Upcoming in the Student Ministry

Wed., Oct. 26 - Student Midweeks - Middle School FUGE 6:00 PM (Student Center), High School Bible Study 6:30 PM (CORE Game Room)

Sun., Oct. 30 - Student Small Groups 9:00 AM (Student Center), Under Authority Student Choir 6:00 PM (CORE Family Room)

Mon., Oct. 31 - GBC Light Up the Night

Wed., Nov. 2 - Student Midweek Combined Middle School and High School Night 6:00 PM (Student Center)

Sun., Nov. 6 - Student Small Groups 9:00 AM (Student Center), Under Authority Singing in 10:30 AM Worship Service, Under Authority Student Choir 6:00 PM (CORE Family Room)

Wed., Nov. 9 - Student Midweeks - Middle School FUGE 6:00 PM (Student Center), High School Bible Study 6:30 PM (CORE Game Room)

Fri. & Sat., Nov. 11 & 12 - GSM All Nighter ($85) CLICK HERE to register and for more information.

Sun., Nov. 13 - Student Small Groups 9:00 AM (Student Center), Under Authority Student Choir 6:00 PM (CORE Family Room)

Wed., Nov. 16 - Student Midweeks - Middle School FUGE 6:00 PM (Student Center), High School Bible Study 6:30 PM (CORE Game Room)

Sun., Nov. 20 - Student Small Groups 9:00 AM (Student Center), Operation Christmas Child boxes due, Under Authority Student Choir 6:00 PM (CORE Family Room)

Tues., Nov. 22 - WEDNESDAY ON TUESDAY Student Midweek Combined Middle School and High School Night 6:00 PM (Student Center)

Wed., Nov. 23 - No Wednesday Night Activities.

Upcoming

Feb. 2-5, 2017 - MOVE 2017 BOLD

This October's Sunday Small Group Lessons

­Jesus And Loving Others

October 9

Lesson 1: The Greatest Commandment

What we want students to learn: That according to Jesus, loving others is second only to loving God. It’s a crucial part of being who God wants us to be. 

What we want students to do with what they’ve learned: To evaluate their own attitudes toward loving others, especially in light of what it says about how they love God.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 22:34-40

Supporting Scripture: 1 John 3:10

Overview: Your students live in a world of lists like honor roll lists, who made cheerleader lists, and lists of things to learn for tests. They’re also bombarded by the media with lists of greatest things like sports moments, funny videos, and current fashion fads. Many lists are based on personal preference or opinion, and may vary from person to person. But when Jesus speaks, especially when He is asked to list the most important commands, He speaks truth. Jesus gave a list when He was asked by the Pharisees and Sadducees to name the greatest commandment. In this lesson your students will see what Jesus’ response was and what this means in the context of their daily life. When Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God and love others His list immediately became our list. The lesson on The Greatest Commandment will guide your students to see that loving others is not only a good thing but, along with loving God, the most important thing. 

Reflections after being home for a week

I (Anna) think I speak for the group when I say we’re thankful to be back. For the first few days I was acutely aware of the juxtaposition of our day-to-day experiences of there versus here. For one, I woke up at noon the first day back. Having barely slept during our trip, I’m still grateful every night for the plushness and dryness of my bed. Unsurprisingly, that same day I also ran into half my team at chick-fil-a; one can only go so long without fried chicken. Though I enjoyed getting back to the regularity of my life, slowly but surely I began to miss it. I miss hearing Spanish, and beingwith my best friends 24/7. I miss the pace of life, and the acceptance of our inability to truly plan anything. Oddly enough, I miss the disconnect, and not having to worry about where my phone is all the time and what I’m missing when I’m otherwise occupied. Mostly, I miss the feeling of purpose that came with every moment spent at La Montana. Waking up at 6:30 was worth it when you had a quiet time to do, and a rainforest to enjoy it in. Working hard was worth it when we got to see projects completed, or campers enjoy a space we cleaned. All the rice and beans were worth it when you got to spend time at meals with new friends, or people we were just getting to know. As someone who is fueled by nuance, I deeply miss the opportunity of every moment to discover something new, to meet a new person or try something new. 

