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.