WE HAVE MOVED!

The Wooster Grace Students Blog has moved! We've been rearranging some things and cleaning house. Now you can view our blog and read about life in Student Ministries at 

www.woostergracestudents.org

Decorating the Student Ministries Office

It's done!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Thanksgiving Part 5

Well, it's the end of Thanksgiving 2009. What a good day with family. I hope your day was pretty incredible and that you didn't eat TOO much ;) 

Family is a good thing. It makes sense that God would make it this way. Looking forward to seeing everyone back in Wooster on Sunday. 

I'll leave you with the best commercial I saw all day. It's a classic.

Thanksgiving part 4

Thanksgiving Part 3

My parents are getting the meal ready. Almost done!

Thanksgiving part 2

Now, we're playing scrabble. My brother and sister-in-law are coming over at 4pm. I am royally losing at scrabble. Yep. Loser. Oh wait! 14 points! Still losing...

Thanksgiving

Soon

In HSM yesterday morning, we discussed eternity and if we are ready to enter eternity. For the unbeliever, he must make a decision to follow Jesus to spend eternity in heaven. But what about the believer...is HE ready to go to heaven? Many of us aren't. I know I don't feel ready. There are so much we want to do; so many dreams to be fulfilled. Still, if we are to love God with all of our heart, wouldn't that include desiring heaven and to be in his presence.

We ended the morning service with a drama some of our students participated in to depict what it will be like worshiping around God's throne. They did it to the song "Soon" by Brooke Fraser. The chorus says:

I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and Very Soon

Soon from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

Take a Cue

The other week, an 8th grade boy came up to my wife and handed her some money. Amber was unsure what it was for, since it was too early for our Pizza Fundraiser forms, and nothing else was coming up that required money. So she asked him what it was for.

He said he had gotten a financial gift and wanted to give some to Monopa, the teenage girl from Thailand that Middle School Ministries adopted last year and support. Amber looked down to see how much was there, thinking it to be $5 or even $10, and saw that he had handed her $90!

Because of this student's generosity and willingness to give out of the blessings that he has received, a 14 year-old girl in Thailand can eat, have shelter, and hear about Jesus! What a heart for obedience and thanks mom and dad for no doubt modeling that for him to see. I was touched as well as challenged in my own life to be giving out of the many blessings that I have received and we could all probably take a cue from this 8th grader and his willingness to be obedient and give to the Lord.

- Josh Atkins

Grace College Visit

Every fall, the HSM (High School Ministries) team travels to Grace College so that Nick can teach a youth ministries class for College freshman and sophmores. It's a good time to recharge as a ministry team and plan for the coming year, too. We went last week (November 3-5) and had a great time. Some of the highlights included:

- having college students over for dinner on Tuesday night.
- training to-be youth pastors and leaders in how to reach students in the youth ministry class.
- driving down to Indiana University to watch the Hoosiers play the Grace Lancers.
- Steak 'n Shake late at night.
- Playing wii at the guest house.
- Seeing Grace College with all the Autumn foliage (beautiful!)
- The roadtrip itself!
- brainstorming fun and creative series for HSM in the spring.
- Stopping at Starbucks for Steve :)

Anyway, the list could go on but we figured you might rather enjoy some pictures, so if you have a minute, view our trip.

Welcome to the Family

As most of you know my job here in Student Ministries is half 'administrative' and half 'ministry.' This means that I get the best of both worlds. I get to work at my desk and do a lot of behind the scenes work (PPT, office stuff, etc) and then I also to get to break free from my desk and hang out with a lot of cool people! And although I'd much rather be out and about with students all day every day, there are things here that just have to get done to have a successful smooth running ministry. I was reminded yesterday that my job at my desk can be so fulfilling even though it's not the preferred half of my job......

Yesterday I was tasked to put together a list of contact info for all of the people that have committed their lives to Christ for the first time in HSM this year...As I read through the names, my heart turned to mush and I was overwhelmed. It's so cool workin' here getting the opportunity to read through this list of names...recalling their very own personal story of when and where and how they met Jesus -- and how their lives changed and are changing. Let me share with you the first names of all the students (that we know of) that have embraced a life with Jesus since the beginning of November last year......

alissa
kyle
megan
jessi
lauren
skylar
tiffany
ashley
brandon
tim
jake
erica
abby
zach
andrea
emma
brienne
lexie
katie
sarah
jamie
annalise
cassii
nicholas
cassidy
matt
kaila
amber

Welcome to the family, guys.

Post Game Review!

by Pastor Nick

Post Game is now a few weeks removed but what a great night it was. Over 200 students and leaders landed at the Student Ministry Center at Grace to hang out, have fun, & discovered more about who we are at Grace.

I arrived at 1pm to discover 6 people already working tirelessly to set up. There were 7 of us who worked from 1pm until well after 1am to make this a sweet event. What did we do?

• Set up the Karaoke station
• Put down the thousands of proverbs on the floor for confetti decorations
• Set up the lighting
• Helped the band do sound checks
• Displayed the prizes
• Blew up hundreds of balloons for the mezzanine
  
• Turned on all the gaming stations
• Put the hoops down in the gym for basketball
• Set up the tunnel entrance for the SMC
• Got the sumo wrestling ready to roll
• Organized the registration
• Prepared the food (and oh was there some food)
• Prayed together for the evening

All of that because we wanted to see students bring their friends and find a place to connect together. In total over 100 people came who were not on our roster of 300 high school students at Grace. That translated means 100 people who had never been to Grace before visited our facility. They had a great time, watched a nice band The Colission, & heard me share about how our lives have been changed by knowing Jesus Christ.

So that's it, right? It ended at midnight or a little after...we just had a party? No, it didn't really end then. Actually on Sunday we saw a number of visitors return for our HSM service and 2 students made first time decisions to follow Jesus Christ!

Praise God for His faithfulness & thanks for praying. Post Game 2009 was a great success!

Student Leadership this Sunday

In High School Ministries, we have a core group of students who desire to be leaders among their peers. The group is open to anyone who applies. Last month we began our year in training on how we can not only act as leaders on the outside, but also be leaders on the inside.

It all begins and ends with an intimate relationship with God. As a part of our monthly gatherings, our students are working through Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. They're learning a series of realities about knowing the will of God. These realities are:

1. God is always at work around me.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with me that is real and personal.
3. God invites me to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
5. God’s invitation for me to work with Him always leads me to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. I must make major adjustments in my life to join God in what He is doing.
7. I come to know God by experience as I obey Him and He accomplishes His work through me.

Pray for us this Sunday as we will be meeting at 4 and talking more about what it means to be a leader. If you're a high school student who is looking for more in your walk with Jesus Christ, come out to Student Leadership.

