This year we’re doing something special for our high school juniors and seniors. The 11th and 12th graders are going on a weekend retreat to the Giroux’s cabin up north. We have a lot planned for the weekend, but perhaps the most exciting thing is that E.J. Swanson will be joining us as our guest speaker. E.J. is a nationally-known youth speaker, traveling with bands like Hawk Nelson, Big Daddy Weave, and more. The topics he’ll cover will relate to the major upcoming transitions in life when moving out of high school with real-life responsibilities and expectations.

The retreat is March 26-28 and will cost $69/person. We’ll leave Friday late afternoon and return Sunday early afternoon. Sign-up by turning in a check to the front office at church. It’s only two weekends away! If you’re unable to afford the cost, please talk with Tim directly. We’re more interested in having you join us than we are in getting your money.

If you are a junior or senior, invite your peers to come with us!

VIDEO: See our video on Facebook about this retreat!

Watch a video of EJ here to see what he’s like.

M.O.V.E. 2010

M.O.V.E. is the Mission Outreach Venture Experience in downtown Minneapolis for high school students (9th-12th grade). Sr. high students from all over our conference get together to worship, learn, and serve the city of Minneapolis by doing various service projects. This year it’s April 9-10 and Efrem Smith, pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, will be the speaker. The cost is $37/person, and you’ll need some extra cash for two meals on the road.

Sign-by by filling out the registration form on the youth kiosk at church and turning it in to the front office. The deadline is Monday, March 29!

Here’s the highlight video we made of last year’s trip to MOVE 2009.

Journey kids must be caught up on work to be confirmed

For you 8th graders in the Journey, if you want to participate in Confirmation Sunday this year, you must have all of your assignments completed. If you’re behind, make sure you talk about it with your Journey leader and start getting caught up ASAP! I know you don’t want to miss out on Confirmation Sunday, and we don’t want you to either.

The movie starts showing at the theater in Alexandria this Friday. It’s a great film for families to see together. There’s a lot of themes to discuss together afterwards, like drinking, peer pressure, suicide, abortion, acceptance, and more.

The movie is only in theaters here in Alexandria for one week, Friday, March 5, to Thursday, March 11, so see it soon!

Here’s the official trailer on YouTube.

Winter Retreat for Juniors and Seniors

This year we’re doing something special for our high school juniors and seniors. The 11th and 12th graders are going on a weekend retreat to the Giroux’s cabin up north. We have a lot planned for the weekend, but perhaps the most exciting thing is that E.J. Swanson will be joining us as our guest speaker. E.J. is a nationally-known youth speaker, traveling with bands like Hawk Nelson, Big Daddy Weave, and more. The topics he’ll cover will relate to the major upcoming transitions in life when moving out of high school with real-life responsibilities and expectations.

The retreat is March 26-28 and will cost $69/person. We’ll leave Friday late afternoon and return Sunday early afternoon. Sign-up by turning in a check to the front office at church. If you’re unable to afford the cost, please talk with Tim directly. We’re more interested in having you join us than we are in getting your money.

If you are a junior or senior, invite your peers to come with us!

M.O.V.E. 2010

M.O.V.E. is the Mission Outreach Venture Experience in downtown Minneapolis for high school students (9th-12th grade). Sr. high students from all over our conference get together to worship, learn, and serve the city of Minneapolis by doing various service projects. This year it’s April 9-10 and Efrem Smith, pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, will be the speaker. The cost is $37/person, and you’ll need some extra cash for two meals on the road.

Sign-by by filling out the registration form on the youth kiosk at church and turning it in to the front office. The deadline is Monday, March 29!

Here’s the highlight video we made of last year’s trip to MOVE 2009.

Cancelations this week

C-Groups are canceled this week due to Spring Break.

On March 8th, the Monday C-Group will be going to the movie theater to see, “To Save A Life,” so meet at the cinema at 6:40 PM instead of at the Hurlbut’s house.

