESOME!

Here’s what you need to know:

The WHO— Any middle school student!

The WHAT— Adventure and Awesomeness for only $50! This will cover both lunch and dinner, as well as our time at the ropes course!

The WHEN— Saturday, August 13, 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM

The WHERE— Drop off and pick up at Willamette Christian Church

The WHY— Because we love hanging out with middle school students! Welcome all middle schoolers, whether you are entering 8th grade & 7th grade, or begin 6th grade in the Fall.

We hope to see you there!

Signup Here!

NO MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE SUNDAY, 7/3

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder that this Sunday, July 3, there will be no regular middle school meeting.  Many of our students and leaders will be away at camp, and many others will be away for the long weekend.  We’ll miss seeing everyone, but take this opportunity to spend time as a family and enjoy the main service.

In Him,

Ben