Year Winding Down

Well 2012 has come and gone in a whirlwind, just think next week we will be in 2013, I just want to remind all of you of a few things before this year is up.

Youth Sunday is this Sunday, be sure you are prepared to teach in your classes, the youth choir will also sing so be ready to sing.  And some of our teens will be performing a special, so don't miss this Sunday it's going to be a big day.

Also our second semester will be starting this coming Wednesday January 2, which means we are on the downhill turn.  This spring is going to be busy and fun packed so be ready!  Like we have done in pass years we will be having an end of the incentive trip, be looking in your email for an update on your status toward that trip.  Many of you are either eligible or close, and we would like to take 2 van loads on the trip (which is something we have never done before). 

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday and next Wednesday!

Last Class for 2012

It's hard to believe but another year has come and gone.  We will be having our last class of 2012 this Wednesday Night.  We are going to be having a special speaker, and a bible quiz on the last series of lessons, "Character Construction".  Please make an effort to come out being it's the last class until January, we have had a great first semester and I hope it will continue through the rest of the year.  We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Don't forget to vote on what lesson you want us to teach on next, it's located on the right below the activities.

Next lesson

We only have two more lessons in Character Construction, so we need to decide on the text topic that we are going to teach on.  So we want you to vote on which one you would like to learn about, all you have to do is go on the right side of the page and there is a list of five lessons, select just one, and the one with the most votes will be the next lessons that we will teach.

Wednesday/ Christmas Party

We are going to be back in class this Wednesday Night, we will be having our 4th lesson on Character Construction though the life of Joseph, so please come out.

Also it is hard to believe but, we are having our Christmas party this Friday night and Dale's house we will be meeting at the church on going over their.  There will be great food and fun, so come Wednesday night for the details on that as well!

Jeff Carney

This past Wednesday night we got to hear from one of our missionaries that we support, Jeff Carney who is a missionary to the Yucatan Peninsula.  He brought a great message and also gave us a very detailed description on how missionaries start a church.  He told us that he and his family are currently in a city called Caucel which is located 3 hrs. west of Cancun, they are currently helping to establish a church in that city.  God is blessing his ministry and they are seeing souls saved as the church they are in is growing.  Here is a link to give you more insight on the project called Project First Impact : projectfirstimpact.com.

A link will also be located in the missionaries tab.

Tomorrow Night

Don't forget that our mid-week service is being moved to tomorrow night.  Also we are going to meet in the teens room for points and announcements, and then we will go over to the sanctuary to hear one of the missionaries that we support, Jeff Carney a missionary to the youth of Central America.  I highly recommend you all to come because Bro. Carney is a great blessing and always does a good job when he comes to the church.  

Character Construction 3

Again this Wednesday night we had another lesson on Character Construction.  We learned that through all the bad things that happened to Joseph one thing stayed true, "He Remained Faithful".  In the entire story of Joseph we do not see that he got angry at God, My challenge for you is how faithful do you remain when times get tough.  In bad times we need to draw closer to God, just like Joseph.

Another great  point from Wednesday night's lesson was how we need to have respect for our bosses and teachers.  And in school work and on the job we need to give 100% effort.  Remember Ephesians 6:5-6 and Colossians 3:23-25, the Bible tells us to have respect and always do a great job.  Your great work ethic and respect for others can be a witnessing tool, to tell others about Christ.

NO Class Tomorrow

Remember there will be no class tomorrow due to the special Halloween service we will be having in the sanctuary.

Another Great Lesson on Character

We had another great lesson on Character Construction, and how Joseph survived some tough times.  We learned how no matter how bad it got for Joseph he was always faithful to God, this is something that I think all of us need practice on.  We had some great challenges laid out and one that stuck out more is that Christian teens and adults need to stick together for support.  There will come a time in your life when you will need to help someone or someone will help you when dealing with the unsaved or carnal person.  We need to make sure that as Christians we have each others backs at all times.

Great Time on the Creeper Trail

We had a great time on the Creeper Tail today, it was a cold day but we all made it down the mountain in one piece.  Here are the photos from the trip, There are also more photos in the photos tab @ top of page.