The March 10th, the Giroux C-Group will eat at the Eberly’s at 5:45 PM then go see the movie, To Save A Life, together.

No Sunday School this week

Sunday School is canceled again this Sunday for all ages.

This Sunday is the Mexico missions trip meeting where we finalize who’s going on the trip. If you’re still undecided, you have the rest of this week to figure it out because on Sunday we will finalize the list.

We’ll be meeting in room 114 at church this Sunday, February 28, at 12:15 PM. We’ll announce deadlines for deposits, review team assignments, support raising, and more. See you there!

Winter Retreat for Juniors and Seniors

This year we’re doing something special for our high school juniors and seniors. The 11th and 12th graders are going on a weekend retreat to the Giroux’s cabin up north. We have a lot planned for the weekend, but perhaps the most exciting thing is that E.J. Swanson will be joining us as our guest speaker. E.J. is a nationally-known youth speaker, traveling with bands like Hawk Nelson, Big Daddy Weave, and more. The topics he’ll cover will relate to the major upcoming transitions in life when moving out of high school with real-life responsibilities and expectations.

The retreat is March 26-28 and will cost $69/person. We’ll leave Friday late afternoon and return Sunday early afternoon. Sign-up by turning in a check to the front office at church. If you’re unable to afford the cost, please talk with Tim directly. We’re more interested in having you join us than we are in getting your money.

If you are a junior or senior, invite your peers to come with us!

M.O.V.E. 2010

M.O.V.E. is the Mission Outreach Venture Experience in downtown Minneapolis for high school students (9th-12th grade). Sr. high students from all over our conference get together to worship, learn, and serve the city of Minneapolis by doing various service projects. This year it’s April 9-10 and Efrem Smith, pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, will be the speaker. The cost is $30/person, and you’ll need some extra cash for two meals on the road.

Sign-by by turning your money in to the front desk at church along with your t-shirt size.

Here’s the highlight video we made of last year’s trip to MOVE 2009.

C-Group Updates

This Monday, March 1st, the Hurlbut’s C-Group is canceled due to Spring Break. On March 8th they will be going to the movie theater to see, “To Save A Life,” so meet at the cinema at 6:40 PM instead of at the Hurlbut’s house.

The Carlson’s C-Group is also canceled during Spring Break.

No Sunday School this week

Sunday School is canceled this Sunday for all ages. It’s spring “break” for all the teachers, too, right?

All my Haiti videos and pictures

Here’s the YouTube playlist of all my daily video blogs from while I was in Haiti last week. I basically walked around with my video camera the whole time and tried to capture snapshots throughout the entire trip, including some of my own processing of what I was experiencing each day.

– Watch the YouTube playlist of my daily Haiti video blogs

I got the rest of my pictures from the trip uploaded to this blog’s Facebook page, too.

– Check out my pictures from Haiti

If you’re interested in reading more about my trip to Haiti, check out my blog posts about it at StudentMinistry.org.

There’s only a couple days left to register for $10/family price. At the door registration goes up to $15/family. Price includes workbook and childcare.

The seminar starts promptly at 9:00 AM and goes until noon. You won’t want to miss this, I promise! More information about the seminar is on the church’s website here.

Mexico missions trip meeting

Our next meeting is on Sunday, February 7th, at 12:15 PM at church, immediately following the last service. If you missed the first meeting, you’ll want to make sure you come to this one because we’ll be finalizing who’s committed to going on the trip. If you’re still unsure, you’ll have to decide by then.

I’m going to Haiti in 15 days!

Yes, it’s true. On February 11, I (Tim Schmoyer) will be going to Haiti for a week to help with some of the relief efforts there. I plan to have access to the Internet while I’m there, which means I will be publishing pictures, videos, and blog posts while I’m gone, so you all can keep up with the trip while I serve.

I blogged more about my trip first here and then here if you want to see more details about my trip.

No Journey tonight

There is no AWANA nor Journey at church tonight! Enjoy your evening off with your families!

