Youth Summer Camp 2012

Dear Parents,

I would like to inform you about our upcoming Summer Camp, May 28 - June 1, 2012.

Every year we take about 60 to 70 youth, grades 6-12, to Laguna Beach, Florida to a Christian Retreat Center for

Summer Camp.  Go to www.surfsideretreat.org for more info on the center itself.  It is located just East of Panama City Beach, Florida in a quiet residential community. (Rising 6th graders are welcome to come with us).

Each year, the youth come home with a deeper relationship with God.  Many come home changed from the inside-out.  This year we are praying for the same.  The theme of the camp is, “Saturate”.  We are going to teach them how to tell their friends about Jesus...how to be a witness and how to talk to others about who He is.

This year we have broadened our fundraising options to try and make it easier for families with more than one child to afford to send all their kids to camp.  There are 4 options available:

1. Discount Card Fundraiser.  This is our most profitable fundraiser by far.  Each card has more than $60 worth of discounts that can be used over and over for 1 year, at many restaurants and stores in and around the Covington area. We sell the cards for $10 each and keep 100% of the profits!  So, for each card sold, the youth has $10 paid toward his or her camp.  Cards are available from Edward at the church. Sell 32 cards, camp is free...

2. Barbecue Plate Sunday Lunch.  On Sunday, April 22, we will be making to-go plates of barbecue sandwiches, beans and coleslaw for the people in our congregation to pick-up on their way out. Each plate will cost $5 each.  The goal is to raise $500 this Sunday. To help, sign-up on your Communication Card or email Edward.

3. Spaghetti Dinner Sunday Lunch.  On Sunday, May 6, we will be setting-up and serving anyone who would like to stay and eat a spaghetti lunch.  Each plate will cost $5 and the goal again is to raise $500. Sign-up on Comm Card or email.

4. Spirit Cups. We also have available dishwasher-safe Collegiate or NFL cups that youth can sell for $20 each 4-pack.  The recommended price is $15. If they sell them for $20, there is a $10 profit, if sold for $15, there will be a $5 profit to the student.  These are really great cups that will be easy to sell.  I have sample cups that can be used to help sell them.  For more information about these cups, go to www.spiritcups.com.

The cost for the week of camp (5 days) that includes a T-Shirt, Book, Journal, Transportation, Band Fees,

Accommodations on the beach with pool, and food beginning Monday dinner through Friday breakfast is:

$320 if registered and non-refundable $50 deposit is paid by Sunday, April 15.

The deposit can be reimbursed through the fundraisers mentioned above. 

$335 if registered and deposit is paid by May 13. 

$350 if registered and paid in full by May 27.

Please see the included brochure for more information, or go to www.thecrossroadsfamily.com, click the Ministries tab at the top and then under ONE80 Youth Ministry, click the Retreats/Camps tab and then the Summer Camp logo to download a full detailed camp packet.

If you have any questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact me (Edward Wilkerson) through email, text, or calling. My cell is 404.456.9063 and my email is edward@thecrossroadsfamily.com.

Tuesday, February 14

Parents, I wanted to tell you about what your youth will be hearing this week in our Wednesday night ONE80 Youth Service.  As you know, last week, we started a series titled, "Guardrails". This week we will be discussing guardrails as it relates specifically to the friends they choose:

Session 2: Swerve (Wednesday, February 15)

We may be able to recognize the need for guardrails in some relationships and habits, but what about relationships with our friends? It seems a bit odd to think we may need to set up boundaries with our friends. But our friends have the power to influence our decisions, our actions and even the quality of our lives. With that much potential to determine the direction of our lives, putting up a few guardrails when it comes to our friendships may be one of the wisest things we can do.

Below are some questions that we encourage you to ask your kids maybe over dinner, on the way home, or when you are just sitting around the house...

How important to you are the friendships you have right now?

Do you feel like the friends you have really make a difference in your life? 

Do you believe that your choices about your friends really matter?

I also wanted to remind you that our D-Now Retreat Weekend is just around the corner.  The deadline to have your registration forms in and $30 is THIS SUNDAY.  If you need a brochure, please click the following link: http://thecrossroadsfamily.com/index.php/ministries then the "Retreats/Camps" tab and then the logo to download a brochure. You may turn in the forms and monies in our offering plate, or you can drop it in the metal gray box located outside the front office. You may also email your form to me at edward@thecrossroadsfamily.com or fax it to 678.658.4420.

We are still in need of a couple of homes and volunteers for that weekend. If you would like to help, please scroll down to see the details in the blog I wrote 2 weeks ago...

Also, I have just finished the March Youth Calendar that will be mailed to everyone next week. If you would like to see it, it is on our Ministries Page at www.thecrossroadsfamily.com.

Thank you, as always, for allowing us to partner with you in discipling your youth!

Edward

Tuesday, February 7

THANK YOU PARENTS! For making our Super Bowl Party a HUGE success this year!!  It was so much more than I even thought it could be. Where else can you go and get low country boil, ribs, wings, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips & dips, salad, pineapple upside down cake, blueberry cobbler, fried pickles, and so much more...cake pops, home made cheese bread, brownies, cookies, and the list goes on!!  Thank you also to those who came to play flag football with the youth.  By every account the day was incredible! And we could not have done it without your help! Thank you Eddie Greer for the pics from Sunday. If you want to see more, go on Facebook and find Eddie's page...they are all there!

