December 2014

Hello!!

Announcements for DECEMBER 2014

Wednesday December 10th
6:30pm - 8pm
New Heights Christmas Party
Come out for our Christmas party! There will be games, food, door prizes, and fun!
Bring a $5-$10 White Elephant Gift.


Saturday December 13th
10:30am-8pm
Salvation Army Kettles and Kroc Center Party

We will leave the church parking lot @ 10:30 and head to a few locations to ring the bells and greet customers near Salvation Army Red Kettles. Around 3:30pm we will head to the Kroc Center in North Dayton and have some fun. We will watch a movie, eat pizza and play around. We will return to church by 8pm.
Bring money for lunch (fast-food) and a donation for the Red Kettles. Pizza will be provided.




Saturday December 20th
9:45-12:15pm
Miami Valley Women's Center Workday
Join us as we support this ministry to the Women of the Miami Valley who are seeking guidance and assistance. We leave church @ 9:45am and return @ 12:15pm. Come ready to clean. :)

Stay connected/informed
Remind101 text and email updates...no more than 5 texts per month!
Hey Parents, there's a way to get short text reminders straight from ME (Justin)...
Text @newheigh to (937) 619-5999. or send an email to newheigh@mail.remind101.com


Important Dates
Wednesday Dec 17th, 24th and 31st there is no youth group!
Sunday Dec 14th and 21st there is no Sunday School!
Sunday Dec 28th Sunday School is 1st hour!!


Awaited...for the past two years we have taken a trip to Crossroads Church in Cinci to see their amazing Christmas Show, Awaited. Well, this year they doubled their capacity, from 50,000 available tickets to 100,000 available tickets...Those Tickets "sold out" within days. We can't even get standby tickets. So, we will have to AWAIT, next years' program....Sorry!

Wednesday Activities!!

Hello Everyone!!


OUR SNOWTUBING ACTIVITY HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO SCHEDULING ISSUES AT BEACH MOUNTAIN!

We will however be going Ice Skating at the Kettering Rec Center.

We will meet at church at 10am. Open Skate at the Rink is from 11am-1pm.

The cost is:

Resident                   Non Resident

Youth (3 – 17)	$4.50	$7.50
Adult	$5.00	$8.50

Bring Money to cover your fees (these prices include skate rental and admission) and money for lunch at Wendy's or Panera Bread.

We will return to church around 2pm.

Thanks for your flexibility!!!

Justin

November - December Happenings!!!

Hey there,

It's been awhile since I've updated you all on what's been going on! Part of the reason for that is that I'm also involved in the Men's Ministries which are pretty much exploding right now (PTL)!

Anyway! Here we go with what's happening!

Events
Shoebox Prepwork
Wednesday November 12th
Tomorrow night we will be helping with some prep for the Shoebox Packing Party which is happening this Sunday! Come out to help us prepare boxes and gift bags for kids around the world!

Shoebox shopping...Take some time to do some shopping this week and bring our box supplies this Sunday! Here's a video to help with details for what to pack.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/?utm_source=OCC-ShoeboxTime-6787-Catalyst&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=m_YOCC-14PC_Catalystemail&utm_content=6787-Vid-image#ooid=I3cXhmcTodv8TeNzqRhJm8IYNLjFsfr3

MVWC Workday & Holsinger's Leaf Day
Saturday November 15th
MVWC 9:45am-12:15pm
Holsingers 12:30-4ish bring cash for lunch at Wendy's or similar. And bring rakes, gloves etc!

SnowTubing @ the Beach
Wednesday November 26th
10am-2pm $16 per person, plus extra cash for lunch.

Awaited
December TBD.
If you've been around the past two years you've probably heard about our trip to Crossroads Church in Cinci for their Christmas program, Awaited. This phenomenal production is one of my favorite events we do all year long! We will be securing 30+ tickets for the show. Signups will be first come first served. We will know the dates of our show around December 1st.

