Ministry Update - 1/2/12

Good evening Parents & Leaders!!

Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year's holiday!!  Now that things are back in full swing, I want to make sure everyone is up to speed on everything going on.  So, be prepared, this may be a bit of a long-ish post, but please make sure you look it over so you don't miss anything important.

1) Wednesday Nights - Starting this week, January 4, drama practice will start back up at 6pm & our small groups will start back up at 7pm.  Also starting this month, on the first Wednesday of each month, the middle school ministry will be participating in "Deeper 1.3" in the main sanctuary.  Deeper 1.3 is a special time of prayer, worship, & teaching that is open for anyone at Crosswind to be a part of.  It will take place every month on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month.  Submerge will be participating only during the 1st Wednesday of each month, and we will be in our small groups for the rest of the time.

2) Dateable Series - Starting this coming Sunday, January 8, we will be doing a 6-8 week series on Dating & Relationships based on the book "Dateable" by Justin Lookadoo.  The series (as well as the book) will focus on several principles that students need to understand about how relationships start, end, & what it takes to make them work....correctly.  I want to encourage everyone to be a part of this process along with your child, by asking them about what they have learned, and talking to them about how the principles can apply to their lives (and most importantly, their dating habits).  I believe that if we can help them discover a solid basis for building relationships, it can save them from a world of heartache & heartbreak as they get older.  I also want to encourage you to purchase the book and read through it (on your own or with your child) as we go through this series, so you can have a better idea of what we're talking about (and in turn have a better grasp on how to talk to you student about the principles).  Here is a link to Amazon.com where you can purchase the book for just around $10.

3) Winter Meltdown Retreat - There are two important things about the upcoming retreat @ RVR.  1) The final payments are due by Jan. 15.  If you need to know what the remaining balance is for your child, please let me know.  2) We are having a meeting on Sunday, Jan. 15 @ 10am in the Youth Chapel to go over all of the final details with everyone going on the trip.  If your child is attending, please try your best to make this meeting so you don't miss any important info.  I will also be giving everyone their sweatshirts that day (to bring with them to the retreat).

If you have any other questions, please let me know!!