~ Ben

Excited about what God is doing!

by: Rachel J. Snyder

I was sitting out in the Student Ministries Center this week with a high school girl. We were drinking a cup of cappuccino and talking about life and quite frankly how it's way too much fun sometimes and how it really isn't fun other times. She was pouring out her life story....all of her struggles....all of her family's struggles and just a heap of other stuff that life has thrown her way in just 17 years of life. After we talked for almost an hour...I asked her a simple question...."What does Student Ministries at Wooster Grace mean to you?" At first she didn't quite understand the question, but after thinking for just a minute she said something that I won't easily forget. She said:

"Student Ministries at Grace is somewhere that I fit in. Where people are welcoming and nice and friendly. I've made more friends here than anywhere else, real friends...that care about me."

All I could think was "Wow, I hope that's what Student Ministries at Grace is for every student that walks in our doors!" I'm so thankful to be a part of a church that values students enough to build a Student Ministries Center where students feel welcome and loved. Thank you for making an eternal impact by praying for our students and our ministry in their lives. We couldn't do it without you.

A Different Kind of Hero

We just heard about how to be a Different Kind of Hero and maybe you were one of the people who said that they would pray for us in Student Ministries. If so, first of all, THANK YOU! Working with students, we need all the prayer we can get. : ) And to help you pray for us, here are some specific ways that you can be praying for Student Ministries.

- Middle School Fall House Party - It's going to be October 24th at the Roseler's house and will be a chance for 7th and 8th grade students to bring their friends that need to hear about Jesus. It is on a Saturday night so that hopefully a student can say, "Hey, why don't you come to church with me tomorrow" and there's a natural way to invite them to our service. Pray for new faces, a good turnout, and sunshine. For more details, click here.

- High School Postgame - This is our High School Ministry's BIG outreach for the Fall. They have put a lot of work into it already and are excited about the chance to use the building that we've been blessed with to reach local high school students. You can pray about possibly promoting the postgame at the school you're most affiliated with. You can pray for boldness for students to invite their unsaved friends. And overall pray for a GREAT night where students who don't know Jesus can come and spend time with people who do. For more details, click here, or just scroll down this blog a little bit.

There are plenty of other ways to pray, but here are the MAJOR things coming up in the Student Ministries world. Thanks for being a part of a GREAT morning, and thank you SO MUCH for committing to praying with us and for us.

- Josh

Today's the day!

Today is the day! It's Student Ministries Sunday. You may be a new visitor to our blog or a regular viewer. Either way, we're glad you're here and are so grateful for your prayers and support. Stop by the blog all this week to learn new things about Student Ministries. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Student Ministries Weekend

T-minus 10 hours and 45 minutes.

I absolutely LOVE Student Ministries Weekend. Here is an easy-on-the-eyes list of reasons why I can't wait until tomorrow.

- High School Praise Band - Students using their gifts to lead adults, other students, me, in worship is a sweet sight. I got to sit in on their practice last Sunday and it was a great time watching them laugh and have a great time singing, playing their instruments, and worshiping God together. Mike Lee, the Praise Band coordinator, has done a GREAT job with the students and I know they'll do a great job tomorrow.

- Pastor Bob Doerr (RAD) speaking - Being in meetings and listening to RAD talk about the the message for tomorrow, I know it's going to be good. He's been working out some sweet details with us as a Student Ministries team and rest assured you're not going to want to miss it.

- Just a Glimpse - For the rest of the church, this is one weekend a year where they get to experience what those of us who work in Student Ministries get to experience EVERY DAY. Students finding Jesus for the first time. Students using their gifts to glorify God. Adults loving students and helping them along in their faith journey. There's NOTHING like working with students. And for one morning, the rest of the church gets just a glimpse.

Can't wait.

T-minus 10 hours and 12 minutes.

- Josh

Wooster Football

This coming Thursday, we have the awesome privilege of feeding the Wooster Football Team. Since, I've attended a lot of their Friday night games by now, it's cool to finally serve them.

When was the last time you gave back to your community in a significant way? Everyone has the ability to start somewhere and do something special and show the love of Jesus. You could throw an open house at your home for the people on your street or rake all the leaves on your block one Saturday. You could visit a local nursing home and just sit and listen to people's stories. The sky's the limit in how you can be like Jesus.

Wooster Grace Students sure isn't perfect and we're conscious of how many needs there are in our community, many of which we're unable to meet. But we realize that we need to start somewhere, and then maybe...maybe we can change something for the cause of Christ.

- Ben

Post Game

In High School Ministries, we're ramping up to throw a county wide "shin-dig" called THE POST GAME. We're getting excited about it in the student ministry office as we plan and prepare for it. I can only imagine what it's going to be like, because to us, it's unlike anything we've really done. We're advertising for it through families tailgating at local schools and spreading the word and at the party, the whole entire student center's going to be transformed.

What I'm most proud of is how our student leaders have taken ownership of this event. On Sunday, 30 or so students met in the side room after the HSM service and took letters to give to local businesses asking if they'd donate some free stuff for prizes at the party. I believe with their hard work, it won't be the "HSM Team's" party, but "OUR" party (students and adults alike). This has the potential to be a super sweet time!

Alright, it's 5:10pm on a Friday and everyone's leaving the office. Better jet. Later!

Ben

Small Groups

This afternoon, I spent the whole time working on small group curriculum. Currently we're working through the book of Ephesians in High School Ministries. Students have learned by studying chapters 1 through 3 of who they are in Christ. God has given them an incredible identity.

Maybe you're a student and you're reading this blog. Do you ever leave school some days thinking "I don't even know who I am..." It's tough sometimes when everyone else seems to fit into some group or clique. I remember when I was middle school questioning who I was.

If you're an adult, do you remember feeling this way? Ephesians 1, 2, and 3 all answer this pressing question that everyone has asked: Who am I?

This week, High School Ministries is embarking on Ephesians 4, which answers the question "Alright, now that I know who I am, what do I do?" The answer? Behave and act like the person God created you to be. Ephesians 4 stresses two things in order to begin - pursue unity and live a holy life.

In your pursuit of unity, how have you treated those at Wooster Grace? Is there someone who you've wronged? Is there someone who has wronged you? If so, it's your calling from God to gain unity back and seek reconciliation.

It's exciting to see Students secure their identity in Christ. By doing this, they're in the process of becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

If you listen to the group "Casting Crowns" you may know one of their songs "If we are the body." It talks about the church's responsibility to be united in love for the sake of bringing Jesus to others. Watch the video below.

See You At the Pole (& Net) 2009

by Pastor Nick

Today I was inspired again by the students of Wayne County! At 6:57 on my cell phone I sat in the Wooster High School parking lot in my car with the rain pouring down & thinking, "bummer". Today was the annual See You At the Pole where students gather at their school to pray for their school and to be counted for the cause of Christ on their school campus. I have to wonder how many adults would have just said, "I'm not going...it's raining" or maybe "alright, it's raining, I'm leaving." I wonder because I thought that too.

