willamette students
Middle School
This Sunday…
Sep 23rd
This Sunday, we are having our Series Finale, of the Armed and Dangerous series which was based on Ephesians 6:10-17. We have been talking about putting on the full armor of God, so that we can be prepared for the spiritual battles we face every day. So far we have talked about the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, and the Shield of Faith.
This week, we will close out the series, talking about the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. We will be talking about how the Sword (the Word of God) is the only actual weapon mentioned in the passage, and how critical it is to know the Bible and hide God’s Word in our hearts.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”, and we need to be prepared by putting on the Full Armor of God. The main Truth we hope our students take away from this series is that we already have victory because of Christ, and we can claim that victory and live inside that victory every day, because we are children of God.
We hope your students can join us this Sunday at 11 AM! Its going to be an awesome morning!
On a personal note, I have been so encouraged by the stories of parents who have been telling me about how God is moving in the lives of their middle schoolers. Just in the past week, I have heard stories of kids who have been affected by either Sunday morning, or the midweek Bible Studies they are involved in. We have students bringing their notes home, and taping them up on mirrors and lockers as reminders of how their lives should be different because of Christ. Others are just taking really practical steps on living lives of thankfulness. It is so exciting to hear how God is moving! We are still looking for a couple more volunteers to be involved in leading Girl’s Bible Studies, so let me know if you might be interested in getting involved!
See you Sunday!
Mid-week morning Bible studies
Sep 15th
The mid-week Bible Studies for middle school boys kicked off this week:
- 8th grade boys meeting at WCC on Tuesday Mornings at 7:45 at WCC
- 6th-7th Grade Boys meeting on Thursday Mornings at 7:45 at WCC
The Rosemont boys walk to school afterwards, and we have carpools running to Athey Creek.
- If you would like more information on these studies, please email andrewmartin (at) willamettechurch.com.
Info on middle school girls Bible studies will be coming soon! Any parents willing to host/help lead bible studies for middle school girls, please email andrewmartin (at) willamettechurch.com. Thank you!
10 Essentials for Surviving the Tween Years
Sep 9th
An excellent blog post from one of our very own Middle School Parents, with some tips for surviving the “Tween Years”. Check it out!
Program Reminders
Aug 25th
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 Video
Aug 24th
Ben Thompson put together an awesome video of our Middle School Adventure Day at the Salem Ropes Course. Check it out!
Middle School Adventure Day from WCC Students on Vimeo.
Adventure Day is Imminent!
Aug 8th
Hey everyone!
Adventure 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:
- Meet at the Church at 8:30 AM (meet at the Student Center, south end).
- If you have not paid online, bring $50 check or cash!
- 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.
- You will also need to print off and fill out a release for the YWAM ropes course. The YWAM release can be found here.
- Closed-toe shoes.
- Clothes comfortable to be active in.
- WEAR SUNBLOCK!!! (It looks like it’s going to be hot outside on Saturday, and we don’t want anyone to get burned)
- Bring a water bottle (We don’t want anyone getting dehydrated).
- 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.
Aug 6th
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:
Hey 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
Living Loud | Memory Verses
Aug 3rd
God’s word is the loudest voice in the history of the world. God spoke this world into creation. God’s word continues working today through the Bible. The power of God’s word should motivate us to “live loud”, which is why during this series we have encouraged the kids to memorize verses to go along with each message. Here is a quick recap of the messages we during the “Living Loud” series, and the memory verses that went with them.
Moses
We began our series by speaking on the commission of Moses. God called Moses to go an deliver His people from their oppression in Egypt. Moses was afraid that his deficiencies would prevent him from being successful. God reminded him that He would be with Moses.
“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
—Exodus 4:12
Elijah
Elijah was severely outnumbered. He lived in a land where almost everyone worshiped pagan gods, and he was commissioned to speak God’s judgment on Israel. Because of this, the king sought to put Elijah to death. Despite all of this, Elijah remained obedient to the Lord and continued to be His mouthpiece to the people of Israel. The result was that God gave him the power to do great things, and many people would then see God’s power and glory.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
— Philippians 2:13
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
—2 Timothy 2:22
John the Baptist
John the Baptizer lived a tough life. He lived in the wilderness, preached God’s word, and ended up being thrown in prison and beheaded. But Jesus called him the greatest man that had ever lived. Why? Because he had the fear of the Lord and prepared the way for the Messiah.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
— Proverbs 9:10
Nehemiah
In our attempt to “live loud” for God, we will come across opposition. Nehemiah was a prime example of this. As he attempted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, people attempted to distract him and prevent him from fulfilling his role in God’s work. Nehemiah remained focused and remember his appointment by God, and accomplished great things.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”
—1st Peter 5:8-9a
Philip
Philip preached the gospel wherever he went. He was prepared to share his faith. He had a passion for Jesus and wanted everyone to worship Him.
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.”
—1st Peter 3:15
Last Sunday- Philip
Jul 27th
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
Jul 20th
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
