Morningview Baptist Church

Meeting with Parents of Students 6th – 11th grade

Saturday, June 4th at 9:00 am

In the Big Room

Purpose: To talk about Summer plans, Promotion plans, and Family Ministry in the Fall.

School is almost over for the year and many of you are already done. Some of you are done with High School forever, Congratulations. The end of the school year always brings with it such a sense of relief and a feeling of freedom. However, as we look to Summer jobs and other activities, we need to remember that Summer is not an excuse to stop being who God has created and called us to be. It is so easy to fall into a new routine where faith an spiritual things fall away. The Summer bombards us with so many distractions and temptations that we have to be more diligent and disciplined than ever to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.

With freedom comes responsibility, and we have to take responsibility for our faith. We have to remember to always make God our first desire, because that is where real freedom lies. The Bible says that where the Spirit of God is there is freedom, but it also says do not use your freedom as an excuse for sin. We have to remember that God desires to have fellowship with us. He wants to be with us, and wants to bless us and be affectionate toward us. God delights in us when we trust in Him. If we are children of God, then we delight when He delights in us. That is why Piper says that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him, and we are most satisfied in Him when He is most glorified in us.

We are starting a new book in Sunday School this week, the book of Colossians. This little book was chosen to help us all think more deeply about our spiritual lives this Summer, and as we move through it and finish our study of Ephesians, we should be encouraged in living out the more practical aspects of our spiritual lives. I pray that you will make the most of it and really commit to being here this Summer as much as you can, and spending this Summer growing in wisdom and the knowledge of God, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Next Sunday will be the drawing for the Big Snooz Letter Prize.  So, this is the last week to get you name in the drawing by telling me who Epaphras is and why he is an important figure. The first three people to come tell me who He is gets a small prize this week, but anyone who comes to tell me who he is gets their name in the drawing for the big prize.

There are a couple of other things I want you to be aware of. We will be holding FUEL Praise Team interviews and auditions during the month of June. If you are interested in trying to be part of the FPT, you need to talk to Jason McHenry or myself in the next couple of weeks and fill out an application as soon as they are available (Wednesday, June 1).

Also, We will be selecting a new Student Leadership Team for next year. That team will be made up of one representative from each Sunday School class, as elected by that class. The classes in the Fall will be; 7-9^th grade Girls, 7-9^th grade Boys, 10-11^th grade Girls, 10-11th grade Boys, and Co-ed Seniors. Also, the entire group will vote on one Senior to be the Captain of the SLT. That group will help plan activities and service projects, as they meet with me once a month, and will pray with me as I consult with them concerning ministry to students. Those elections will be held on Promotion Sunday, August 21^st.

Promotion Retreat (Rookie Camp) will be August 20^th, but the new 7^th graders will join us, starting August 3^rd, when FUEL starts back after the July break. Starting that night, Fuel Breakout Groups will be going through a workbook called Developing Disciplines. This workbook is a 25 week strategy designed to help establish the fundamental disciplines that are key to the discipleship process. There will be significant rewards for completing the workbook each semester. Y-MIT will start back September 11^th with The Truth Project!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Reid

On this past Sunday morning, we held a congregational vote on whether or not to extend a call to Reid Ward to serve as our Pastor for Family and Student Ministries.  I am delighted to announce that the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of extending the call.  Of 264 votes cast, 249 were in favor, 3 were against, and there were 12 abstentions.  Please pray for Reid as he now works to conclude his labors in Troy and relocate his family to Montgomery.  The plan is for him to start here at Morningview during the week of February 7th with his first Sunday here being February 13th.  To God Be The Glory!

We’ll be having a 7th and 8th Grade Bible study for girls this summer on Tuesdays, starting June 15th.  Emily Cox will be leading this study through the end of July.  Sign up this Sunday in Sunday School.

Children’s Camp 2010

New for Children’s Ministries; we are going to be taking our 4th -6th graders to Student Life Camp for Kids.   We are going to beautiful Shocco Springs, Alabama  from *June 28-July1st*.

If you would like to know more about the camp and what it offers, search Student Life for Kids on the internet. Be sure to save this date if you are interested in your child going to summer camp 2010…it will be here before you know it!

All 7-12th grade students – FUEL returns this Wednesday, August 12th at 6:00 pm in the Big Room.   FUEL includes our praise band, weekly messages, small groups and new drama group for students, led by Kendra Newton.  We use our FUEL groups to plan and prepare local mission projects throughout the year as well.  Join us for FUEL this Wednesday from 6:00-7:30 pm.

Our student team arrived safely in Philly on Monday after covering 1000 miles through 9 different states over two days.  We were treated to a unbelievable breakfast, on Monday morning, by our host church in northern Viriginia – Westside Baptist Church. A huge thanks goes out to their Student minister, Chip Heyd!   We were overwhelmed by the churches’ generosity and hospitality.

Tuesday was our first full day at mission sites around the city.  It was a great start!   Our students and chaperones were busy serving and ministering in boys and girls clubs, senior adult centers, and sharing ‘the Light of the world’ even with sports campers here at our camp, Eastern University.  Pray for flexibility for our teams this week as rain is in the forecast and mission site plans could change every day.

Our students are serving tirelessly and being challenged to ‘Move’ forward in their faith.  Pray for physical strength and for our hearts to be responsive to God’s moment-by-moment prompting on Wednesday at missions and during camp worship.

Thanks for your support and prayers.

July 19-26

Our student group leaves this Sunday, July 19th at 7:30 am from the Bus Barn for Mfuge.  Please be in prayer for our group of 25 students and adults as they travel and minister in Philadelphia.

Here are some final reminders for parents:
1.    Make sure your two notarized permission slips and two copies of insurance cards are in the office by Friday, July 17th.
2.    Students need to bring one large suitcase and a smaller carry on bag.  They’ll need a sleeping bag and pillow.
3.    A carry-on bag should have a change of clothes and toiletries for our Saturday night (July 19th) stay in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at Westside Baptist Church.
4.    Send mail to your students at this address:
Eastern University, Attn: Mfuge
Camper’s Name, Morningview Baptist
1300 Eagle Rd.    St. Davids, PA 19087
5.    On our return trip, we’ll be staying at Bob Moon’s church in Leicester, North Carolina, on Saturday, July 25th.
6.    Our adult chaperones are Randy Breedlove, Ken Duke, Leon Johnson, Joy Scott, Paula Thaxton and Tony Titus.
7.    Our group will return around 5:00 pm on Sunday, July 26th.

Thank you for your prayers as we share the gospel along the way and in Philadelphia.

During selected Wednesdays in July there will be ‘Off Campus’ from 6:00-8:00 pm at a different church members’ home.  Off Campus includes a snack supper, activity & Bible study.

Transportation available at 5:45 pm from the church to Off Campus location; bus returns to Morningview at 8:40 pm.

~ Schedule ~

Wednesday, July 15th:  Ben & Monica Lott’s Home
1500 Meriwether Drive (Halcyon)

Wednesday, July 22nd: NO Off Campus – group at Mfuge

Wednesday, July 29th:  TBA

FUEL will resume when school resumes.

Our Mfuge trip to Philadelphia is just 4 weeks away on July 19-26, 2009.  Please complete and have notarized two copies of the participant form.  All participants need to turn in a copy of the insurance card as well.  Please have your Mfuge balance paid by this Sunday, June 28th.  Call the church office to confirm your balance.

Download your Mfuge Participant Form HERE