On Sunday, our small groups wrapped up the final lesson in their four-week series on the book of Exodus by looking at the incredible story of how Moses’ face shone with radiant light after being in the presence of God. We challenged students to live in such a way that their lives would shine brightly for Christ, and we talked about the truth that the more time we spend with God, the more change and transformation we see in our lives.

Consider taking some time this week to keep this line of thinking going in your child’s life. As you find time, you might want to use the following questions to generate conversation:

• Do you think our family is identified as people who serve Christ? How can others tell?
• Do you feel like you are growing in your relationship with God? How can we help one another see more spiritual growth in our lives?
• What could we as a family do to have more meaningful times of worship with God?

As always, let me know if there are specific ways I can pray for your family or for your teenager. Have a blessed week!

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Can you believe that January is coming to an end? “Time” is one of those pesky things we cannot control.  The importance of time management and priorities for our families are critical to establish spiritual mile-markers for 2012. Do me a favor, take a look at your calendar for 2012 and ask yourself these questions:

1. What does my time and financial investments say about my priorities?
2. Will my kids understand what it means to be a part of the church family by serving others, worship together, growing in God’s Word with a small group, or sharing their faith?
3. What would it look like to restructure my calendar to align with God’s purposes for my family?

If you are like me, these questions can be difficult to answer at times, but I believe they are essential when establishing a spiritual guideline for 2012. Be honest with yourself. Don’t settle for less than the best that God has for you and your family.

Do I have a plan for how we should map out 2012? Of course not. Each individual or family unit is different and you have to decide based on where your family is spiritually. When you process through what that looks like for your family, you may want to consider adapting these to your calendar:

-Small Group: Small groups are vital in building community, growing through God’s Word, and establishing accountability. If you are making small group a priority, do your children understand why? And are they involved with a small group?

-Serving: Throughout the year we have opportunities for you and your family to serve. Whether that is on a Sunday morning (children’s ministry, student ministry, greeters, etc), Wednesday night, mission trip, or a Saturday serve, there is something for you.

-Worship: Every Sunday morning we have corporate worship and it is a perfect opportunity to make meeting together regularly, as a church family, a priority.

-Giving: Giving tends to be a sensitive subject, but it is one of the most written about topics in the Bible. You can decide now to make giving a priority and begin to share why you give to your kids. If you are comfortable, share how much you give to your kids, give them a greater understanding for why you believe it is important to give back to the Giver of All Things.

Dates to Remember:

-Feb. 5: Following the 11am worship service next Sunday, February 5th, we will have an informational meeting about summer camp in the Backstage area. This meeting will provide details about camp, suggestions on fundraising, and other questions you may have.  This meeting is for all, even if you have yet to sign-up for camp.

-Feb. 19: New! payment deadline for Summer Camp. Learn more about camp!

-Feb. 19: During the 11am worship hour, parents are invited to participate in a class offered just for Parents of Teens in the green hallway/north entrance. While your kids are in small group take advantage of this opportunity to connect with other Parents of Teens. 

Posted in Student Pastor - Chase by Chase Baker No Comments

MAN UP! – Guys Retreat

Man Up!  I’ve heard this phrase used many times in my sports playing.  Many times my coach would say it because I wasn’t being strong with the ball or I was playing timid.  So when we landed on this as a title for our guys retreat, I immediately thought of my experiences with this phrase and was excited in seeing how we could use it as a catch phrase for teaching our guys how to be men of God in their households, schools, sports teams, and in our youth group.  Our goal for this weekend was to pair a small group of students with a male adult and let them discuss different aspects of what it takes to be a man of God.  Joe Hunter and Jeff Simmons led our large group sessions on Saturday, speaking about Christian leadership and keeping Go first.  Our leaders taught 2 bible study lessons on what it takes to be a man and how to keep God first in our relationships.  After session, our students would break into their small groups to discuss the different topics.  This weekend was a special experience with our students.  We stayed in a rustic camp with very few heaters, which made our “Man Up” experience all the more real.  We also had a special time where our students gathered in a man made sweat lodge to talk about the commitments they’d made and ways they could go back home and “Man Up” around the house and their school.   It was an incredible, God-filled weekend for our guys and we look forward to seeing God move through our students, your sons, over this next season.

-Nathan

Posted in Nathan McDivitt, Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Girls really do know how to have fun…especially when it comes to the ladies in our student ministry.

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with them at our winter retreat.  The theme for the weekend was “Live for Love”.  In our large group sessions we discussed everything from how to love others, why we are suppose to love everyone, the need to have a reputation for Christ, experiencing God’s love, and even a discussion on how being a part of God’s family requires love in action. The girls were led in sessions by Kim Goin, Kelly Dale, and Joni Derrick.  All three of these women were able to share Scripture into the girls’ hearts and about love in their own lives.  After each session, we split into small groups to allow time for discussion.  These groups were lead by other women who volunteer in the youth group.  It was great to see the girls really gravitate towards these women and make relationships with them.  Ultimately these women will continue to be apart of the girls’ lives and this weekend was just a spring board for those relationships.

When I think back on the weekend there are two things that truly pop-out in my mind as memorable. The first being our times of worship together, led by Camee Burdin and Sarah Nierste.  Through Camee and Sarah, the girls were shown what loving God through worship means and how to incorporate that into our lives. This was a time they became excited for. I will say that watching 18 6th through 12th graders worshiping the Lord without hinderance and distraction is a memory I will hold onto for a while.