They must not get out much :)

Creeper Trail

Here is a few notes about the Creeper Trail in case you forgot:
 
Be at the church no later than 7:15 because the vans are pulling out at 7:30, Make sure your bike is working properly because it will be a miserable trip if it is not, have money to eat twice once for breakfast then for dinner, Dress warm: when you get up there it is going to be 48 and probably not get much warmer than 54 so dress warm. Here is a link to the weather at Damascus: weather.com/Damascus. We are looking forward to the trip and if any of you wear your TOTAL t-shirts you'll get 5 extra points next week, it's great to so unity in the youth group and this is one way to do that.

Character Construction

We are very excited to start our new study on Character Construction, through the life of Joseph.  Last night we had a great first lesson on: What character is and laid the foundation for the next four lessons.  Remember Joseph had a crumby situation and could of made wrong choices but he didn't.  Which goes to show that we can't blame our lack of character on circumstances, and we have to find positive influences in our life.  Always remember that you are responsible for yourself and no one else, it is up to you to make the right choices in life and have a strong character!  Please try to make it to class and bring a friend, I think these lessons will help all of us become stronger Christians.

Be sure to check the blog tomorrow we'll have some reminders about the Creeper Trail and some other things on here as well.

No Class Tomorrow

There will be no class tomorrow but, we are going to take up points so get there as early as possible and be ready to say your verses!

1st Night Photos

Here are a few photos from last night's class, also check out the photos link @ the top we'll be adding photos throughout the year!

Great 1st Night!

Wow!  We had a great first night of TOTAL, thank you to everyone that came out!  We enjoyed having each one of you, and we hope that you will be with us every Wednesday Night.  We want yall to bring friends, and lets have the class packed out like it was tonight.  As you could see we have an exciting year planned, so we look forward to seeing you on a weekly basis!

Remember our class verse :  James 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  We just can't sit back and listen to what God's word has to offer, we have to be participants, so before coming to class pray, and be ready to see what God has in store for you individually, and for the class as a whole!

TOTAL Begins Tonight

Don't forget that tonight is the first night of TOTAL @ 7:00 pm we look forward to seeing you!

Less Than 1 Week

We are less than one week away from TOTAL starting up @ 7:00 pm Sept. 5.

Here is a teaser for the year:

• Similar lessons with different format
• Different lineup for activities
• Different End of the Year Incentive Trip

All you need to do is just show up to get the year started off.

Lets make this year the best year in TOTAL history!

4 More Weeks

Summer is winding down, which means TOTAL is getting ready to start up again, we have an exciting year planned so stay tuned for updates!

Recap Camp Wilds Day 5

Friday evening is coming to a close at Camp Wilds. By the time many of you read this we will be heading home. Staff was warned by the power company that power would be shut off from 8am - 11am this morning to permanently repair what caused our power outage on Monday. They changed the repair to 8pm - 11pm tonight which would be during our evening service. Thank the good Lord that He did not allow this distraction to occur. As of 11pm, we still have lights and AC !!!

We found out a snake had crawled into a main transformer, shorted it and took out power to three counties on Monday.

All of your kids are doing great, but I believe they are worn out and ready to get back home.

Tonight's service by Brother Ron DeGarde was taken from Matthew 9.
Do You Have A Heart For The HarvestThree Reasons God Has a Heart of Compassion1. Jesus saw the world's fainting condition
2. Jesus saw their final condemnation
3. Jesus saw the world's few compassionate

After this evening's service, we participated in the Fire Side Service. Be sure to have your teen explain this service to you if you don't know what I am talking about.

Today's Christian Life Seminar was excellent.
Friend or Foe. II Sam 13:1-3
What kind of friends do you hang out with?
What happens when you hang with the wrong friends?
1. You will be deceived
2. You will be defiled
3. You will be destroyed
4. You will be dead
5: You will be deserted

Chapel this morning continued the Principles of Powerful Living Part II

Teens had plenty of free time between services and their God and I time to enjoy the many activities at camp. Scotty and I joined them in tubing and they got us on the big slide. Great Fun!

I am done for the night, have to get up early to load. We will see you all Saturday evening.