Then at 7:07 I was standing at the flag pole (it was still raining) with over 75 students, singing, praying, & encouraging each other. Some one asked me "What's the value of this anyway?" Well obviously prayer is a value of any follower of Christ. But what about the concept of ministry presence. Having people see that there are followers of Christ on their campus. And what about the body of Christ. I would be in the circle of 75 students some were standing there thinking, "Oh, she's a Christian? Oh, he's a Christian" It's good to see the body come together like that!

I know my experience wasn't isolated so here's what some people shared with me already today:

"41 @ Triway...7 or so from Grace" - one student from Grace led the time in prayer
"75 @ Wooster...15 or so from Grace" - one student from Grace led the worship & another led out in closing prayer. Most were underclassmen so the future is REALLY bright!
"41 @ Norwayne...13 or so from Grace" - two from Grace led worship, read verses, & a challenge was given.

One parent said, "It was so great! Just wanted to remind us all that students in Wayne county do care!"

Then there was the not so publicized SYATN (not SYATP) that I witnessed last night...It was See You At the Net. After a volleyball game last night both teams gathered (probably over 20 total) at the net & thanked God for His blessings & safety while playing. Conferences foes, but united by something way greater! It happens all over the place, but this week it's been refreshing for me to see & experience. Thanks to the students who step up for Christ!

What'd You Just Call Me?

by Josh Atkins

I'm sure we're all familiar with the "Sticks and stones..." rebuttal to the name-calling that was so pervasive on the playground while we were growing up. And the funny thing is, the more I said that little poem-ette, the less I believed it. And as a 4th grader, I had trouble refuting what they were saying because I hadn't really found my identity in anything more than how well I could play Tecmo Super Bowl on Nintendo (let alone in Jesus).

I think I began to believe it less and less because if they were calling me that over and over again, maybe it was true. Maybe I was a (fill in the blank). Their name(s) for me started to affect how I saw myself and what I thought of myself.

It happens in ministry too. So many times we call people certain names or give them titles that really, aren't that encouraging. They're innocent enough and to a certain extent might describe that person exactly. But these names lack vision, direction, and might convey something totally opposite of what we're trying to accomplish as a ministry.

Here are two ways that we at Wooster Grace Student Ministries have changed how we refer to people in our ministry.

______________________________

What we used to say: Volunteer

What it implies/conveys: It implies a lack of ownership, vision and even a separation between the leadership team and the people brought on to see that vision come to life. There's a sense of "come and go as you please" with little to no accountability. There's not a lot of connection or commitment because the "volunteer" says that if he/she doesn't do it, then someone else probably will.

What we say now: Adult Leader

What it implies/conveys: This conveys an idea of partnership between the leadership team (paid and unpaid) and gives a vision for what is expected. We are looking for people to do more than just "show up", we are looking for leaders, adult leaders. Regardless of position or rotation or level of involvement, an Adult Leader acknowledges the opportunities to speak into the lives of students and make a lasting impact for Jesus.

__________________________________

What we used to say: Kid

What it implies/conveys: When you're referring to a 3rd grader, okay, it applies. When you're referring to an 11th grader, not so much. Once "kids" get into 7th and 8th grade, they are looking to be challenged and treated more and more like adults. And once they get into those grades, the word "kid" becomes more like an insult than an accurate descriptor and carries an ever-increasingly negative connotation as the "kids" get older.

What we say now: Student

What it implies/conveys: It tells them exactly what we should be telling them as they get into 7th and 8th grade, that they're not a kid anymore. They need to see that we acknowledge that they are growing up and with that they are asking questions about themselves, about faith, and the things they've been told all their lives. By using the word "student", it separates them from jr. church and their little siblings and gives them a chance to grow as "students" of the Word.

______________________________

Now, I'm not going to say using words like "volunteer" and "kid" is an altogether bad thing. But we have chosen to go a different route with our verbiage; one that we think conveys a little more identity and vision and hopefully pushes each of those groups to a better understanding of their Savior.

Small Groups: Ephesians 1 interaction

Hey, if you're in small groups and have started studying the book of Ephesians, check out this video about the city of Ephesus and Roman culture. The book of Ephesians was letter written to people in this culture.

September 11, 2009 - 8 years ago today...

by Pastor Nick

9-1-1. September 11. Numbers & Dates that for Americans say over the age of 14 are awfully meaningful and horrific all in one. A date that changed the pace of American life. I was a new Pastor about 1 month into leading a small church in the mountains of Virginia. I was newly married. I was in Seminary. That was 8 years ago. The events of that day shook the core of our freedom and we said we 'learned' lessons & vowed we'd change our priorities.

But instead I wonder if we've just inconvenienced ourselves into more rules trying to protect the very life we aren't garunteed another breath of?

What I mean is exactly what I taught students this past Sunday in HSM. Sometimes life is just so much fun we don't stop and think of God, want to pause and realize we are really dependent creatures, or even admit we are vulnerable. There are days we live like this. But then another look a life, a closer look reveals more to life than fun. I unpacked this from the 4th chapter of James:

1. Life is Hard
2. Life is Unpredictable
3. Life is Short

So in light of those realities we discover a total dependancy on God who "does not change" - Malahai 3:16. So Nick, how do you propose we should live? Well, I think God answered in James 4:15, "Instead you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

I'm asking myself to revisit the pain of September 11th from an innocent bystandard's perspective and draw more lessons that airport security from it. Maybe we could all do well to look at a full reality of life and admit our need for help...help that only comes in the LORD Jesus Christ!

Small Groups!

by Ben Framstad

Small Groups just started for High School and Middle School ministries. To promote it last week and get the most students to come out, we created this video of classic disney movie clips...with one twist. Take a look.

Small Groups from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

The Gift of a Friend

by Rachelle Graber

I got home one evening after a hard day of work and just wanted to lay around and do basically nothing. So I flopped myself down in front of the little black box called the television. Not seeing something that interested me at first glance I began flipping through the channels. Passing from commercials to news to more shows that were of no interest to me, I kept flipping through. I came to a channel with a music video on it. It was Disney channel. Yes, I'm a dork and sometimes watch The Disney channel (admit it, you all do it sometimes), but the thing that attracted me to it at that moment was the song that they were playing. The song was called "Gift of a Friend" sung by Demi Lovato.

