5/27/07

5/11/07

Possible Name Changes

We are looking at changing the name from JAMtime to FUEL (7-8 grades)

and MUD to IGNITION (9-12 grades).  Let me know your input.  E-mail me at JmRyn5@aol.com

5/4/07

 2007 BACKPACKING TRIP

WHAT? 

Backpacking/camping trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in UP Michigan on Lake Superior

WHEN? 

Friday, June 15 through Tuesday, June 19

WHERE? 

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (http://www.nps.gov/piro)

WHO? 

Open to students in 7^th  – 12^th grades (First to register, first to pay)

Priority will be given to 10^th - 12^th graders through May 18^th; Final registration deadline June 1^st.

WHY? 

Waterfalls, campfires, tents, and the great outdoors

COST?

$30

QUESTIONS? 

Call Jim Reynolds at 547-5324, 742-5467, or e-mail at JmRyn5@aol.com    

5/8/07

Open Letter To Hurting Teens

From Youth Ministry Exchange

By Jeremy Duncan I know you’re in pain.  Aching, throbbing pain.  Pain that hurts worse and scars deeper than any physical pain you’ve ever experienced.  I’ve been through some tough times and traveled down some rough roads, but I also know that it’s very possible that I’ve never experienced the level of pain that you feel right now. 

But I’m also certain that Jesus understands.  He was rejected by just about everyone from His hometown, the “church people” of His day, and even some from His own family.  He was ridiculed for His beliefs and for the people He hung out with.  He was relentlessly beaten and brutally killed for speaking truth.  He knows.  He’s walked in your shoes. He has hope in you and for you.

Child, maybe your family has abused you in some way.  Maybe your friends have let you down or even betrayed you.  Maybe you just feel like an outcast in this world.  And maybe you’ve even made some decisions that has brought this all upon you. I don’t know.  I do know that we all live in the same broken, filthy world.

But there is hope.  Not just a weak, flickering flame of hope, but an all-consuming bonfire of hope.  Jesus accepted and transformed the lives of the blind, the lame, the deaf, and the vile sinners.  He accepts and wants to change you, too. Now that’s what I call hope.

I want to be able to help you.  I want you to feel loved.  It may be hard, and I may not always be here for you, but that is my true heart’s desire. It’s hard for me to accept, on my own, I really am incapable of helping you. Only Jesus can heal you. Only He can be there for you at all times.

Only Jesus can heal you. Only He can be there for you at all times.

I can only point and direct you to Him and attempt to display His love for you and to you.  I’m praying and hoping that you will ultimately run into His arms, because that’s where He wants you to be.  That’s where I want you to be. And that’s where I want to be.

See, I need His love just as much as you do.  Since I lead this group, you may get the wrong idea; but I’m just a broken mess myself. I think it’s important that you know that. And know this: I love you and Jesus loves you.  And we’re both in it for your best interest. I can confidently say this because of Christ’s work, not because of any of my feeble efforts.

I pray that you completely rely on your gracious and merciful Redeemer. He is mighty to save and heal--physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Rest in His compassionate arms for it is the place of true healing and peace.  I can’t promise that all your pain will disappear, but I can promise that all your pain can be used for something more glorious than you can imagine.  Just let Him finish His work on you.

4/3/07

FILM NIGHT

SUNDAY

APRIL 29^th

6PM

EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH

220 E HARRISON ST

BELVIDERE, IL

(815) 547-6471

www.becov.org / www.beccyouth.net

2/11/07   LIFE WORSHIP AT BELVIDERE COVENANT CHURCH

              FRIDAY NIGHT, MARCH 9TH

              7PM

             Check them out at www.myspace.com/lifeworship 

2/11/07

ROCKFORD ICE HOGS

FAITH NIGHT

                                      vs.

