The CHS Student Ministry seeks to lead and teach students to become PASSIONATE and FULLY COMMITTED followers of Christ, developing young disciples who make disciples as they grow and mature.

Our mission is a foundational, deeply-rooted commitment to Biblical discipleship and mentorship. We will place a high priority on regular relational contact by myself and our great team of student small group leaders. And while the church has a vital role in leading and teaching our youth, the most powerful force in a young person's life is family. We are here to help you disciple your teen. But just as a church service must be to be undergirded with personal immersion in scripture and prayer throughout the week, your teen(s) will greatly benefit from the loving instruction, encouragement, and exhortation of family throughout the week. Quigg and I were both raised by only our mothers during the teen years, so we know the tremendous influence even just one parent can have.

To support this family-based student ministry model, our student ministry team will keep you informed, encourage you, and partner with you in ministering to your teen by providing:

Information: Upcoming Events

Our monthly Enewsletter will provide an overview of upcoming events, along with a web link to a dynamic calendar that will contain all of the most up-to-date events, when they will occur, locations, and the details of that event. We also will provide a paper copy of semester offerings in August and December.

Tools: Weekly Teaching Summaries

Every Monday, I will email you a brief summary of the topic(s) we discussed with your teen on Sunday. This will also include some discussion starters and additional, related topics that are easily connected to the primary lesson. This serves several purposes:

• These discussions can connect you to the spiritual lives of your teen, allowing you to deepen their understanding of who God is, answer their questions, and nurture the spiritual growth of your teen.
• To relieve the tension of parallel influences: you will not be competing with, or excluded from the spiritual training your teen is receiving at church. This is your ministry to your teen.
• You will know what spiritual matters may be on the hearts of your teen. This may provide context for your daily discussions with them, and allow you to know what's on their minds.
• To give parents who may not know how/where to start an avenue to begin engaging with their teen about the practical application of truly knowing God. Our example is so incredibly vital! Quigg and I both strongly encourage all parents to equip themselves by engaging in daily Bible reading, Sunday School, and/or a Life Group.

Engagement, Encouragement, and Support

Our team is here to do the good work of supporting you in your ministry to your teen. This means engaged leaders, providing encouragement and exhortation to both kids and parents alike, and providing support while you impress God's commandments on your teen.

I personally can not wait to meet and get to know you and your teen, be available to you, and partner in answering the call of Deuteronomy 6:5-9:

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Mike Childress (CHS Student Ministry Alumnus)

Have you ever wanted to meet with an older, wiser couple to discuss elements of their marital success?  How about to discuss the hard parts of your own marriage?  Over 25 seasoned couples, who have weathered the ups and downs of marriage, are available for marriage coaching in our church.  Six-month commitment; meet once a month.  Contact Todd Meyer for more info:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

True worship doesn’t depend on many of the things we make it about. As we discussed last week, making worship about anything other than God is simply a response to ourselves, rather than God.

Jesus changed everything during his ministry here on earth…that is a fundamental truth. He fully paved the way to restore our relationship with God. He pointed us all toward God the Father.  He also redefined the way we should worship.

Jesus told us…we must worship in SPIRIT. For so long, I never knew what Jesus meant by this statement. In John Chapter four, Jesus said “the hour is coming, and is now here,” when worship would no longer be located in Samaria or Jerusalem, but will be "in spirit and in truth.” The divisions between the Jews and the Gentiles were crumbling, and temple worship would be soon be replaced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said the time “is now here,” it was because Jesus was finally here on earth and had begun forming the early church. As we later see in Acts, this early church was soaked in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the sheer power of the Spirit caused explosive growth and passion among the followers of Christ. It caused profound, unstructured, sincere, uninhibited worship. As Christians, we all have this SAME spirit…the exact same spirit. The Holy Spirit.

We don’t need an awesome band or other external stuff to truly worship. We don’t even need music, though there’s nothing wrong with having some of those things. What Jesus was saying is that God-honoring worship comes from our indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When he said this, he also removed any excuse we have as Christians for not worshipping. We are called to worship, and we are fully empowered to worship no matter what our mood, or the situation.

“Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What do you find is a distraction to you during the worship time? 

   2.  What does Christ’s statement mean that we must worship in spirit?

Note To Parents: In John Chapter four, Jesus said “the hour is coming, and is now here,” when worship would no longer be located in Samaria or Jerusalem, but will be "in spirit and in truth.” The divisions between the Jews and the Gentiles were crumbling, and temple worship would be soon be replaced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said the time “is now here,” it was because Jesus was finally here on earth and had begun forming the early church. As we later see in Acts, this early church was soaked in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the sheer power of the Spirit caused explosive growth and passion among the followers of Christ. It caused profound, unstructured, sincere, uninhibited worship. As Christians, we all have this SAME spirit…the exact same spirit. The Holy Spirit.