Recap Camp Wilds Day 4

We enjoyed another beautiful day at Camp Wilds.

A couple of quick things I forgot during the Wednesday update. First a big thank you to those who mailed cards to the teens. It is a huge blessing to the teens. That is not coming from me either. That is coming from the teens themselves. I had a couple of our older teen guys actually bring theirs to me so I could read them.  The mail is a very welcomed sight for each of them. Your encouraging words are truly a help to them. So thank you again for supporting our teens in that way. (Thanks from me and Scotty as well. Your words for us were uplifting and a welcomed reminder of home.)

Now I forgot what the second thing was from yesterday that I wanted to say... maybe it will come to me.

In my defense, it is now 11:47pm and we literally just got off the zipline with Matthew N., Laken, Kendall and Chris.

I am going to take Thursday's update in reverse order.

We just finished a fun time, open Night Big Swing and ZipLine. Stations for pizza, doughnuts, drinks, Cool Beans, putt putt & basketball. Right before that was an awesome group game called Tic Tac Go. Your kid can tell you about it.

Tonight's service was once again very good. Several of the teens have stated how consistently good all of the services have been and how each service has helped them in some way. Scotty and I were saying the same thing. God has used each service to either convict or help us as well. To God be the Glory,  great things He has done...and is doing.

Portrait of Powerful Prayer
  Characteristics of a Prayer WarriorWarrior
1. They Believe the Promise of Prayer
2. They Believe the Power of Prayer
3. The Perception of Prayer

Earlier this afternoon the teens enjoyed the County Fair. This has many fun games on the field and activities

This morning, Chapel was on Principles of Powerful Living taken from Romans 12: 9-13.

Scotty and I then attended a mens' sponsor session: From Panic to Praise, God Opens the Red Sea. Exodus 14.  At this time,  the teens were on their "God and I" time.

Thanks to Amanda, Grayson, Salem, Chad, Jason, Erin, Lisa & Michael for visiting today. They timed their arrival perfectly for the Family Reunion time. This is a time where Scotty and I get to gather all of the teens together in one spot. We get to hear from them, what help they have received so far, services that touched them or just basically whatever they want to share with us and the teens group.

As Scotty told them during Family Reunion, the week is not over. God still has something for each of them. Please continue to pray that every teen will be receptive and obedient to what God wants of them.

 As I look at the clock, Friday has snuck up on me. Morning comes quickly at Camp Wilds!

Three of our teens participated in the teen choir (VERY Proud of them !) You get to play "Where's Waldo". See if you can spot our three teens. Your hint: 1 guy and 2 ladies.

Camp Wilds Photos

Here are a few photos from some different areas @ Camp for those of you that have never been there.

Playing Field (Playing Air Ball)

Water cannons @ the creek

The Chapel

Recap Camp Wilds Day 3

A big hello to everyone! Not to be a broken record, but the Lord blessed us and the teens with another beautiful and blessed day at Camp Wilds.

We have had a very busy day today and I believe my age is starting to show. Knees hurt, back hurts, found those muscles that thought I would never find them again. I worked them hard and now they are fussing back. Anyway, enough about that...

I attended the Christian Life Seminar this morning with our teens. It was great! Scotty and I were not able to yesterday due to meetings that we were scheduled to attend. Willy Parton spoke on:
Defeating Temptation1. Determine to Escape Temptation
2. Defend Your Heart
3. Delight in the Word of God
4. Depend on God's Grace

We got enjoy a hotdog picnic on the field with our teens for lunch. They played a new group game called AirBall and then many, many activities that they were able to choose.

I went to each and asked them what there one favorite thing has been so far:
Matthew Norman: Big Ball
Alex: Services / Tubing
Matthew Waddell: 3 Ball
Chris: Fishing
Travis: Tubing
Issac: Tubing
Kendall: Christian Life Services
Laken: Christian Life Services
Lauren: Tubing
Sarah: Big Slide
Courtney: Big Slide
Mackenzie: Tubing
Harley: Cabin Mates
Katie: Tubing
Melanie: Big Swing
Ashlyn: Big Swing
Christina: ?
Angel: ?