Sunday, March 18^th

Rockford Ice Hogs vs. Flint Generals

$14

Þ Space is limited

Þ First to sign up and pay gets to go

Þ Includes ticket, hot dog, soda, and candy

Þ Call Jim Reynolds at 547-5324 to reserve your spot or sign up at youth group

Þ *****Check payable to ECC is due by Wednesday,  February 28^th *****

Þ We will meet at church parking lot at 2PM….we will return back to church after game

1/26/07

SUPER BOWL PARTY

·       4:00PM – until we have to leave (seriously)

·       932 List Ln in Belvidere (Jim and Mel’s house- near Lincoln School) 

·       There will be food and pop

·       Friends are welcome

·       7^th – 12^th graders

·       Prediction Contest

·       Halftime testimonies from NFL players and coaches

·       Call Jim Reynolds with any questions (547-5324)

10/1/06 Jim's Infrequent Blog (first one, don't expect another)

First off, next time you see Melenie, ask her if she can start a blog (primarily because she is confused by the whole blogging concept and anyway "blog" is fun to say - I recommend using "blog" at least once a day).  Also, please e-mail me your favorite uses of blog in a sentence to jmryn5@aol.com.

I just wanted to comment on our high school Sunday morning group.  We are in a year-long series breaking down the life and teaching of Jesus.  Melenie and I are team teaching and we started this new thing called "Coffee Talk" today.  Unfortunately, both of us drank our coffee before we got to this point, so I am not sure anything useful was taught.  However, we were looking at the passage in Luke 2:41-52 where Jesus gets left behind by Mary and Jospeh.  Then, they come back and are wondering why he would do this, etc etc.  One of my favorite verses about student and parent relationships is Luke 2:50 "But they did not understand what he was saying to them." 

Communication is one of the biggest issues in this stage of life.  How do we say what we mean?  How do we still respect our parents?  During this Coffee Talk, we looked at some points from the devotional that some of you have.  These were some of the discussion points.  First, we should understand that as youth, we will have misunderstandings with our parents - no matter whose fault it is - remember even the Son of God was involved in misunderstandings.  But the important point is how we respond, how we react, and how we handle the test.  Tests reveal what we know and what we don't know.  How is our responder these days?  Second, we looked at a few points of how Jesus responded:  he listened to his parents, he didn't raise his voice, and ended up respecting his parents, even though they didn't understand him at that point.  It is funny how time changes our perspective of Jesus.  Did they already forget about the angel announcement thing and the virgin birth deal and that whole situation?  We crammed in a few other points.  I think we determined that we may have learned one thing during this Coffee Talk but I not sure what it was - just kidding.  My thought was it probably will be more effective if we actually drink coffee during the Coffee Talk although the students had a reluctant look on their face in response to that comment.  I would invite your feedback on this blog by e-mailing Melenie or I at (jmryn5@aol.com) on how you handle communicating with your parents.  What works and what doesn't work?  Do you have any interesting communication stories? 

By the way, hope to see others out on Sunday morning.  We meet at the White House from 9:30-10:15.  We usually do a cheesy drama and today even played Simon says. We are proud to report that there were no injuries. 

9/4/06  UPCOMING EVENTS

• JAMtime is back in session beginning 9/6/06
• MUD is back in session beginning 9/10/06
• Youth Group to Volcano Falls on 9/30 @ 11AM.....$10/person
• 7th-8th graders to LaserQuest in November
• 9th-12th graders having a Progressive Dinner and Movie Night (October 21)
• Coffee at Starbucks
• Old Chicago in December (high schoolers)
• Pizza Party (junior highers)
• Deep Freeze
• Super Bowl Party
• Ice Hogs Hockey Game
• Backpacking Trip

9/4/06  CHIC was awesome...can't wait until 2009...

9/4/06  The Holy What?

http://www.briomag.com/briomagazine/spiritualhealth/a0004317.html

9/4/06  If God collected baseball cards....

http://www.breakawaymag.com/GodFaith/A000000277.cfm

9/4/06  Why did Jesus say such a strange thing about funerals?

http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2006/004/4.22.html

9/4/06  Nice getaway!

9/4/06  DeepFreeze is coming....January 12-14, 2007....

Deep Freeze 2007

Want a chance to reconnect with God?  Have a great time with your friends?  Come to our annual Deep Freeze retreat this winter!  We’ll have a weekend full of worship, great speaker, and fun events to bond as a youth group.  Churches can organize a group of students and leaders to come--or Covenant Harbor can provide counselors to individual students.  There is an additional fee for students who come without a counselor. Please register early!

