Stillnaz Youth Family Update 8/17

Hey SNY Families,

We finished up our series “Please Explain” last night, and we begin our new series “Catalyst” for our Tuesday night teaching as we jump into the book of Hebrews. On Sunday Mornings, we are moving into the last episode of Chosen season 3. We are also looking forward to our Back to School Bash this upcoming Tuesday 8/22. Parents, please plan to attend for a parent cohort and discussion around ministry for this next season. We invite the school-aged littles to join the teens in games to include water dodgeball, water kickball, and other fun things! We will begin with worship at 7 dismiss everyone by 8:45. See you there! This is also the last week to register for Fall Retreat! You can find the link for that below. God is with you!

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

Aug 22: Back to School Bash- Family Night

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort! 7-9pm. There will be water games— have the teens and kiddos prepare to get wet that day!

Aug 27: Welcome Bash & Baptisms

Is baptism the next right step of faith for you or your student? Sign up to be baptized here www.stillnaz.com/baptism (The prep class for that is Aug 13)

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Cost: $50

• Includes all meals and a Tshirt

• We have a student-supplied snack shack, so bring a case of snacks to share!

Registration Deadline is 8/22

Fall Retreat is an awesome event where we get to stay in cabins, go on hikes, play games, and we even bring in A Day Awaits to lead worship for us that weekend. We ask students to leave their phones at home or with a leader for the weekend (cell service isn't very good there anyway) to unplug from the noise of the world and connect with God and other teens.

Register for Fall Retreat Here

Current Teaching

CATALYST: A 4-WEEK SERIES FROM HEBREWS ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Sometimes the idea of "faith" can feel a little mysterious and hard to grasp. After all, what is it? And how do you get it — or get more of it? Well, just like science can explain so many of the mysterious and hard-to-grasp things in the world around us, there are answers for many of the mysterious and hard-to-grasp things about faith, too. You'll learn in science class that "catalysts" are interactions that create big changes and transformations. In the same way, Scripture shows us certain change-making "catalysts" are necessary for the transformation of our faith and the faith of others. In this four-week series from Hebrews, we'll discover that faith is a catalyst for action, the faith of others can be a catalyst on our journey, Jesus is the catalyst for a new relationship with God, and we can be a catalyst for change.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 8/9

Hey SNY Families,

We look forward to praying over and blessing our students this Sunday as we send them back to school in the upcoming weeks. Please have your students come to church with their backpacks on Sunday! We also have 5 kids from our church at our district kids camp this week, please join me in prayer for them that God would move powerfully in the hearts and minds of our kiddos and that the seed of eternal life would take deep root in their hearts! Mark your calendars for our Back to School Bash/family night at Ignite in 2 weeks 8/22 which includes water games for the kids and teens as well as a parent cohort for us to discuss the upcoming calendar and youth ministry vision for the Fall and entering 2024. Only 2 weeks left to register for Fall Retreat… Don’t miss out! :).

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

Aug 13: Backpack blessing & Baptism class

We want our teens and kiddos to bring their backpacks to church so that we can bless them as they enter the new school year!

Aug 22: Back to School Bash- Family Night

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort! 7-9pm. There will be water games— have the teens and kiddos prepare to get wet that day!

Aug 27: Welcome Bash & Baptisms

Is baptism the next right step of faith for you or your student? Sign up to be baptized here www.stillnaz.com/baptism (The prep class for that is Aug 13)

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Cost: $50

• Includes all meals and a Tshirt

• We have a student-supplied snack shack, so bring a case of snacks to share!

Registration Deadline is 8/22

Fall Retreat is an awesome event where we get to stay in cabins, go on hikes, play games, and we even bring in A Day Awaits to lead worship for us that weekend. We ask students to leave their phones at home or with a leader for the weekend (cell service isn't very good there anyway) to unplug from the noise of the world and connect with God and other teens.

Register for Fall Retreat Here

Current Teaching

PLEASE EXPLAIN: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON JESUS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Some things are hard to understand — like chemistry, verb conjugations, the blockchain, or why your friend is mad at you. When we face a problem, situation, or idea we’re struggling to understand, it always helps to know someone we trust can explain it to us. When Jesus was here on earth, he spent a lot of time helping his followers understand some pretty hard-to-understand ideas about God. One of the ways Jesus often made complicated ideas simpler was by explaining them through stories and metaphors, which we call parables. In this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll explore four of the parables Jesus told his followers to explain four important truths about God. These parables help us see that God's words are a firm foundation, in God’s kingdom, everyone belongs, God’s words invite a response, and that God’s kingdom is always growing.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 8/2

Hey SNY Families,

Welcome to August… That means joy as well as tears as our students prepare to head back to school in these upcoming weeks. I am praying for you in this transitionary moment and for a spiritually fruitful Fall season! Last week we had a great time at Teen Camp where our speaker challenged us to go “All-in” with our faith, that we wouldn’t hold anything back from God. We have had multiple students respond and make a public proclamation of that faith— Praise God! Please join me in prayer for our Fall Retreat coming up in a few weeks (don’t forget to register!), that the seeds planted over the last week would continue to grow and bear spiritual fruit in the lives of our teens and youth workers.