Last night I stated that the message was gun barrel straight and hard. Tonight I will add hot. Brother Ron delivered a solid gospel message on Hell.

Hell, A Place of the Damned.  Luke 16:19-31
1. Reality of a Place Called Hell
2. Residence of a Place Called Hell
3. Report from a Place Called Hell
4. Rescue from a Place Called Hell

This was a very convicting message and I am glad our teens were able to hear it. I pray that God will use it to change the lives of everyone of our teens!

Sorry for the long update. Its been a busy day and there's alot to talk about.

Thanks to Tim and Stephanie for visiting today.

I'll shut up now. It is 11:02 and Scotty is already over there in his bunk wanting me to turn the lights off ; )

Recap Camp Wilds Day 2

Tuesday Update

We have been blessed with another beautiful today in the mountains of North Carolina. Weather was sunny and cool with a nice breeze all day. God has blessed!  No power outages today which is another blessing. We take it for granted until it is missing.

All of your teens had another exciting day of fun and we trust spiritual growth & help. We make our rounds several times each day catching up with each one during their activities. Smiles abound.

Scotty and I just got back to our dorm room after this evening's service. It is 10:47 as I type on my little bity keyboard on the phone. Our speaker this week is Ron DeGarde.  Though we expected no less, and prayed weeks before this trip, he has proven to be an excellent speaker touched by God. His message tonight was gun barrel straight and hard.

His message was taken from Joshua 6. What Happens When You Decide You Can Cover Yourself. No One Is Above Hidden Sin.
1 The Pathway of Hidden Sin (Your eyes connect straight to your heart)
      Teens' Practical Application: Media (TV, Internet, Movies, Music etc)
2 The Price of Hidden Sin
3 The Purging of Hidden Sin

Great, great service!   Many teens responded tonight, to the glory of God!

We hope you are enjoying the updates to the blog, and we hope it is a help to you. I am going to continue to give you daily updates,  but I will slow down on the number of pictures. We want to save a few surprises for the Sunday night power point presentation.

Good night or good morning, whatever it may be when you are reading this.

Dale

Wilds Photos Day 2

God and I Time

Click on  Photos for larger View

The Dining Hall

Recap Camp Wilds Day 1

We ended up going through last nights service with no power. They had a generator to power the sound system and one spot light. Went well.  Speaker did a good job also. He spoke on what kind of soil is your heart for God to throw the seed on.

Staff did a great job with the make shift lighting. Everyone was able to get back to their areas with not much problems. We had no more than made it back and the power came back on. So power was off from about 5:30 to 10:30.

After big balls and before the service MANY were washing off in the creek. Several of our girls did as well!

Be sure to check back around 7:30 for photos from today!

Wilds Photos Day 1

Here is some more photos from Day 1, to get a larger view simply click on the photo.

Power is out in a 3 county radius, so this is what's running camp, hope to have it on by midnight

Lauren, Laken, and Kendall in the black

Annual first game to kick off camp BIG BALL

Wilds Photos Day 1

Entire Group in one van!  Are they trying out to be clowns in a circus or are they at camp?

Camp Wilds Day 1

They have arrived safe and sound to camp. Check back in a couple of hours for photos, and don't forget to keep the teens and leaders in your prayers this week!

VBS June 18-22

Hey Guys this is just a reminder that we are having Vacation Bible School this week from 6:30-8:45.  We hope to see yall there!

Incentive Trip

Don't forget that we will be leaving the church @ 8:30am this Saturday to go to the Whitewater Center.  And I just want to say congratulations to all of you that are going you deserve it!  Hope everyone has fun!

Stone Mtn. Photos

Last Class

Last class will be tomorrow night so we hope to see all of you there.  Don't forget to bring some extra money for the missionaries to last through the summer months.  Also I hope to have photos from the Stone Mtn. trip up by tomorrow afternoon.

Fun Time @ Stone Mtn.

Thank you for everyone that came to Stone Mtn. today.  We had a fun time of hiking and eating a really good meal.  We also got up close and personal with a deer and a snake, and then some of us got to catch a few trout, in all it was a great trip, as Scotty said it is great to experience and enjoy God's beautiful Earth that He made for us.  I hope all you had as much fun as we did.  Check back in the next few days and we'll try to have a few pictures posted.

