The God of the universe wants to make CONTACT with us. He wants to impact our lives. And He provides access to His awesome power at any time and for all people through this wonderful thing called prayer. But what is prayer? How does it work? When should you do it? What words should you use? These are all questions that middle school students are asking. They have a hope...

There is no greater adventure than the journey of knowing God more deeply, so in this series, we’ll talk about some of the ways we can do that: by spending time with God, spending time with others, sharing our stories, and using our gifts to serve others....

During the month of November, we'll explore the stories of Abraham, Jeremiah, Jonah, Isaiah, and more, as we see how the big story of Scripture reveals that God is for us, we're called to be for others, God is for our enemies, and Jesus proves that God is for us....

For many teenagers, the difference between success and failure is an adult who can see the potential in all of their madness. Here’s a quick video from Josh Shipp about how a kid’s most annoying traits might actually be their greatest strengths. Keep loving those kids of yours ...

In this 4-week series, we’re going to focus on four things that God has given to every single one of us: You have a past, you have today, you have a future, and you have a family. All four of these things make you valuable and uniquely you....

When it comes to your teenager's mental health, don't ignore your concerns, and don't be afraid or ashamed to admit that your kid might need to see a medical or mental health professional. Your church community is here to support you and help you find what you need to make sure your kid is healthy and safe. So please, let us know if we can help, because your teenager’...

Parents, you can’t do this alone. You need other adults to help you love and influence your kids. One thing we try to do for your family is to connect your kid with adults who love them and who can be trusted. If you haven’t met some of the adults who invest in your kid at church, this month is a great month to meet them!...

In this 4-week series, we'll talk about how, when life hurts, or goes wrong, or doesn't make sense, these things are true: Jesus can redeem what's gone wrong, God can be trusted, God gives us each other, and God helps us persevere....

Do you have any friendships you can really count on? The kind of friendships you might call your "lifelines"?...

At this age, I know they want their privacy, and I know they're hard to talk to sometimes. But your teenager's friends are influencing them in big ways right now, so you've got to understand who's in their circle of friends ...

Can you believe the school year is already here??! It feels like just yesterday summer was knocking on our door. We want to start this school year off right as a student ministry. We want to partner with you. Our parents. You are so much more influential in the lives of your students than anybody else. That includes me, teachers, coaches. Even their friends. You have th...

Registration for our 2019 BigStuf camp is now open!...

Here's the schedule of what's going down, and when you'll need to be where....

Here's the skinny on all the stuff you'll need to bring for Believe 2019....

Let’s hang out, eat food, have fun, and watch some football! It’s sure to be a great time, and we’ll see one team walk away as champions! Bring along some friends and a snack to share. We’ll provide the drinks!...

"We're meant to be." It's how so many of our favorite movies, songs, and books talk about love - as if the secret to an amazing relationship is a little bit of destiny, a whole bunch of feelings, and a tiny dash of magic. It seems like all we need to find true love is for everything to magically fall into place, and then we're good. Forever....

We love this time of year so much that we don't want it to end. This Sunday night, we'll not be holding our regular youth group gathering. We want to give our families the opportunity to continue the theme of gathering together to share and grow. So, we won't be meeting this week. Please take the added time in your schedule to spend together with the ones you love....

Over the next four weeks, we'll challenge students to move away from the world's "me first" attitude and embrace the "after you" message of Jesus by noticing needs, opening their hands, using their gifts, and sharing their joy....

News flash! Parenting is hard. It’s probably the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your entire lifetime. Once you feel like you’ve got the hang of it and things are running smoothly, BAM! Life comes at you fast and throws yet another obstacle at you....

Understanding your teenager is hard work. On any given day, you've probably got questions about their growth, development, behavior, emotions, safety, sexuality, and the culture that's impacting them. If that sounds familiar, Verywell Family is a great place to find tons of articles on practical topics you're already wondering about....

Do you ever felt like you’re putting on a show? Like the person people think you are doesn’t line up with who you really are? Or maybe you’ve been known to put on different personas for different situations — personas that help you fit in with certain crowds, even if that persona doesn’t reflect who you really want to be. Sound familiar?...

Have you ever struggled to have a conversation with your teenager? That was probably a stupid question. Of course you’ve struggled to have a conversation with your teenager. Teenagers aren’t exactly known for their ability to hold a conversation with their parents. Depending on the day, a question as simple as, “How are you?” might be met with a grunt, an eye roll,...

Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to scream, “You’re not the boss of me!” (You can also raise your hand if you have, in fact, actually screamed it.) Especially during the teenage years, we tend to push back on the people, places, and things that control and hold authority over us. But here’s the catch: whether we admit it or not, we’ve all given someone (or...