Now let me tell you that this kind of hit me in the face a little bit. Not even realizing it, Disney channel and Demi Lovato hit me with a lesson in my faith. Let me explain. The chorus of the song is "The world comes to life, and everything's bright, From beginning to end, when you have a friend by your side, the helps you to find, the beauty you are, when you open your heart and believe in the gift of a friend." Now through the past couple years of my teenage life I've always felt like I never really fit with anyone. Girls in particular. I don't have the kind of friendship that would be there forever. The friendships I have are just aquaintances. I don't feel like my friends are friends that I could talk to about anything. And the closer friends I have, have their own "best" friends already.

Now, "how in the world does this song teach a lesson of faith?" you ask.

The song, especially the chorus, made me realize that I do have a best friend. I have the greatest best friend of all. I have Jesus. No matter what I do he will always be my best friend. He gave his life so that He could be my best friend and so I could tell Him anything. Not only that, He sees me as the beautiful girl I am instead of the way of the world, which makes me feel inferior. He gave me the gift of HIS friendship. His eternal, wonderful, powerful friendship. And so, Disney channel taught me that I have the Gift of the greatest friend I could possibly have. I have the Lord Jesus Christ as me eternal best friend.

And that's how Disney channel taught me a lesson about my faith.
Tata for now, and maybe I'll have the privilege to write here again soon!
Rachelle :)

This is Home

by Pastor Nick

This past weekend we kicked off our 2009-10 school year in student ministries by hosting a family worship service. With over 350 middle school students, high school students, and parents the morning was an overwhelming success.

We tried to crystalize who we are for students and families. Casting vision for the year and what God can do this school year. Last year we moved into a new facility and there was so much buzz about the building...but I enjoyed this year's kickoff more. It was more about people and lives changed. It was about reaching more students, it's about celebrating God's presence, it's about growing together, & about acting for Jesus in other's lives. We boil our ministry down to these 4 blocks that we build our 'home' on...building off the foundational mission of Jesus to develop fully devoted followers of Christ:

BLOCK 1: RELATIONSHIP EVANGELISM - it's our desire to equip and empower students to reach their friends through genuine and authentic relationships.

BLOCK 2: STUDENT WORSHIP - weekly gathering of students to celebrate God's presence in our lives and learn what God says about our daily lives in the Word.

BLOCK 3: SMALL GROUPS - is the backbone to who we are. Students grow where they are connected and these groups foster a commitment to the life together.

BLOCK 4: STUDENT LEADERSHIP - focusing on Jesus' model of 'servant leadership' we see leadership development both as a program and an initiative.

There are more 'things' we do that supplement & support these blocks, but once a student is around these blocks they have a sense of belonging and a place to make spiritual memories...that's a spiritual home. That's Wooster Grace Student Ministries.

Sunday after all the people left, cards were collected, lights turned off I read one student's response to the morning. From a single parent home, without much spiritual influence in life he wrote, "This is my spiritual home, thanks!" I guess for him the vision is a reality...this is HOME!

This is Home from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

Do I really need to know that??

by: Rachel Snyder

I'm sure all of you come across the facebook messages, notes and wall post SURVEYS that ask you embarrassing questions and/or annoying questions about yourself that NOBODY really needs to know about you (and the ones that would be interesting you leave blank....I know, I do it too.) But, hey, maybe that's the point.....maybe it's interesting b/c we feel like nobody else knows what we're reading about you (even though we have 20 tagged friends in view as we read the post on the right side panel in the note). Dispite my doubts and since everybody I talk to seems to enjoy these notes sooo much....I want you to know 3 things you probably don't know about me, Rachel Snyder, HSM Ministry Assistant.

1. I say a few words a bit differently than EVERYBODY else...I guess.
For instance...... you say "orange juice" --- I say, "ornch-juice"
Or....................... you say "milk" ---------- I say, "melk"
Last one............ you say "down stairs" --- I say, "downt stairs"
So what? I think YOU say words "funny" too.

2. I love eating frosted flakes on my ice cream. Try it. It's incredible.

Last but not least...
3. I ashamedly admit that when I'm in the car by myself ... I listen to Delilah....you know "love someone...requests and dedications. I'm really not one for the mushy-gushy stuff of life...I'm not really one for soft-rock either. But there's something about her that MAKES me listen. Yeah, I bet you never would have guessed that one.

What a day for a Baptism

There's just something about it. I can't explain it. I've tried to a couple people, but I come up short and I usually end up sputtering out cliche phrases and rhetoric that doesn't even come CLOSE to what my heart is trying to say. But as much as I can, I will recap our church baptism service in a bulleted list (which will hopefully help with readability).

- I got the chance to baptize my wife. Two words: Uh-Mazing. For me, it was such a blessing to baptize her because of the heart of the woman in the water. In addition to her declaring in front of our church that she is a dedicated follower of Jesus, she was telling them that she is committed to the church that has believed in me to lead the 7th and 8th graders. She was saying to me and them that she believes in me and even though she tells me that A LOT, it was an amazing feeling to see her do it in this way. I love you, Amber.

- I also had the opportunity to baptize my two cousins (both of which are in 8th grade and in my ministry). Watching them grow up and having them use me as a jungle gym when they were younger, this also has a special place in my heart. Having a unique perspective on their stories because I've had a front-row seat for most of it, it was hard for me to hold it together as one of them broke reading the other's testimony. It has been an awesome experience so far having them in my ministry. Whether it's chats at Sam's, Kalahari, Beyond, Echoing Hills, I'm SO proud of them and am looking forward to seeing where God leads them in the years to come.

- During the summer, we had talked about The Church on Sunday morning and one of the application points was identifying with the Head of the Church (Jesus) through baptism. And that day I challenged the 7th and 8th graders to lead the church and show up in a big way by having at least 10 students get baptized at the upcoming service (which was 3 days ago). We had some good interest, but I wasn't sure what that would translate into as far as people actually getting in the water. I was BLOWN AWAY at how the students took the challenge. And overall, with students either as a family, with a sibling, or by themselves, there were 11 7th and 8th graders who got in the water and declared publicly that Jesus was their savior and they wanted to live for Him. Way to go, students!

- What a day for a baptism. What a day for Student Ministries. What a day for our church. If you've got any stories or anything, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.

HSM Retreat 2/2

by Ben Framstad

The Retreat went SO well. On Saturday night, the whole group boarded the bus with little idea of what they were going to do. We drove up north to Norwayne High School and then we gave instructions. We were stopping at some select high schools that night and at every high school, every student who attended the school we stopped at would get out and pray in front of their school. The rest of the students would stay on the bus and pray for those students, that they'd make an eternal impact at their school. This part of the night was so powerful.

We stopped at Norwayne, Career Center (representing other schools of students on our trip), Smithville, Triway, and Wooster. By the end we were all thinking "on mission" ready to live for Jesus this coming school year and love our friends so much that they see Jesus in us.

