AUGUST 2013

PLUGGED IN
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION TO HELP PARENTS BETTER PLUG INTO THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STUDENT.

August Issue
THIS MONTH

YOUTH EVANGELISM CONFERENCE (8/9-10) STUDENT WORSHIP STARTS (8/14) PROMOTION SUNDAY (8/18) BE AND BUILD DISCIPLESHIP CONFERENCE (8/24)

COMING SOON

THE GATHERING | INTERGENERATIONAL WORSHIP (9/4) TURNING HEARTS PARENT CONFERENCE AND LUNCHEON W/ DR. RICHARD ROSS (9/8)

Just for You!

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS OUR CHURCH WILL OFFER MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS TO BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO MAKE MULTIPLYING DISCIPLES OF THOSE IN YOUR HOME. IF YOU WONDER IF YOU ARE TRULY MAKING DISCIPLES OR IS IT REALLY WORTH IT, JOIN US FOR THE BE AND BUILD DISCIPLESHIP CONFERENCE ON AUGUST 24. DR. RICHARD ROSS (FOUNDER OF TRUE LOVE WAITS AND PARENT MINISTRY VISIONARY) WILL BE WITH US ON SEPTEMBER 8 FOR THE TURNING HEARTS PARENT CONFERENCE DURING SUNDAY SCHOOL AND HIGHPOINT. FOLLOWING HIGHPOINT, HE WILL LEAD ONE OF THE MOST MOVING EXPERIENCES--A KNEE TO KNEE CONVERSATION. PARENTS AND THEIR TEENS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THIS LUNCHEON. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF OUR CHURCH BETTER EQUIPPING YOU!
A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

VOLU NTEER SPOTLIGHT

JEFF THOMAS

ENGAGE

WHERES THE FRUIT?

EQUIP

BEING AVAILABLE FOR YOUR TEEN

EMPOWER

MARKS OF MATURITY

STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard
Lead Student Pastor
FAVORITE CANDY: Gummy Candy FAVORITE HOBBY: Photography

Melissa Sponer
Girls Ministry Associate
FAVORITE CANDY: Shocktarts FAVORITE HOBBY: Photography

Ross Spigner
Middle School Pastor
FAVORITE CANDY: Frozen Snickers / Lemonheads FAVORITE HOBBY: games from organized sports to staring contests

Amanda Beach
Ministry Assistant
FAVORITE CANDY: Reese Peanut Butter Cups FAVORITE HOBBY: Painting

From Our Heart

My heart as Middle school pastor at Immanuel is to see students in godly relationships with each other. Often times I have said that one of my greatest joys in life is watching students relationally live out their faith. One aspect of our churchs mission statement is that we would be and build reproducing followers of Jesus Christ who connect with one another. It is a soul satisfying sight to watch students connect. Over the past summer, the student ministry has taken a variety of students on over night trips. From mission trips to camps, some short others long, in state, out of state, and out of country - all can have out of this world potential for eternal impact. However, for many of us who have been on church trips before, when leaving we feel like our lives will be forever changed and impacted. But once daily life routines return, the impact that we thought we received can quickly fade. Once the impact has faded, we wonder how to x this, thus we sign up for the next trip in hopes of a return of impact like the previous trip. Our lives can feel like a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows and one wonders at the end if trips ever make a lasting difference. The reason I believe trips make a lasting impact on us is not because of a monumental, cataclysmic moment during the trip that changes us in an instant for the rest of our lives; but rather, the reason I believe, is that trips like these allow us to connect with one another in disciple making relationships. Our church loves relationships! And we are committed to the process of life change happening in the context of discipling relationships. Jesus with his disciples certainly had some monumental moments and memories. The disciples witnessed healings, nature miracles, great teaching, and on and on. Even still, witnessing the events alone seemed to fall short of life change for them. Even after 3 years of witnessing Jesus and hearing his teaching they were still confused of what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus. It was a continual process from week to week for the disciples and it is a continual process for us. Trips often serve as a starting point for discipling relationships to develop. Gods lasting impact on us may start on a trip, but it only continues as a discipling relationship if maintained once home. Every weekly program, whether Sundays and Wednesday nights, we strive to connect students with disciple making adults and peers who they can relationally walk alongside. The thought occurred to me about all the preparation that goes into over night trips. Prior to leaving we clear our schedules, pack our things, pray, and spiritually direct our focus for the week. Certainly all of these things are good, but understanding that God works through the process of discipling relationships, wouldnt it be tting to put the same amount of preparation into the week to week investment in the discipling relationship we have here at home. Please do! This redirection of focus allows us to not expect life change to occur over the course of a couple of weeks a year, but allows us to view change as a weekly occurrence throughout the year.