Do you ever feel like, as a parent, it’s nearly impossible to understand all the different aspects of your student’s life? Us too! And, while we can’t guarantee you’ll learn everything there is to know about the teenage world, we’d like to help get you started. One of our favorite authors, Mark Oestreicher, has written some short, easy reads to help parents under...

If you tried to define “friendship” based only on what you see on Instagram, you might think #friendship was all about group hugs, selfies with your bestie, or tagging each other in your favorite memes. But real friendship isn’t so picture perfect....

Have you heard of The Culture Translator by Axis? It’s a weekly podcast and email and its goal is to help you gain insight into how pop culture, technology, and media influence your teenager....

Here’s a tip: even when your teenager makes you feel insignificant, remember that there is no one more important to your kid than you. Then let that fact help you respond with wisdom, love, and kindness...

Nearly every Christian parent in America would give anything to find a viable resource for developing within their kids a deep, dynamic faith that 'sticks' long term. Sticky Faith delivers....

Most parents have so many demands on their time that they can't be the kind of parent they desire to be. They need to know the Orange Factor: Two combined influences will make a greater impact on kids than just two influences. And it's true. Parents who partner with the faith community are the best way to bring the next generation into the family of God-and keep them there...

Playing for Keeps is a book for parents and leaders (and anyone else who influences the lives of kids and teenagers). In Playing for Keeps, you will discover six things every kid needs over time, and 18 practical ideas so you can make what really matters matter more....

If you're curious about what your students are up to online, and you want to have some knowledge that can help you in your conversations, this book is right up your alley. If your student isn't quite to the social media age yet, reading this early on can help inform your parenting strategy for when they do get there....

Before you let us take your student to the beach for a week, you probably have some questions for us. Make sure to come by our parent meeting after church on June 10, 2018 to get all the answers!...

When we face so much injustice all around us, it's really easy to lose hope. It's tempting to throw our hands up in the air and ask God what he's doing....

Join us as we embark this summer on an epic trip to the beach! We'll have some fun, we'll learn about God, and we'll return ready to take on the world!...

Everything starts somewhere. The greatest movements and the biggest heroes all had a beginning. Before the success, before the fame, before the impact, there was a time when someone dared to be an original. They dared to do something that had never been done, make something that had never been made, go somewhere that no one had gone before....

In this 4-week series, our students will discover the big story of God, their place in that story, and how they can share that story with others....

Here's the schedule of what's going down, and when you'll need to be where....

Here's the skinny on all the stuff you'll need to bring for Winter Retreat 2017...

This March, we'll help our students see that our doubts and questions don’t have to destroy our faith, but refusing to talk about them might. For the next four weeks, our students will wrestle with their doubts by voicing their questions, understanding their perspective is limited, remembering how Jesus has transformed their lives, and considering why they followed Jesus...

Life can often be a difficult journey. Sometimes it’s difficult because of the choices we’ve made, but other times it’s difficult because of circumstances beyond our control....

I love the holiday season, because it brings up all the memories of loved ones, shared meals, and spending time with the people and things that matter most to us. When you think of Christmas, what do you think of?...

In this 4-week series, you’ll help teenagers discover that they will never fully understand who they were created to be apart from the God who created them. He’s a God who knows us, who gives us a place to belong, who helps us understand ourselves, and who helps us become everything He has created us to be....

During the months of September and October, we're joining with the adult morning services, adult small groups, and even our Kid's Ministry. Together, we're diving deep into what it looks like to be someone living a life focused on Jesus. Together, let's find out what God is inviting us to take part in, and let's invite him into our lives....

In this 4-week series, we’ll be discussing how to choose our friends wisely, exploring the qualities of a healthy friendship, encouraging students to build friendships with wise people, and helping them see Jesus as their best and truest friend....

BigStuf 2017 feels like it's coming right around the corner, and I'm so excited for this trip!! Let's get you some details....

Here's the schedule of what's going down, and when you'll need to be where.......

Here's a packing list to help inform our parents and students make informed decisions while they pack for this trip. Clothing, general, spending money, etc....

This week, we’re playing some Minute-To-Win-It games, eating desserts, and building relationships through teamwork. It’s going to be a blast, and I can’t wait to see you there!!...

I've been lost before, and I've been glad. Sometimes, finding yourself lost is a nice surprise. You can find a new place, learn something new, or just have an unexpected adventure. Other times, I've been lost, and it's been terrifying. It could be a dangerous place you find yourself lost in. It could be an inconvenient time to be lost. Being lost, whether it's under ...

We are serving our friends at Pursuit Communities, and LOVEtheLOU by putting together a VBS night for their children's ministry. We'd love to have you come serve alongside us. As a bonus, you'll get paid in pizza!!...