So what is next? DISCIPLE NOW WEEKEND!! It is coming up fast and again we need your help to make it great.  Be sure to read last week's blog below for some needs and details of the weekend.  We still need homes, and volunteers to bring breakfast and lunches to the youth on Saturday.


Also, I need help from a few of you who have time to go out and ask vendors to renew their advertising on our Discount Cards for Summer Camp and Fall Retreat.  If you can help me or would like information about this, let me know...


I am excited to tell you that we are beginning a new series on Wednesday nights beginning Wed, Feb 8, called "Guardrails". Below is some information about this series:

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT:

Here is an overview of what we’re talking about. Listed below the summary is a parent cue to help you dialog with your child about the session. The question is intended not just to be asked by you, but to be responded to by BOTH of you. Use this opportunity to find out what God is teaching your child, and allow your child to see what God is teaching you as well.

Series Overview

Guardrails are “a system designed to keep something from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas.” Just like the guardrails we see on the roads we drive everyday, the guardrails we place in our lives are designed with a simple purpose; to create a small accident to protect us from a larger one. We don’t often spend a lot of time thinking about or paying attention to them, but when we need them, we are very glad that guardrails are there. In the same way that guardrails protect us on the road, when we establish them in our lives, they can help to both protect us and direct us. Most likely our biggest mistakes in life could have been avoided if we had guardrails steering us in the right direction. The goal should never be to see how close we can get to a guardrail without crashing but rather to keep us from ever going “too far,” in the wrong direction.

Session 1: Shift (Wednesday, Feb 8)

Guardrails are part of our every day experience. Whether we are walking, biking or driving there are guardrails all around us to protect us from those off-limit areas—areas where we could drop off the edge or crash into something. But where are the guardrails in our actual, everyday lives? We have to establish those personal guardrails ourselves so that we can back up and stay on the safe side of a potentially dangerous situation.

Has there ever been a time when you wish you had some guardrails in place—something that would have protected you from a certain situation? Can you share a time that you did have some boundaries and were protected from something because of them?

Dear Parents, this Blog is for YOU! I will update you on things coming up for your kids right here!

Parenting Life Group - Every Sunday Night at 6:00 PM 

We are getting parents and youth leaders together to discuss how the church and the family can work together to disciple middle and high school students.  For more information on this, please contact Edward.

Click the following link: http://www.orangeparents.org/ to find out more about what we are discussing.

Super Bowl - Sunday, February 5 (2-5 pm) 

We are getting together to play some Coed Flag Football and we need your help!  We are asking as many parents as can, to join us and provide the food for the day by tailgating the Flag Football Event.  If you can help us, please let Edward know using the contact info at the bottom of this page…

Disciple Now Spring Retreat, March 2-4 

Our annual Spring Retreat where the youth will be staying in homes around our area for a weekend of teaching and building relationships. This is an inexpensive retreat, but we need your help to make things run smoothly and efficiently. A brochure can be found online at www.thecrossroadsfamily.com. Click the Ministries Tab, then the title to the right of the D-Now Pure Life Logo. Brochures are also available at the Welcome Center.

The theme of this weekend is a True Love Waits theme.  We will be teaching and discussing an age-appropriate study about living a life of purity. We will be separating the youth into groups by gender and by grade. Each different group will stay in separate homes. Each home will teach and discuss the material appropriate for the age and gender in the home. Contact Edward for more information regarding the teaching materials for this retreat..

In order for this to be a great weekend, we need your help making it happen...

Host Homes: We need some families to allow us to use your home to host a small group of youth. Our goal is no more than 8 per home.

Meals: We need some parents to provide Breakfast and Lunch for the Host Homes on Saturday morning.

Transportation: We need some parents to assist in transporting youth from their host homes on Saturday, to the church and into Covington and Social Circle for our Scavenger Hunt afternoon activity, then back to the church for a Corporate Worship Time and Commitment Ceremony, then back to the Host Homes that evening. Then to help us transport them to the church Sunday AM.

Commitment Ceremony: There will be a ceremony at the end of our worship on Saturday evening where the youth will be asked to make a commitment to remain pure until they are married. Each youth will receive a silicon band from the youth leaders at this time. We would also like to invite all the parents, who wish to take some time following the ceremony, to give a gift to your child to remember the commitment they make. There will be dessert and coffee provided for all the youth and parents for a fellowship afterwards. A great and inexpensive place to find a gift for your son or daughter is www.c28.com. But you must plan ahead to make sure your gift arrives on time.

Summer Camp, May 28-June 1 

We will be returning to the Christian Retreat Center in Panama City Beach this year for our Summer Camp.  Their website is www.surfsideretreat.org. We are now gathering vendors to be placed on our Discount Cards that the youth will sell to raise the funds needed for this retreat.  The estimated price per person is $285. That means, if your son or daughter sells 29 cards, they go for free.  More information regarding this camp will be coming in the months to come.

Please feel free to contact me at any time regarding the above or any other matter you would like to discuss: Edward Wilkerson, edward@thecrossroadsfamily.com, 404.456.9063