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013 A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

WEB ON THE

D IN PLUGGE oNNEX HEART C

NT IN PRI

by ht range To ve Wrig DR. Ste Think O y b and How e s g e id il K iv g nt Pr eadin Make L ApPare e W s istake Elmore Huge M DR. Tim e y e b r ) h k T E-Boo m (FREE e h T t c Corre

Joiner Reggie

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
JEFF THOMAS
MY FAMILY: JUNE (WIFE...MARRIED 28 YEARS...QUITE A TESTAMENT TO HER UNLIMITED PATIENCE) REED (SON...23) MARY CLAIRE (DAUGHTER...18) PAXTON (SON...17) HANK (DOG...3) I TEACH 8TH GRADE BOYS. 11 YEARS. ANYWHERE WHERE THE WEATHER IS WARM, A NICE BEACH AND CLEAN, CLEAR WATER. FRITOS AND FRENCH FRIES. IF I COULD ONLY QUIT EATING THEM... THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON. I BELIEVE IT IS A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE HERE ON EARTH--GIVING INTO DESIRES OF OUR SIN NATURE, EXPERIENCING HUMILIATION, ISOLATION AND EMPTINESS, AND THE HUMBLING EXPERIENCE OF SEEKING FORGIVENESS AND RECEIVING REDEMPTION FROM A GRACIOUS, LOVING FATHER. I SECRETLY DESIRE TO TEACH ENGLISH LITERATURE.

WHERE I SERVE: I HAVE SERVED FOR:

MY DREAM VACATION DESTINATION IS: MY FAVORITE SNACK FOOD IS: MY FAVORITE BIBLE STORY IS:

MOST PEOPLE DONT KNOW THIS ABOUT ME:

Turning Hearts Parent Conference

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

2013 / August
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Travelers Game and Colton Dixon Concert

Student Share Service 6:00 PM

YEC Youth Evangelism Conference

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YEC Youth Evangelism Conference

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Kickoff The Spot MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00) Student Worship MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00) Student Worship MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00)

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Promotion Sunday

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Be and Build Discipleship Conference

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COMING SOON

SEPTEMBER 4 THE GATHERING | INTERGENER ATIONAL WORSHIP SEPTEMBER 8 PARENT CONFERENCE AND KNEE-TO-KNEE LUNCHEON WITH DR. RICHARD ROSS OCTOBER 11-13 MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL FALL RETREAT (@SHEPHERD OF THE OZARKS) OCTOBER 27 FRIEND DAY JANUARY 17-19 DNOW

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

ENGAGE

WHERES THE FRUIT?

A Story from 9th-10th Grade GO Trip to Toronto, Canada. One of the greatest joys that I get to experience in ministering with students is seeing their faces light up or their hearts melt when someone comes to Christwhen the fruit is ripe and ready. Though these experiences are worth their weight in gold, there is something that brings even more joy to my heart and equally as much to the Father's heart. When students obediently follow the will of God regardless of the outcomeeven if they never see the fruitthat truly stirs my heart and excites me. Our recent GO Trip to Toronto, Canada was lled with such experiences. A group of 27, 9th-10th graders and adults, recently ventured to the Great North to help with a new church plant, Fellowship Pickering. We led a kids sports camp in the morning and did surveying in the community during the afternoon. On the surface this trip included ministry activity that is not so dierent than what we might do here in Central Arkansas. However, the receptivity to the Gospel...to the church was no where near the same as what we experience in the South. In fact, the tag line of this new church paints a very accurate picture of the community there in Toronto"Fellowship Pickering: A church for people who don't go to church." From day one we realized that our task for the week was not to reap a harvest, it was to prepare the eld(s) and plant the seed. Only God knows the number of people who came to know Him during our time in Toronto. In a youth culture that demands "what's in it for me" it was so incredible to see our students obediently following the will of God with blind faith, not once

asking, wheres the fruit?. They truly put their "yes" on the table and trusted God with the consequences of their obedience, as said by our Missions Pastor Mark Aderholt. Thank you for praying for our students! God is beginning to stir within our midst a group of students, parents, and young adults who will push back the darkness not just on short term trips, but with the entirety of their lives. This can and will only come about with the continual prayers of folks like you. Thank you!
By Matt Hubbard, Lead Student Pastor

EQUIP
(NOTE: IBC Student Ministry does not necessarily endorse the content and viewpoints expressed in these articles.They are posted here for purposes of keeping you informed as to what is happening in the world of youth culture.)

