ORB Lock-in 2012

It is time...

January 13th...

7:00pm-7am...

$5.00 + Signed permission slip...

Are you ready?

Youth Christmas Field Trip!

Wednesday, December 28th

Youth Christmas Field Trip

Cost: $18-20

9:30 am - Arrive at church
9:50 am – Leave the church in the van towards the Cincinnati Museum Center (Union Terminal)
10:15 – 2:30 pm – Arrive at Union Terminal

•  Visit the Duke Trains located in the main lobby
•  Visit the rest of the museum center
• Eat lunch at the Museum

2:30 pm – Depart Union Terminal
3:00pm – Arrive at church

• Hangout/Play games
• Write letters to Sujan (Our sponsored child from Bangladesh)
• Other planned activities

5:00 – Leave Church for PROGRESSIVE DINNER – Carpool*/Church Van
5:15 –Diane Sebastian’s House – Appetizer
6:15 – The Schoborg’s House – Main Course
7:45 – The Ball’s House – Dessert
8:45 – Arrive back at church for parent pickup

As you can see there are many things going on throughout the day. The cost for the museum/trains is $8.50 per person. We suggest to bring $18-20 total for the entire day (museum admission + lunch costs).


If a student wants to drive themselves they can, however, they are not permitted to drive anybody else unless it is a relative. If a student needs a ride we have many parents/adults that will be able to drive the students to each event.

If you have any questions you can contact me - oakridge.youth@hotmail.com or Bro. Chad Martin.

Sweater Photos

We have new photos from our Youth Christmas Sweater Party.  Just click on the picture in the upper right corner.

Congrats to Sam Chenot for winning the Sweater Concert.

It begins....

This Wednesday starts the beginning of our Christmas activities.  Every year we spend a couple of weeks doing fun and silly Christmas traditions. 
For this Wednesday we are asking everyone to wear Christmas jewelry and apparel.  This may include Christmas earrings that light up, Christmas ties that require batteries, or a Christmas hat.  We will judge who wears the best Christmas apparel.

We'll also be eating snacks and playing games, following up with a Bible lesson.

Invite your friends to this fun event.  It starts at 7pm.  If you are in the youth choir, practice starts at 6pm.  Please plan on attending both!

Christmas Time Is Here!

It's that time of year again!  Make sure you check the calendar located above for all of the upcoming Christmas activities.  Invite your friends as we share in this joyful season of our Savior's birth!

No Youth this Wednesday

As most of us will be travelling to visit our family for Thanksgiving, we will be cancelling all youth activities this Wednesday (November 23rd).  We will resume activities this Sunday (November 27th).

Words of Wisdom -
When visiting your family look around.  If you don't see any awkward/weird/black sheep family members... more than likely its probably you!

Thanksgiving Dinner

This Wednesday!  November 16th!  Thanksgiving Dinner!

We'll be meeting in the fellowship hall this Wednesday for our 2nd annual Youth Thanksgiving Dinner.  It will go from 6-8pm

This even will be both for middle and high school students.  We'll have plenty of food so invite your friends.

Here is how you can help out with food...

If you are a middle schooler we are asking for you to bring DESSERTS.  Make sure you clearly mark if you your dessert has tree nuts or peanuts in it.

If you are a high schooler we are asking for you to bring a SIDE DISH.

If you do you not fall into either of these categories (adult helper, alien, sasquatch, etc.)  then we are asking for you to bring a 2-Liter.

Contest Post!

Contest post!

Prize - my childhood Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  I will also give you a copy of Mario Brothers 3.  (Don't worry for some reason I have another NES and Mario Bros 3 game!)

Reply to this post or e-mail me at oakridge.youth@hotmail.com

Ready, Set, Go!

Afterschool season finale!

This Wednesday, November 9th will be the final afterschool program of the 2011 year. 

We will be taking a break for holidays and other events.  We will start the afterschool program back in November.

Make sure you check the calendar to find our Thanksgiving/Christmas events for the next two months.  We will still have youth choir.

If any student wishes to come early and play football or volleyball you are welcome to do it, but understand that we won't be able to provide transportation to church, or our normal afterschool meal, Sorry!