Dates

Jr./Sr. High—January 12-14, Life! Worship Team

Registration (find blank form at www.covenantharbor.org at the Deep Freeze tab)

Give your completed registration form and your payment to your youth group leader.  Make check payable to ECC.  Jim Reynolds will send registrations and full group payments to Harbor.  All payments include a $30 non-refundable deposit.  Weekends fill on a first come first served basis. We cannot reserve individual or group space until we receive registration form(s) and full payments(s). Each weekend opens with registration on Friday from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the Lodge. Our program ends by 11:30am, Sunday.

What to Bring 

You will be staying in heated buildings, but will need to bring: sleeping bag, pillow, towel, flashlight, Bible, toiletries and warm outdoor clothes (boots, hats, gloves). We will be outside a lot!  Students may want to bring $10-$30 for snacks and Harbor merchandise in the camp store. Please leave personal electronic equipment (ipods, cell phones, gameboys, etc.),  knives/weapons, and fireworks at home.

Activities*

Some of our favorites are: broom ball tourney, big games, hockey, tubing, ice skating, polar bear dip, 50-ft climbing tower, 300-ft zip line, cross-country skiing*

*weather dependent

Cost

Individual  $115

9/24/05  UPCOMING EVENTS

• Sunday, 9/25/05 6PM....Concert at Belvidere Community Building
• Sunday, 10/9/05 6:30PM...Mission Trip Sharing Night
• Saturday, 10/15/05 5PM....LaserQuest Family & Friend Night (Jr High Students)
• Saturday, 10/22/05 5PM....Progressive Dinner & Movie (High School Students)
• November PeopleServe....an opportunity to serve those in Belvidere
• Wednesday, 12/14/05 6:30PM...Pizza Party (Jr High Students)
• Sunday, 12/18/05 6:30PM....Old Chicago (High School Students)
• January 13-15....DEEP FREEZE!!!!!!!!!
• February 5.....Super Bowl Party
• July 2006....CHIC!!!!!!!!!!!

3/15/05  UPCOMING EVENTS

• Saturday, 3/19/05 6PM...Concert & Pizza at Grace Family Church
• Sunday, 3/20/05 4PM...Missouri Mission Trip Meeting @ Church (downstairs)
• Sunday, 3/27/05 9AM...Easter Breakfast (Youth Serving)
• Sunday, 4/3/05 6PM...Movie Discussion Night @ Church (Bruce Almighty is the movie)
• Saturday, 4/16/05...Bowling....TBD
• Sunday, 4/24/05....Quarter Dip Lunch (Youth Serving)
• Sunday, 5/22/05....Youth-led Worship Service....Morning Service
• Saturday, 6/18/05....Community Car Wash
• July 15 - July 23....Missouri Mission Trip

1/31/05  YOUTH MISSION TRIP INFORMATIONAL MEETING

What are you doing this summer?  How about rebuilding lives and refocusing your relationship with God.  Come to the Church at 4PM on Sunday, February 13th to hear more about our plans to take youth on a mission trip this summer.

1/31/05  SUPER BOWL PARTY

Sunday, February 6th from 4PM until we need to leave....food....bring friends....assuming we are able to get cable hookup, the party will be at the white house next to church at 204 Harrison St in Belvidere....see you there

12/30/04  DEEP FREEZE IS COMING JAN 14-16...be looking in the mail for details, if you signed up

11/2/04  Laser Quest

•        MUD  11/13
•        JAMtime 11/20

10/2/04  Progressive Dinner & Movie Night

•         MUD 10/16
•         JAMtime 10/23

8/24/04  We will be going to Volcano Falls:

•         MUD will be going 9/11
•         JAMtime will be going 9/18

8/24/04  MUD is back on Sunday nights (6:30-8:00PM) beginning 9/5

8/24/04  JAMtime is back on Wednesday nights (6:30-8:00PM) beginning 9/8

7/27/04  What difference do I make?

www.christianitytoday.com/teens/newsletter/index.html 

7/27/04  Advice directed to young ladies but good for all of us:

www.briomag.com/briomagazine/dearsusie/A0000716.html 

7/27/04  Advice directed to guys but can be applicable for all of us:

www.family.org/teenguys/breakmag/departments/a0032269.html 

7/5/04  FUSION CAMP FLYER can be found on the Forms and Downloads page or by clicking here FUSION CAMP FLYER.doc

6/30/04  FUSION CAMP

You need to call (547-5324) or e-mail (JmRyn5@aol.com) Jim Reynolds to confirm your reservation by July 14.