BEING AVAILABLE FOR YOUR TEEN

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/ parenting/teens/tips-for-parentingteens/being-available-for-yourteen.aspx Do you spend too much time away from home? When you're there, are you available physically and emotionally? Or are you wrapped up in television, moonlighting or restoring an old Corvette? If you're there when the kids get home from school, do they have a listening, caring parent to talk with? Or do they have to stand in the kitchen, shifting from foot to foot, hoping you'll get o the phone? If you get home later, do you push aside attempts at closeness, your face and body language like an electried fence? Do you mumble a hello to your kids and demand they give a respectful, clear response? If your teen has a concert at school, do you beg o because you're too tired? If so, it's not surprising. Parenting a teen not to mention keeping up with the bills is exhausting work. Just when you thought your kids would need less from you, you nd they need more. And time is what they need most. Quality and quantity time. Parents Who Come Home Coming home can be hard. It requires sacrice. I have a friend who's a major-league surgeon. He came to me after realizing he was losing touch with

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

his teens. He could see them frozen in the distance, almost like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. I suggested he come home. He looked at me, his face etched with despair. "But I can't." I knew what he meant. His skills were in constant demand at all hours of the day and night. So I challenged him with what I hoped would be a reasonable goal. "Try to give 10 percent of each day to your kids. Just 10 percent." He did. To his astonishment, his teens began to respond. What he thought he'd lost forever, he regained when he gave only 10 percent of his time. I'd tried this principle at home, too. After pouring myself into my job every day and coming home with a chip on my shoulder and looking for a soft place to lie down, I had nothing left to give my kids. One day I slithered home, anxious to do nothing, when a thought oated into my head: Save 10 percent. That sounded reasonable, doable. So I set myself a goal of reserving 10 percent of my energy for my children. My new top calling was to be a dad. I used that 10 percent with my teens shooting hoops, running pass patterns, and listening to a squawking saxophone. In their hearts they knew I thought they were special, that I valued them. A Time to Mend I'm not the only one who thinks it's worth it to sacrice your time during the few years your teen has left at home. Listen to this girl's story: "My mom drove us to and from school every day. That meant at least an hour a day in the car. It was so great because, being the incredibly wise woman that she is, my mom would listen to what was going on. Then she

would oer her best advice for a problem. This way, we all learned to trust my mom, and we weren't ever afraid to tell her about something that had happened. My mom has always encouraged us to talk to her because she knows that we're not perfect and we're going to screw up sometimes. She's extremely good at waiting until we're ready to tell her what's on our minds, and she just listens and then gives us advice or takes action if it's needed." It takes time to be that kind of mentor to your teen. Here's how one parent put it: "Whenever there was a choice between being with the kids and doing something else, the best choice was being with them." Want to see a change in your teen's behavior? Make the rst move by coming home.
Taken from Sticking With Your Teen, published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Copyright 2006 by Joe White. All rights reserved.

generation of kids who know too much too soon. On the other hand, students have been stunted in their emotional maturity. They seem to require more time to actually grow up and prepare for the responsibility that comes with adulthood. This is a result of many factors, not the least of which is well-intentioned parents who hover over their kids not allowing them to experience the pain of maturation. Its like the child who tries to help the new buttery break out of the cocoon, and realizes later that they have done a disservice to that buttery. The buttery is not strong enough to y once it is free. There is another reason, however, that teens struggle with maturation. Scientists are gaining new insights into remarkable changes in teenagers brains that may explain why the teen years are so hard on young people and their parents. From ages 11-14, kids lose some of the connections between cells in the part of their brain that enables them to think clearly and make good decisions. Pruning the Brain What happens is that the brain is pruning itselfgoing through changes that will allow a young person to move into adult life eectively. Ineective or weak brain connections are pruned in much the same way a gardener would prune a tree or bush, giving the plant a desired shape, says Alison Gopnik, Professor of Child Development at UC Berkley. Adolescents who are experiencing these brain changes can react emotionally, according to Ian Campbell, a neurologist at the U.C. Davis Sleep Research Laboratory. Mood swings, uncooperative and irresponsible attitudes can all be the result of these changes occurring. Sometimes, students cant explain why they feel the way they do. Their brain is changing from a child brain to an adult brain. Regions that specialize in language, for example, grow rapidly until about age 13 and then stop. The frontal lobes of the brain which are responsible for high level reasoning and decision making arent fully mature until the early 20s, according to Deborah YurgelunTodd, a neuroscientist at Harvards Brain Imaging Center. Theres a portion of time