Thank you so much Ms. Tammy Daugherty for providing our food for the afterschool program.  It has been a huge blessing!

Contest post!!!

Here it is!!!  It's been over two weeks since our last contest post but the wait has been worth it.

To receive this prize you must do one of the following things, anything else would not count.  You must either...

1. Post a reply to this message
or
2. Send an e-mail to oakridge.youth@hotmail.com

To win you must put "Your name" wins!!!

The prize this week...  A $15 gift card to subway!  That's enough to feed three people!  What can get better than that?!

So game on!

Updated Calendar

The calendar has been updated.  Here are some changes that were made to it...

1.  January events have been added!  It shows when we start the Afterschool Program as well as when our New Year's eve lock-in occurs.
2.  The month of December will work differently for SHARP and The Point.  Because of the holiday season we will be going back to how we used to do it in the past.  Middle school and high school will BOTH have their SHARP Groups on Sunday night and The Point services on Wednesday night.
3.  We will not have youth services during the week between Christmas and New Year's eve.

Click on the link above.  If you have trouble viewing it make sure you have adobe reader and if that doesn't work just e-mail me... oakridge.youth@hotmail.com

New Message Series

We are starting a new series for The Point. 

It's called "How to improve your parents".  So if your parents are...

-  Awesome
-  Embarrassing
-  Cool
-  Lame
-  Strict
-  Out of touch
or
-  If they just don't understand

Then you must attend this special event!  Invite your friends and help them make their parents better as well!

New Photos

In the upper right hand corner of this blog you'll see a photo taken during SYATP.  If you click on the photo it will take you to more photos of things our students are doing.

We have pics from...

Choir concerts, football games, homecoming events, marching band performances, and even some REVEAL photos.

More will be uploaded soon.  Check them out!

SYATP Pictures

Contest Post! Week 2!

Hey everyone,
It's that time again...  Last week Mr. Ben Schoborg won the contest and received a gift card to the AMC theaters in Newport.

This week is going to be a little different.  There will be 3 winners.  If you are one of the first 3 people to respond to this post you will receive something from our recent event "Reveal".

You can now respond in two different ways.

First way - Old Way - Simply comment on this post - (your name) wins!

Second Way - New Way - you can e-mail me at oakridge.youth@hotmail.com.

I'll check the times of the comments and the first three people will win!

Hell Questions

CONTEST POST!

It's here!

If you see this post you may have an opportunity to win this weeks prize which is...

- AMC Gift Card -

Now to win this you must comment on this post saying  (Your name) is first! If one of you wise-n-heimers type (Your name) instead of actually typing your actual name, you MAY not receive the prize this week.

To comment you will have to use an AOL or google account.  If you do not have one, ask your parents first.  You are allowed to use your parents name if they have a user account, but make sure you type in your name in the comment.

First comment posted wins!

Award will be given out this Sunday before Sunday School!

SYATP

See You at the Pole is here again!

Each year students from across the country wake up early on a Wednesday morning to go to their schools and pray around their flagpoles.

This years SYATP is this next Wednesday, September 28th.  If you attend a school show up early and meet at the flagpole.  Christian students will meet you there to pray for your school, classmates, and teachers.

We will also be having a breakfast before SYATP at the Lighthouse.  It will start at 6:00 am.  If you attend Simon Kenton and need a ride, we can provide transportation after the breakfast.

If you would like to know more info on what your school is doing this year for SYATP, I encourage you to talk with your Christian club leader (i.e. FCA, FISH, or prayer group leader).

September 19, 1997

14 years ago today the Christian world was rocked by the tragic death of Rich Mullins.

Rich Mullins was a Christian singer and songwriter.  He became famous in the 80's and early 90's with his hit "Awesome God".  This song is still played on the radio 20 years later!

I encourage you all to check out some of his songs and performances.  Obviously a lot of his stuff is dated because it happened 15-20 years ago, but his songs revolutionized the Christian music industry.  Many Christian artists were inspired by him, including Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and many, many others.

He pushed worship music to a new level.  His songs are still used in worship services all over the world.  There weren't as many Christian artists as there are now back then.  Many churches went from traditional to blended/contemporary song styles using his songs for worship.