Please check out the dates below with an extra emphasis on the Family Night/Back to School Bash and Fall Retreat to make sure they’re on your radar and calendar! :)

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

Aug 13: Backpack blessing & Baptism class

We want our teens and kiddos to bring their backpacks to church so that we can bless them as they enter the new school year!

Aug 22: Back to School Bash- Family Night

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort! 7-9pm. There will be water games— have the teens and kiddos prepare to get wet that day!

Aug 27: Welcome Bash & Baptisms

Is baptism the next right step of faith for you or your student? Sign up to be baptized here www.stillnaz.com/baptism (The prep class for that is Aug 13)

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Cost: $50

• Includes all meals and a Tshirt

• We have a student-supplied snack shack, so bring a case of snacks to share!

Registration Deadline is 8/22

Fall Retreat is an awesome event where we get to stay in cabins, go on hikes, play games, and we even bring in A Day Awaits to lead worship for us that weekend. We ask students to leave their phones at home or with a leader for the weekend (cell service isn't very good there anyway) to unplug from the noise of the world and connect with God and other teens.

Register for Fall Retreat Here

Current Teaching

PLEASE EXPLAIN: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON JESUS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Some things are hard to understand — like chemistry, verb conjugations, the blockchain, or why your friend is mad at you. When we face a problem, situation, or idea we’re struggling to understand, it always helps to know someone we trust can explain it to us. When Jesus was here on earth, he spent a lot of time helping his followers understand some pretty hard-to-understand ideas about God. One of the ways Jesus often made complicated ideas simpler was by explaining them through stories and metaphors, which we call parables. In this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll explore four of the parables Jesus told his followers to explain four important truths about God. These parables help us see that God's words are a firm foundation, in God’s kingdom, everyone belongs, God’s words invite a response, and that God’s kingdom is always growing.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 7/19

Hey SNY Families,

Thank you for your prayer support over the last weeks! God has been moving powerfully in our youth ministry, and I can sense that is no doubt influenced by the faithful prayer partners we have. I am so grateful to serve a God who can move mountains, than can call dry bones back to life, and with a word spark new things into existence! It is so cool to have a front row seat to see that God at work in your families. Please continue to join me in prayer for our teen camp next week, and for the rest of our summer. The new school year is fast approaching and my prayer as a pastor is that our families would have full buckets of rested children and parents walking joyfully into this next season. Many of our schedules have been full over the past months, so I encourage you to find some special time to slow down and relax as a family, perhaps unplug from the devices and just rest is the presence of our loving Father.

Please check out the dates below with an extra emphasis on the Family Night/Back to School Bash and Fall Retreat to make sure they’re on your radar and calendar! :) We are also starting a new series “Please Explain” where we are talking about some of Jesus’ parables and what they mean for us today.

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Closed)

Teen camp attendees, drop-off is 10am at the back of the church on Monday 7/24. Please pack a lunch or eat prior to arrival as the only meal provided on Monday will be dinner.

July 25: Ignite

Many of our youth and some youth workers will be at teen camp this night, but we will still be hosting our regular youth group at the regular time!

7/30: Family Worship Service- Rise Against Hunger

It’s our family 5th Sunday at the end of the month, so we will not have Sunday School , and we will only have kids ministry for under 2 y/o’s. We will also be hosting another Rise Against Hunger service project, teens who wish to help set up for that can meet during the 10:30 worship service to help set up. Find Pastor Chris for details on how to get involved.

Aug 13: Backpack blessing

We want our teens and kiddos to bring their backpacks to church so that we can bless them as they enter the new school year!

Aug 22: Back to School Bash- Family Night

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort! 7-9pm

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Cost: $50

• Includes all meals and a Tshirt

• We have a student-supplied snack shack, so bring a case of snacks to share!

Registration Deadline is 8/22

Fall Retreat is an awesome event where we get to stay in cabins, go on hikes, play games, and we even bring in A Day Awaits to lead worship for us that weekend. We ask students to leave their phones at home or with a leader for the weekend (cell service isn't very good there anyway) to unplug from the noise of the world and connect with God and other teens.