Teaching
On Wednesday nights for the next several weeks we will be exploring what it looks like to live life intentionally with the gospel in mind. We are working through a series entitled, Life on Mission and David Platt is the primary teacher through the series. Students are discussing the implications of the teaching in their small groups.

After the first of the year we will be breaking into our small groups for age/gender specific teaching lead by our phenomenal Youth Leaders!

On Sunday Mornings we will begin a series looking into Salvation. We will discuss the plan of Salvation and what it really means that we were chosen before time (Eph 1:4). We will also look at Justification, Sanctification and Glorification and how those truths impact our lives.

Starting in January we will explore Baptism. This study will provide students the opportunity to remember what it means to be baptized (if they have been already) and stir others to obedience in baptism after hearing what it means and why we do it.

Important Dates
There is no Youth Group 
November 26th
December 17th, 24th or 31st

There is no Sunday School 
December 14th or 21st 

And We will meet 1st hour for Sunday School on December 28th!



Thanks for reading!
As always, reach out to me with questions, concerns or complaints (jk on the complaints) jk on that, I'm open to hearing complaints... :) 
Justin

Men's Retreat Invite

Hello Friends!

Hi, in 10 days the WHBC Men of the Heights Men's Retreat will be starting! I am extremely excited for this event...not only because I have been working on it for months, but because God has wired me to thrive when I'm around other men who love God. Did you know your son is wired the same way? And all of the men in your life!

Please consider sending your Junior High and High School aged sons to this retreat. I can think of few better ways to make an impact on a young man, than sending them to spend the weekend with godly men who are working towards their own Spiritual Growth!

How cool would it be for your son to return home having made some deep personal connections with men 2 or 3 times their age?!

7th and 8th graders can attend with Dad, Grandpa or male guardian. 9th-12th can come without supervision, but all will be expected to participate in the retreat as adults. This will be a fantastic time spent digging into God's word and sharing with other men. We'll also have fun. Late night hoops, carpet ball, skeet shooting and more!

Students attending with a family member are only $30. Students attending solo are asked to pay the full retreat price, there are however a few Scholarships available.

The main bus leaves @ 1pm on Friday October 31st. A second bus will leave at 4:30 from church. A third wave will leave Saturday morning early. All buses will arrive back at church around 10 or 10:30 Saturday night.

Contact Justin @ church for more info.

Parent's Meetings...and why you should be there!

Every few months we hold a Parent's Meeting (ok, well actually it's been more than a few months since our last one...but let's not talk about that). We hold these meetings so that YOU, the parents can connect with me, the guy you pay to Pastor your kids. But this is also a great opportunity for YOU, the parents, to connect with other parents.

You may feel your kid is the only one with behavior issues at home...you get good reports from teachers and coaches, but at home.....BLAH! You may feel you are the only one dealing with whatever issues you are dealing with.

Let me promise you something. You are NOT ALONE! Solomon, the wisest guy ever, told us "Nothing is new under the sun". And Paul tells us that all temptations and sins are common to all people...that doesn't mean we all have the same EXACT struggles, but we are all in the same boat.

So you are not alone. Other parents are uniquely equipped to walk through this journey with you. Don't try to walk it alone. 

Parents, I work hard to make sure your students know that I love God. That I love His Word, and that I love them. Because of my relationship with your students, I often have deep conversations with your kids, that you may, or may not have with them. I don't want that to ever be an issue. But the only way that's not an issue is if you trust me. You can't really trust me unless you know me. And you can't really know me unless you interact with me. 

We are all busy, so I'm not suggesting we all go out for coffee once a week...I love coffee, but even I believe you can drink too much coffee. 

BUT, these Parent Meetings offer you the chance to see me and interact with me. Please consider coming out this Thursday evening for 1 hour (7pm-8pm in the youth room) to hear about what God is doing and see where we're headed over the next several months. Also, you'll hear about how to stay connected throughout the weeks and months, before our next Parent's Meeting.

Thank you! I hope to see you Thursday.

Justin

October News

Hi there,

First, I want to say we're off to a GREAT START to the school year! We've had consistently large groups the last 3 weeks! Thanks for your commitment to New Heights Student Ministries!