On September 19th, 1997 he was involved in a deadly car crash in Ohio.  Some of you reading this were not even born yet. 

Here are some youtube links of some of his songs...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJL_bChiTI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2KOCgC8DnU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVTop7pzqcM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm2A5IJlOWk

Look up more things on him through google, youtube, and wikipedia. 

New Series - What is Hell?

A couple of weeks ago I was praying on what our next message series should be.  We've been talking about the importance of Church and Christianity in our previous series (Why ________).  I felt God was pulling us towards issues that may be confusing and misunderstood, specifically the idea of hell.  So our first message series after REVEAL was planned to be about hell.
Fast forward to the REVEAL services.  On the last night Rob Turner spoke on heaven and mentioned how more and more churches have stopped talking about hell and heaven.  He encouraged us to not shy away from these topics just because it makes us uncomfortable.

Another example of God's sovereignty.

We will be staying on the issue of hell for the next few weeks.  We'll look at what our culture says about hell (including the Christian culture) and see if it matches Biblically to what the Bible has to say.

What was "revealed" to you?

After 9 months of planning, 50 yards signs, and over 2000 pogs the "Reveal" event has finally come and gone.

Each night we averaged over 300 students in attendance.  We had over 10 different churches represented throughout the Northern Kentucky area.  It was amazing to see so many schools and churches worshipping God as one body of believers. 

Continue checking in with the Reveal facebook page - www.facebook.com/reveal2011.  We encourage everyone to right on the wall something that was "revealed" to them this week.

Thanks to everyone who helped with this event.  It was awesome to see God working through each of you.  Everyone did a wonderful job inviting their friends and family to this event.

I say all of that to say this...  We're not even close to being done for the year.  Many of you were challenged by our speaker, Rob Turner, to "pray up, speak up, and step up".  Its time that we all step up and live as someone who is living in Christ.  This means we need to get rid of the junk and start living a way that people can see and understand who Jesus is by our actions.  The way we talk, act, and live matters!  Now that the truth has been revealed to you, its time to reveal it to others.  It's time!

We're moving on up!

The time has come.  This Wednesday, August 31st, we will be bringing up the new 6th graders.  Its always exciting to see new youth join our ministry.  Its even more exciting to see more middle schoolers now that we are starting our new middle school and high school ministries.  We want them to feel welcomed and encouraged to attend.  They may be young, but as we have seen, young people can do some pretty amazing things.
This Wednesday will also be our first afterschool program.  Make sure you print off a permission slip and have your parents sign it before I pick you up.  If not, then meet me at the Lighthouse a little after 3pm.

Ch-ch-ch-changes are coming to ORBS!

Oak Ridge Baptist Students ministries are going to be experiencing some changes this September. 
The time has come to branch outside of our comfort zones.  We will be dividing our middle school and high school students on Wednesday and Sunday nights. 

We will still have our Wednesday and Sunday night meetings (The Point and SHARP groups).  We are just changing the schedule a little bit.

Our Sundays will now look like this...
5pm - DirtyFridge Band practice
6pm - The Point - Middle School Students
        - SHARP Groups - High School Students

Our Wednesdays will not look like this...
2:30 pm - Afterschool Program
6:00 pm - OMEGA Choir practice
7:00 pm - The Point - High School Students
              -  SHARP Groups - Middle School Students

This may sound a little scary but its actually going to create a lot of awesome opportunities.
We will soon be starting separate web pages that deal just with middle school and high school events.  The Point services will be focused on where you are right now in school.  We will also be developing a middle school and high school band so we need middle schoolers to start coming to band practice on Sundays at 5pm.

You'll still be able to see your older and younger friends.  The afterschool program, OMEGA, and DirtyFridge will still be both middle and high school students.  SHARP groups were already divided by age so you won't see much difference there.

Our goal is to grow both the middle school and high school ministries.

The change will happen AFTER our NKY youth conference on September 11-13th.

Start inviting your friends!

It's only a few weeks away.  We have our promo material sent.  Right now over 200 churches in Northern Kentucky will be receiving info on Reveal 2011, but it's not going to stop there!

Each school's Christian club will also be receiving information on the event.  You may have also seen this graphic in the local newspaper.

