Cool(ish) Weather, Cool Events
Ho, ho, how is it 70 degrees outside and I’m hearing Christmas music on the radio? At least wait until after Thanksgiving people!
As we enter the holiday season our schedules tend to fill up quickly with many exciting events and get togethers with family and friends. In the midst of all the happenings let’s not be distracted from the main point of the holidays, and indeed the main point of life, to know and celebrate God’s glory and faithfulness — shown most clearly in the person and work of Jesus. We hope all the opportunities we present as a ministry will further that purpose rather than adding to the noise of life.
In this update, you will find out about…
- A service opportunity with YL Capernaum
- Youth Family Dinners
- Winter retreats
- “The Roundup” (top 3 youth-oriented articles we’ve seen recently)
Serving Together
We have an awesome opportunity coming up on November 22nd to love others in Jesus’ name and support the ministry of our own Rachel Halley. Rachel is River Oaks’ newest missionary working with Young Life Capernaum. If you’re not familiar with Rachel’s ministry check out the August missions spotlight to learn more.
On November 22nd we will be joining Rachel for Capernaum Club. Described as a “party with a purpose”, Capernaum Club is a monthly gathering for students with disabilities and those who want to show them the love of Christ. The goal is for them to know they are valued and loved by God despite whatever the world may communicate about their value.
Club meets at Summit Church Herndon from 6:30 to 8:30, we’ll try to arrive 15-30 minutes early to get oriented and help set up. We’ll meet at ROC at 5:30 to carpool (or you can meet us there if you live closer to downtown).
Youth Family Dinners
I have been so encouraged with the response to our new family dinner initiative on the first Wednesday of each month. We have had some awesome conversations as well as a lot of fun. I can’t tell you how excited some of our students were to share a game of dodgeball with their parents (a couple of the dads were pretty excited too, when else can you chuck stuff at your teenager without getting arrested?).
In December we’ll have our last family dinner of 2019 on the topic of overcoming busyness. Our families these days are more over scheduled than ever before and the holidays can have a tendency to exacerbate the issue rather than providing a needed respite, so this seems like the perfect time to address the issue.
What topics would you like to talk about in 2020? Let me know!
Mid-Winter Retreats
It feels early to start talking about mid-winter retreats since it’s just now starting to feel like Fall, but unless we start planning now the holidays will speed by and suddenly it will be too late! Here are the dates and info for this year’s retreats, contact Joel as soon as you can if you (or your student) are interested in going so we can plan accordingly.
- High School Midwinter
- @ Camp Kulaqua
- January 10 – 12
- Cost: $150 before Dec 10, $175 after
- Middle School Midwinter
- @ Camp Southwind
- February 28 – March 1
- Cost: $150 before Jan 28, $175 after
Communication Reminder
Make sure you never miss out on what’s happening with the ministry. Text @rocepic (for middle school) or @roc1X1 (for high school) to the number 81010 to join our Remind group and stay up to date on everything.
The Roundup
Here are some of the top articles we’ve seen recently that deal with Christian discipleship from the perspective of teenagers and their families. Appropriately, a couple of them address the topic for our December dinner: busyness.
