October 2005

Hi All,

A lot has been happening with the youth group and over the past several weeks a lot has been happening at Hus Church. The sound system has been updated and video equipment has been added. The old audio system had a limit of about 30-35 watts of power through the main speaker; by simply upgrading the speaker wire it can now be used to its full potential. The overhead projector and screen have been replaced with a digital projector and a screen large enough for everyone to see. If you could not hear or see before, you should be able to now. The very same week that the sanctuary updates were completed, the basement hallway and classrooms in the Christian Education building were painted with the base coat. Soon these walls will be painted with murals. The murals will coincide with the rotational Sunday school theme “Exploring God’s World” that will begin in January for the kids in pre-school through 5th grade. If you would like to paint one of the murals please let Michele Raim or Joyce McGivern know or call the church office. We are still having Sunday school this fall and we would love to see you there. Brig your parents as there will also be adults Sunday school classes. Keep watch for the upcoming changes like a mini cinema, a computer room and others.

As you have already found out, Sunday school for middle/senior high kids will never be the same. First we left the classroom and we are now meeting in the youth room. Why the change, part of it was because we are getting ready for rotational Sunday school, but I like to say that the real reason is because it is more comfortable to sit on sofas, recliners, etc. We are also going to a curriculum that is relevant to the youth. How are we doing that? For starters we are beginning a 15-week Bible study called “Pure Excitement” (www.pureexcitement.com) which was created by nationally acclaimed youth speaker and author Joe White. If you are a parent and want to know more about this Bible study, let Marcia, Diane, or I know and we will be happy to talk to you and show you the material.

Anticipation
BOOM (Believing On Our Master)
Blaze
CIA (Christians In Action)
Delivery
Devotion
Jesus Freaks
Radical Youth
Revolution
Unashamed
YUCC (Youth Under Christ’s Care)
As well as a write in or two

What is all that about? The kids chose these names as possible names for the youth group and on September 7th they voted. From the top of this newsletter I bet you can figure out what they voted for … to change from Hus Youth Group to Jesus Freaks – BOOM which is short for Jesus Freaks – Believe On Our Master. That was the easy part. Now they are designing a logo so we can get t-shirts made.

When a month has a fifth Sunday, the youth group will be responsible for doing the Sunday worship service. Pastor Will, the worship team, Diane and I will help them if they want us to. We are already calling this service B.O.O.M. (Believing on Our Master). I am really looking forward to seeing what this service will be like. In addition to working on these services, we also are working on the monthly youth worship service. At this time we are looking at doing this service on either a Friday or Saturday night. Our goal is to have a high energy worship service designed for and put on by the youth for anyone who wants to come, regardless of where they are on their walk with Christ.

There are several concerts coming up. Of those we are planning to go to Onefest 2005 (www.onefest.org) in Cedar Falls. Onefest 2005 is a 24-hour time of praise, worship, and workshops. The festival begins on December 28th at 1 PM and concludes on December 29th at 1 PM. This is the first year for this festival and the churches in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area have gone all out. There will be performances by local bands as well as nationally known bands. As if this were not enough, the have signed the Newsboys to headline the festival. We need to get the tickets ordered and the transportation setup so let us know as soon as possible if you want to go. More information is available on the concert bulletin board outside of Terry’s office.

I almost forgot, we have two fundraisers going on right now. The first is the can and bottle redemption. This has gone well so far and we are looking forward to this one being a year round fundraiser so get your friends and family to bring in their cans and bottles. There are two boxes, one for plastic bottles and the other for cans. Do not worry if you don’t have them separated, just leave them in the coatroom and we will do that for you. We are selling God’s Creation appointment calendars for only $6 for the second. The calendars went extremely fast and we have already placed another order. We had no idea that we would sell so many so quickly. Let one of the youth group members know if you have not already ordered one, and they will get one for you.

As we continue the theme on mission, we are looking into doing a 30 Hour Famine (www.30hourfamine.org). What is a 30 Hour Famine? It is a time for the youth to get a brief glimpse of what it is like to go hungry. According to World Vision 29,000 children under the age of 5 die every day due to hunger and other preventable causes. That is about a quarter of the population of Cedar Rapids. The way that it works is like this; the kids quit eating after lunch on Friday and do not eat again until 6 PM on Saturday. On Friday night we would most likely have a lock in with games, music, and fellowship. On Saturday we would do community service and or group fundraisers concluding with a meal that evening. It will take a lot of work and we would definitely want to partner with several churches. It is up to you the youth to decide if this is something that they want to do. Until next month, take care and God bless.

Because of Him,

Terry and Diane

A conversation with God
Hi God. It occurred to me that all to often when we pray, we simply recite a prayer that we have learned. The words to that prayer have become to common to us that we forget what they mean. Today I just wanted to talk to you. So, how is it going? I am amazed at how people have responded to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Thank you for their love and for their generosity in taking care of all of the people that have lost part or all of everything they had. I feel so lucky to live in a country where I can worship you without fear of being arrested or killed. As we continue to work on the plan for the Youth and Family Life ministry, show us what you want us to do and we will get it done. In Jesus name, Amen.

“2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know hoe to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:2-6 NIV