Stone Mtn. on Saturday

Don't forget that this Saturday is our trip to Stone Mtn.  We are going to be leaving the church @ 3:30, we hope everyone can go!

Anybody Want Watermelon?

Winding Down

Everyone did a great job yesterday for Youth Sunday!  It's hard to believe but the end of the year is quickly approaching, we only have 4 more weeks left!  All of the important dates are on the right side of this page, May is going to be a busy month.  Remember you've got until May 9 to get the points in for the trip to the Whitewater Center.

Great Time Saturday

We had a great time Saturday, cleaning up the road and relaxing around the pond.  Thank you all for the great turn out.  Here are a few pictures from Saturday:

                                       

Adopt-a-Highway

Don't forget that this Saturday is the Adopt-a-Highway and Fishing Trip.  It is going to start @ 9:30 am and be over a little after 12.  It will only take an hour to pick up the trash, and don't forget your fishing pole.  Also lunch will be provided.  We look forward to seeing you their.

End of the Year!

It's hard to believe but there is only 6 or 7 weeks before this year is over.  Remember that we are going to be having a end of the year incentive to the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, we really want everyone to be able to go, because this is one of the best trip you will ever take.  Below are the requirements to go and the people that are eligible to go:  If you don't see your name it doesn't mean you wont be able to go, just really try hard to meet the requirements.

 Requirements

1.  Must complete levels 1-3 in memorization chart.

2.  Must have 2100 points by May 9th.

People Eligible   On the Bubble (You are REALLY CLOSE)

1.  Abbie           1.  Harley (Need  levels 2-3)

2.  Lauren          2.  Matthew (Need  1-3)

3.  Travis           3.  Mackenzie (Need 2-3)

4.  Laken

5.  Ryan

Great Class Tonight

I would like to thank Glenn and Alice Johnson for giving their testimonies tonight.  It was great to here from some of the elders in the church, and how they came to know the Lord.  One of the things that stuck out was when they both got saved (on the same night) how the Lord mad an evident change in their life.  First of all Glenn called to apologize to his stepfather for things that he had thought about doing, and then both Glenn and Alice invited several people from the church to come back to their house, and all of this happened on the same night they got saved.  It shows how God made a change because people that don't know God don't invite saved Christians to their home.

Also remember, what is taking more of your time the temporal or the eternal?  Try your best to focus on God by reading your bible, praying, and faithfulness.  Put God first in your life!

Boys Camping Trip/Girls Party

Don't forget that we are having our Camping Trip and Grils 31 Party!

Guys meet @ the church @ 5:30 do go camping minus the spending the night part.  We will still do the devoition, some shooting, hiking, games, and of course eating. 

Girls meet @ the church @ 4:30 to have a 31 party as well as eating chicen tacos.

We look forward to seeing you all their!

Bible Quiz Wed.

Just a reminder that there will be a Bible Quiz this Wednesday Night.

Blood Drive @ Starmount

 March 16 8am to 1:30pm in the SHS Gym

This blood drive is in Honor of Starmount Senior Austin Macemore  who has battled cancer!  If you know anyone who would like to donate have them let me know, and i will get the the proper forms and sign up info (must be 16 or older, if 16 i have a parent form for them to fill out before they can give) and i am also going to see if Randy tell the church about it Sunday

February in Review

February was a very busy month for TOTAL, but it was one of the best months in the class history.  We started off with our missionaries to The Shepherds Household and ended the month with Darren and Jennifer Harris giving their testimony.  As well as having some of you guys give testimony.  We had 2 good events with the first being Open Gym, we had a great time and found out that Ryan has a cannon on his arm when he serves the ball, I'm still feeling the affects : )  Then we ended the month with a Caption Scavenger Hunt which ended up with many unique pictures, and we had a special appearance by the Jonesville Police Dept.  I want to thank you for making February a special month and lets continue to build and make March and the rest of the year better.