(Emily) Guys, the irony is too real right now. If you've talked to anyone who was a part of the Costa Rica mission trip, you've probably heard tales of the Atlanta airport extravaganza and how we somehow managed to grab our luggage, go through customs, and sprint through terminals all within the span of 30 minutes. Well, right now I'm writing to you from the Atlanta airport because my family just missed our flight to Memphis. It brought back memories of our time in Costa Rica and of the things that God revealed to us while we were there with a new perspective. As the "camp high" fades, we have to find ways to apply what we learned there to our everyday lives. For me, it's not all that easy. I sometimes find myself doing life in the same ways I've always done it, with little evidence of any life transformation. On my own, I'm going to do just that -fall back into the same rhythm in which I've always walked. With God, I have the ability to be different, to act like a person who has experienced firsthand what He has the power to do in the lives of those around me. 

We were able to catch the last flight, but our seats were in completely different areas of the plane. I ended up sitting between two older men, one of which I talked with the entire flight. Let me just say that God works in mysterious ways. I'm not sure if this man was a Christian or not, but right when I sat down, he held up my arm (which is covered in Costa bracelets) and read the one that says OF ALL NATIONS. He gave me a quizzical look and asked me what it meant. I was able to tell him about the prayer room we decorated, the campers we talked with, the wheelchair ramp we built, and most importantly, the Savior that we were serving. If we hadn't missed our flight, I wouldn't have been able to share the Gospel with this man. He was an eighty year old neurosurgeon who travels frequently and was intrigued by Costa Rica and loved hearing about the trip. Dear God, continue forcing us outside of our comfort zones to build your Kingdom. 

Emily C & Anna M

Costa Day 6 update

Today I (Emily) had the opportunity to work in the kitchen with my team, along with Charlie and the amazing kitchen staff. We began by washing dishes and after drying a stack or two, Katie and I developed an efficient assembly line system that cut our drying time in half. Y’all, we were killing it. Next, we moved on to cutting onions and peppers, and after crying for about thirty minutes, I began slicing and dicing different vegetables with Steven, one of the kitchen staff members. Let me tell you a little bit about Steven. First of all, he’s a Costa Rican native who speaks perfect English. While I’ve loved talking to people who only speak Spanish and moving past language barriers with them, it was a major relief to communicate with someone without making up hand motions to match my words.  He was incredibly patient with me as I cut vegetables the wrong way over and over and over again, forgot to whisk the eggs, and had trouble with the machine I used to dice the vegetables. When I was using the machine, it mysteriously “stopped working”. I glanced over at Steven with a look that must have said “Bro I think I broke it… how much is this going to cost me?” He just shook his head and laughed at my predicament, walking over to me carrying a box for me to stand on because apparently I was too short to use the dicer properly. Caroline, if you’re reading this, feel free to laugh at how short I am and how you’ve outgrown (or at least you think you have) me. Anyways, today has been amazing and I loved every moment of getting to work with the amazing kitchen staff today. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

It may just be me (Anna), but I did not anticipate the language barrier to be as challenging as it is. I guess I just didn’t think about it, but today as I was learning to knot a rope for rock climbing and getting laughed at for my inability to understand any of the four staff members I was teamed up with, I realized that here our communication is pretty much opposite of what we’re used to. Nothing is instant: just to ask about someone’s day takes thoughtful translation, shaky execution, and usually fruitless attempts at deciphering a response. For someone as chatty as me, it’s difficult to not be able to get to know the people around me in the way I’m used to. But as I manned the mud run (you’ll hear about that on Thursday) with a Spanish speaker named Ruth and we laughed at squealing campers as they army crawled through a mud trough, I realized that a lot more in universal than we think. We played games I was familiar with, and I heard some Adele coming from a passing hospitality worker’s phone. In worship tonight, we were relived to sing some familiar melodies. Lydia pointed out that in our worship service with the campers and in our church group service, we sang “Oceans,” and we felt the meaning of the song just the same in both languages. It’s incredible that 2000 miles away, we experience the same God we do in our churches and homes. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we head into our last two days here, and that God continues to give us a supernatural endurance and energy to “do whatever the situation demands with a great attitude." 

Emily C & Anna M

Costa Day 4 & 5 Update

Man oh man…yesterday. We were blessed. Our Sunday was spent at Baldi Hot Springs at the base of the Arenal Volcano. We napped, soaked, and ate and  it was delightful. We ended the day with pizza and ice cream, secretly thankful for the break from beans and rice. After nine hours of sleep, we were ready for another day of hard work.

