Welcome!

Welcome to the PFUMC Student Ministries Blog!
If you’re a junior or senior high school student in the area, consider yourself invited!

Live in Concert is BACK on January 13!

You’ve been waiting. It’s back on! Come on out and rock with us!
Peace,
Grant

Merry Christmas!

From your friends at First United Methodist Church – and particularly from the Student Ministries:
Merry Christmas. Have a holiday filled with the joy of Christ, who came to set the captive free. May your new year prosper your family, and may your blessing pour into others in new ways you’ve never imagined because God has a plan for your life, and you’ve responded with faith.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Grant

DARE2SHARE 2010

Dare2Share’s Blaze evangelism training conference is coming to Chicago on March 19-20! It’s a great opportunity to ignite your student’s passion for sharing Christ with friends.  Drawing from Isaiah 6:1-8, this conference will equip teenagers to encounter God in a powerful way. They will be transformed as they experience The Fire That Burns (God’s Glory), The Fire That Destroys (God’s Justice), The Fire That Purifies (God’s Mercy), and The Fire That Rages (God’s Love). Our students will have an Isaiah-type experience they will never forget. Total cost is $60! Think about gifting Dare2Share to your student this Christmas!!!
Visit this site for more information!

SUNDAY NIGHTS WILL LOOK DIFFERENT THIS SPRING

Ecclesiastes 3 has long been a powerful passage of scripture for me. I’ve long been blessed by the words of Solomon, who explains that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to tear down and a time to build. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. A time to search and a time to give up. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
For Sunday nights at PFUMC, those words and prayerful discernment have led me to believe that I need ease the burden on our very busy senior high school students, while simultaneously making myself more accessible to the junior high school group. Specifically, that means senior high will no longer meet on Sunday nights for the time being. We will still have special events and activities on certain Sundays, but no weekly meetings. With senior high students having so many commitments, and because we continue to have opportunities to connect here on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, I felt it would be appropriate to free up students from yet another obligation for this season. I don’t know if this will be a permanent adjustment, but it seems like the route God would have us go for the present time.
One of the things that is precious about our Sunday evenings is the opportunity to spend more personal time with our students. I don’t want to lose those opportunities, and I am still available to our students whenever they need. Please keep an eye out on the newsletter and on the youth blog for updates, and please make a special effort to participate in our special Sunday evening events when you have a chance!

CONFIRMATION 2010 IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!

Join us for a faith journey that has the power to transform your life! Students in 8th grade (or older, if they haven’t yet gone through confirmation) are invited to attend confirmation classes starting on Sunday, January 10, 2010. We’ll meet at 9:30AM in the Chapel/Theater side of DaLoft on the second floor each Sunday through May 2nd. We’ll celebrate Confirmation Sunday on May 16th.
Parents are required to attend with their students for the first session. During the 17 week program, we’ll dig into God’s Word, experience some remarkable fellowship, and have great opportunities to live out our Christian faith as we learn. Pastor Grant, Rev. Ray, and Kara Mehrkens will lead the group in exploration and discussion of questions about the Bible, who God is, what Christ accomplished for us, how we can enjoy the benefits of Christ’s salvation, and how we can live our lives as committed disciples of Jesus Christ, and faithful members of this United Methodist Church.
If you would like to make sure your student gets to participate in this program, or if you’d simply like more information, please contact Pastor Grant at the church. We’re looking forward to another great year of Confirmation!

Youth Christmas Party

This Sunday Night (December 13)
From 6:00PM until we’re finished (around 8PM)
Dress warmly! We’re going caroling!
Sr High students can bring a gift costing $10 or less if they want to participate in a gift exchange.
We’ll have good food, hot drinks, and good times.
Come on out, and bring a friend!

And, yes, I made the sparkling chenille nativity set in that photo. Isn’t it amazing?

A Quick Philosophy on Winter Weather

After fielding many calls today about whether or not we’re having Live in Concert and/or Wednesday Night Expedition, I wanted to post up quickly what my approach is to winter and other inclement weather. Please feel free to use these as guidelines/assumptions!

1. If I can make it into the church, it’s on.
2. You are smart. If you don’t think you should come for whatever reason, don’t come.
3. If anything changes, I’ll post something on here/to PontiacFUMC.org/to WJEZ.

I’m not a canceller if I can help it. From a spiritual perspective, I know that Satan has tried to use inclement weather to stop God’s work before. Sometimes I let programs continue in bad weather just to spite the devil. Still, be wise and don’t take unnecessary risks.

Thanks, and stay safe/warm this winter! Keep an eye on the forecast, and use your smarts!

In Christ,
Pastor Grant

Wednesday Night TreX for Junior High

As part of our Wednesday Night Expedition lineup, we’ve added a component for the junior high. Each week, our own resident rock legend Jeff H leads the student praise choir in songs that help connect students with their faith. In addition to singing, the students dig into the songs content, and learn some of the Scriptural truths behind them, while also learning some great skills for leadership and developing hearts for praise. This group has a lot of fun experiencing all sorts of different music, and incorporates some student instrumentalists, also. Occasional performance opportunities are in the works! Stay tuned, and bring out your junior high students!

70’s Night @ Live In Concert!

Disco Lives! Boogie on down to Live in Concert on Wednesday, November 18th!

Dress in your best polyester. Flare that collar. Get your elevator boots zipped up. We’re going to groove with the decade of Pastor Grant’s birth. Come on out, and bring a canned food item to help the Livingston County Community Pantry!
Invite your friends to the party, and practice your moves. The disco contest will be one to write home about.

Date:	Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time:	7:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:	DaLoft Downtown @ The Methodist Church
Street:	219 N Chicago St
City/Town:	Pontiac, IL

It’s Hawaiian Night!

Come to Live in Concert at 7:00 on Wednesday night as you frequently do – but this time, deck yourself out in your finest floral print shirt, sandals, and sunglasses. The more tropical, the better! Just make sure it’s appropriate (ie, there has to be something underneath if you have any plans of wearing that grass skirt).
We’ll provide the island vibe.
It’s going to be beachy – without all the sand, of course.