Common Ground

Common Ground will officially begin this Wednesday night, September 3. It starts at 5:30 pm and ends at 7:00 pm. All Middle Schoolers will need to come to the Gym. We will be jumping into a 3 week series entitled: "Indescribable." We will be looking at God. We will explore such questions as: "Who is He?" "What does He do?" "What is He like?"

Common Ground is a highlight of the FBC Middle School Ministry. Please consider having your Middle Schooler involved in Common Ground. It will be one of the best parts of their week!

You might ask, "What else can you tell me about Common Ground?" Listed below are a few notes of interest:

-Common Ground began in September 0f 2006.

-Common Ground was named by a student. Students were given the opportunity to submit name ideas for our new midweek gathering. The catch was that the name had to be connected to a Scripture. The names were narrowed down to three choices and voted upon by various leaders. Here was the Scripture connected to Common Ground, "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." (I Corinthians 9:22 NLT)

-Middle School attendance on Wednesday nights has tripled since the establishment of Common Ground.

-Common Ground influences more Middle Schoolers than any other program or event within our church.

-Common Ground is the front door to the Middle School Ministry. It is the ideal place for our regular students to bring kids who do not go to church or do not like church.

-Common Ground offers a little something for everyone. Each week is filled with a variety of creative aspects targeted to Middle Schoolers through recreation, music, discussion, teaching, and more.

Great Launch Party

You might be asking,"How was the Launch Party?" Here are just a few words to describe the event: loud, crazy, chaotic, fun, hyper, and did we mention loud? Seriously though, it was a gym full of 6/7 graders. It was a great night to launch a new school year and season of ministry. Check out a few other notes from the night:

-Every piece of pizza and every cookie were eaten. There was not a crumb left!

-We busted 4 pinatas and 10 pounds of candy flew across the gym floor. (For safety we divided into 4 groups for the pinatas. Flying candy + Flying bodies = Unsafe.)

-We played one of our Middle School favorites: "Elimination."

-We drew 8 names for prizes and a place in the front of the food line.

-We had great volunteers serving.

-This was our 3rd ever Launch Party.

-The was the biggest one of the three Launch Parties in attendance.

-The Gospel was shared in a clear and understandable way with many students.

-It was a great launch to what is going to be a greater season of ministry.

Small Group Readings

As you know, all students present last Sunday received a list of Scriptures to read each day this week. We encourage the students to read the Scriptures for the day, pray, and jot down any questions and ideas that they might have concerning the verses.

This opens the door for students to take a few minutes each day to spend with God. We call this a "Quiet Time." Each Scripture will tie into the following week's Small Group discussion. This gives them the opportunity to bring any questions and ideas to class on Sunday. Just in case any one missed out...here are the verses for the week...

Monday: Mark 1:1-4

Tuesday: Mark 1:5-8

Wednesday: Mark 1:9-11

Thursday: John 1:19-22

Friday: John 1:23-28

Saturday: John 1:29-31

Sunday: John 1:32-34

Launch Party

This photo is a distant shot of a rocket launching into the earth's atmosphere. It is a great representation of the kids in our Middle School Ministry. Our 6/7 graders are launching into a new phase of life. They will experience huge amounts of changes over the next two years. Our ministry is here to partner with families during this process and reach deep into the Middle School community of Benton.

Coming up on Wednesday, August 27, is our Launch Party. The Launch Party will take place in the Gym from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. It is at this time that we will celebrate and launch a new school year and season of ministry together. This event will be a great prequel to our Wednesday night gathering called Common Ground, which begins on September 3rd. The night is totally free. There are no sign-ups. Kids are welcome and encouraged to bring friends. We are praying and anticipating a big gathering. We will be feeding the kids, playing games, and gearing up for a great year!

This Coming Sunday

On Sunday, our kids will break into their Sunday School groups and begin a walk through the New Testament. Each week we will gather and focus on community, prayer, and God's Word. This coming Sunday we will start by looking at John the Baptist. After class, each student will be given a day-by-day quiet time guide to get them into the Word for the week. The guide will connect to the lesson for the following Sunday. Looking forward to a new season of ministry!

Volunteer Orientation

This coming Wednesday, August 20, there will be no student gathering in the Middle School Ministry. Our focus will be on our annual Volunteer Orientation. The meeting will provide an opportunity to equip, to encourage, and to empower our team to reach Middle Schoolers in the 2008-2009 school year.

It will take place from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm in the Hospitality with dinner served. This is a must attend for those who will be serving on a consistent basis in the Middle School Ministry this season. Our best days are still ahead of us!

Promo Day & Parent's Meeting

There are two significant events happening this Sunday, August 17 at FBC. Make note below and don't miss out...

Promotion Day - We have bid farewell to the outgoing 8th graders and welcome a brand new batch of 6th graders. Our new 7th graders get to go another round. All Middle Schoolers will meet on the 2nd floor above the Family Life Center during the Sunday School hour.

Middle School Parent’s Meeting - It will take place in the Upper Room at 4:30 pm. It is at this time that you will receive our ministry calendar, be informed of upcoming events, ask questions, and sign-up for various activities.

Space

The Middle School Ministry has been operating much like a nomad. We have been meeting three different places three times a week. We have always been moving! There does, however, seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Our ministry has finally secured a consistent place to meet! We will be officially moving onto 2nd floor above the Family Life Center for all our programs. There will be a couple of reconstruction needs. There are other construction projects ahead of the Middle School Ministry space. It will be awhile before our area is established and set-up, but at the least the ball is rolling.

Pure Energy Retreat

The Pure Energy Retreat is happening this Wednesday, August 13th. There will be a gathering at 8:30 pm in the Upper Room for all students going into the 8th grade and interested in Pure Energy. It is an opportunity for these students to get plugged into an incredible worship experience.

Pure Energy meets on Sunday evenings during the school year. The year is capped off by "Choir Tour" at the beginning of the summer. The students spend several days traveling all over the country ministering in various places. It is a powerful group to join.

Rookie Night

This is for all upcoming Middle Schoolers & Parents. It is happening this Sunday, August 10th from 7:30-9:00 pm.

This is your first chance to jump into the Middle School Ministry. Rookie Night will once again be at Party Central. Come play and discover your future in the Middle School Ministry! There are no sign-ups and it is totally free to you!

Parents: There will be a Parent’s Meeting, which will begin at 7:45 pm. This will offer you as a parent the opportunity to explore our Middle School Ministry. This will occur in the meeting room of Party Central as your child plays.

Students: Be sure to bring a pair of socks. You will need them to play at Party Central. After you play for a bit, we will take a break, grab refreshments, and hear all about what is up and coming in Middle School for you.

Student Share

Our students did an incredible job Sunday night. WOW, Paint Your Heart Out, Beach Camp, and Missions 101, and above all Christ were represented very well. A special thanks goes out to Mollie Ann, Matthew, Jake, Cassi, Jacob, Bekah, Jordan, Marcus, Lucy, Bryan, and Keith for sharing so well!

Student Share Service

This Sunday night, August 3rd is our annual Student Share Service. It is all happening at 6 pm in the Worship Center. Our group will be parntering with the JH/HS Ministry to make this service happen.

We have 12 different Middle School Students who will be sharing about WOW, Paint Your Heart Out, Camp, and Missions 101. There will also be a slideshow with several photos from these events.