A Sad Trip

Our family is heading down to Charles City, Iowa, today for visitation for Rosalie's Uncle Elmer, who was also her godfather. He passed away on Friday after a long struggle with cancer. We'll be driving there and back all in one day as we don't want the boys to miss school tomorrow, so we'll miss the funeral Monday, but at least we will be able to be there today for Rosalie's aunt, her mom, and the rest of Elmer's family.

I didn't know Elmer that well, having only seen him sporadically over the past 14 years that I've known her family. He always struck me as a wonderful, soft-spoken gentleman with a twinkle of humor and mischievousness in his eyes. He and Rosalie's dad were great friends and he loved Rosalie as the daughter he never had. He was like a second father to her and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Job Search

Big changes for the Spahr family. I found out this week that the leadership of the church I have been serving no longer feels that my gift-mix and ministry style are a fit for where they want the youth ministry program to go. As a result, I am currently in the job market and looking for other employment.

Thanks for keeping our family in your prayers. If you know of any job openings feel free to drop me a note.

"Guy Talk Girl Talk" at CONNECT

I am so excited to announce the we will be starting a new series in our CONNECT senior high small groups next Wednesday night (September 24) called "Guy Talk Girl Talk". Katie Sommerfeld will be leading the senior high girls which will meet at her house. I will be with the senior high guys which will start out meeting at my place. Each student will receive a special notebook to use for notes, journaling, prayer requests, etc.

All senior high students are invited to attend as we kick off our fall small groups. There is no cost (although we may ask students to volunteer to bring treats from time to time). The groups begin at 7 p.m. and run about an hour and a half.

I think this will be a great series with topics of interest to each person. Here is the description of the series from the Simply Youth Ministries web site (which publishes the curriculum):

We’ve created an extensive 10-week small group curriculum with two paths, each specifically tailored for one gender or the other.

This small group curriculum series will help your students get solid biblical insight on topics ranging from friendships and gossip to peer pressure and sex. Designed to get your students talking about significant and real issues that they face everyday, you’ll see your students begin to open up, share their thoughts and feelings, and witness the formation of deep and lasting friendships.

Guy Topics Include:

• Being a Man
• Self Image
• Relationships
• True Strength
• Girls
• Lust
• Wounds
• Responsibility
• Leading
• God-given Tools

Girl Topics Include:

• Appearance
• Friendships
• Girl Politics
• Gossip
• Image
• Kindness
• Purity
• Sex
• Value
• Worth

Help your students tackle the issues they face as guys and girls in a fallen world.

Ignite Large Groups Move to Sundays

Ignite Student Ministries' large group gatherings for students will be held on Sunday nights this school year. X-Factor for junior high will meet from 6:15 - 7:45 p.m. and 7 for senior high will meet from 7 - 8:30 p.m. Both groups will be held in the multipurpose room/gym at Pine City Elementary School. Our first meeting for the school year will be Sunday, September 14.

One of the challenges of not having our own building is working around the schedules of the facilities you are using. We were not able to secure the use of the school consistently on Wednesday nights, nor were we able to resolve the scheduling challenges of having only one room to use.
This requires us to move our large groups to Sunday nights - which may work out for the best in the long run. It has opened up Wednesday nights for special events (like Fall Kick-Off, on September 17) as well as our CONNECT small group ministry. We'll also have additional time to set up for youth groups which we would not have on Wednesdays.

We will be doing some tweaking of our schedule for our groups, experimenting with a new format. Junior high X-Factor will begin at 6:15 with game time until 6:45. At 6:45 the senior high students will begin arriving for 7 with our worship and challenge time beginning at 7 p.m. for both groups. Junior high will be dismissed at 7:45 and senior high will enjoy their game time until 8:30. The benefit of this format is that we will be able to have both junior and senior high together for worship, with a student worship team drawing from both groups of students. (Because of safety and security precautions, we ask that senior high students not enter the building before 6:45 p.m. They may enter any time between 6:45 and 7:00.)

As always our large groups will have great food, fun, giveaways, worship, and challenges from God's Word. All students are invited to attend (and bring your friends!)

