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."