In the morning, our group had a wonderful breakfast followed by communion. We talked about how forgetting what God has done can lead us to sin. The nation of Israel stumbled and fell when they failed to remember. So we broke bread together and remembered God's goodness to us through the cross of Jesus Christ. Students were then sent out to do a prayer walk around the church, lifting up every ministry and service toward God, submitting to His will for the morning.

HSM that morning included a special guest worship leader, Richard Jordan. You can hear him by visiting his myspace. He led music and did a great job. Nick delivered a knock out sermon on sharing Jesus with our friends.

Now, we wait and see what God will do this school year: through us...and in us.

Echoing Hills Trip Recap Video

Check out our video recap of our Middle School Mission Trip to Camp Echoing Hills in July!

HSM Retreat 1/2 Update

by Pastor Nick

Summer's end retreat - that's what's going on in HSM this weekend. 50 students and leaders have connected at the Student Ministry Center at Grace for a weekend time with God. The goal was to help students encounter and experience God in a variety of different fashions like silence, extended seasons of prayer, evangelism training, sermons, videos, singing, worship experessions, confession, & much more.

Friday night was great to see the students meeting new friends, laughing, and desiring God in new and refreshing ways. Sydney Lumley, senior @ Smithville shared from God's Word and her experiences this summer challenging her peers to share Christ with their friends. Joining her and sharing her experience in San Francisco was Kendra Workman, senior from Smithville.

Today after training in Contagious Christianity for students we spent the entire day at the Knight's family pond enjoying the water, the courts, etc. Pray for a wonderful time together tonight as we focus on reaching our schools for Jesus this year!

Piano

We've got a special music artist coming to Student Ministries. check it out :)

Nora: Practice Makes Purr-fect Movies & TV SPIKE.com

Alright, just kidding, but that's pretty cool!

The GREATEST story ever...

by Pastor Nick

Right now in HSM we are in a series called "Story...the greatest story ever!" It's a thought provoking challenge toward engaging those we love and serve in conversation about Jesus. This past weekend I shared some thoughts with our students I thought might encourage you. We who are Christ followers have powerful stories because of God's power at work within us...so here are 3 steps to take to become ready to share your story:

1. POSSESS confidence in your story - Romans 1:12 tells us that we encourage one another by sharing what God is doing in our lives. You have a story to share if Christ has changed your life and that story both impacts others and strengthens you.

2. PICK which part of your story to share - we who know Jesus have a salvation story (before + how + after) and we also have a growth story (issue + lesson + response). I shared 2 of Paul's stories from 1 Timothy 1 and Philippians. Know your audience and what they need to hear in a certain situation but just share!

3. PREPARE to share your story - there's one garuntee in sharing your story...if you're not ready to the chances of you doing it drop significantly. You prepare by: praying, asking others to pray, writing it out, practicing it, shortening it, and checking your heart.

All in all we are to be ready to share with others our story. I love 1 Peter 3:15 in the Message,

"Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy."

So, what's your story?

Steal of a Deal

Ok, girls! Who doesn't like to find a deal? You know, the kind that makes you feel like you should call all of your friends just to let them know... the kind that makes back to school shopping so much fun! Well, I love them, deals, I mean. My long time friend calls them, "Kick 'em when they're down" deals. :)

Going to South Park mall last weekend with my daughter made ME excited that school was starting because it was so much fun shopping and finding the deals of the season. Cute stores just for teens, buy one get one for a penny, jewelry for $2, and of course topping it off with Starbucks! (which cost more than some of the items we found by the way)

A friend of mine this week was sharing about her 12 year old son NEEDING a pair of $150 shoes... What!?? Do you know how much you could find for that if you are a deal hunter? In the long run, those shoes will wear out sooner than we think and then what?

So, stop worrying about whether your friends think you've spent a million bucks, and start sharing your favorite "deal spot." You'll be glad you did!

HSM Team in Full Swing

Yeah, that's right. Nick, Ben and I are getting ready for YOU. We're working on things that will challenge your thinking about God and who He is. We're working on things that could CHANGE your life and WILL if you're ready for them. We are working hard to get ready for YOU on the HSM Retreat. This is what HSM is all about. Are you ready to encounter God in a real way? Get your application in....we're ready....ARE YOU?

HSM Retreat Videos

Recent News

by Ben Framstad

So, I was reading my TIME Magazine today (more like leafing through it) and I came upon a news story that I thought was pretty funny (thought not sure if it was meant to be).

Apparently, with the release of the latest Harry Potter movie ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"), HP fans in Wauwatosa, WI got a little wild. Lost in their fantasy, they took permanent markers and wrote the word "Voldemort" on 80 different stop signs. Voldemort is the creepy villain of the entire book and movie series. So when you look at the whole stop sign, it says "STOP VOLDEMORT!" I'm sure Harry would be proud. What loyal fans!

Just thought it was funny. My apologies to the Wauwatosa police force, by the way. Read the news article about this by going here.

Final Thoughts Echoing Hills '09

Read Josh's final thoughts from the mission trip to Camp Echoing Hills at:

http://www.woostergracestudentsehtrip.blogspot.com/

Final Thoughts from San Fran 2009

Read Pastor Nick's final thoughts about the San Francisco trip at:

http://www.woostergracestudentssftrip.blogspot.com

Did you know?

Did you know that our middle school group (MSM) is living on mission for Christ serving at Echoing Hills Camp in Southern Ohio? Echoing Hills is a camp for people of all ages with cognitive and physical disabilities. Check out the team's blog at www.woostergracestudents.org/home.html

South Bend

It's the Eve of the San Francisco Mission Trip. Student Ministries is so excited to see these students go out and make a difference in the name of Jesus. We've already taken one mission trip in High School Ministries this summer and that was to South Bend, IN. Below is a video recapping all that went on at the soccer camp that our students led.

South Bend '09 Rewind from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

The Least of These

This Saturday, HSM will head to San Francisco to minister to homeless people as well as many others who have been forgotten or ignored and pushed to the streets of downtown San Fran.

Next Saturday, MSM will head to Camp Echoing Hills to spend time with people who have special needs and disabilities and more than likely be pushed way out of their comfort zone for an entire week.

Both of these groups will be with "the least of these." Looking at Matthew 25:40, we hear Jesus say that "whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto me." And while it may not be hard to identify the least of these in San Francisco or at Camp Echoing Hills, what about the kid that steps on your foot in Wal-Mart? What about the person in line at the gas station?

My point is that while mission trips are a GREAT opportunity to minister and see Jesus, what about the ones who aren't going? Are they off the hook because they weren't on the trip?

Of course not. We should always be looking for ways to see Jesus in the people around us. That's part of the reason we themed our Summer ministry calendar "Give me Your Eyes." We want to see people the way Jesus sees them.

So let's not just think those who are on the trip can do ministry, because we are all ministering every day, wherever we are. So who are "the least of these" in your world? If you're honest, I'm sure you already have a name in mind. Do something about it. Today.