Okay y’all. Just because we’re in Costa Rica does not at all mean that we aren’t celebrating the Fourth of July as hard or harder than you are back home. Let’s rewind back to this morning, shall we? As us girls were waiting outside of the cafeteria for breakfast, we gazed in complete awe as a bald eagle flew over the building with one wing over his heart, proudly declaring his love for America by screeching the National Anthem. Just kidding… But it was pretty close. All of the guys showed up for breakfast wearing American themed graphic tees ranging from a flag to a bald eagle wearing a helmet (@ Richie). Connor, whose shirt featured an American flag, was used multiple times for the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance throughout the day. Oh, and then there was the actual breakfast that included pancakes, sausage, eggs, and orange juice. Afterwards, we divided into our teams to tackle (reference to American football) our different tasks. Today, we prepared for one of the largest groups of students to come in for La Montana’s main camp. Since it’s winter in Costa Rica right now they’re on winter break, we all have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of excited campers.

Very few times in my (Anna) life have I sat in a worship service and felt like I stood out. I’m used to at least a hundred or so kids that look just like me, talk just like me, and worship just like me. It wasn’t until we sat huddled in the back row of an amphitheater straining to hear the translation of the speaker’s lesson that I realized we were outside of our comfort zones. Grappling with our strained knowledge of Spanish, we learned from the gospel of Mark about the relationships Jesus had with his followers. The speaker dwelled on the community between the twelve, and pointed out the paradox (the theme of this week’s camp) that now, though we have  more ways than ever to communicate, we are so disconnected with the people around us. I think something our team has learned from this experience is that we really aren’t as dependent on our phones as we thought we were. I (Anna) think I speak for everyone when I say I haven’t missed it. Though I miss my friends, the twenty five other English speakers here and this blog has been sufficient in keeping me connected. These last five days have been so full I can’t imagine what we would have missed had we had the opportunity to look away for even a moment. We may have missed the most gorgeous sunset over an active volcano, or a monkey perched on a rock a few yards away. I can’t help but think of all we may miss in our everyday lives when we’re staring at our phones, buying into the paradox that the communication we’re getting online is even remotely as fulfilling as the real deal. In a way, I think this addiction is more about comfort than anything. When you’ve got your phone in your hand you don’t have to talk to the person next to you, or you can pretend to not hear an uncomfortable question someone asks you. As we sat in the back of the worship center, smelly from raking leaves or shoveling cement, listening to a sermon we can’t understand in a place we don’t know, I can’t help but feel like we should all get this uncomfortable some time.

Emily C & Anna M

Costa day 3 update

Today was a blessing. From the moment we woke up we were grateful for an extra hour of sleep: a perk of a change in schedule due to a new group coming in today. We arrived at the commodore (our dining facility)at 8:30

to a celebratory breakfast graciously prepared y the awesome kitchen staff. We sat in a big "u" which added to the already familial atmosphere. We prepared for a long day of hard work, knowing that 400 campers would be arriving that afternoon. I (Anna) had my first day serving in hospitality. I was amazed at the diligence of the staff in ensuring every bed, every room is as clean as possible. We learned today that there is not a single air conditioner on campus, and every bunk bed is hand made. Every building is fighting the climate here, and it's nearly impossible for the wood to withstand the humidity long term. Nonetheless the staff works tirelessly to make the most of what they have. I think we can all agree our favorite time of the day is coffee time: a fourth meal observed by all the staff at 4 pm where we hang out, drink coffee, and talk about our days. It's a beautiful time of fellowship and rest. Today, we sat out on a patio overlooking the camp and the beautiful surrounding rainforest, and I was amazed at the serenity and outstanding beauty of this place. Yet, I couldn't help but feeling like this was the calm before the storm. There was an almost palpable change in the air as campers started to arrive, and the once silent campgrounds began to hum with the excitement of a weekend at La Montana. As you remember us in your prayers this weekend, please pray for a continued attitude of flexibility and willingness to get outside our comfort zones to wherever the Spirit calls us. Already, we're reminded in every moment that we're merely a conduit of the grace of God. We aren't here to bring Jesus to a deprived people, He's already here and we're just an extra pair of hands and feet. Selflessness and compassion abound here as a part of the culture, and I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we aspire to be like these people in the way they care for one another, work hard to accomplish much, and serve with complete humility. We are grateful for this inspiration, and for the quiet moments of rest and fellowship we have been allowed. Though our comfort is not a priority, please pray that the bugs remain at bay and we maintain the momentum we have built. Pray for the continued growth of relationships we've built with the staff, and for oppertunities to speak Jesus into the lives of the campers.