Fusion Camp will be on July 16-17

No cost

Meet at church at 6PM, if you need a ride

Meet at Don and Sonja Hanson's house at 6:30PM (11842 Oakridge Rd in Caledonia)

We will return to church by 11AM on Saturday morning

Bring:  sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, Bible, bug spray, and parent permission form

6/15/04  Sarah Kelly struggles with self-esteem and actually attempted suicide as a teen.  She still wrestles with self-image, but now confidently sings of God's grace......... www.chrisitianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2004/sarahkelly-0604.html

6/15/04  Despite her blindness, Ginny Owens has issues with self-image and, like many women, wonders what it really means to be beautiful....  www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2004/ginnyowens-0404.html  

5/26/04  CHECK OUT THE GAMES ON THIS YOUTH GROUP'S WEBSITE   www.naplesyouth.com/YOUTHgames.htm.  I will also put a link to this site in our LINK tab down the left column.

5/26/04  Pool Party (JAMtime and MUD) has been scheduled for Saturday, June 26th from 12-4PM....more details to come.

5/21/04  SMART DATING  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2004/002/3.38.html

5/21/04  WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2001/006/3.40.html

5/21/04  BOUNCING BACK  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2003/002/2.34.html

5/19/04  THE CALENDAR PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED

• OLD Chicago Night for MUD is 5/23/04...bring $3, friends, and meet in Loft @ 6:30PM
• FUSION (the combination of JAMtime and MUD for the summer) will begin 6/6/04...this should be a great time of uniting faith, friends, and fun...we will be studying Romans to find out what is the big deal with the message about Jesus, play flag football, basketball, and volleyball, and I'm sure water will be involved at some point - maybe even a revival of gross games....hmmm....interesting, huh?
• One Life Revolution, Pool Party, and Camping are some of the other activities down the road

4/9/04  What does a rice crispy treat and the church have to do with each another?  Read guest columnist's Kyle Hoskins analysis on the "Sherri's Place" page.  Whatever the connection, I'm getting hungry now.

4/9/04  "I THIRST" A meditation on one of the last words of Christ........................................ www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/113/43.0.html

4/8/04  THE POWER OF BEING REAL:  Being who you are in Christ is the most powerful way you can share your faith...read more here.... www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2004/002/12.10.html  

SPRING & SUMMER 2004 OPPORTUNITIES:

JAMtime:  One Life Revolution, Game Night @ Bowley's, Pool Party, Camp Out, and Summer Camp

MUD: Worship at Great Lakes Naval Base (3/14), One Life Revolution, Game Night @ Deen and Karen's, Old Chicago, Pool Party, and Camp Out

2/16/04  OLD CHICAGO AND MELTDOWN PARTY

MUD:  Old Chicago Night...meet in Loft @ 6:30PM...Sunday, Feb 222...$3/person...bring friends

JAMtime:  Meltdown Party...6:30-8:00PM...Wednesday, Feb 25...no cost...bring friends

1/29/04  UPCOMING EVENTS (see calendar page too)

First we had DEEP FREEZE...now there is RE-FREEZE...on Saturday, 2/7/04, from 2:00-7:30PM JAMtime and MUD will be going to Dan and Cari Schirmer's house to play Broomball and Quibble, go Ice Skating (if you have skates), and eat food.  Then, later in the month, MUD will be going to Old Chicago from 6:30-9:00PM on Sunday night, 2/22/04.  If you are in JAMtime, be sure to come to the MELTDOWN PARTY at JAMtime on Wednesday, 2/25/04, from 6:30-8:00PM.

1/21/04  DEEP FREEZE:  WHAT A BLAST!

What did you like best about DeepFreeze?  Carpetball?  New Year's Eve Party?  Polar Bear Dip?  If you took pictures, bring your pics to JAMtime or MUD.  Do you remember what Nicole talked about?  Hopefully, I will be able to post several pics to the Photo Album page in the next month or so.  See you at JAMtime or MUD soon.

