Some Reminders

Hey Guys,

LAST NIGHT - Last night was another good night.  We had around 180 students there and it was the first night that we used the new system (Arena).  Check in was a lot more successful than in weeks past, which was non existent, which is not hard to beat:)  Don't forget to push students toward check in stations on Wednesday nights.  It will help us keep track of attendance and helps us find student info when we need to contact parents.

I was able to take a group of 6th grade guys last night and talk about the lesson.  They were pretty engaged in what was happening and had a lot to say.  It makes me really excited about the direction of Connection Groups.  I would love to hear from some of you about how your groups went.  

CONTACT YOUR STUDENTS  - I mentioned to you via email last week that Paula had a great idea with her group of 6th grade girls.  She contacted them outside of Wednesday night and asked them to sit with her last night.  It seemed to go really well.  I would encourage you guys to do the same.  It will give you an opportunity to contact them with a purpose.  Let them know what side of the room/location you will be at and then look for them next Wednesday.  It will help with discipline but more importantly, it will help you build a connection with your group.

PINE COVE - We also did our first "Pine Cove Giveaway" last night and gave away a certificate for "$50 Off of Pine Cove".   Which reminds me, if you would like to volunteer for the Pine Cove Retreat please let me know ASAP.  Spots usually go fast so if you are interested please reply soon.  The dates are October 23rd-25th.  Here's a little secret...leaders go free!  Also, tell your students about Pine Cove and encourage them to take a flyer home.  Registration will be online this year.  Welcome to the 21st century.  

ATTENDANCE - PLEEEEEASE remember to contact me when you will not be able to attend on Wednesdays.  It really helps to do this in advance of Wednesday so that we can contact other team members to help cover Connection groups and building coverage.

DGROUPS - Dgroups will be starting September 27th from 6-7:30pm and we are meeting at 281 (where the Live services are held).  Our books are in and will hand those out at our first meeting together.  If you would like the book beforehand, please let me know.  After the first meeting we will then meet in people's homes.  Sign ups are going well and we are compiling the list of students and will let you know, if you are a dgroup leader, who your students are by next week.

WHEW!  I think that is it for now.  Thank you for your heart for Jesus and these students.  You guys are the best and I am thankful for your presence at Vibe.  Have a great rest of the week and weekend.

Matt

Connection

Every now and then you have a Wednesday night that you can sit back and say, "This is what Junior High ministry should look like.  This is what we are all about." Last night was one of those nights for me.  Austin and the band did a phenomenal job didn't they?  Thanks Austin for leading us into an energetic yet worshipful time with God!  Who'd have thought that our students would form their own conga line?  

Connection Leaders, once again you did an amazing job of getting your students to engage in conversation and connecting with them.  Thank you for filling out your Connection Group forms with their contact info.  I will process those and get a copy to you by next week so that you can begin communicating with them via email, text or Facebook.  Once you begin to build relationships outside of a Wednesday night, I think you will be surprised by how much they will open up to you and trust you with things they are going through.  In doing that you will begin to earn the right to speak into their lives and have an incarnational ministry with them.  You guys may be the only Christ follower that they speak to all week.  The more that you follow Christ in your daily lives and trust Him with all that you have and all that you are, the more they will see Christ in you (Colossians 1:27).

A few things to remember for next week.  Show up as early as you can on Wednesday.  I know we axed the 6:15 pow wow but we did that so that you can be present for the students as they are coming in.  Students begin arriving in bulk at around 6:00pm.  The earlier you come, the earlier you can hang out with them and connect with them.  I highly encourage you guys to show up as early as you can and shoot hoops, play pool, play video games, play volleyball, etc. We can tell students that we care about them all day long but when we spend time with them and hang out with them, they know that we do.  

Don't forget, we have a Leader's meeting this coming Tuesday at 281 from 7-8pm (the day after Labor Day).  Thanks again for all of your hard work and sacrifice on Wednesday nights.  You guys are the best and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have you as volunteers.  Talk to you soon.

Matt