Emily C & Anna M

Costa Day 2 update

To be frank, today was harder than expected (at least on my end-Anna). Still recovering from a long travel day and acclimating to a climate somehow more humid than what we're used to, we rallied and managed to rake 20 piles of leaves at a 90 degree angle, mix enough cement to build a small wall, and power wash walls and walkways to their original color. Nonetheless, it's endearing to see how quickly everyone here has come together to achieve a common goal. Thus far we've had to take on the camp staff's motto: "I can't predict anything, I can't control anything." Pray that we continue to be malleable to change and are open to the movement of the Spirit here. As much as the strong coffee helps, pray that we continue to have a unexplaniable amount of energy as we do our best to build the kingdom here.

Yesterday, the interns introduced us to a little thing they call God sightings. Earlier today during our group time, we had the opportunity to share what God was already doing in and through us. My group (Emily - shoutout to the verde maquinas) helped convert a storage area filled with rotting desks into a prayer room where students can talk with the staff and communicate with their Father in a safe and comfortable environment. A twenty year old intern named Gabby shared with us that God had given her this vision and that she was committed to fulfilling what He had called her to do. Without doubt or hesitation, she has obeyed his commands, painting a beautiful picture of what it truly means to be a faithful Christian. While it may be difficult to see the end result of our efforts right now, we are confident in the fact that God has a plan for this mission trip and that brick by brick, He is building His kingdom.
Emily C. & Anna M.

Costa Day 1 update

Two flights, five hours, and two albums of music later we have arrived in Costa Rica.  

May 11 AM, completely sleep deprived (because most of us decided to NOT sleep on the plane)  we were excitedly greeted by a team of La Montaña interns who welcomed us with open arms. After consuming our first authentic Costa Rican meal consisting of beans alongside arroz con pollo, touring the campus, which includes a ropes course, blob, basketball court, and waterslide. We began to feel acclimated to this place God has called us. 

Tomorrow, June 30, the real work begins. Our team of 15 has been split into four teams to sever in various areas throughout the camp. Our task will include anything from kitchen work to light landscaping. As we are still becoming oriented with this new environment, we ask that you will pray that God's unifying love will surpass language cultural barriers, and we as a team would grow closer together, as we draw near to our Father. Please pray for the staff and interns here at La Montaña, and for the renewed energy form them and our team. 

- Emily Carney & Anna May

Hallelujah, Death is Beaten.

It has been an eventful 24 hours. I want to give you a glimpse at all that we've been up too, but first I need you to know something.  

God has heard us.  

We have seen his hand at work among us.  

Last Night, three of our people chose their King. They dedicated their life to following him and have been saved by his grace.  

One student shared last night that as he was singing the lyrics,  

"What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus."  

He understood for the first time that he was lost. That without Jesus he was broken and without life. And so, his response was to repent and our King faithfully breathed life into his dead bones.  

We gathered after service with our church group. We discussed what we learned, had questions about, and what has changed us for good.  

Over and over, our students were bold and brave and shared how God has stirred their hearts. He is stirring their hearts to repentance and movement and life. He is showing them the Kingdom. He is using their stories and the scriptures to show them His faithfulness.  

I believe that there is still more God is going to do here. I believe and am waiting with eager anticipation to see the strongholds of sin and addiction that he will break. To see the people he will set free. To watch our kids walk in confidence that they are created with purpose and are so dearly loved.  

Let's keep asking him for just that. For him to lift the scales from their eyes so they may meet their maker.  

Yesterday was full. We saw the ocean, lounged in a lazy river, ate delicious food, and worshipped our King with over 1000 others. We saw God do what most would consider the impossible. 

This week is only half through and there is so much that has happened so far. And so much left to experience. 

Check back tomorrow to hear more about what God does. Continue to join us in prayer, that God will continue to make himself known. 

If you want to hear about what happened yesterday, check out our Day 1 Blog!  

Sarah Renfro  

Student Associate  

Day 1. It started early. It ended late. And it was incredible.

Our day began bright and early as we began our trek to head to Orange Beach, AL for Beach Camp 2016. 95 people loaded the buses to begin our journey to the ocean. We made a quick pit stop for lunch in Mobile, and arrived at our condos in the late afternoon. 

After a quick bus unload, check-in and dinner, camp began. We fought through the pizza coma and had our first Family Group Gathering. 