Many of Jesus’ followers, all the way from his birth right down to modern times, have struggled to understand the meaning, purpose, and point of many of Jesus’ teachings. That’s where the parables came into the picture. Jesus used parables as a way of inviting us deeper into the story. Showing us that there’s more beneath the surface if we only care to look....

Spring (and allergies) is in full swing, and there's so much going on! We have a lot of events, activities, and good stuff going on. Below are the few upcoming weeks, and what we do (or don't have in store)....

Gender Games is this Sunday night! We'll come together as teams to battle it out. We're going to put our student's minds, bodies, stomachs, and teamwork to the test in a set of games designed to figure out once and for all which is really the stronger gender....

During the month of April, leading up to Easter, we’ll be studying Passover from a couple different perspectives. What was it like for Moses to watch God institute this new ritual in the midst of plagues and the Exodus? What was going through Jesus’ head as he celebrated his first, second, and last Passovers? What place does the Passover play for Christians today?...

BigStuf officially announced their theme for 2017 yesterday!...

Nobody likes to feel like they're in second place. Yet, we all know from firsthand experience what it feels like. It could be on a sports team, in your family, or with your friends. Sooner or later, we know the pain of being relegated to the shadows on account of somebody else....

Movie night will be at Elliot's house, and starts at 6:30pm. The movie will start rolling at 7:00pm, so show up any time between then. I hope you're able to join us, and will be ready for a great time....

This Sunday night is Christmas. For pretty obvious reasons, we won't have any of our typical programming this week. The most important among those reasons is family. We believe that families should spend quality time together and they should celebrate important events together. This year, our students and parents are encouraged to put down the phone, tablet, computer, book...

Movie night will be at Elliot's house, and starts at 6:30pm. The movie will start rolling at 7:00pm, so show up any time between then. I hope you're able to join us, and will be ready for a great time....

The holiday season can be hectic, busy, and downright crazy. There are a few weeks that will look a little different for our Sunday night programming that we wanted you to be aware of....

When we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, we typically flip right past the family trees without thinking twice. What if we took a deeper look? What if we looked at those names as people who had a purpose, people with a role to play in God’s story or redemption? This Sunday night, that's exactly what we're going to do!...

This Sunday night, November 20, we'll be joining together with our family and friends to give thanks for all God has provided. We'll meet at Wildwood Middle School at 5:00pm. All of our students, families, and friends are invited. We're so excited to gather with you to celebrate what the Lord is doing among us....

I don’t know about you, but there have been plenty of times I’ve felt unprepared in my life. High school, adulthood, parenthood, working life, and any number of other things have made me feel this way. Sometimes I feel less unprepared, and more unqualified. Like I don’t have the right to be doing something. Still other times I feel like I’ve done something to disqu...

Have you ever been to Disneyland? Did you go through the It’s a Small World ride? Even if you’ve never been,I bet you have that song stuck in your head now (sorry about that). The song is so simple, and so profound. You could probably count, pretty easily, a handful of times that your path has crossed someone else’s in an interesting way, and you had to admit to your...

Join us this Sunday night, September 14 as we unpack what Jesus said about himself, and what his followers said, too. We’ll take a look at what we say about Jesus, and how that changes everything....

This weekend, we'll watch how the Apostles decide what to do, and how to pursue Jesus (even to their deaths). They were left with a choice to make, and we're left with a choice, as well. We must ask ourselves: "Now what?" Now that we've come face-to-face with the message and love of Jesus, we have to decide if it's going to impact our lives, or if we'll treat it like it's ...

On Sunday night, September 18, we're embarking on a new series, titled Give Hope. We're walking through this series with our whole church family, adults, and small groups. The series examines a bunch of stories from the book of Acts....

If we've all got a deep sense of this cosmic justice, how do we view the last days of Jesus' life? He was betrayed, tried, and convicted of a crime overnight. How could that possibly have been just? Especially if he really was this rescuer that had been promised for so long. We've been plugging away at our Promises series all summer long! We've been following the story ...

We're starting the week off this Sunday night, June 26th, and 7:00pm. We'll spend some time in worship, prayer, and just hanging out, and having fun. We'll load up the bus at 8:00pm, and hit the road at 8:30pm sharp....

The question that we've been pondering for quite some time: "Who is Jesus?" Whether we like it or not, how we answer this one question will touch every area of our lives. This question can be trickier to answer, than it might seem. It's hard to make a decision about someone who lived so long ago. The truth is you don’t have to have all the answers, before you step out in...

As we grow older, we're supposed to grow out of "being childish." We watch things that are more suitable to older viewers, we spend time with our friends doing "big kid" activities, and we learn more advanced skills in school. This Sunday night, June 5th, let's celebrate some of the new students we have joining us! We'll be kicking our feet up, enjoying some good ol' fashi...