We need your help to spread the word.  Use the facebook and blog to help your friends get the info.  "Like" the facebook page.  Right now we have 50 fans on facebook, but lets see if we can double that this week!

We'll have more promo material for you guys this Sunday to pass out to your schools.

It's time to get out of the boat!

I have updated the website.  Above you will see that the calendar has been updated.  There are a few changes that should be noted:

1.  The back to school year bash has been rescheduled for August 17th, from 6-8pm.  More details will be coming tomorrow (8/10) at The Point.
2.  Youth Council will be on Monday August 15th
3.  Youth Leadership Team, will meet on August 24th
4.  We have moved one of our Revival Prep's to September 7th
5.  The Revival time is from 7:00-8:15pm

Quick reminder...  The afterschool program is starting at the end of the month.  For you to participate you MUST have a signed permission slip.  Even if you participated last year, you must have signed permission slip by you and your parent.  The permission slip is located at the top of the website next to the calendar.  I'll have hard copies for you tomorrow.

REVEAL

Its been a crazy summer!

Now that we are finished with youth camps, VBS, and kid's camps, its time to start thinking ahead to something HUGE!

We've talked about this since January, and what I said back then is still true today.  This youth revival is the biggest thing we have on our calendar.

Here is the basic info on the event:

Youth Revival - We're calling it "REVEAL"

Location - Simon Kenton High School Auditorium

Dates - September 11-13th

Time - 7pm - 8:15pm (Doors open at 6:45pm)

Speaker - Rob Turner

Worship Leader - Rachael Hurt

Even though this is labeled "youth revival" it is not just for students.  We encourage family and friends of any age to attend these nights.  Each night the gospel will be explained clearly and passionately by Rob Turner.

Start praying now about friends, families, and classmates that need to go to "REVEAL".

On August 17 and 24th, you will see on the calendar "Youth Revival Prep".  We will be having a special The Point services each of those nights.  We will be spending a majority of the service praying and spreading the word to our friends and neighbors.

There will soon be a facebook page dedicated to REVEAL.  We are almost done working on a graphic and soon we will have t-shirts and other promotional items for you to use to let others know about this.

If any of you are on twitter, Rob Turner has started a hashtag called Reveal2011.  Facebook and twitter would be an easy and powerful way to spread the word about this event.

All of this planning will be for nothing if we don't start praying now though.  Take time every day for the next month to pray for this revival.

God is doing some amazing and awesome things!

God's presence

You know that feeling you get when you can really feel God move in the room?

Tonight (Friday) at worship the last few songs (In Christ Alone and Everlasting) I could really feel God move in the room.  I could really feel Him in the room and I felt Him there listening to 600 youth and adults praise Him and worship Him with everything we have.

Thanks to all that are praying for us.  We are having a great week.

Nathan Daugherty

Why we love camp

I'm sure that some people are wondering why camp means so much to the youth. I say that because I've asked that question many times myself, and God has recently blessed me with an answer.
We love camp so much because it gives us a time to fellowship with each other and many other people who love God just as much as we do.
It's a time where we can let things off our chest to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It helps us realize that we are not alone in our beliefs, because at school, sometimes you honestly feel like you are. It gives us a week to just get away from everyday life and enjoy ourselves and grow closer as a family, because we are, and a family shares its pains, joys, and burdens. It helps us to broaden our views of Christ, and gives us a chance to examine our lives and center them around God.
Basically, camp is our one week where we have us, our God, and northing else.

Josh Ball

This Wednesday - July 13th

This Wednesday we will continue to have our regular youth times. We will NOT be doing the same activities that we originally had scheduled.

We won't be able to do Lakeside or the field trip. Instead this Wednesday we will be working on preparing for VBS and the camp service. We will stay at the Lighthouse until we need to go over to church for "The Point".

I would also like to ask for help on future Wednesdays. After this week we have VBS. We will still have our lakeside and field trip before VBS but instead of "The Point" we will be having VBS (obviously). The week after I will be at Cedarmore chaperoning Kid's Camp. I DO NOT want to cancel Lakeside or the field trip so if there is an adult that would like to step up and help me out this week that would be wonderful. If you are interested in taking over for me, please let me know. We will not be doing a lot of heavy work at the Lakeside. We will be installing large garbage cans, park benches, and picnic tables.