Register for Fall Retreat Here

Current Teaching

PLEASE EXPLAIN: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON JESUS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Some things are hard to understand — like chemistry, verb conjugations, the blockchain, or why your friend is mad at you. When we face a problem, situation, or idea we’re struggling to understand, it always helps to know someone we trust can explain it to us. When Jesus was here on earth, he spent a lot of time helping his followers understand some pretty hard-to-understand ideas about God. One of the ways Jesus often made complicated ideas simpler was by explaining them through stories and metaphors, which we call parables. In this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll explore four of the parables Jesus told his followers to explain four important truths about God. These parables help us see that God's words are a firm foundation, in God’s kingdom, everyone belongs, God’s words invite a response, and that God’s kingdom is always growing.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 7/12

Hey SNY Families,

We had such a great time at Nazarene Youth Conference last week! Thank you for all your prayer and financial support in creating the opportunity for our teens to encounter God through that formative event! We are now looking forward to our district teen camp coming up in just a week and a half. Please join me in prayer for that event! We also have our Fall Retreat registration live— God is good!

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Closed)

Please join us in prayer for the 27 students attending Teen Camp this Summer!

7/30: Family Worship Service- Rise Against Hunger

It’s our family 5th Sunday at the end of the month, so we will not have Sunday School , and we will only have kids ministry for under 2 y/o’s. We will also be hosting another Rise Against Hunger service project, teens who wish to help set up for that can meet during the 10:30 worship service to help set up. Find Pastor Chris for details on how to get involved.

Aug 22: Back to School Bash- Family Night

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Cost: $50

• Includes all meals and a Tshirt

• We have a student-supplied snack shack, so bring a case of snacks to share!

Registration Deadline is 8/22

Fall Retreat is an awesome event where we get to stay in cabins, go on hikes, play games, and we even bring in A Day Awaits to lead worship for us that weekend. We ask students to leave their phones at home or with a leader for the weekend (cell service isn't very good there anyway) to unplug from the noise of the world and connect with God and other teens.

Register for Fall Retreat Here

Current Teaching

SENT TOGETHER: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT ON EVANGELISM

SERIES OVERVIEW:

We all want to be part of something significant. We want to make a difference! We dream of making an impact and leaving the world better than we found it. Some people try to change the world all alone, but the people who’ve made the biggest and most positive differences in the world know you can’t do anything truly significant on your own. Jesus told us this on his last day on earth. He gave his followers a mission that would change the world — but he made it clear we couldn’t do it alone. He was sending us on a mission together. In this four-week series from the New Testament, we’ll learn from Jesus and some of his earliest followers that Jesus sends us on a mission — a mission that can bring healing, that can only be accomplished together, and that we can boldly choose to be a part of.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 6/28

Hey SNY Families,

Thank you for those of you who have supported us in our NYC crisis care kit project! We’re really looking forward to heading out for that next Tuesday! We also had a great time on our middle school mission week with 11 students participating in that.

Reminder that teen camp registration is due by the end of this week, its going to be a great event!

Also, because of the 4th of July holiday and the fact that 30 of our students and leaders will be out of town for NYC we will be canceling Ignite next week. We look forward to seeing you back on 7/11!

See you guys this Sunday!

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Due 6/30)

Teen camp is amazing time where the youth from our district come together for a week of fellowship, games, worship, and a lot of spiritual growth! NYC attendees get a $50 discount— let’s go!!!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

Aug 22: Back to School Bash

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Make sure you throw our Fall Retreat dates on your calendar!

Current Teaching

SENT TOGETHER: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT ON EVANGELISM

SERIES OVERVIEW:

We all want to be part of something significant. We want to make a difference! We dream of making an impact and leaving the world better than we found it. Some people try to change the world all alone, but the people who’ve made the biggest and most positive differences in the world know you can’t do anything truly significant on your own. Jesus told us this on his last day on earth. He gave his followers a mission that would change the world — but he made it clear we couldn’t do it alone. He was sending us on a mission together. In this four-week series from the New Testament, we’ll learn from Jesus and some of his earliest followers that Jesus sends us on a mission — a mission that can bring healing, that can only be accomplished together, and that we can boldly choose to be a part of.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 6/21

Hey SNY Families,

Happy Wednesday!! We just completed our series “Reasonable Doubt” last night at Ignite as we continue watching The Chosen Season 3 in our Sunday School classes. We’re also currently smack in the middle of our Middle School Mission week and our Vacation Bible School right now. Thank you for those of you who are serving with us in those things, and thank you for those of you who are supporting these ministries through prayer. Please continue to join me in prayer for them! Just a reminder that there is only a little more than a week left to register for teen camp. It’s such a great district event where our students get to make friends from other churches with a super fun week of games, worship, and spiritual formation. Please consider sending your students who have completed 6th grade. If money is a concern, please reach out and we can work something out with you.

Also reminder that our crisis care kit items are due by this Friday :).

NYC Crisis Care Kits due Friday- (please read earlier blogs for details) Reminder that we must receive those items by 6/23 in order to get shipped off to Tampa for that service project.