   3.  How does this concept remove any excuse for not worshipping, especially when combined with the concept we discussed last week?

Note To Parents: We don’t need an awesome band or other external stuff to truly worship. We don’t even need music, though there’s nothing wrong with having some of those things. What Jesus was saying is that God-honoring worship comes from our indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When he said this, he also removed any excuse we have as Christians for not worshipping. We are called to worship, and we are fully empowered to worship no matter what our mood, or the situation.

This picture came across Quigg's desk this week along with a note saying, "According to you (Quigg) it is perfectly ok for a Christian to get a tattoo and body piercings, so this guy could be a wonderful Christian and do this..."

Answer: Yes, this guy could be a wonderful Christian and look like this.

The series on Romans has brought to the surface what is so difficult for many to believe: We have been given what we have not earned, namely, our salvation! Like the gentleman who wrote Quigg this note, we hate the fact that we can't earn more merit by what we do, or don't do.

How can it be that my church attendance, my consistent quiet times, my financial giving, and my lack of body piercings don't earn me any more "favor" in the eyes of God? Why? Because Christ gained all the favor possible on the cross. We are already completely accepted by God when we trust Christ for our righteousness.

But here is the part we really hate. Our sin, or more pointedly our brother's sin, doesn't cause him to lose any of God's love either. The scripture says,
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8

Even the state of sin can't detract from God's love. Sure, it may distance us from Him when we sin, but God's love for you is still "white hot!". It has not diminished at all! Not one little bit. The result should be an overwhelming freedom from the law and a desire to do what is right. Not out of duty or obligation, but just to love God back.

However, it is so easy to become a "Grace-hater" and not even know it.

Here are some warning signs of becoming a "Grace-hater":

- You look, ever so slightly, down your nose at people when you succeed.
- You beat yourself up when you fail.
- Make up "laws" for yourself and others to follow.
- Feel like God loves us more when we act more lovely.

Quigg's response to this man was gentle, but firm. He showed him scripture about being under grace and not law (Rom. 6:14, 7:4, Gal. 5:18) and then said, "And for the record, I don't really prefer tattoos or piercings!"

Todd

Amy Harris Testimony from Church of the Holy Spirit on Vimeo.

Does Biblical Justice Matter To You?

This Sunday, we began our discussion of Biblical justice…with two important questions: Does justice matter to you? Does it matter enough to do something about it?

We watched the short film entitled “We Were Free – Stories From Modern-Day Slaves” to facilitate this discussion. That night, we themed all of Second Sunday around the same idea as we kicked off our “Loose Change To Loosen Chains” fundraiser during the next month to benefit the International Justice Mission (IJM). The students have been challenged to decide their own personal answer to those two questions while being guided through what scripture has to say about it. I’ll give you a spoiler – it matters to GOD, and he given us the charge to do something about it (Micah 6:8, among others)!

As we discussed two weeks ago, true hearing of the Word must lead to Godly action…we’re making that a reality.

Join us for the journey we’ll be on over the next few weeks!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. ICE BREAKER: Who’s been to a foreign country before? Did you see anything that surprised or shocked you? You may not have thought of it this way then, but did it change your view of Biblical justice and its importance?

   2.  What part of the video stood out to you the most? Why?

   3.  What is your natural reaction to seeing those in slavery or desperate poverty? Do you know what the Bible says about our role as Christians in “doing justice?”

Note To Parents: Focus on Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” It is a requirement. Over the next few weeks we’ll be delving deeply into what scripture has to say, but focus on this one important fact for right now: It is a requirement. It isn’t about how you feel.

"Don't forget this Sunday you are greeting at the 8:30 service. Thanks for your service!"

It was Brenda Larch making the reminder calls to those serving this Sunday as ushers, greeters, etc. Week after week, Brenda calls and reminds us of our jobs in obscurity. No one sees her efforts, but everyone sees the results: a smoothly run service.

It reminded me of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matt. 6:1

No one ever sees Brenda do this act of service every week, but it blesses all of us! Not many people even know to thank Brenda for this job, but she does it anyway.

It's amazing to me how many of our people, like Brenda, serve at Church of the Holy Spirit, around the community, or in their family without any thought of "what's in it for me". They unselfishly and humbly serve and give:

• The stay at home mom changing the 10th diaper of the day
• The volunteer at the Rescue Mission serving food to "the least of these"
• The small group preparing food so VBS volunteers will have something to eat.

For those of you who have been serving behind the scenes, I want to give you a big, "Thank you". Your service may not get a lot of "kudos" from men, but the Father sees your humble obedience and is pleased.

And, Brenda, thanks for all the phone calls. Your service does not go unnoticed!

Todd

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