Paintball Challenge

Ignite students are challenging all interested adults at Journey North Church to a day of paintball fun on Saturday, September 20, at Northside Sports Park (formerly Just Paintball) in Hinckley. We'll leave from the church office at 8:00 a.m. and return around 4:00 that afternoon.

Cost for the day is $30 and includes field fees, 500 rounds of paint, air and equipment. (There is no discount if you have your own equipment.) Let us know if you are interested in attending as space is limited. Registration payments can be made to Ignite Student Ministries by Sunday, September 14, to guarantee your spot.

Plan to bring a sack lunch with you. We'll have a cooler for you to put water bottles, soda, etc. in. You will also need a signed release to attend. You can pick up a form from me or click http://www.northsidesports.com/0809Waiver-NSS.pdf  to download your own.

This is a different field than the one we've been to in the past and it is supposed to be spectacular! It should be a great time out together.

Fall Kick Off

Mark your calendars for Wednesday night, September 17, as junior and senior high students and kick off a new school year with a "super" event at Northwestern College. Well enjoy great music, free admission, and prizes, along with special guest speaker Greg Speck. Greg, a youth specialist with Reign Ministries & Royal Servants International, will challenge teens to be a super hero for Jesus Christ. His humor, illustrations and ability to connect with audiences of all ages make him a "super" communicator.

The vans will leave from the church offices at 4:45 p.m. We'll stop for a quick bite to eat for those that haven't had dinner, and we'll enjoy some popcorn on the plaza once we get to Northwestern. We'll get back to the church office about 9:45 p.m.

Sign up early if you would like to attend as space is limited! There is no charge, but you'll need to bring money if you want to buy food at Taco Bell on the way down.

CONNECT after Connect

Students looking to continue to "connect" after this year's Connect - See You at the Pole are in luck: Ignite Student Ministries' small group ministry - also called CONNECT - will be launching for the fall on Wednesday evening, September 24, at 7 p.m. and continuing on Wednesday nights throughout the school year.

We believe that small groups are an integral part of our journey with God. We experience community and grow together as we meet each week to talk about God, His Word, and life. Join us as we 'connect' with God and each other and do life together in our CONNECT small groups.

Watch for more specific details on leaders and locations in the next couple of weeks.

SYATP Shirts

This year we will be offering See You at the Pole shirts that students can purchase to help promote the event beforehand and remember it afterward. Rob and Rosalie have samples of the shirts that you can see. There are some very nice ones this year and it's always helpful to be able to actually see the shirts before ordering them. If you'd like to get an idea of what they look like in advance, just click here.

We aren't using this as a fund raiser. The amount we charge will cover the cost of the shirt and some of the shipping.

You need to place your orders by Sunday, September 14, so that they will arrive in time for you to wear them before the 24th as well as on that day. If you order the same size as the sample (and you are the first or only one with that size) you can pick it up at youth group on the 14th.

See You at the Pole!

With school starting yesterday that means that See You at the Pole is just around the corner. See You at the Pole is a student-led prayer event that started in the early 1990s and has spread around the world. It is held each year on the fourth Wednesday in September. I am so excited as this annual event serves to help students not only start the year with prayer but also to connect with other Christ-followers at school as they gather to pray and worship.

Appropriately enough, this year's theme is "Connect". I can think of few better ways for followers of Jesus to put aside irrelevant differences and connect with God and each other than through prayer.

This year's See You at the Pole will be held on Wednesday morning, September 24, at 7 a.m. at the flagpoles of junior and senior high schools around the world. Student are encouraged to attend for all or part of the event as they are able. The time praying around the pole usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the students themselves. Some years students have brought guitars and led some worship with a couple of songs, but other times the time just consists of students joining together in prayer. Following the event, be sure to look for the Spahr van which will be packed with goodies (donuts, fruit, cookies, juice, etc.). All students who participate are invited to enjoy some snacks, no matter which church they may attend.

Adults are encouraged pray for these students during this time, as well. Those who are able often join in prayer from the parking lots of the schools. (Those wishing to donate some food for the students are welcome to bring it that Wednesday morning or drop it by the church office the day before.)