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Due 6/30)

Teen camp is amazing time where the youth from our district come together for a week of fellowship, games, worship, and a lot of spiritual growth! NYC attendees get a $50 discount— let’s go!!!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

Aug 22: Back to School Bash

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Make sure you throw our Fall Retreat dates on your calendar!

Current Teaching

SENT TOGETHER: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT ON EVANGELISM

SERIES OVERVIEW:

We all want to be part of something significant. We want to make a difference! We dream of making an impact and leaving the world better than we found it. Some people try to change the world all alone, but the people who’ve made the biggest and most positive differences in the world know you can’t do anything truly significant on your own. Jesus told us this on his last day on earth. He gave his followers a mission that would change the world — but he made it clear we couldn’t do it alone. He was sending us on a mission together. In this four-week series from the New Testament, we’ll learn from Jesus and some of his earliest followers that Jesus sends us on a mission — a mission that can bring healing, that can only be accomplished together, and that we can boldly choose to be a part of.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 6/14

Hey SNY Families,

I know many of you have already been traveling the world on vacations and other fun adventures, I pray you are experiencing a renewed sense of joy and connection with your family and God through those experiences! We’re in full-swing of summer youth ministry and God is on the move! Don’t forget to register for teen camp in the next 2 weeks :).

Here are a couple of notes about this upcoming week:

This Sunday 6/18- No Sunday School, please have the youth join in the worship service.

This Tuesday 6/20- Ignite will be up at the Sprenkle house (500 Stillmeadow ln), as VBS will be using the family life center all week— Hooray VBS!!!

NYC Crisis Care Kits due 6/23- (please read earlier blogs for details) Reminder that we must receive those items by 6/23 in order to get shipped off to Tampa for that service project.

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Due 6/30)

Teen camp is amazing time where the youth from our district come together for a week of fellowship, games, worship, and a lot of spiritual growth! NYC attendees get a $50 discount— let’s go!!!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

Aug 22: Back to School Bash

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Make sure you throw our Fall Retreat dates on your calendar!

Current Teaching

REASONABLE DOUBT: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON DOUBT & QUESTIONS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed unreasonable? Maybe they told a story or made a statement that was hard for you to believe. It’s not always easy to ask questions or express doubt when other people seem so certain, and that’s especially true when it comes to faith. If you ask hard questions about God or are honest about the things you’re not sure about, what will people think? Will they judge you? Will they laugh at you? But in this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll see it really is possible to have questions and doubts while still having faith. Through Scripture, we’ll discover that when we have doubts and questions, we don’t need to ignore them or sweep them under the rug. Instead, we can look to Jesus, look to the Holy Spirit, look to God’s words, and look for God in unexpected places.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 6/7

Hello Families,

We have had a great time welcoming our new 6th graders into the youth group after Move-Up Sunday this last weekend, and we got to enjoy their presence at Ignite last night as well! I am so excited to see how God will move in our ministry through these wonderful young people.

Reminder that Middle School Mission Week sign ups are due this Sunday, which is open to incoming 6th-8th graders! Please don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get connected and share the awesome experience of Mission Week.

Reminder that we are looking for support for our NYC (Nazarene Youth Conference) attendees and our goal of providing 2700 items for crisis care kits. Please consider supplying a case or two of one of the items on this list.  Please do not pack any of the kits yourself, simply providing the goods is greatly appreciated.  All items need to be received by 6/23 and can be dropped off at the welcome desk or the compassion closet.

Attention Thrivent Members: This service project qualifies to be used for your $250 donation benefit. Please reach out to your Thrivent representative on how to use that. We would love to receive that gift if you are looking for a ministry to support with that.

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

June 19-22: Mission Week (Reg due 6/11— This Sunday)

It will be a fun week where we build relationships, serve our community, and learn what it means to be a part of God's mission in the world. Students will stay overnight in host homes throughout the week. This year we will be serving at VBS, as well as other local service projects. This is a great event for students to build relationships in the youth group. Cost is $50 and registration is due 6/11. It’s going to be a great event! Register HERE.

July 24-28: District Teen Camp (Reg Due 6/30)

Teen camp is amazing time where the youth from our district come together for a week of fellowship, games, worship, and a lot of spiritual growth! NYC attendees get a $50 discount— let’s go!!!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

Aug 22: Back to School Bash

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Make sure you throw our Fall Retreat dates on your calendar!