EMPOWER

MARKS OF MATURITY

HTTP://GROWINGLEADERS.COM/ BLOG/MARKS-OF-MATURITY/
You may have noticed a paradox that exists among students today. Although there are exceptions to the rule, this generation of kids is advanced intellectually, but behind emotionally. They are missing many of the marks of maturity they should possess. From an intellectual perspective, students today have been exposed to so much more than I was growing upand far sooner, too. Theyve consumed information on everything from cyberspace to sexual techniques before they graduate from Middle School. Everything is coming at them sooner. Sociology professor Tony Campolo said, I am convinced we dont live in a generation of bad kids. We live in a

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

when the child part of the brain has been pruned, but the adult portion is not fully formed. They are in-between. They are informed but not prepared. The bottom line? Students today are consuming information they arent completely ready to handle. The adult part of their brain is still forming and isnt ready to apply all that our society throws at it. Their mind takes it in and les it, but their will and emotions are not prepared to act on it in a healthy way. They can become paralyzed by all the content they consume. They want so much to be able to experience the world theyve seen on websites or heard on podcasts, but dont

me give you a list of what I consider to be the marks of maturity. At Growing Leaders we seek to build these marks in young people, ages 16-24 as we partner with schools. This certainly isnt an exhaustive list, but it is a list of characteristics I notice in young people who are unusually mature, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. If you are a parentthis is a good list of qualities to begin developing in your child. If you are a coach, or a teacher or a dean, these are the signs we wish every student possessed when they graduate. For that matter, these are signs I wish every adult modeled for the generation coming behind them.

themselves. They are secure in their identity. 3. A mature personpossesses a spirit of humility. Humility parallels maturity. Humility isnt thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less. Mature people arent consumed with drawing attention to themselves. They see how others have contributed to their success and can even sincerely give honor to their Creator who gave them the talent. This is the opposite of arrogance. 4. A mature persons decisions are based on character not feelings. Mature peoplestudents or adultslive by values. They have principles that guide their decisions. They are able to progress beyond merely reacting to lifes options, and be proactive as they live their life. Their character is master over their emotions. 5. A mature person expresses gratitude consistently. I have found the more I mature, the more grateful I am, for both big and little things. Immature children presume they deserve everything good that happens to them. Mature people see the big picture and realize how good they have it, compared to most of the worlds population. 6. A mature person knows how to prioritize others before themselves. A wise man once said: A mature person is one whose agenda revolves around others, not self. Certainly this can go to an extreme and be unhealthy, but I believe a pathway out of childishness is getting past your own desires and beginning to live to meet the needs of others less fortunate. 7. A mature person seeks wisdom before acting. Finally, a mature person is teachable. They dont presume they have all the answers. The wiser they get the more they realize they need more wisdom. Theyre not ashamed of seeking counsel from adults (teachers, parents, coaches) or from God, in prayer. Only the wise seek wisdom.
By Dr. Tim Elmore, Founder/President of Growing Leaders

realize they are unprepared for that experience emotionally. They are truly in between a child and an adult. (This is the genius behind movie ratings and viewer discretion advisories on TV). I believe a healthy, mature student is one who has developed intellectually, volitionally, emotionally and spiritually. I also believe there are marks we can look for, as we coach them into maturity. Signs to Look For So what are the marks of maturity? We all love it when we see a young person who carries themselves well and shows signs of being mature. They interact with adults in an adult manner. Those kinds of students are downright refreshing. Let

1. A mature person is able to keep long-term commitments. One key signal of maturity is the ability to delay gratication. Part of this means a student is able to keep commitments even when they are no longer new or novel. They can commit to continue doing what is right even when they dont feel like it. 2. A mature person isunshaken by attery or criticism. As people mature, they sooner or later understand that nothing is as good as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems. Mature people can receive compliments or criticism without letting it ruin them or sway them into a distorted view of

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013

IBC STUDENT MINISTRY

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A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2013