SonRock Kids Camp VBS 2009

By: Rachel Snyder

VBS has come and gone yet again – and SONROCK Kids Camp was a HUGE success! With well over 500 kids swarming Wooster Grace and over 200 workers and helpers, 42 kids made first time decisions to make Jesus the leader of their life. And we are still rejoicing because of the work that God did last week and will continue to do in those kids lives!

As I walked the halls of VBS, (mostly on a hunt for cookies!), I found so many middle school and high school students helping in recreation, crafts, teaching, helping, teddy bear aerobics, and nursery & preschool childcare! Our students were all over the place making an eternal impact in the lives of kids – how great is that? IT’S AWESOME!

Anyway, to all you students out there reading this, I want you to know that you guys not only impacted kids lives last week, you also impacted the VBS office staff. Let me share with you (anonymously) some things that were said about YOU during last week!

“We asked a high schooler to switch from Rec to the Junior department as a helper. He was willing to do that (that to me is a big deal--it was his first year and he had to leave friends to help there). Every time I saw him he was engaged with the kids. He had them hopping on one foot or walking in slo-mo or something.”

“Another high schooler has a summer job and could only work 2 days, but had signed up to help. when I saw him on Wednesday, it was just so cool. He was so happy, the kids absolutely love him. (He was assigned to some special kids.) When I saw his mom, I said something to her about how cool it is to see his face when he is with his group, and she said that when he came home he told her it was the best day of his summer so far. He chose to come to the closing instead of doing something else. God is so good to allow us glimpses of His kids doing His work”

“One high school helper brought some siblings/friends/cousins to VBS. Because we give Steve and Randy buttons to everyone who brings a friend, and I didn't have any extras with me--I took off my button and handed it to him. He was really hesitant to take it--and finally said--"I don't want to take your button!" I was so touched by that sensitivity.”

And one last comment that sums up the rest…

“I hope they know what an impact they are having on the ones Jesus loves so much!”

by Pastor Nick

What are the students of Grace studying this summer? Well it's not Christianity lite at all! This summer in MSM & HSM students are digging into theology. As a matter of fact a number of high school students have began meeting during the week digging even deeper into the Word and studying theology together.

In June and July students are studying God, Scripture, Good & Evil, Humankind, Salvation, Sanctification, The Church, & Eternity. These are the CORE VIEWS of the faith. Below you'll see the 1 sentence belief about each being taught. Grab a devotional guide called "I Believe" from the Student Ministries table and journey along as we see how Christians should view the world!

GOD - I believe in a holy and personal God, three-in-one, equally eternal and God.
SCRIPTURE - I believe both the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God and has final authority in my life.
GOOD & EVIL - I believe in the influence of angels, demons, and Satan and the battle, which has been won by God through Jesus Christ.
HUMANKIND - I believe humans are created in the image of God and have been separated from Him because of sin, resulting in our desperate need for Gods love...the Savior, Jesus Christ.
SALVATION - I believe a person comes into a right relationship with God, by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
SANCTIFICATION - I believe because of my position in Christ I am becoming more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
THE CHURCH - I believe the Bride of Christ is called to obedience and is God's primary means of accomplishing His purposes on earth.
ETERNITY - I believe there is an eternal heaven and a hell and that Jesus Christ will return at any moment to judge the earth and establish His eternal kingdom.

Give Me Your Eyes...Summer 2009

by Nick Cleveland

Monday morning at 7:30am the South Bend team will meet and depart on mission to reach all people for Jesus in the South Bend area. Please pray for good weather, team chemistry, and the Lord Jesus to be honored above all this week in and through our team.

To follow the team progress this week you can follow our blog at http://www.woostergracestudentssbtrip.blogspot.com/

Thanks for praying and supporting student missions!

conGRADualations class of 2009!

by Nick Cleveland
2009...wow the years between now and my graduation keep adding up! At HSM we celebrated the class of 2009 on May 17th with a fantastic morning including the band (I'll say more about that in a minute), special music, a powerful testimony, message, and videos highlighting the graduates lives and ministry at Grace! Over 300 were there to celebrate this occassion and encourage this class to keep the faith..."over the long haul".

But it got me thinking too...as I stood in the back and watched most of the morning go by I realized a couple things:

(1) High School ministry is so about sending...our band was phenomenal! It has taken a while to get to this point, but they rocked out. And our leader and others in the band are in the class of 2009 and now not in HSM anymore...we're relegated to starting over and doing it again next year. This forces the hands of those of us involved in this thing called student ministry to remember we're training leaders to send back into the church.

(2) Make sure your big rocks are their big rocks... The way we do our graduation celebration tells us what our BIG ROCKS of ministry are in the eyes of the participants. Our video features life shots of each graduate from birth to senior picture narriated with a survey they completed. Each student was asked the question, "What was your favorite memory of youth group at Grace?" Man, just listening to those answers let me know what the class of 2009 valued from our ministry. In this case I was delighted to hear graduate after graduate (30+ in all) reference things like small groups, friends, Sunday mornings and mission trips...reminding me that of our 4 big rocks...they nailed them all! Man am I glad in this case our big rocks were their parting big rocks!

I'll leave you with the words I left the class of 2009 with...

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

Congratulations class of 2009!

Fishers of Men

by Ben Framstad

This first half of the week, I took a few personal vacation days to get away and see some family. Time spent with family on Monday included some fishing on the muddy Sandusky river with my brother Jeremy and sister-in-law Jenny. I think Jeremy fished for a good couple of hours while I fished for a half an hour (I read the rest of the time).

Both my brother and I caught 4 fish each. We both caught 3 white bass, a modest but still respectible sized fish. However, both of our fourth catches happened to be this larger species of fish. When I reeled mine in, Jeremy, Jenny, and I gasped and congratulated each other on the fine winning we recieved. "That must be a walleye!" When Jeremy caught his "walleye", his seemed even bigger.

Our celebration was a bit too soon and very short lived however because when Jeremy and Jenny's dad cleaned the fish that night, Jenny's dad, Gene, said the BIG fish were called "Sheephead" - a totally discusting and practically unedible fish. Fishermen usually throw them back. Another name for Sheephead is "Sucker Fish" because you're a sucker for catching it.

The whole situation was exciting, then disappointing, then funny. And then I thought - "Hey, I bet this relates to something in my Christian life (I think that statement a lot since I'm preaching to high school students a lot more now). Here's the connection: I'm called to be a fisher of men - quite literally to tell people about Jesus to get them hooked on His love and forgiveness; his majesty and awesome nature.