Current Teaching

REASONABLE DOUBT: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON DOUBT & QUESTIONS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed unreasonable? Maybe they told a story or made a statement that was hard for you to believe. It’s not always easy to ask questions or express doubt when other people seem so certain, and that’s especially true when it comes to faith. If you ask hard questions about God or are honest about the things you’re not sure about, what will people think? Will they judge you? Will they laugh at you? But in this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll see it really is possible to have questions and doubts while still having faith. Through Scripture, we’ll discover that when we have doubts and questions, we don’t need to ignore them or sweep them under the rug. Instead, we can look to Jesus, look to the Holy Spirit, look to God’s words, and look for God in unexpected places.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/31

Hello Families,

Summer is fully upon us! This is such a fantastic time of adventure, rejuvenation, and growth! Please join us in continued support for our NYC attendees. You can support us through prayer, and also we are collecting good for crisis care kits to bring down to Tampa with us for a service project. We are trying to collect 2,700 items to take with us (that’s enough for 10 kits per attendee). Please consider supplying a case or two of one of the items on this list.  Please do not pack any of the kits yourself, simply providing the goods is greatly appreciated.  All items need to be received by 6/23 and can be dropped off at the welcome desk or the compassion closet.

We’re looking forward to our Move-Up Sunday this weekend where all our teens and kiddos move up to their next grade. We get to welcome the upcoming 6th graders into our Sunday School class, and then we have TERRIFIC TUESDAY this week where they get to come to youth group for the first time! Woot Woot!

Current 5th-7th graders (will be 6th - 8th next week) don’t forget to register for Middle School Mission week… Reg ends 6/11!

May the Lord bless you and all your adventures throughout the summer! :)

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends today!

Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

June 4: Move-up Sunday

This is the date where all students in our family ministry officially move up to their next grade!

June 6: Terrific Tuesday

We welcome the new 6th graders into our youth ministry!! Woot!

June 19-22: Mission Week (Reg due 6/11)

It will be a fun week where we build relationships, serve our community, and learn what it means to be a part of God's mission in the world. Students will stay overnight in host homes throughout the week. This year we will be serving at VBS, as well as other local service projects. This is a great event for students to build relationships in the youth group. Cost is $50 and registration is due 6/11. It’s going to be a great event! Register HERE.

Aug 22: Back to School Bash

We will celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall semester. It will also be a family night, so plan to bring your elementary aged kiddos for games and for parents to join us for a parent cohort!

Sept 8-10: Fall Retreat

Make sure you throw our Fall Retreat dates on your calendar!

Current Teaching

REASONABLE DOUBT: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON DOUBT & QUESTIONS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed unreasonable? Maybe they told a story or made a statement that was hard for you to believe. It’s not always easy to ask questions or express doubt when other people seem so certain, and that’s especially true when it comes to faith. If you ask hard questions about God or are honest about the things you’re not sure about, what will people think? Will they judge you? Will they laugh at you? But in this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll see it really is possible to have questions and doubts while still having faith. Through Scripture, we’ll discover that when we have doubts and questions, we don’t need to ignore them or sweep them under the rug. Instead, we can look to Jesus, look to the Holy Spirit, look to God’s words, and look for God in unexpected places.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/24

Hello Families,

Thank you for those of you that joined us for our Family Night last night, it was great to connect with you and discuss the upcoming season. You can download all the resources provided at that meeting HERE.

We are excited to celebrate our graduates this weekend on Grad Sunday! There will be a time after the services to write a prayer or a blessing to offer our high school grads that are participating in the blessing ceremony. There will be no youth Sunday School this weekend, please have the students join the rest of the congregation for the worship service.

We are also looking toward the heart of the summer with our middle school mission week, NYC, and Teen Camp. Middle School mission week signups are now open to all current 5th-7th grades students (they will be considered 6th-8th when the event happens). We have registration open until 6/11, so please don’t hesitate to sign up! And if you are an adult and you would like to serve that week, we would love to have you join us… you can use the adult volunteer tab on that same registration form.

Don’t forget that earlybird registration for teen camp ends next week, so save some $ and register now :)

We’re looking forward to how God will continue to work through our youth and family ministries— please join me in prayer for these things!

Grace and Peace,

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

May 30: Fun 5th Tuesday

There are 5 Tuesdays in May, so we’re having a fun night filled with games. Its a great night for teens to invite their friends and your neighbors to get connected at church!

May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends

Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

June 4: Move-up Sunday

This is the date where all students in our family ministry officially move up to their next grade!

June 6: Terrific Tuesday

We welcome the new 6th graders into our youth ministry!! Woot!

June 19-22: Mission Week

It will be a fun week where we build relationships, serve our community, and learn what it means to be a part of God's mission in the world. Students will stay overnight in host homes throughout the week. This year we will be serving at VBS, as well as other local service projects. This is a great event for students to build relationships in the youth group. Cost is $50 and registration is due 6/11. It’s going to be a great event! Register HERE.