Life can feel pretty aimless and pointless, at times. With classes, sports, clubs, friends, family, homework, and a whole bunch of other stuff compeeting for our attention, we feel like we're just going through the motions. We feel like we're just coasting through one big blur of life. This Sunday night, we look at the calling of Jesus' first disciples. He calls to tho...

We're going to spend the summer looking at some of the promises that God has made, and discovering how Jesus fulfills that promise. Come join us, and find out what promises God's word has in store for you....

The first week of our Promises series is all about the birth of Jesus. Why talk about the nativity scene at this time of year? Because we can look at it without Santa Claus, presents, and the "cuteness" of the holiday getting in the way. All that stuff can fade away, and we can look at the events of that day, thousands of years ago, minus all of our preconceived notions of...

This Sunday night, we’ll peek into the life of King David. He wrote most of the Psalms we have in the Bible. Over and over again, we see Him turn to God and talk with him through the trials of life. After a victory in battle, David talks to God. After a huge mistake, David talks to God. In the middle of running for his life, David talks to God. David’s connection with ...

This Sunday, April 10, we’ll look at the presence of God in Moses’ life. He, more than almost anybody else in Scripture, lived out the truth that God was with him. At his high points, in his low valleys, Moses faithfully turned to God, and faithfully lived in His presence. How can we, in the 21st century, live with God?...

The Bible tells us that God lives with us, that even His Spirit lives within us. But, we still go through our lives, struggling to feel that truth. What if we lived our lives, fully taking in God’s overwhelming presence? What if we connected with God in a new, real way? How would our lives change if we embraced God’s Words, spoken to us?...

Of course, we can't really avoid the real reason that we celebrate, can we? The whole reason that Easter is even a thing that exists: Jesus. We take this time of year to celebrate Jesus' resurrection and triumph over death. And, I love engaging in new ways to remember the life that Jesus lived, his death on the cross (which was all for you and me, by the way), and his mira...

People ask about baptism a lot! In fact, we've had more questions about baptism than any other topic during this whole series! People are curious about it. This coming Sunday night, February 21, 2016, we're going to look at these questions. We'll address the questions we've received, we'll unpack what baptism does for us, and talk about how that impacts our lives....

The trip is shaping up to be awesome!! I know this trip has the potential to change the lives of the students in our community! BigStuf has released details about the theme for this year's camp: PRIME!...

Why can't the two sides of this complement each other? Why can't science agree with what the Bible says, and vice versa? Why do you have to choose your side and draw battle lines? Wouldn't it just be great if we could all come to a place where we get along?! Join us this Sunday night, January 31 at 6pm! We'll talk about science. We'll talk about faith. We'll talk about ...

Everyone experiences doubts, from time to time. We can doubt other people, we can doubt the truthfulness of a story we hear, or we can even doubt our own abilities. Join us this Sunday night, as we look into the Scriptures to find out how we can deal with some of our doubts: Trust!...

We've all been told, at some point or another, to sit down, shut up, and stop asking such hard questions. How did you feel when that happened to you? After that, were you likely to give that particular adult the time of day? Didn't you want to just do anything you could, just because they would hate that?! Yeah. We've been there, too. We want to be very clear with your ...

What makes the Bible any different from other old books? It's been honored as Holy. It's been mocked as myth. It's been dismissed as a deception. This Sunday night, January 3, 2016, we're kicking off our "The Question" series! I've been so excited about this for so long! We're starting with your questions about the Bible....

Join us this Sunday night, January 10th, 2016! We're continuing our The Question series, and we'll be talking about truth: If there is such a thing, how you can embrace it, and even how you can help your friends see it....

Join us this Sunday night, January 17th, 2016 at 6:00pm! We'll talk through some difficult conversations, and we'll look at how we can honor, worship, and praise God in the middle of the storm....

Our student ministry will not be meeting during the next couple weeks. We're doing this with the explicit goal of giving parents, families, and students more to connect with each other and enjoy the time together during this wonderful, crazy time of year....

We all want a chance to connect with those around us. We all love the holiday season, and celebrating the birth of our Lord around friends and family. We all love food and games! Join us as we build relationships with friends. Join us as we celebrate the coming of Jesus. Join us as we have fun!...

When we read about those who learn about Jesus’ birth, they’re usually responding with singing, praise, prophecy, worship, etc. The reaction that people give Jesus is praise, and a lot of the time it’s done through music. This week, we’ll be looking at some of the Carols that were sung on that first Christmas, and unpack what they teach us about God and how they ca...

Check out the promo from last year's BigStuf. I'm getting pumped!...