PULSE X-mas Party 08

Check out all these great pictures taken by Bill Shaffer. It was a great time had by all! Go Rock Band!!!

Old Skool Picture of the Week

Does this picture REALLY need any explanation?

Teen Family Potluck

First of all, I want to say thank you for everyone who came out last Sunday night. It was an awesome time of food, activities, dwelling in the word and getting to know one another. We had over 60 people come and spend the evening together!

Aside from eating some good potluck food, we had the chance to talk about what this ministry is all about and where its heading. There was definitely a lot of information thrown at everyone but I could tell there was a sense of excitement of what was talked about. God has BIG plans for us as individuals and as a ministry and it's up to us whether we're going to join Him in what He's doing. We talked a lot about expectations. Specifically what is expected of the ministry and what is expected of each family and individual. Things are certainly going to look different on Sunday nights as well as during the week but I'm confident that we will embrace what is to come for the sake of furthering God's kingdom.

I'd love to hear from anyone who was at the potluck. What are your thoughts about what was talked about?

Old Skool Picture of the Week

Is it just me or don't they look like extras from a BAD 80's fitness video??

Teen Girls' Retreat

Attention all ladies! This October 3-5 is the Teen Girls' Retreat at Camp Yamhill. This year's theme is "Shoes of Faith". Wendy Goodyear from the Southwest church is directing the event. From what I've heard in year's past is that this is a great time to just relax, hang out and grow closer to God. I want to strongly encourage any of you girls out there to participate. Lori Davis and Patty Slack are going chaperone the group this year and need to know who is planning on going. Cost is $60 and you can register online at: www.campyamhill.org. If you want to go be cannot afford the cost, please contact me (Tim Sibley) and we can work something out. Don't let money be the reason you don't go! Either way, I need to know who is planning on going so le me know!

TNT 08 Video

New Stuff...

Hey everyone, just wanted you to take notice of some of the new items on the blog! New pictures, polls and even our TNT video! Oh yeah, if you ever want a picture or item added to our blog just let me know and we try to post it! This is certainly a work in progress and I want any kind of input you can give me.

Faith Quest 08

Wow, is God faithful or what? It's hard to believe that another year of Faith Quest is over. All the prayers, planning and hard work over the course of an entire year are now just a memory. Of course, those memories are a valuable tool for us as we look back and see just how much God has done and His promise to do even more in the future. This year's theme was "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" and we talked about the power the Holy Spirit provides within us. Even though many of the teens (and adults) that came out during this weekend were probably fairly uneducated on the topic of the HS, it was awesome to see them start to grasp the concepts that were being talked about by the keynote speakers or the workshop leaders. Each person at FQ this year were challenged to discover the gifts that God has given them through His spirit. My hope and prayer was that this wasn't just a fun little activity but instead the beginning of a journey that would lead them to use the gifts that God gave them to change the world. Although each year of FQ is pretty hectic, it seemed as though there was also a laid back atmosphere of peace. Things went smoothly and there were no major hiccups. I saw God use the Vancouver and Metro teens powerfully whether it was the "Superhero Carnival" or the three act play that happened over the course of the weekend. It is truly a blessing a privilege for our congregation and youth group to be a part of this event. I know it's something we're just used to doing but it is truly a special and unique opportunity and I hope we all realize that. Arguably the most wonderful and exciting thing that happened during this year's event was that two of our own were baptized into Christ! Sarah Moody and Josh Schmuhl were added to the body of Christ and that is certainly something to rejoice about! Let us make sure to provide them with the love, encouragement and support they'll need especially in the beginning of their journey. I'm sure they would be very happy if you gave them a big'ol hug the next time you see them! Well, another year is over but we always have next year to start praying and planning for. Thank God for another wonderful and powerful year.

I would love to hear from anyone that would like to share about their experience this year. We want to hear your stories!

Back from riding the WAVE...

Wow, what an amazing week! During the week of July 13-19, 38 teens and adults participated in Youth WAVE 2008 at Cascade College. Youth Wave has been going on for 5 years now and Vancouver has participated in for the last three years. This is the first year that it has taken place in Portland as the previous years took place at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. 4 high school students from Vancouver (Michael Mckinley, Braden Mueller, Thomas Ducat and James Robison) as well as myself attended Youth Wave this year. I know I can only really speak for myself but I know that it impacted everyone tremendously. Youth Wave is unlike any event that our teens participate in all year. Its sole purpose is to help make its attendees into outreaching disciples. It is different than any other event because of the expectations it puts on its participants. The only people who go to Youth Wave are those who actually want to be there. This is not a "my parents made me go" type of week. My wish and prayer is that all teens at Vancouver can experience in this event but I also understand that not everyone is ready for what is asked of them during Youth Wave. I believe having Youth Wave in our own backyard is advantageous for us because it makes things a little more "real". I want to encourage those of you who haven't gone to Youth Wave to talk to those who have. I'm sure they'll have plenty of things to tell you and how it's changed their perceptions on relationships with God and others. I'm sure those of you who were at church last Sunday heard about Braden's encounter with a homeless man in downtown Portland. The cool thing is, that was only one of many other encounters that happened that week. Probably the most important thing about Youth Wave is how it connects what we do during the week to the stuff that happens "back home" at our own churches and youth groups. I'm here to speak on behalf of the group that went from Vancouver and say that we are not going to sit on our hands and not share with everyone else what we experienced and learned at YW this summer. We have committed to make an impact. Are you ready for us?? God is setting things in motion, let's join Him in what He's doing!