Current Teaching

REASONABLE DOUBT: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON DOUBT & QUESTIONS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed unreasonable? Maybe they told a story or made a statement that was hard for you to believe. It’s not always easy to ask questions or express doubt when other people seem so certain, and that’s especially true when it comes to faith. If you ask hard questions about God or are honest about the things you’re not sure about, what will people think? Will they judge you? Will they laugh at you? But in this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll see it really is possible to have questions and doubts while still having faith. Through Scripture, we’ll discover that when we have doubts and questions, we don’t need to ignore them or sweep them under the rug. Instead, we can look to Jesus, look to the Holy Spirit, look to God’s words, and look for God in unexpected places.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/17

Hello Families,

We’re looking forward to our high school excursion this weekend and the parent dinner and cohort Friday night! We have been enjoying the Chosen season 3 in our Sunday school class, and we finished our series “Focus” on spiritual disciplines last night. Reminders that grad slideshow submissions are due this Sunday and that we have our Ignite Family Night this Tuesday. Parents of teens, please join us for our parent cohort, where we will pray together and discuss upcoming summer events.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all!

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

May 23: Ignite Family Night

It’s our quarterly family night where we invite the elementary aged siblings of our families to participate in games with the teens, as well as hosting a parent meeting and cohort. Please plan to attend if you are a parent of teen in our youth ministry!

May 28: Grad Sunday -slideshow submissions due 5/21

We are especially honoring our High School graduates on that Sunday. Families of High School grads are invited to prepare a table in our extended cafe area with pictures and memorabilia for students’ journey through school as they enter young adulthood. We will be inviting the congregation to come and offer blessing for the grads after each of the services.

There will be a graduate slideshow played at each of our services. Anyone who has completed a degree or earned a diploma over the last year is invited to participate— that’s high school, bachelor’s, master’s, associates, professional certificates, etc. Please follow this link to submit your information and a photo by 5/21 to be included in that slideshow.

May 30: Fun 5th Tuesday

There are 5 Tuesdays in May, so we’re having a fun night filled with games. Its a great night for teens to invite their friends and your neighbors to get connected at church!

May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends

Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

June 4: Move-up Sunday

This is the date where all students in our family ministry officially move up to their next grade!

June 6: Terrific Tuesday

We welcome the new 6th graders into our youth ministry!! Woot!

Current Teaching

REASONABLE DOUBT: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS ON DOUBT & QUESTIONS

SERIES OVERVIEW:

Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed unreasonable? Maybe they told a story or made a statement that was hard for you to believe. It’s not always easy to ask questions or express doubt when other people seem so certain, and that’s especially true when it comes to faith. If you ask hard questions about God or are honest about the things you’re not sure about, what will people think? Will they judge you? Will they laugh at you? But in this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll see it really is possible to have questions and doubts while still having faith. Through Scripture, we’ll discover that when we have doubts and questions, we don’t need to ignore them or sweep them under the rug. Instead, we can look to Jesus, look to the Holy Spirit, look to God’s words, and look for God in unexpected places.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/10

Greetings Families,

Today is the last day to register for Excursion. If you are a parent of an 8th-12th grader (even if you’ve participated in Excursion before), please consider sending your teen on the camping trip and personally participating in the parent cohort and family dinner hosted by Burdette and Nedra Lahr. We look forward to welcoming the 8th graders into high school on June 4 (Move-up Sunday) and the 5th graders into youth group on June 6 (Terrific Tuesday). Don’t forget to register for the grad slideshow by 5/21. The Lord is with you and the Lord is for you!

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

May 19: Excursion (not just for teens anymore!)-- Reg Deadline TODAY

Who: Families of 8th-12th graders

When: Friday May 19- Sunday May 21

Where: Gifford Pinchot State Park

As a family ministry we have been developing milestone events to help mark important moments in the lives of our young people and their families, like child dedication, preteen passage, and high school graduation.  Excursion has been an event where we take our high schoolers camping for the weekend and welcome soon-to-be freshmen into the fold.  We are expanding the scope of Excursion to include a parent dinner on Friday night.  So families should bring their teens (8th-12th grade) to drop-off at the church on Friday evening.  We will all pray together as families and then the teens/youth workers will head off for the weekend camping trip, and parents are invited and encouraged to stay for the parent dinner--to include discussion around parenting teenagers through the various stages of high school development.  This is for parents of 8th graders all the way to seniors, and every age represents a vital role within the community development and encouragement of parents.  

Register for Excursion HERE

May 23: Ignite Family Night

It’s our quarterly family night where we invite the elementary aged siblings of our families to participate in games with the teens, as well as hosting a parent meeting and cohort. Please plan to attend if you are a parent of te

May 28: Grad Sunday -slideshow submissions due 5/21

We are especially honoring our High School graduates on that Sunday. Families of High School grads are invited to prepare a table in our extended cafe area with pictures and memorabilia for students’ journey through school as they enter young adulthood. We will be inviting the congregation to come and offer blessing for the grads after each of the services.

There will be a graduate slideshow played at each of our services. Anyone who has completed a degree or earned a diploma over the last year is invited to participate— that’s high school, bachelor’s, master’s, associates, professional certificates, etc. Please follow this link to submit your information and a photo by 5/21 to be included in that slideshow.