Super Bowl Party

There is no Sr. High Impact on February 7 due to the Super Bowl. Instead, we will be joining FCA and YFC at the YFC building (by the old CCO tower) on 8th and Broadway.

Let me be the first to tip you off to a big announcement that will be made this Sunday at church. If you aren’t planning to be at one of our church services this week, change your plans and be there! Seriously. Something has been in the works for a while, but we haven’t been free to talk about it until this Sunday, so COME!

Check out this video I posted about it on our church’s Facebook page!

Next Mexico missions trip meeting

We had a great turnout at our first Mexico missions trip meeting last week! Our next meeting is on Sunday, February 7th, at 12:15 PM at church, immediately following the last service. If you missed the first meeting, you’ll want to make sure you come to this one because we’ll be finalizing who’s committed to going on the trip. If you’re still unsure, you’ll have to decide by then.

We’ll also start talking about the different gifts, talents, and abilities each person has on the team. This will help us start to plan what we’ll be doing there and how each of us will be serving the Covenant Mexicans on the trip.

New girls-only Bible study starts Thursday at the Schmoyer’s

This Thursday, January 14, Dana Schmoyer and Jan Banke are starting a new Bible study for sr. high girls at 6:30 PM called, “Lady In Waiting.” You’ll talk about relationships, boys, dating, and a Biblical model for how that all works. Most importantly, however, you’ll talk about your relationship with God and how to pursue your relationship with Him more than your relationship with other guys.

There’s a book you’ll probably want to purchase that costs a nominal fee, but that’s it.

Here’s a video on our youth group Facebook page of Dana explaining more about it.

Real World Parents Seminar

There’s still time to register for Real World Parents and get the advanced price of $10 per family. All the information about the Real World Parents seminar is now posted on our church’s website. You can find the promo video, a download of our print ad, and even register and pay for the seminar online.

Please help us spread the word about this seminar!

Jr. High worship band

If you’re in jr. high and would like to participate in the worship band that leads The Journey once a month, please contact Nancy Holm at nancyh@alexandriacovenant.org or at 320-763-5659. We’re looking for musicians and singers!

Lake Beauty Bible Camp winter snow camps

The LBBC Junior/Super High and Trailblazer Retreats are both happening in February.

• The Junior/Super is February 5th-7th. The early registration is January 15th, and the price until that point is $103. After January 15th the price will go up to $109. This weekend will be full of spiritual encouragement and fun. There will be broomball, polar dip, tubing, tournaments, and many more activities, as well as delicious food. The speaker for the weekend will be Aaron Felty, the youth pastor at Plymouth Covenant Church.
• The Trailblazer is February 26th-28th. Early registration is February 1st. Again until the 1st the price is $103 and after the 1st it is $109. We will have exciting things planned for this weekend as well. Some activities will be of course broomball, and tubing, as well as polar dip, crafts, and a promise land extravaganza. We will also be giving into the spiritual lives of the trailblazers through our counselors and our speaker Joel Osterlund. Joel is the Pastor of Christian Formation at Grace Covenant in Little Falls.

The theme for both retreats is What Now? Our theme verse is Joshua 1:9. Our summer theme was being wanted by God and it was based on Moses. We pick up here with Moses dead. Joshua and Israel are wondering what now? Now that they aren’t camp, what now? During these weekends students will be encouraged to look for what they are called to do in the areas that they have influence (i.e. school, clubs, sports teams), and then to go do it with courage and strength. It will be a challenging and encouraging weekend for your students.

Brochures and online registration are here on LBBC’s website.

If you want to know more information about this summer’s missions trip to Mexico, be sure to attend this first meeting on Thursday at 7:00 PM at church. Our host for the trip, Dale Lusk, if flying up to be here with us and tell us all about it.

Real World Parents Seminar

All the information about the Real World Parents seminar is now posted on our church’s website. You can find the promo video, a download of our print ad, and even register and pay for the seminar online.

