yc/parents

It’s the end of the school year, which means it’s summer at youthcrossing. We marked the end of our school year this week with youth parties, and next week, May 29-31, we’ll take just a week off. 

During the summer, our services look slightly different…slightly more relaxed and less structured. We like to take the pressure off of our volunteer teams by breaking from small groups and allowing them to hang out with their (AKA “your”) kids in an unstructured and casual atmosphere. This also gives them some breathing room to take some time off for family vacations and the like if they want to. 

This blog will change, in that we won’t be posting the usual weekly parent discussion guides. Instead, tune in for some great articles on parenting (here’s the first, on communicating with teens: http://www.heartlightministries.org/blogs/markgregston/category/teen-communications/), calendar updates, and all the latest announcements. Starting now: 

Calendar updates

Camp registration deadline: May 25th, midnight, info and register here. 

NO YOUTHCROSSING- May 29-31- All campuses

Fenton Splash Attack- June 5th, Fenton Campus, info and register here. 

Mid Rivers Luau- June 7th, Mid Rivers Campus, info and register here.

Camp- June 8-12

NO YOUTHCROSSING- June 12-14- All campuses

Baptism- June 17

NO YOUTHCROSSING- July 3-5- All campuses

Summer Missions Experiences- July 16-18 & July 18-20, info and register here, scroll to desired dates.  

Annual Youthcrossing Pig Roast- Aug. 1, Chesterfield campus

NO YOUTHCROSSING, Aug. 7-9 & Aug. 14-16, All campuses

Youthcrossing resumes, Aug. 21-23, All campuses

As always, please feel free to contact us (youth@wcrossing.org) if you have questions or if we can help in any way. 

Happy Summer! 

Overview 

ROAD TRIP! This is the part where you grab all of your gear, cram into a car, plane, train, or chariot, and hit the road. This summer we’re taking a road trip with youthcrossing as we look at different aspects of our spiritual journey that can be identified through a physical road trip: wrong directions, detours, GPS, bumpy roads, etc.

It helps to be reminded where you’ve been to know where you’re going next. Tonight, we’ll remember what God’s done this past year at youthcrossing. Everything from the Pig Roast to Winter Blast to Splash Attack to Advent Conspiracy to lots of other experiences, this has been an amazing year at youthcrossing. Tonight we’re going to remind each other of those highlights.

Scriptures

Psalm 66:⁵ Lord, I will remember what you did. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

 Psalm 77:¹¹ Lord, I will remember what you did. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

1 Chronicles 16:¹³ Remember what He has done, you children of His servant Israel. Remember it, you people of Jacob. You are God’s chosen ones.

Continue the Conversation

On the way home:

Do you have some favorite memories of your youth group experience? I know it was a long time ago, but maybe if you squint really hard… Maybe you didn’t have a youth group. What are some favorite memories from your teen years? Talk about those with your kids. Ask them the same questions. Give them some time to talk about their favorite memories. Why do you think certain things stick in our memories? What are the things that we hold on to versus the things that are easily forgotten? Why do you think that’s so? 

In the coming week: 

The end of the school year is a great time to reminisce. Encourage your son or daughter to talk about the school year. Pay close attention to the things he/she’s holding on to.  Did you see interests develop in some things that might be pointing in the direction of a future career or passion? How can you facilitate some new experiences to explore those areas? What other lessons were learned? 

Now, how about spiritual growth? Where was your child at the beginning of last year, and where are they now? Are there specific points at which God grew them? How can we take note and remember those together? It may be as simple as talking about them together, or you may want to begin to journal thoughts about those things. People remember differently, but the important thing is to remember. 

Long term:

Be intentional about recognizing and mentioning the things you and your kids need to remember. When you see an accomplishment, a failure from which growth happened, or just a fun or happy experience, talk about it. Remember it. Thank God for it together. When we begin to take notice of God’s faithfulness in our past by remembering, we’ll have an easier time trusting Him with our futures. 

Overview 

Well, summertime is almost here. Vacation, hot dogs, grad parties, watermelon, and days of long sunlight are quickly come to our calendars. Before you know it, the summer will be long gone, the kids will be back at school, and you’ll be wondering what in the world happened to your summer.

Time flies when you’re having fun and this summer’s no exception. We’re taking the time now at youthcrossing to both intentionally relax and still take advantage of new opportunities this summer. This week, we’re brainstorming about ways to be unplugged from the chaos of life but still be present in the moment, all summer long.

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Online Resources:

Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. The site also contains advice in both video format and blog-style format.

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April 24, 25 & 26, youthcrossing is hosting our last Parent Round Table of the school year. We’ve chosen the topic of teens and technology simply because we get so many questions and concerns surrounding the new and sometimes unknown situations our kids find themselves in. Take, for instance, this recent real-life e-mail conversation* I had with a father, in which he is asking for some help in talking to his young daughter about opposite sex texting. I hope you find it helpful as you maneuver some of the ever-evolving challenges of adolescence: 

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We’re in our second week of a series called Life in 3D.  Have you ever noticed how everything looks fuzzy in a 3D movie… until you put on the glasses? As soon as they come on, boom-everything jumps right off the screen! Your perspective changes because you have the right pieces to help you see things clearly. This series, Life in 3D, is about seeing more clearly in some pretty crucial areas of life.

This week  we’re talking about modern worship. What is worship? What are the things that push God from the number one spot on our priority list? How are you wired to connect with God? 

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We will wrap up the Uncomfortable Grace series this week.  As we move into Easter or resurrection Sunday grace is a big word and one we need to pay close attention to.  When we look at Jesus’ death and resurrection there are a couple of innate uncomfortable things going on.

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