This week, students are broken up into Middle School and High School family groups of around 10 people and are paired with two leaders who will help them unpack scripture, the large group teachings, and other material throughout the week. 

After family group, we attended our first Large Group Gathering. We were led in worship by the Stephen Cole band and will sit under Ed Newton as our Camp Pastor this week. 

Before service started, Drew and I(Sarah) sat with other student pastors who have brought their kids to camp as well. We got a chance to hear from Student Life Staff about what they have seen God already do at Orange Beach this summer, and then we were given the opportunity to hear from each other about what we are asking God to do in our ministries and our time at camp. 

We want to share that with all of you as well and invite you to pray and petition alongside of us this week and beyond. 

We believe that God is continuing to bring death to life in our kids and is setting the Kingdom down among us. It is evident to us that He is doing a work here. I can not put my finger on everything He is doing and I don’t want too. I want no part in controlling it, but with everything I do not want us to miss it. 

We have students in so many different life stages, with different gifts and talents and passions. They have different struggles and backgrounds, but we believe they are all here at this camp for such a time as this. I could paint out 90 different stories of 90 different kids and the 90 different places they are in now. But, more than that, I want you to know this. 

Our God is meeting them faithfully where they are. He is sitting at their table, tending to their wounds, softening their hearts, breathing in their dead bones and making them alive. It is what He is doing. It sounds crazy, and cheesy, and impossible, but it is true.

And that is what we are asking for this week. We are petitioning our good Father to lift scales from our eyes. To bring dead bones to life. To make callings evident. To break the chains of addiction and to give our kids the capacity to be bold and brave enough to walk out of the darkness and into his marvelous light. 

Ephesians 3 tells us that God can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think. We are confident in his power and ability to show his character to our kids and our leaders. 

Will you pray alongside us that God makes himself evident to our kids and leaders in such a way that they are changed forever by it? 

Our verse for the week is 1 Peter 2:9. It says,

“ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possessions, that you may proclaim his excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into marvelous light.” 

We’ve started to dive into that this week already, and will continue to as the days go on. It is halfway through day 2 already. I can hardly believe it. 

Our people are loading buses currently to head out to free time at the beach and pool. God has already done awesome things in our morning session, and we are eagerly anticipating all that he will do in the rest of the day. 

Check back in the morning to hear from a student and a leader who have already seen God do crazy things in the past 24 hours. 

Want to tune into the action? Check out www.studentlife.com and you can experience tonights session with us! 

Sarah Renfro

Student Ministry Associate

Meet our Summer Intern!

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CHEYENNE WARREN

Cheyenne was born and raised in Richardson, Texas, just north of Dallas. She is currently a student at East Texas Baptist University studying Mass Communications and can not wait to serve on staff with the student ministry at Germantown Baptist Church! Over the past 5 years, the Lord has grown in Cheyenne a love for God's people and His Kingdom. Her favorite things are coffee, being with her people, and adventure. We can not wait for her to get here and see how God will use her in the lives of our middle and high school girls! 

So excited you just can't wait to meet her? Follow her on social media!

Facebook: cheyenne.warren.18 Instagram: @cheyenne_warren

Student Ministry Costa Rica Mission Trip

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Support the Student Ministry Costa Rica Mission Trip 2016

As part of our vision as a church to mobilize the body to share the Gospel around the world the Student Ministry is headed to Costa Rica June 29-July 8. We will serve with La Montana Christian Camp as we serve and share the Gospel with campers. Our mission team has designed a t-shirt to help support team members on this mission trip, cost of this year's shirt is $25. Your purchase of a shirt will go to support the team with supplies and training as we go to Costa Rica.

This year's trip to Costa Rica will build a great foundation for future mission trips to Belize, Denver, and beyond as we mobilize students to join in the harvest. Thank you for your support.

More Information about our trip to Costa Rica:

Our group of 16 will be serving at a Christian youth camp for Costa Ricans! We will be worked into the daily camp routine at La Montaña and might be asked to help with anything related to the youth camp or the camp facilities. We will be exposed to all the different parts of camp life for the Costa Rican students. We will provide help in such areas as leading recreation, working in the snack shops and bike rental shops, serving in the kitchens, and things of that. Our group will have the opportunity to love, encourage, and share the Gospel with these Costa Rican youth by living life alongside them for a few days! The camp is a lot of fun, but most importantly exists to point students to the hope and love of Christ.