May 30: Fun 5th Tuesday

There are 5 Tuesdays in May, so we’re having a fun night filled with games. Its a great night for teens to invite their friends and your neighbors to get connected at church!

May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends

Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

June 4: Move-up Sunday

This is the date where all students in our family ministry officially move up to their next grade!

June 6: Terrific Tuesday

We welcome the new 6th graders into our youth ministry!! Woot!

Current Teaching

FOCUS: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS & PSALMS ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SERIES OVERVIEW:

It’s not easy to stay focused. Especially these days, when we’re connected to a never-ending stream of new notifications, ads, messages, videos, posts, and entertainment, it makes sense if we feel a little distracted sometimes. Maybe you’ve struggled recently to stay focused on your homework, or on the story your friend was telling you, or on the movie you were watching — but have you ever struggled to stay focused when you were spending time with God? In this four-week series, we’re going to get honest about how difficult it can be to stay focused when we’re trying to pray, read the Bible, or grow in our faith. Each week, we’ll explore passages from Psalms and the Gospels as we challenge ourselves to focus on practicing four spiritual disciplines that can help us grow. Together, we’ll try focusing on what God has said, on giving something up, on talking to God, and on rest.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 5/3

Greetings Families,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the BBQ fundraiser! We are so grateful to have a generous church to help our students attend events like NYC, Teen Camp, Fall Retreat and others. We are now turning our sights to graduation season and summer is right around the corner. Excursion, our family milestone event, is where we welcome our 8th graders into high school, and we are incorporating a parent cohort that Friday night. So if you are a parent of an 8th-12th grader… Excursion is for YOUR family! Registration for the camping trip for the teens ends next Wednesday. Grad Sunday is also coming up on 5/28— check out the details below on how to participate. The district has also opened up Teen Camp early bird registration, details below. May the Lord bless you and your family!

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

May 19: Excursion (not just for teens anymore!)-- Reg Deadline 5/10

Who: Families of 8th-12th graders

When: Friday May 19- Sunday May 21

Where: Gifford Pinchot State Park

As a family ministry we have been developing milestone events to help mark important moments in the lives of our young people and their families, like child dedication, preteen passage, and high school graduation.  Excursion has been an event where we take our high schoolers camping for the weekend and welcome soon-to-be freshmen into the fold.  We are expanding the scope of Excursion to include a parent dinner on Friday night.  So families should bring their teens (8th-12th grade) to drop-off at the church on Friday evening.  We will all pray together as families and then the teens/youth workers will head off for the weekend camping trip, and parents are invited and encouraged to stay for the parent dinner--to include discussion around parenting teenagers through the various stages of high school development.  This is for parents of 8th graders all the way to seniors, and every age represents a vital role within the community development and encouragement of parents.  

Register for Excursion HERE

May 23: Ignite Family Night

It’s our quarterly family night where we invite the elementary aged siblings of our families to participate in games with the teens, as well as hosting a parent meeting and cohort. Please plan to attend if you are a parent of te

May 28: Grad Sunday -slideshow submissions due 5/21

We are especially honoring our High School graduates on that Sunday. Families of High School grads are invited to prepare a table in our extended cafe area with pictures and memorabilia for students’ journey through school as they enter young adulthood. We will be inviting the congregation to come and offer blessing for the grads after each of the services.

There will be a graduate slideshow played at each of our services. Anyone who has completed a degree or earned a diploma over the last year is invited to participate— that’s high school, bachelor’s, master’s, associates, professional certificates, etc. Please follow this link to submit your information and a photo by 5/21 to be included in that slideshow.

May 30: Fun 5th Tuesday

There are 5 Tuesdays in May, so we’re having a fun night filled with games. Its a great night for teens to invite their friends and your neighbors to get connected at church!

May 31: Teen Camp Early Bird Registration ends

Teen camp is July 24-28 (which you should totally send your teens to!!!). You can save $20 by registering by the end of the month. Also, you automatically get $50 off for students who are going to NYC this year- Woot!

Click here for the details about Teen Camp and how to register

Current Teaching

FOCUS: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS & PSALMS ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SERIES OVERVIEW:

It’s not easy to stay focused. Especially these days, when we’re connected to a never-ending stream of new notifications, ads, messages, videos, posts, and entertainment, it makes sense if we feel a little distracted sometimes. Maybe you’ve struggled recently to stay focused on your homework, or on the story your friend was telling you, or on the movie you were watching — but have you ever struggled to stay focused when you were spending time with God? In this four-week series, we’re going to get honest about how difficult it can be to stay focused when we’re trying to pray, read the Bible, or grow in our faith. Each week, we’ll explore passages from Psalms and the Gospels as we challenge ourselves to focus on practicing four spiritual disciplines that can help us grow. Together, we’ll try focusing on what God has said, on giving something up, on talking to God, and on rest.