1/6/04

DEEP FREEZE WEEKEND JAN  16-18

We will meet at church at 5:30PM on Friday the 16th and attempt to leave by 6:00PM.  We should return around 1:30PM on Sunday the 18th.  Here is a list of items to bring:

• Warm indoor clothes
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow
• Towel
• Flashlight
• Bible
• Toiletries
• Warm outdoor clothes (inc. boots, hat, and gloves)

Please leave personal electronic equipment, weapons, drugs, and fireworks at home according to their brochure. 

12/22/03

Same old story?

Click here to read article:  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2003/005/1.44.html

12/22/03

Get real!

Click here to read article:  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2003/005/4.40.html 

12/2/03 

Do you ever treat God like a search engine?

Click here to read article:  www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2003/004/14.14.html

12/2/03

What really happened on that first Christmas?

Click here to read article:  www.family.org/teenguys/breakmag/features/a0028994.html

12/2/03

The Dark, Holy Places

Click here to read article:  www.relevantmagazine.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1913&mode=&order=0

10/24/03

Should we help those in need?

"Too many times, we (The Church - The Body of Christ - A Peculiar People) can easily dismiss calls to engage in and show justice because we somehow feel that the situations and circumstances don't apply to us.  It's someone else's problem.  It's too distant.  It doesn't affect me or my family or my friends.  But what if it does affect us in ways we don't realize?"

To read the whole article, click on the link here:    http://www.the-next-wave.org/stories/storyReader$109?print-friendly=true

10/24/03

The Way of the Cross

"The Christian faith has become a cultural norm.  There is no cost demanded of us for being Christians.  We are not persecuted, and we have reduced the Christian life to church attendance, occasional service, and financial donations.  The cross reproves us for our weakness and apathy."

Read the whole article here:  www.relevantmagazine.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1898&mode=&order=0

10/15/03  The Revolution has begun.

Consider this your call to action.  Hundreds of thousands of students like us are beginning a fight that can quite literally save an entire generation from extinction - and change the course of history.  We're talking about going up against a killer - the likes the world has never seen:  AIDS.  Mothers and fathers are dying every day, leaving millions of children orphaned and alone.  We are taking a stand. Now.  Why now?  We're tired of the fear.  We're tired of adults who retreat from the issue.  We're tired of being told we can't do much, and we're tired of being told to be cautious, to be careful, to be safe, to wait.  Our generation is tired of waiting.  We want to act now.  We are ready to get our hands dirty, empty our pockets, and sacrifice our time and our energy to touch the innocent victims - vulnerable children and widows - with help and hope.

OneLifeRevolution...you have one life...do something.

ONE Life:  You

To save ONE Life:  an orphan, a widow

From ONE disease:  AIDS

In ONE country:  Zambia

Check out this:  www.oneliferevolution.org/for_youth_workers/OLR_promo.swf

10/7/03  "There are teens who have people in their family who are not only dying physically, but they're also dying spiritually.  The more people I meet, the more heartache I see in families."  -- Bryan (age 17) -- member of the band Stereo Motion.

Read the complete interview and article at:  www.briomag.com/briomagazine/entertainment/a0004302.html

10/6/03  "if you put your arms around me, could it change the way i feel?  i guess i let myself believe that the outside might just bleed its way in" - lyrics from the Jars of Clay song "Something Beautiful".  Remember that MUD will be heading to the Jars of Clay and Caedmon's Call concert at the end of November.  Check out the lyrics to the rest of this song and their other songs at this link:

www.jarchives.com/discography.htm

9/26/03  "Never underestimate the power of your actions.  With one small gesture you can change a person's life.  For better or for worse.  God puts us in each other's lives to impact one another in some way."  Read more by clicking on the following link:

www.ginkworld.net/the%20_story/friendship/the_narrative_the_power_of_friendship.htm

9/26/03  What does your God look like?.....

www.relevantmagazine.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=204&mode=&order=0

9/24/03  Check out the latest addition to the website:  Sherri's Place. 

Just click on the tab and it will take you to what's on Sherri Lindahl's mind.  Thanks Sherri for offering to write periodically!  If anyone else wants to write articles, poems, etc. just let Jim Reynolds know.