The good news is that there are no sucker fish out there. I'm not throwing anyone back. Everyone deserves to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ. May each of us realize that none are or were ever worthy of the this amazing gift of life from God, yet he gave it to us anyway through the death of his son. Now everyone should have the chance to hear about it and to respond, no matter the race, ethnicity, culture, personality, or hygene. The gospel is for all people. No sucker fishes here :)

Triway Post Prom

by: Rachel Snyder

I think I can speak for the entire High School Ministries Staff when I say, "What A Weekend!" On Saturday Evening/Sunday Morning (10pm-3am) Nick, Ben, Emily, Steve, Mark, and I had the opportunity to bless Triway High School. We hosted Triway's Post Prom and got to hang out with all the students that were there. It was cool to see our building (SMC and Gym) transformed into a place worthy of post prom. There were huge inflatables in the gym along with a mechanical bull and live DJ. The student center was transformed into "A Winter's Night Dream" with snow and winter decor all around. It was filled with Fussball, Corn Hole, Ping Pong, Door Prizes, a Game Show, tons of food, and of course Video Games! It was awesome to see so many High School Students in our building, some who call this their church home, and so many others that had never set foot in our church before. I hope and pray that the contacts and interactions that we had on Saturday evening impacted students for Jesus and that He was glorified. What an incredible opportunity to bless one of our very own community high schools.

If you were there, what did you think?? Give us some feedback.

STOP reading the Bible!

by Nick Cleveland

Read Psalm 46.

Today at HSM we challenged students to stop just reading the Bible and to start internalizing it! The challenge came from Psalm 46 as we studied the chapter together. Students spread out around the SM Worship Center and spent 15 minutes with God together as lead by Pastor Nick. We could see faces encountering God in fresh and new ways through His Word! The word 'selah' in Psalm 46 means to pause and the author wanted us to stop reading and internalize what was being said.

Now reconsider Psalm 46 with using Selah:

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Try the Selah concept in your reading of God's Word in other places...not just the Psalms. Try using the STOP reading method to studying the Scriptures which is:

Set your heart right
Think about what you're reading
Obtaing the right meaning
Practice what you've learned

High School Ministry Asia's Hope Update

by Nick Cleveland

As you know HSM is raising money in support of Grace Place (Orphanage in Cambodia). Before yesterday at HSM we had raised $350 - which is close to 1/2 way. So far to go, but so much raised already! Today I received this email from our Pastor who is visiting Cambodia this week:

"I'm at an internet cafe right now...We had a very good flight (s) from CLE to LAX to Taipei to Phonm Penh (I lost track of hours after 24 - but I did sleep some through the long flight across the Pacific.First impression - I met Savorn and Sony - the AH country director and his wife at the Phonm Penh airport. WHAT JEWELS!! I felt like I met Hebrews 11 people - "the world is not worthy of them." Talk about gracious people!!Second impression - It's HOT! Phonm Penh reminds me a lot of Belem, Brazil when I visited there years ago.Three of the orphanage directors in PP met us at the airport along with Savorn and Sony. What wonderful leaders God has given this ministry.Dr. John Campbell is my gracious tour host - and is very considerate of any needs I have. Please pray that I'm able to encourage the AH staff and all the orphans, as well as be an effective testimony for the Lord! Thanks so much for praying!"

So far away from home, but so close to the heart is this work to reach "the least of these"! Pray for Pastor Bob, the orphanage, & the children. Also don't forget to SKIP STARBUCKS and CHANGE a life!

Are You Sure?

by Ben Framstad


Student Ministries had the priviledge of explaining the gospel to over 200 students this last Sunday both in Middle School and High School Ministries. In High School, students were shown the gospel of Jesus Christ via paintboard, an old technique common of open air evangelists in urban centers.

The evangelist begins and ends with a somewhat haunting question: Are you sure you know where you are going after you die? That is the most important question of life. Many people believe in heaven, but there are many different opinions on how to get there. Some people say "Join a religion" or "Just be good." But how good is good enough?

One person's perspective that many fail to consult is God's. Since He's holy, His standard is perfect just like He is. We are left to miss the mark in maintaining righteousness. Instead we fall into lawlessness, or sin. Our sin forms a barrier between us and God.

While God must judge us according to our sins, He also wants to offer us a way to be redeemed. In love, He sent His Son to live a perfect life. Though he didn't deserve to die, he was executed on a roman cross. He took the penalty that we should have paid for our sin. But it didn't end there. After three days in the tomb, he rose again and was seen by over 500 people over the course of 40 days after he rose. Then he ascended into heaven in a slam-bang finish, all to seal the deal and offer us forgiveness.

To accept Jesus' free gift of forgiveness you must repent, which means you turn from your current life of sin and start going in Jesus direction. Then you must trust, or have faith in Jesus. Believe what Jesus said about himself, what the scriptures say he did, and the promises he has for you.

That's the gospel. :)

Our First Line of Offense

It's been said that, "The best offense is a good defense." And while I understand the concept, I think it's a tad bit different when it comes to working with students. Students, any day of the week will be coming to your service, event, or Bible study with their defenses up. It's up to us to actively look to break down their defenses in an attempt to see their heart open to what God might want to show them. Here are a couple ways to be effective as a "First Line of Offense:"

1. Smile - I'm not talking about the "Wow, I can see that you've never had your tonsils taken out" kind of smile. This is more of a, "Hey, it's good to see you" kind of smile that let's students know that they are appreciated when they arrive and missed when they're gone.

2. Ask them about themselves - Students love talking about themselves. Check the stats, it's true. Try to have some basic questions in your back-pocket (not literally; might seem a little forced) that you can ask any student at any time. Questions like, "What school do you go to?", "What do you like to do for fun?" are great questions to ask someone you just met. If it's a student that you know, ask them about the things you know about. If they play basketball, ask them how the season is going. If they're into art, ask them if they've done any new projects lately. They're waiting to tell you; just ask.

3. Laugh - Laughter is a great way to disarm people. Students are expecting church to be boring and a waste of time. If before they even hear a Scripture verse or a Bible story they are laughing at a story that you're telling, consider them disarmed. And don't wait for them to do it. You be the first to laugh, and they'll be more likely to jump in with you.

Students have an uncanny ability to tell when leaders are genuinely interested or when they are just going through the motions. When they sense they are genuinely cared for and loved, they will be more likely to A. Come back, and B. Be disarmed. All because of our "First Line of Offense."

How can I make a difference with just 10 cents?

That's the questions we're looking at this Sunday at HSM. What can we do with 10 cents a week, 43 cents a month & $5 a year? Well collectively we could change the world for someone. Join us Sunday at 11 as we conclude ACTION month and find out what 10 cents really can do in the name of Jesus!