Please help us spread the word about this seminar that has the potential to be truly life-changing for you and your family. Matt Reeve, a guy who travels the country speaking, will be here to present the seminar and I’m confident will be worth your time. The cost is $10 per couple in advance, $15 per couple at the door, so sign up today! It’s from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Find more info and register online here. Also, pick up a brochure with more info at the youth kiosk at church to pass out to parents you know.

Jr. High worship band

If you’re in jr. high and would like to participate in the worship band that leads The Journey once a month, please contact Nancy Holm at nancyh@alexandriacovenant.org or at 320-763-5659. We’re looking for musicians and singers!

This coming summer we’re going to a town in Mexico where no Covenant missions group has gone before. It will be a great time to minister to several Mexican Covenant churches in the area through a variety of means. And the cool thing about this trip is that it is open to the entire church body: youth, adults, college students, married couples, parents, everyone serving side-by-side.

Dale Lusk of Merge Ministries will be our host and coordinator for the trip. He will also be here at our church on January 7 to give us more information about the missions trip, tentatively scheduled for early August 2010.

If you have any interest at all in going to Mexico with us this summer, please make it a high priority to attend this meeting. It’s on Thursday, January 7, at 7:00 PM at church.

Real World Parents Seminar

All the information about the Real World Parents seminar is now posted on our church’s website. You can find the promo video, a download of our print ad, and even register and pay for the seminar online.

Please help us spread the word about this seminar that has the potential to be truly life-changing for you and your family. Matt Reeve, a guy who travels the country speaking, will be here to present the seminar and I’m confident will be worth your time. The cost is $10 per couple in advance, $15 per couple at the door, so sign up today! It’s from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Find more info and register online here. Also, pick up a brochure with more info at the youth kiosk at church to pass out to parents you know.

Youth For Christ Jr. High Christmas Party

This Monday, December 21, Youth For Christ is hosting a hangout for Jr. Highers in the YFC room at 8th and Broadway in Alexandria (top floor of the old CCO building, by the radio tower). It starts at 7:00 PM and will go until 9:00 PM. Come hang out, play games, play Xbox, ping-pong, foosball, and even win some pretty amazing prizes like skip passes, DVD player, MP3 players, gift card, movie passes, free bowling and more.

This is intended to be a Youth For Christ outreach event, so please bring a friend who doesn’t know Jesus.

Cancellations for the holiday season

Due to everyone traveling, we want to honor the time commitments of our volunteers and give each of you time to spend with family this Christmas and New Years season. So, we will not have youth meetings on the following dates:

They Journey is canceled on December 23 and 30.
Sunday School is canceled on December 27 and January 3.
Sr. High Impact is also canceled on December 27 and January 3.

Revolutionary Parenting class on Sunday mornings

As parents, our deepest desire is to raise children who succeed in life. This is also our greatest challenge. How can we foster traits such as honesty, compassion and dedication in young minds? How can we raise children who will love and serve God as adults? How can we develop future spiritual champions?

This class will help you create a plan for your family to do just that. This class is based on results from a landmark study of Christian twentysomethings who were thriving in their faith and the parents who raised them. Intended to help you build a solid foundation of faith in your child, the class will feature thought-provoking short video clips at the beginning and end of each session by George Barna, author of 40 books including the bestseller Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions, and founder of The Barna Group, a national research and resource firm.

So whether you’re a parent of a newborn, a teenager, or any age in between, join the revolution, and share a lasting legacy of faith with your children. It runs from January 10 to February 28, 2010, on Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM in the Family Life Center at church.

C-Group Christmas Parties

The Giroux’s are hosting a C-Group Christmas Party for high school students on Wednesday, December 30. It will unofficially start at 6:30 PM. Check with them for more details as the event draws closer.

The Carlson’s C-group is also having a Christmas party, but it’s on December 23. There will be pizza and lots of fun games!

One of they key feedback areas I hear from you parents is about having a parenting seminar sometime. You parents have expressed an urgent need for help in navigating the complex issues they face in trying to raise Godly children. So, on Saturday, January 30, we will be hosting a 3-hour workshop, called Real World Parents, to give you the Biblical principles and practical tools you need now.