Other sweet moments from the weekend that stand out include the bonding time the girls had.  There is just something about spending 36 hours straight together-sleeping, reading, playing, studying, exploring, and worshiping-that just gets me excited about Girls Ministry.

-Maria

Posted in Maria Williams, Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Tomorrow night we are beginning a study called, “20/20.” The idea is to focus on visions that God gives us. Visions can be described as the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be, or imaginative conception or anticipation, believing that God has called you to do something greater than what you can do or be. I absolutely love these concepts. They push us to be more and do more for God’s Kingdom.

Jim Cymbala once said, “I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf.” How unfortunate would it be if I never made an effort to chase after a vision/calling that God has for my life? I want to see God do amazing things in and through his people, especially me. I don’t think God has called us to take a back seat or ride the bench in our lifetime. He has called us to have audacious faith and step out even if the task seems impossible.

In the weeks to follow Wednesday night, we will focus on what it takes to chase after a vision or calling of God through the life of Joshua.

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

We are looking forward to this incredible opportunity for students to attend retreats that are geared specifically toward their genders. On the Winter Retreat girls and boys will learn biblical principles of manhood or womanhood, play fun games, and build unity through team building activities. Students will receive teaching from leaders within our church, some of our staff team, and other godly adults who will lead their small group discussions.

If you would like your son or daughter to have this experience you can sign-up now. The last day to sign-up is January 8. You can sign-up at church at the Winter Retreat informational booth in the gallery, in the Student area, or online.

Boys Retreat: Man-Up (6th-12th grade)
Coldstream Christian Camp, Adams, TN
Cost: $60
Online Registration 

Girls Retreat: Live for Love (6th-12th grade)
Deer Run Retreat Center, Thompsons Station, TN
Cost: $75
Online Registration 

You can also make a financial investment in order for our leadership team to purchase food, supplies, and possibly send students on the retreat. Any amount would help, $25, $50, $75, or $100.

For more information contact Chase, chase@rollinghillscommunity.org.

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Our Student Ministry Leadership Team is looking forward to 2012 with great excitement. Events are being planned, sermon series are scheduled, and opportunities for students to serve are in place. As we approach 2012 there are several things that I want to ask you to pray for:

• Leadership. We need your prayers as we continue to plan for the future. Pray for God wisdom and direction to be clear.
• Students: Pray that our students will experience life change this year and commit their lives to chasing after the call God has for them.
• Relationships: Pray that students will continue to build God honoring relationships with their leaders and other students.
• Parents: Pray for all of our parents as they raise their teenage children and try to teach godly responsibility and priorities.

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Well, this was suppose to post, but I guess I never saved the scheduled time. Sorry.

This past Wednesday night we showed this video to our students and they loved it. The video speaks for itself.

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

We are looking forward to this incredible opportunity for students to attend retreats that are geared specifically toward their genders. On the Winter Retreat girls and boys will learn biblical principles of manhood or womanhood, play fun games, and build unity through team building activities. Students will receive teaching from leaders within our church, some of our staff team, and other godly adults who will lead their small group discussions.

If you would like your son or daughter to have this experience you can sign-up now. The last day to sign-up is January 8. You can sign-up at church at the Winter Retreat informational booth in the gallery, in the Student area, or online.

Boys Retreat: Man-Up (6th-12th grade)
Coldstream Christian Camp, Adams, TN
Cost: $60
Online Registration 

Girls Retreat: Live for Love (6th-12th grade)
Deer Run Retreat Center, Thompsons Station, TN
Cost: $75
Online Registration 

You can also make a financial investment in order for our leadership team to purchase food, supplies, and possibly send students on the retreat. Any amount would help, $25, $50, $75, or $100.

For more information contact Chase, chase@rollinghillscommunity.org.

Posted in Uncategorized by Chase Baker No Comments

Sunday Morning Small Groups

We’re three weeks into our six-week study on the book of Genesis. In this week’s lesson, we examined the account of Noah and the flood. We had an awesome time looking at the incredible trust Noah demonstrated in God, even when tasked with a seemingly impossible project. We challenged our students to have this same kind of faithful trust in God in their lives.

As you go through this week, consider finding opportunities to ask some of the following questions to generate some discussion with your teenager about trusting in God:

• How do we know God is trustworthy?
• How do we as a family show trust in God on a regular basis? What are some reasons we trust him?
• What does our trust in God say to the world about God and his willingness to provide for his children?

Consider telling your child about a time you had to show great trust in God when you couldn’t be 100 percent certain of the outcome. Help your child see how God proved faithful.

Wednesday Night

Tomorrow night we continue our series called, “Do Something.” We will encourage students, through experiential worship, to open their eyes to the needs of the world. Everyday there are people in the world that need clothing, clean water, food, or medicine. As Christians we are called to do something about those needs no matter how much or little we can physically do. Many times we become numb to needs and go through life without addressing them. Jesus was clear about how we are to address the needs of the poor; it’s simple, we are to do our best to meet them.

Events

6^th – 12^th grade boys PAINTBALL. December 4, 12:30-4pm. Cost $30

 Winter Retreats: January 13-15, $60 for boys, $75 for girls. Our Winter Retreats are designed to teach biblical principles of manhood and womanhood. These are gender specific in two different locations. To learn more, contact Chase at chase@rollinghillscommunity.org.

Posted in Student Pastor - Chase, Uncategorized, Upcoming Events by Chase Baker No Comments