Reverse Scavenger Hunt

Don't forget the Reverse Scavenger Hunt is today from 1-4pm @ MRBC Fellowship Hall!

Great Class Last Night!

Thank you to everyone that came out to class last night it was a very memorable class, I enjoyed hearing all of the testimonies.  Also thank you to Darren and Jennifer Harris for being a part of the class Darren had a great lesson on the assurance of salvation for us. 
Which makes me want to ask you do you have the 3 traits in your life that lets you know that you are saved?  Have you made a change and took a trend to the Lord?  When you do something wrong do you get convicted, does God whip you?  And do you love fellowship with other believers and enjoy coming to church?  If you can't answer yes to the questions please get it settle and get saved, it would be bad to spend all eternity thinking about what could have been.  If you have doubt remember the verse that Darren used: 
  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  John 10:28-29

Jubilee Week

Due to the Winter Jubilee we will not be having class this Wed. Nite.  Try to come to as many services as possible for 10 extra points for each service atteneded.

Open Gym Tomrrow Night!

Don't forget tomorrow night is open gym @ the Clingman Community Center from 5-8pm.  Come out to see which one of the leaders turns into this guy on the basketball court!  We look forward to seeing you their!

Are You Willing and How's Your Faith?

Last night we had our missionaries for The Shepherds Household in class.  Brother Strickland had some great things to say that we can all apply to our lives.  One of the things he said was, God has a purpose for you and that we are all important.  Brother Strickland used his own life as an example of how he didn't like getting in front of people, but God opened doors for him and now he is over a boys home!  The reason why God opened the doors for him is because he was a willing vessel to be used by God in whatever way it took.  I challenge all of us to do the same, and tell God whatever He has in store for our lives we will follow, we just have to be willing. 

Another thing we learned from The Shepherds Household is how we need to put more faith in God.  They are totally faith based and Brother Strickland had lots of examples of how they prayed and God answered it, like the verses say below all we have to do is ask God and he will do it.  We need to learn how to put our self to the side and let God do everything!

Joh 14:13-14  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Missionary Tonight

Don't Forget tonight @ 7PM our missionaries for troubled boys The Shepherds Household will be with us, so make sure you can be in class tonight!

Fun @ Winterplace!

We had a very fun and interesting trip to Winterplace last night.  Congratulations to all of you that got to go you earned it!  The night started out great with no lines and plenty of trips down the slope.  And then we had our first hitch in the trip.  The conveyer belt that takes you up the hill broke and we had to walk up the hill, but they did open another conveyer belt.  Then we thought it would be fun to use Dale as a human bowling bowl while everybody else stood @ the bottom of the slope as pins and it went perfect, so I went down the next time as the bowling bowl and it didn't go so perfect.  I ended up with a little gut, pouring blood, and a big knot, Thank God it was nothing major but I do have nice shiner on the eye.  The night ended with a great meal @ Cracker Barrel.   Again thank you to the Teens that went, here's a couple of videos from last night:

Tubing Trip

Don't forget that this Wednsday night is the last night to turn in points for the incentive trip.  For all the information check the blog postings below! 

Dont Forget!

This Wed. Night everyone needs to wear their TOTAL T-Shirts for the service so we can all look pretty for a group picture:)  Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Tubing Trip

We really want everyone to go on the incentive trip on Jan. 27 to Winterplace. It is always a fun time, and the best thing about it is it is free if you meet the requirements.  The church pays for your meal and for you to tube!

Here are the requirements:

1.  Must attend 2 of 4 Wed. TOTAL meetings from Jan. 4 - Jan.25

2.  Must attend 2 of 3 Sunday morning services from Jan. 8 - Jan. 22

3.  Score 400 points from Jan. 4 - Jan.25

4.  Must complete Levels 1 and Levels 2 of the memorizaiton chart

 

Special Wed. Class 7PM!

Just a reminder that Larry Key, missionary with Rock of Ages Prison ministry to juvenile prisons will be speaking this Wednesday night during our T.O.T.A.L. class.  Brother Larry is a great man of God and is always very interesting to hear.  We hope you can all be there.  Also, remember to invite other teenagers to our church and to our teens class.  This would be a great week to get them to come!