What does this training provide?

• Realistic, practical next steps, not cheesy ideas that teenagers will roll their eyes at
• Help understanding what is really happening in our culture by looking at the latest statistics and what they mean
• A deeper look at the Biblical principles of parenting, and how to apply them
• How to build trust, independence, proper boundaries and wise decision-making
• Ideas for how families can integrate faith into their everyday lives
• Vision of how God wants to use each family to bring His love and generosity to their neighborhood
• Reframes the local church as a resource that supports the entire family
• Follow up web site with free resources to help pastors and parents go beyond the seminar

Matt Reeve, a parenting seminar training for Real World Parents, will be joining us to lead this workshop for parents. A brief promotional video about Real World Parents can be found on YouTube here.

Join us on Saturday, January 30, for Real World Parents. The seminar is from from 9:00 AM to noon. The cost is $10/couple, which includes your workbook.

Parent Resource: “10 ways to turn around your teen”

Here’s a free ebook called, “Ten Ways To Turn Around Your Teen,” from HeartLightMinistries.org. I haven’t read this ebook in it’s entirety, but it looks worth passing on. As a free download, there’s really nothing to loose.

Download, “10 Ways To Turn Around Your Teen,” free ebook

Dodgeball Tournament highlight video

On November 21 we had our Alexandria Allies Dodgeball Tournament. It was a lot of fun! All the teams did extremely well pounding each other with balls.

Here’s a highlight video of the event, including some of the best dodgeball shots in slow-mo. Check it out!

Youth For Christ Jr. High Hangout

On Monday, December 21, Youth For Christ is hosting a hangout for Jr. Highers in the YFC room at 8th and Broadway in Alexandria (top floor of the old KASX building, by the radio tower). It starts at 7:00 PM and will go until 9:00 PM. Come hang out, play games, play Xbox, ping-pong, foosball, and even win some pretty amazing prizes.

This is intended to be a Youth For Christ outreach event, so all church kids are expected to bring at least one friend who doesn’t know Jesus.

Hope to see you there!

Cancellations for the holiday season

Due to everyone traveling, we want to honor the time commitments of our volunteers and give each of you time to spend with family this Christmas and New Years season. So, we will not have youth meetings on the following dates:

• They Journey is canceled on December 23 and 30.
• Sunday School is canceled on December 27 and January 3.
• Sr. High Impact is also canceled on December 27 and January 3.

C-Group Christmas Party

The Giroux’s are hosting a C-Group Christmas Party for high school students on Wednesday, December 30. It will unofficially start at 6:30 PM. Check with them for more details as the event draws closer.

Monday C-Group at Rosengren’s next week

This Monday, December 7, the C-Group that normally meets at the Hurlbut’s house will meet at Roger Rosengren’s house instead. It starts at 6:30 PM with dinner as normal, followed by a Bible study and bonfire, so wear warmer clothes for sitting outside.

Roger lives at 2338 Centennial Lane NW in Garfield. Here’s a link to his house on Google Maps if you need to print out driving directions.

From Alexandria to Roger’s house (these directions are from Roger if you’re close to Hwy 82).
Take Hwy 82 West for 4 miles to Brophy Park. Angel left (west) onto County Road 8 for 2.5 miles. Cross County Road 40. Continue on County Road 8 for 0.9 miles. Turn right on Centennial. Drive on gravel for 0.9 miles to 2338 Centennial. Their house is on the left.

That’s right — several youth groups from the area are getting together to have a big dodgeball tournament, complete with prizes and more! It starts at 1:00 PM this Saturday at Lake Community Church, but you should arrive closer to 12:30 PM to get registered and ready to go.

If you’re not already on a team, that’s no problem. Just show up with $3 and a parent to sign the release form and we’ll place you on a team for the afternoon.

