The holiday that begins with a "V"

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are the latest expert opinions from the 5-11 year old crowd who happened to be at Rec Center today:

WHAT IS LOVE?
The consensus seemed to be that it happens when you like somebody, and somebody likes you.

WHAT IS ONE WAY THAT GOD SHOWS HE LOVES US?
He helps us, does stuff for us, protects us, feeds us, and watches over us.

HOW DOES SOMEONE KNOW IF THEY'RE "IN LOVE"?
They're "in a relationship." [Maybe he's heard of Facebook?!]
Two people look at each other a lot.
You kiss somebody.
They're married.


WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT VALENTINE'S DAY?
Getting stuff like candy and chocolate.
Hugs!
Giving cards away.
Parties!
Playing with my toys.


"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him." I John 4:9

Impact Group moved to the balcony for a change of pace for Monday evening's Bible study. Three old-fashioned pews plus several chairs plus a few bean bags made up the packed seating arrangement.

The question of the night was, "What is a bad habit you have?" and then two teens shared how God has been giving them victory over a habit that had ruined family relationships, caused their grades at school to plummet, and kept them hanging out with the wrong crowd: smoking weed. It's so easily accessible in the neighborhood (and at school), and there's a lot of pressure to do it. Please pray for the teens who are continually faced with that temptation. A teen broke down as he asked for help in dealing with the pressure and the ridicule when you don't give into the peer pressure to smoke.

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This is Teen Night during Caleb's teaching session on Friday evening -- a poor photo, but I've found that flash photography is just too distracting for a room full of youth!

Afterwards, there were nachos and time to play basketball, ping pong, four square, etc.

And...from a recent Kids Klub: a skit about Samson.

Auction items are arriving! It's always exciting to see the variety of items that generous individuals and churches donate for the sale. This year's benefit auction will be held Saturday, March 10th, at 9:00 a.m. In addition, we are planning a Friday evening event on March 9th featuring a Chili Cook-off and a bluegrass concert. Come at 6:00 p.m. and use your tastebuds to help judge the chili, and then enjoy the concert at 7:30 p.m. Cost for chili and the fixin's is $5.00 per adult and $3.00 for children 7 and under. You can find more auction details on our auction site: Auction Website.

We have been blessed with a team of servants here this week from Ohio: Sarah Eichorn, Sarah Kramer, Sharla Hostetler, and Katrina Hostetler. From cleaning / organizing our supply closet, to raking the granite outdoors, to wiping down walls and ledges, to helping with children's activities, they've been wonderful volunteers! Yesterday they coordinated a Craft Day during Rec Center.

Some happy faces at a recent Teen Night:

Impact Group

Last week Jeff introduced the topic of wisdom at Impact Group, and teens looked into the Word to figure out God's definition of wisdom and why it is so important.

This week, Evan facilitated the study, continuing with the theme of wisdom. He opened with a question, "If God came to you in a dream and said you could ask Him for anything you wanted, what would you ask Him for?" The teen who answered first said he'd like 5 more wishes, and several teens after him mentioned money.

There was a shift towards more serious, thoughtful responses, though, when a girl said, "I'd like to see my mom again." Her mom had passed away unexpectedly when she was only 13 or 14 years old. Soon others began to say things like "I'd like to see my twin brother" or "I'd like to see this relationship restored."

It was encouraging to see youth begin to recognize that people matter more than things.


Small groups of teens delved into the Scripture to learn about Solomon's request for wisdom, and then Evan led a large group discussion about the Bible passages.


Pray that these teens will keep seeking His wisdom!

Around Here...

Tutoring for local 1st and 2nd graders began off last week. The main focus of the program is reading; in addition to the books and workbooks available for them to use, the students also really enjoy playing educational games.

Yes, that is Seth on the right in the photo above. He is back in Phoenix to complete his internship, after spending some time in New York working.

For the first Teen Night of 2012 (January 6th), youth enjoyed a night of pizza and games.

We were blessed with an abundance of donated bouncy balls. Most of them were given away to children as Christmas gifts, but teens have been enjoying the remaining ones. They're great for dodge ball!

Good News Club

An e-mail I just received from CEF Phoenix (Child Evangelism Fellowship) highlights the prayer needs of the 16 Valley locations where Good News Clubs are held. Lord willing, this month Sunnyslope interns A.J. & Jewel Miller will begin leadership of the Wednesday afternoon Sunnyslope Elementary location, where 44 students are enrolled in the club. It is CEF's second largest class in the Valley.

A.J. & Jewel have been trained locally by CEF and have been volunteering at the Sunnyslope location for awhile. Other Aim Right interns plan to undergo CEF training so they can assist with the club as well. A typical weekly Good News Club session consists of an exciting Bible lesson, songs, Scripture memory, missions story, and review games or activities. Students must have a parent's permission to attend the club.

You may be wondering: Can you really attend a BIBLE class at a public school? YES! CEF's website explains: "In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled...that Good News Clubs can meet in public schools in the United States after hours on the same terms as other community groups."

Here are a few of the prayer needs of the CEF clubs in the Valley:

Pray for club leaders as they walk with the Lord personally -- that out of that relationship, they will study God's Word and prepare lessons for the children.

Pray for children to come to a saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Praise God for the 19 children that came to Christ in December. God is changing hearts and lives of these precious kids.

Pray for more churches to adopt local schools in their area so that the Good News can go out to more unreached children.

On Monday evening, the teens girls from Impact Group (teen Bible study) enjoyed a gift exchange and Christmas goodies at Caleb & Stephanie's house.

Then, on Wednesday evening, around 50 children came to the final Kids Klub of 2011. With holiday break in full swing, we missed seeing several of our regular attenders, but we were able to connect with some of them afterwards to drop off their Christmas gifts.
Several volunteers acted out the Christmas story for the children.
After the play, it was down to the basement for grilled hot dogs and other snacks.