Back From Camp...

Well, we're finally back from camp! Actually, "we" counts as 6 from the Vancouver church. Close to 140 teens and adults gathered at Camp Yamhill for an amazing week of spiritual growth. This year's theme was "Transformed". Throughout the week we talked about our identity, how God shapes and molds us, and ultimately how he is the only one that change us permanently. Each day we would watch a clip from the movie (you guessed it...) Transformers to help remind us of what we talked about each day. This year's group of teens was different than any of the previous three I've worked with before. There seemed to be a genuine willingness to put aside trivial things and work toward spiritual maturity. The week went by so fast! Before I knew it, our time was over and we had to come back home. I really enjoy having camp at the beginning of summer because it really kicks things off with and exclamation point. I really hope that more of our teens will be able to experience this in the future. Camp is usually around the same time every year so make sure to mark it in your calendars so that you won't miss out.

Middle-School Fifth Sunday

Hey, it is time again for the Middle-School Fifth-Sunday outing on June 29, 2008.
For this final Sunday of the season and to start the summer off with a bang we are going to have a day at the lake.
We will be out at Round Lake in Camas. There will be fishing and canoeing and wiener eating and hiking going on all day.
The van will leave the church building after morning services Sunday and head for the watery play land. We will eat first, because I will be hungry! By the way, if you want to help with the food for lunch, and I know you do, contact Brian Sword or Prisca Smith if they have not already contacted you.
I am bringing my canoe so we can take turns paddling around the lake – do not worry, mom, all canoeists will have life jackets on at all times. There will also be opportunities to fish. If you have a fishing pole bring it along, if not I will bring a few to share. There is, according to the web site for the park, six miles of hiking trails. In fact one trail goes all the way around the lake for 1.2 miles. They have maps there for all the hiking trails.
At about 5:00 we will have finished all the festivities at the lake and the van, full of excited and probably noisy students, will head for the church building for a combined devotional time with the High-School group. This will be the first of the summer Sunday night activities that will be shared by the High-School and the Middle-School for the rest of the summer. Check the Google calendar for each week’s activity.
The weary students will be ready to be whisked off to home at about 7:30.
If you have any questions for me you can call my cell at 360.281.0875.

Lewis

Off to Yamhill

Ahh, it's that time of year again. This Sunday (Saturday for the Sibleys), many of us will be headed out to Yamhill, OR for another year of Senior Teen Camp. Camp has always been one of my favorite events because it's one of the few times you have an entire week to spend with people. Some of my fondest memories come from my time spent at camp. It's just one of those things I believe all teens should experience at least once. In my case, camp was a major turning point in a my spiritual journey. I know I'm not the only one. It definitely provides an environment where you can focus your attention solely on God and relationships with others. There are people that I keep in contact with to this day that I met while I was at camp. Many of you have that same experience. I love the worship times, the encounters, meadowtime, hot seat, etc. The list just goes on and on. What do you love most about camp? Are there any fun, embarrassing or interesting stories that you could share. I know I'd love to hear them. Take some time and tell everyone why camp is so special to you.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Laketa Ducat and Thomas Ducat! Give them a shout and let them know how much you love and appreciate them!

P.S. If you have a birthday coming up soon and I don't know about it, please let me know! Thanks!

Launched!

Greetings and welcome to the Pulse Student Ministries blog! A little different than a typical web page or myspace page this blog is designed for information, discussion and interaction by those involved with this ministry. I want to make sure we have an outlet for discussion and feedback and this blog provides some of that. Now, the only way for this thing to work is for people to actually participate and use it! (duh) My goal is for people to have a simple and easy access point to information concerning this ministry. Too many times have I heard people say that they didn't know when something was or what it was all about. With this blog, those concerns should be gone. I'll try to update it as often as possible and add cool things like pictures and videos! The Google calendar of events will always be on this blog as well as random polls and questionnaire. I'm sure it will take a while to fully become what it needs to but it's definitely a start right? Please, get the word out to other teens, parents or Vancouver CofC folk who would benefit from this blog.