With all of that being said, I also wish to ask any adult that if they are available, I really would like to have you help me out in future Wednesday activities (Lakeside, Field Trips). Everyone knows about the infamous "Toilet incedent". This obviously could not have been forseen, but it has shown me the need for more adult help on Wednesdays. Obviously I pray that nothing happens to me, but I really need another adult present to not only be there if something like this happens again, but to also help me out in general. If you are available on Wednesdays please let me know ASAP! If you know of an adult that would be available give me their contact info, or have them see me.

I hope you all enjoyed an awesome week of camp. I can't wait to share with the rest of the church how God worked in all of your lives!

Fixin' Up

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share a little about how I have seen God working in our lives this week. I (Tiffany Brown aka as Bro. Thom's wife aka Lucy's mom) have had the pleasure of chaperoning the High School Girls room along with Emily Brown.  The girls have been an absolute pleasure to be with.  We've smiled, and giggled and had some serious talks.  I enjoy each one of them.  Yesterday during their TAWG (Time Alone With God) time, one of the girls spoke out about reaching out to the middle school girls.  They wanted each of the high school girls to write a middle school girl a note and leave it somewhere they'll find it.  The girls immediately agreed that they would love to do that and started calling out names of people who they would like to write to. 
As the girls continued talking about how they'd like to connect with the middle school girls they came up with the idea of giving the girls a little "pampering" before the evening worship service. The middle school girls loved getting their hair fixed by the high school girls. They came out into the lobby looking so happy.  We took a few of them outside and did a few "glamour shots". 
I was so proud of our high school girls for including the younger ones on their own.  All of us have a want and a need to feel included at some point in time and it is awesome to see the girls living this out!
After fixing up their outside, we went to worship and talked about fixing our insides.  Pastor Rob talked about forgiveness: forgiveness for others, forgiving ourselves and how God forgives us.  God really spoke to many students through the message and they spent some time last night talking and praying over some issues that God was stirring up in them.
It is evident that God has been and is working this week.  Keep on praying!!

-Tiffany Brown

My Story

I am having so much fun at camp so far!  I have learned a lot about God and what He has done for us.  My family are believers in Christ, but we don't go to church or really know anything about God.  Last year was the first time I was ever taught how to use a Bible.  It was also my first year at camp.  But this year I realized

I want a relationship with God, and I don't wanything at home to get in the way.  I don't want to let my self have excuses.  Ialso want to tell my family about God and everything He does.  I am learning a lot from our pastor and small group leader. 

There is this thing called "The Beyond Effect" where you have a burden and a passion and put it together.  Last year I really wanted to have little girls that are in the hospital for a sickness, have a pageant show for them.  Dress them up in clothes and make up and make them feel pretty.  I really would love to do this but I need prayers and help for this.

Taylor Barhorst

I love my youth group!

I think we have the best.  We include everyone, we help people if they are sad or mad.  So I think that I have the best youth group ever.
We need to be united.  We also don't need to split.  Also I am blessed to have everyone.  But you would never ever be left out cause we all love each other.
We are a family.  I don't think that you could a better youth group to be with.  I am probably the youngest right now.  My age is 11, in 2011, and i am included, everyone loves me cause they include me so I know they love me.  Also we include smaller kids like Eli Pendley.  We let him play football with us.  We include Eli, we never stop including!

Nichole Daugherty

ACTS - Prayer

I learned a new way to pray.  The ACTS way:

A - Adoration
C - Confession
T - Thanksgiving
S - Supplication

Sarah Setters

Protecting one of our own

Yesterday was really hot.  I'm not just saying it was unpleasant.  It was hot, humid, and it made you feel like you were moving in slow motion.
One of our students got a little hot yesterday during lunch.  He thought he was going to be sick so he quickly ran to the bathroom.
It was awesome to see our students take action.  Our guys and girls came to his side to make sure he was okay.  We had a few boys inside the bathroom with him, and many of them outside waiting and praying for him to feel better.
This is what we should look for when we are searching for spiritual growth.  Nobody had to ask the youth to do any of this.  Our students genuinely care about one another.  Throughout the rest of the day I heard many students checking up on this one to make sure he was okay.  They didn't do it to be recognized.
We are seeing a lot of growth throughout our students.  I've seen many of the older youth step up in major ways.  We've seen students presenting the gospel to others.  We've seen students talk about difficult issues with one another.  Our students just won't give up!  Praise God!