Second, Here's some important info!

Fun Stuff

Junior High SNAC (fun activity)
Sunday October 5th from 7pm-8:30pm. Laser Tag! $17 per student is the cost. We'll play 3 games for that price! Invite your friends!

Senior High SNAC
Saturday October 18th from 12:30-3pm (following the MVWC workday). Laser Tag! $17 per student. Bring Cash for lunch as well. We'll stop at Wendy's or LaRosa's for lunch then play.

Informative Stuff

Parents meeting (exciting activity)
Thursday October 2nd from 7-8pm. Come out to hear about our plans for the coming school year. Meet some of the youth leaders. Get your chance to yell at Justin for all the things he's messed up recently... :) Just kidding...unless you really have some concerns. And if that's the case I am happy (or very interested) in hearing those concerns.


Resources

Parents Online Bible Study
Soon you will be invited to take part in an online Bible Study designed for YOU (parents). It will combine parts of several solid video based Bible studies. The best part, you can access them from your home, office or wherever you have an internet connection. You can access them at any time of day or night. You'll be able to interact with other parents who are working through the same material.

I am working on this resource, not because I think I have the answers or the formula figured out for how to raise teens...(mine aren't teens yet, and you better believe I'm coming to YOU when they are). My goal is to offer fresh perspectives and insights from a wide range of people. Also I'll show you from the students' side of things, a few perspectives on parenting. : )

If you don't like the sound of this resource, feel free to ignore it. But if you are interested, look for more details soon.

Thank you for your support of New Heights Student Ministries!

Justin

Cool Happenings

Hi,

Here's a few things coming up soon!

Women of the Heights and Men of the Heights Kickoff

This Sunday Morning the Women of the Heights and Men of the Heights are having a kickoff event during the normal Sunday School hours. This is event will give the men and women of the church a chance to see what's planned for the coming year. We will not have a normal Youth Group this Sunday. The junior high will still meet, but all high schoolers are invited to attend their respective kickoff event.

Please encourage your students to come. Both the Men's and Women's Ministries are reworking some of the familiar events and adding so really cool opportunities for this year. It would be awesome to have our high school students begin to plug in and start relationships with more adults through the Men's and Women's Ministries.

Retreats

We have been presented with an opportunity to attend some retreats this fall. There is a high school retreat and a Men's Retreat coming soon. All High School Guys are invited to attend the Men's retreat. Any Junior High Guy is invited as long as Dad or a guardian is attending.

The Men's Retreat is October 31st and November 1st @ Scioto Hills, we are still finalizing details such as times and pricing.

The High School Retreat will either be November 8-10 or 14-16. The cost is $50 for the entire weekend. We will be heading to a Camp in Butler Springs. We need to know what kind of interest there is in the retreat. If we have lots of interest we will make it happen. If not...

Here's a link to the webpage with lots of helpful info.

http://iamone21.com/experiencechange/experience-change-faqs/

Prayer Meetings

Starting Thursday September 11th through Thursday October 9th the church will be holding special prayer meetings. There will be two meeting times; 6:30am-7:00am and 8:30pm-9pm. These will be informal prayer times set aside to pray for the ministry of Washington Heights. We will pray for the health of our church and revival. They will end right on time, there will be no lesson or discussion.

Students are invited and encouraged to join. Please make it a priority to attend. Pastor Kisner will lead the Morning sessions and I (Justin) will lead the Evening Sessions.

Small Groups and Leaders

Please pray for the Youth Leadership Team. We are working on getting our small groups back up and running, but we need more Adult Leaders. Ideally we will have small groups with 5 to 7 students plus two leaders. We currently are unable to follow this ideal set up because we do not have enough leaders. Please pray that people would join us and that maybe you are part of the solution.

We are having a Youth Leader Meeting Sunday September 14th during the first worship service. If you are interested in seeing how you might help please let me know you are interested and plan to attend the meeting if possible.

God is doing some really cool things here at WHBC and especially in our Teens!

Thanks

Justin