Stillnaz Youth Family Update 4/19

Greetings Families,

We’re trying a new blogpost format for our weekly updates so that we can easily upload them to our website. Let us know what you think stillnazyouth@gmail.com!

Next week we start a new series on Tuesday nights called “Focus” as we dive into the gospels and the psalms. We started the Chosen Season 3 last Sunday. Don’t forget to register to serve at the Chicken BBQ Fundraiser if you would like to earn some money for your teen accounts. Also Excursion Registration is now open!

-Pastor Chris

Upcoming Events

Saturday April 29: Chicken BBQ Fundraiser

Stillmeadow Youth Families, it's time to shake your tail feathers!!   We will be hosting a Chicken BBQ Fundraiser on Saturday, April 29th from 11am till 1pm (or until sold out).  This is a fundraiser for ALL students involved in Stillmeadow Youth .  You will earn money to offset upcoming events such as Teen Camp, Middle School Mission Week, Fall Retreat, etc..  Flyers are attached for your reference, so please feel free to share the word with your family and friends.  

Each meal will include 1/2 Chicken, Baked Potato, Applesauce, Roll & Butter and will be sold @ $12.  Pre-orders are encouraged and can be called in to Jennifer Stough (at the contacts below) by end of day Thursday, 4/27.  We will also take orders at the Youth Booth on Sunday, 4/2, 4/16 and 4/23 (but not Easter Sunday).

We are in need of students and/or parents to help make this fundraiser a success.  There will be three ways to serve...and each way will earn you funds for your teen account.

Friday Night Prep ~ 4/28 from 6pm - 8:30pm ~ 8 slots available (Scrubbing and Wrapping Potatoes, Prepping Applesauce Cups, etc.) 

Saturday Early Morning Crew ~ 4/29 from 8:30am - 11am ~ 8 slots available (Setting up fire pit and assisting with BBQing Chicken, Setting up Prep Tables, Making Signage for Hype Advertising by the Road).

Saturday Late Morning Crew ~ 4/29 from 11am - 1:30pm ~ 12 slots available (Hype Advertising by the Road, Bagging Meals, Greeters, Ticket Takers, Meal Distribution, Clean up) 

Please register under your preferred spot.  We need help in ALL areas and slots will fill up in the order you register.  All slots are 2 1/2 hour increments, so everyone will receive an equal distribution of funds.  We prefer you sign up for one time slot for now, and if more help is needed, we'll open up the registration to allow for additional spots for those who wish to participate more.  Please contact Jennifer Stough @ (717) 495-5368 or timnjennifer@comcast.net with any questions.  

Sign up to help Here: https://stillnaz.shelbynextchms.com/external/form/6e68c3d2-a33e-4cd2-b815-20493b83bb2e

Order food Here: https://stillnaz.shelbynextchms.com/external/form/b253d791-27b7-4871-8f55-3883b812924d

Sunday April 30: Family Service (Family 5th Sunday)

There will be no youth Sunday School that day, and children's ministry will be limited to under 2 y/o.  We look forward to worshipping together!

May 19: Excursion (not just for teens anymore!)-- Reg now open!!!

Who: Families of 8th-12th graders

When: Friday May 19- Sunday May 21

Where: Gifford Pinchot State Park

As a family ministry we have been developing milestone events to help mark important moments in the lives of our young people and their families, like child dedication, preteen passage, and high school graduation.  Excursion has been an event where we take our high schoolers camping for the weekend and welcome soon-to-be freshmen into the fold.  We are expanding the scope of Excursion to include a parent dinner on Friday night.  So families should bring their teens (8th-12th grade) to drop-off at the church on Friday evening.  We will all pray together as families and then the teens/youth workers will head off for the weekend camping trip, and parents are invited and encouraged to stay for the parent dinner--to include discussion around parenting teenagers through the various stages of high school development.  This is for parents of 8th graders all the way to seniors, and every age represents a vital role within the community development and encouragement of parents.  

Register for Excursion HERE

Current Teaching

FOCUS: A 4-WEEK STUDY FROM THE GOSPELS & PSALMS ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SERIES OVERVIEW:

It’s not easy to stay focused. Especially these days, when we’re connected to a never-ending stream of new notifications, ads, messages, videos, posts, and entertainment, it makes sense if we feel a little distracted sometimes. Maybe you’ve struggled recently to stay focused on your homework, or on the story your friend was telling you, or on the movie you were watching — but have you ever struggled to stay focused when you were spending time with God? In this four-week series, we’re going to get honest about how difficult it can be to stay focused when we’re trying to pray, read the Bible, or grow in our faith. Each week, we’ll explore passages from Psalms and the Gospels as we challenge ourselves to focus on practicing four spiritual disciplines that can help us grow. Together, we’ll try focusing on what God has said, on giving something up, on talking to God, and on rest.