Continue to pray for our students that they remain safe and healthy.

FYI - Ben felt much better later that afternoon.  Everything is back to normal.

TAWG - Time Alone With God

So these first couple days have been very good spiritually for me. I have already come to new terms with myself and my prayer life.


Myself and a few of the other guys have really taken time to examine what prayer is and how it is to really communicate with God. I am already working on the application and redefinition of prayer in my life.

Things are going very good so far and I am hoping that the rest of this week goes as well as these first few days and I hope I come back as a new, stronger Christian. We’ll see how this goes.

                                                                 Christopher Setters

Youtube Channel

I will be loading camp videos to this blog, but to check out all of our videos visit our new Oak Ridge Youth channel on Youtube.

www.youtube.com/orbyouth

Sorry about the sound quality and the rough edits.  We'll fix that when we get back from camp and have more time!

Reunited and it feels so good

So our youth got a little surprise this year... Mr. Curtis Bales!

He's been a part of the youth group for the past 3 years.  Unfortunately, last year after camp he moved to Grant County.

Our students were missing Curtis and camp kept reminding them that he was gone.  Little did they know that I was in contact with Curtis for the past couple of months.

So we stopped at the Flying J in Walton.  The bus stopped and I got off.  As soon as Curtis's van door opened, I heard a roar of screaming and applause coming from the students on the bus.

This video is Curtis entering the bus.  The students honored him with a "slow clap" and a big hug!

Here's a taste of what we've been up to so far!

We're here!!!

I just wanted to drop in a say that we made it here safe and sound!

I will have videos and pics soon.  We are currently having free time so a lot of our students are playing basketball and volleyball.

It is such a blessing to look out at all of the campers and see almost 30 blue shirts walking around interacting with other Christians.

Continue praying for a safe week!

Camp is just hours away...

Okay, I realize that by posting this I reveal that I am just as bad as the students.  It's 2:50 in the morning right now and I can't get to sleep.  I've tried everything I can think of but I am way to excited about camp this year.

We have 28 students attending camp.  That is the most students I have ever brought to camp.
We also have 6 chaperones (plus one driver!) that will be joining us for camp which brings our total number to 35!!!

As most of you know I had a little run in with a broken toilet that left me with 20 stitches in my left arm.  I'm feeling fine right now, but unfortunately it made it so that I couldn't drive the new church bus.  I will still be going to camp, but I just wasn't able to safely drive that size of a vehicle with stitches in my left wrist.  Thankfully Bro. Byron has stepped up and is willing to drive us down.  I cannot thank you enough Bro. B for helping us.  Please take some time to thank Byron.  Before I could even ask him, he already offered to take us down!

My injury has brought me some good news and bad news.  The bad news is that I won't be able to participate in many of the physical activities (i.e. blobbing).  I also know that we have 2 men that are more than capable to fill my place when it comes to blobbing!

The good news:  I will be able to do more on here!  You will have more updates as well as more pics of your kids on here.  Also, I have started a new youtube channel that will have camp videos of our students.  Soon you will actually get to see video of your students!

I'll try to update this as much as possible!  You can see that even though I have a slight injury I can still type.

Also a new feature...  We will be having guest bloggers this week!  You guys will get sick of hearing from me everyday so I will be picking random campers/chaperones to write a guest post from their point of view!

So now is the time to start praying!  Pray for our students, pray for our chaperones, pray for our drivers, pray for the camp workers, and most importantly, pray that God's name will be glorified this week!

Lakeside Workday

This Saturday, June 25th, we will be having a workday for our Lakeside Ministries.

We'll be working 10am-4pm.

Lunch will be provided.

Wear apropriate clothing!

Rain Plan

It looks like its going to rain today (June 15th).  We will still have youth activities today.  We will be doing things at the Lighthouse.  If you have any board games or video games bring them with you.  We will be working at the Lighthouse for a little bit before we play games.