How a real servant ACTS...

by Nick Cleveland

This morning in HSM I challenged us to look hard at the words of Christ in Mark 10 where He defined greatness as having a servant's heart. We discovered together from God's Word that a real servant ACTS humbly, immediately, & spontaneously. So together we venture into this week...March 15-21 committed to 5 ACTS of kindness from a heart motivated to make Jesus famous! We'll leave this post up this week for you to share what you did and how you saw it impact others! GO & SERVE!

"...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Jesus Christ

by Nick Cleveland

March Madness at HSM is called ACTion month. For the rest of the month we will up our focus on taking ACTion for Jesus! We want HSM to grapple with the concept of healing hurts of others in the name of Christ in big AND small ways.

We kicked off ACTion month by every small group doing a 15 minute service project in our church building helping the custodial crew turn the building around for school the next day (bath room cleaning, room set up , etc). This is just one of the many opportunities students will have this month...

But one of our focuses has been taking ACTion in our Jerusalem...SCHOOL! One adult associated with HSM illustrated our vision for taking ACTion on campus perfectly this week. Read her story:

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"Nick, Had a neat experience today I wanted to share with you....A boy in my study hall threw a pencil and I saw it, so I went to the table and said who threw the pencil they laughed at me and smiled. A few minutes later I hear a pencil hit the window (again).....I walk back over and looked the boy in the eye. I ask "What is your name?" He tells me. I told him I saw him play basketball at noon and that he should have been on the team. He told me he has only been at our school for two weeks because he got kicked off his old school's bball team.

I walked away...He said hey do you go to Grace, and I said yes. I said why? He said his Grandmother has taken him there. I invited him to HSM. I started putting chairs down for lunch and he stood up and helped me. He said good bye to me and really seems to be struggling. Please pray for him. The kid is hurting and needs Jesus! Wish I could make a difference in his life."
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This teacher already has began to make a difference in his life. She saw him there and cared enough to find out about him. That's where ACTion starts...now let's pray for where it ends - in Jesus!

The Narrow Road

by Ben Framstad

"Enter through the narrow gate...small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life." ~Matthew 7:13, 14.

The Christian life is a pursuit of God. We get our spiritual hiking gear at the start of our trip, and we set off on our quest with a Bible under our arm and a heart full of faith.

Wooster Grace Students has taken that theme for this season of Lent by creating the "Journey to the Cross" blog. If you haven't visited it yet, please do. So far we encountered 7 days worth of interactive blogposts with videos, audio clips, and articles that are challenging our faith in Jesus Christ.

As I've watched this journey in HSM take off, I've been humbled by the impact the blog has already been making. I've heard different people who have heard of the blog outside of our student ministry, and even outside Wayne County, saying they are committing to the journey, and have also recieved comments and e-mails regarding the posts. God is working and preparing many hearts this year to remember Christ's death and celebrate his resurrection.

This is exciting.

I hope the blog has challenged you and been a worthwhile encouragement to you. Visit it now at http://www.journeytothecross.blogspot.com/

Give me your eyes...

by Nick Cleveland

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Those are the words from the chorus of Brandon Heath's song "Give me Your Eyes". A friend tipped me off to this song and using it to challenge our student leaders to see those around them like Jesus does. We've been working to develop this kind of heart in the students who are on stage and who 'make' HSM (our Sunday morning High School ministry) happen.

Then it happened yesterday. A key student leader in our ministry sat down next to his girlfriend who came to HSM yesterday (she was there to watch him 'perform'). In the middle of my part two message on getting out of the boat and walking on water, he stood up from the back row, moved one section over to the backrow. No one saw it except me.

He sat down next to a person from his school who is new to HSM...this kid is young, intimadated (so I learned 35 minutes earlier from his mom), and virtually invisible. He just sat next to him and saw him. I'm thankful to serve Jesus next to people who 'get it'! Now, for me...I pray the same prayer...Lord, give ME your eyes!

The Best Valentine Ever

Valentine's Day can be a very lonely holiday. For just about any type of person. It could be hard for you, a high schooler or middle schooler, or your parents or your teachers or your neighbors. This Valentine's Day we wanted to extend some love toward the widows in our church. So, our high school girls small groups each adopted a few widows to send Valentine's day cards to.

We may never know how many lives have been touched through the giving of these cards by our high school girls. But, we do know that at least one life was touched significantly...I'd like to share some excerpts from a letter that we received this week from one of the widows that received a Valentine's Day card.

"I would like to make you aware of a special blessing that came my way recently from one of your Sr. High Small Groups. A group sent me a special Valentine. It included a wish extending God's love to me. This meant so much to me. It gave me such a lift to think some young people from home was thinking of me. I just want you to know you and your young people are in my prayers daily. At my age (83) and partly disabled I have lots of time and I try to use it to glorify the Lord. May God richly bless you."

All that to say, never underestimate the way God will use something as simple as a Valentine. It reminds me of a verse I read recently, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for men." Colossians 3:23 God can use even the smallest things to touch people's lives. Doing even the smallest things for his glory and to the best of your ability can make the difference in people's lives.

Thank you to all that participated in writing these Valentine's Day cards. You may never know the impact you made on someone's life.

Journey to the Cross

To recognize the season of Lent this year, Wooster Grace Students is hosting "Journey to the Cross," on 45 day online devotional to help people reflect on, know, and draw closer to Jesus. We see this as the original purpose of Lent, established by the church many years ago. The Journey begins today, Ash Wednesday, and will continue until we reach the cross on Good Friday. If you would like to take the challenge to go on that journey, you can visit www.journeytothecross.blogspot.com. It will be updated daily with articles, online videos, and downloads to supplement your quiet time with Jesus. Let us know that you've become a traveler either by leaving a comment or by calling/e-mailing the student ministries office. We'd love to know you're walking with us.

Sincerely,

The Wooster Grace Student Ministries Staff

My Biggest Fans

by: Rachel Snyder

One of my biggest passions is high school basketball. Probably because it has been one of the most impactful experiences in my life so far. Last night after the LAST open cafe, I got to go with two of our students to watch the Smithville/Waynedale sectional game at Triway high school. These two girls that I went with are in a small group together along with a player from Waynedale. Now, mind you, one of these girls i went with was from Smtihville. But she came to support her small group friend -- and sat on the Waynedale side (w/ her bright green Smithville Letterman Jacket, but that's beside the point). I was completely impressed by the support that these two girls gave to their small group, despite the rivalry. It was so awesome to see a connection stronger than their school affiliation. And despite Waynedale's loss, seeing the small group together, laughing, smiling and encouraging each other after the game reminded me of the value of our small groups and the connections that become possible because of them. I feel completely blessed to be a part of HSM because these girls reminded me of the deep connection that comes when friends are following Christ together. It is so cool to watch you guys be a part of and investing in each other's lives.

This is a shout-out to Ellie Shoup, Amanda Gessel and Abby Kauffman. :)