Planet Wisdom registration due

We’d really like to have your Planet Wisdom registrations by this Sunday if at all possible. Turn in a check for $69 to Tim Schmoyer or the church office. You’ll also need some cash to take with you that weekend for two meals.

If you’d like to come, but you’re unable to pay $69, that’s fine. We’re more interested in having you join us than we are in the money. Please talk with Tim Schmoyer and we’ll be happy to help you out financially.

This trip is for both jr. high and sr. high students and the dates are December 4-5. We’ll be spending the night at Bloomington Covenant Church.

If you’re not familiar with Planet Wisdom, check out this video. It’ll give you an idea of what this year’s theme is all about.

Food drop at New Life Church next Wednesday

We’ve had a great time the past two months helping New Life Church distribute food to those in need in our community. The next opportunity to serve is next Wednesday, November 25, from 10 AM to 3 PM. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, so all of you non-homeschooled kids who have been unable to serve in the past because of school can make it this month!

Journey band practice

If you’re in jr. high and are interested in playing an instrument or singing in the Journey Worship Band, the next practice is on Wednesday, December 2, at 5:00 PM at church. We’ll be in the Worship Center (sanctuary). It’s open to everyone, so just show up. We’ll provide pizza after practice for all of you who serve. Immediately after the Journey, you’ll also quickly help lead AWANA in music, too, before heading to your small groups.

The best thing to do this week is to watch the news video. It explains a lot of what’s going on a lot better than this email can. Plus, there’s no way to see all the fun video highlights from last week’s Food Drop and Friendly Costume Party without watching it. You can, however, see pictures of the Friendly Costume Party on our church’s Facebook page.

Immerse this Sunday/New series for Impact

This Sunday is our church-wide Immerse Worship Experience, an interactive time of prayer, music, testimonies, reflection, and more. It starts at 6:30 PM, so it will coincide with Sr. High Impact. The high schoolers will join Immerse and then we’ll break off to start a new series called, “Don’t get married until…” The preview video is in the news video above.

Dodgeball tournament deadline

If you and some friends want to be in the Allies Dodgeball Tournament, the deadline to have your registration form turned in is Sunday, November 15. You can download the form here. The actual tournament is on Saturday, November 21, at Lake Community Church, starting at 1:00 PM.

Planet Wisdom Student Conference info

If you’ve been to Planet Wisdom with us before, you know it’s an amazing time of spiritual growth, renewal, and way too much fun! This trip is for both high school and jr high students.

This year’s theme is, “A Walk With Christ To The Cross.” It is a conference experience for students like no other. Based on the Dawson McAllister study, the entire weekend is designed to intimately walk students through the 14 hours leading up to the most important event in human history, and consider what this means for their lives and faith. Who was this man? What did he do while on Earth? And why was his death so significant to our lives thousands of years after it actually occurred?

It’s a weekend trip to Grace Church in Eden Prairie, MN, on December 4-5. The cost is $69/person, plus you’ll want to bring some additional cash for lunch and dinner on Saturday. We’ll be sleeping over at another Covenant church near the city. Turn your money in to the church office to sign-up to go. Transportation is limited, so make sure you sign up early!

See the news video above for the Planet Wisdom video. If you’re not familiar with the event, that will fill you in on what it is, the speakers, the bands, and more.

Jr. highers: help with the children’s Christmas program

Julie Barnes needs jr. highers to help with the Christmas program! They have two fun songs for you to help the kids sing on Sunday, December 13th, at 3:00 PM. Here’s the info about the rehearsals:

• WHEN: Sundays from 11:00 to 11:30 AM, Nov 8 to Dec 13; and Saturday, Dec 12 at 1:00 PM
• WHERE: Room 110
• WHO: Any 6-8th grader
• DIRECTED BY: Michaela Olson (mnwolson@aol.com) and Gretch Jeseritz (gretchjeseri@yahoo.com) 491-8418

Download the flyer here.

TXT Message Devos

Sarah Wadi is sending out devotionals and Bible verses each day to people’s cell phones via text message. If you want to be on the list, sign up here.