Weekly Review

This week's schedule

Wednesday June 15th
2:00 pm - Lakeside Ministries - Bring shoes and any lawn equipment available (ask parent's first!)
4:00 pm - Summer Days - Putt Putt - World of Sports in Florence, KY - Dinner Provided
6:00 pm - Youth Choir @ Church
7:00 pm - The Point

Saturday June 18th
10am-4pm - Lakeside Workday - Meet @ Lighthouse, Lunch Provided

Sunday June 19th
Camp Balances are due! - See Bro. Thom if this will be an issue

Next 3 weeks = crazy!!!

Instead of writing 5-6 different posts on what we are doing in the next couple of weeks, I'm just going to cram it all into one... enjoy!

Tomorrow, June 1st - Grill out at Brown's - NO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM, NO YOUTH SERVICE - THE POINT,  Grill out = food, games, and slip and slide.  6-9pm

Saturday, June 4th - Car was for camp - 10:00-3:00, those who work will get money to lower costs of camp.  The most anybody owes now is $100.  Carwash @ Church Parking Lot

Sunday, June 5th - Leadership Team Interviews (view tab above, and previous post below)

Wednesday, June 8th - Lakeside Ministries Begins (2pm), Field trip - Swimming (4pm), The point - (7pm)

After The Point, we will be having a camper/adult meeting at 8pm in the Mobile Unit.  You will get your final balances as well as all of the info you need for camp this year.  The meeting should last no longer than 30 minutes.  Remind your parents, and then have them remind you.

Saturday, June 11th - Car Wash - 10-3pm, @ Church

Sunday, June 12th - Band (5pm), Leadership Team 6pm, ORIA 6pm

Wednesday June 15th - Lakeside 2pm, Field Trip - Putt Putt 4pm, The Point 7pm

Saturday June 18th - This has changed!!! It originally was a day that we would be shopping for Father's Day.  This will NOW BE A WORKDAY FOR LAKESIDE MINISTRIES!!!  10-4pm

Check the calendar or e-mail me if you have any questions... oakridge.youth@hotmail.com

Oak Ridge Student Leadership Team

We are starting an Oak Ridge Baptist Student Leadership Team.  Because that name is too long and obnoxious we will refer to it as ORBS Leadership Team.

This team will be doing some exciting things this summer.  Above you will see a tab that says Student Leadership Team info.  This will explain exactly what we are looking for. 

We encourage everyone to try out for a position on the leadership team, but please understand that not everyone will be selected for the team.

We will be holding interviews on Sunday June 5th from 6-7pm.

If you have questions ask Bro. Thom or Tiffany.

Mommy Dearest

Mother's Day is May 8th.  That means you have less than 2 weeks to pick out the perfect present for your mother.

Now you can do the same thing you do every year...  Have your dad buy the gift and have you sign the card taking the credit for the gift.  We all know that our mom's will like anything that we give them, but that doesn't mean we forget about them!

On Saturday May 7th at 10am I will be taking the church van to multiple places for Mother's Day shopping.  If you would like to be a wonderful son or daughter and you haven't gotten a gift yet, this will be an excellent opportunity for you!

Our mother's do so much for you, that you need to give your mom something more than a hug for Mother's Day!

You will have to bring your own money for this.  We will ONLY be providing transportation.  You will need money for food and the present.  We will be eating at the food court.

We will ONLY be shopping for Mother's Day gifts.  We will not be making any "detours" to play lasertag or get ice cream.  This is a day where you will be on an important mission to find the perfect gift!

So... are you going to be a good son and daughter?

April = Crazy Month!!!

April was a very crazy month!

In the month of April we...

1. Built mobile toilets
2. Learned about righting wrongs
3. Prayed over our new Lakeside ministry
4. Met some cool people from Campbellsville
5. Picked up sticks for a church member in need
6. Created a barbecue restaurant for our church
7. Raised almost $1000 to help lower the cost of camp
8. Sang in a choir that introduced a collection of hymns and contemporary songs.
9. Played in a worship band that put on its first solo concert.
10. CELEBRATED THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.

We have a lot of work to do in May if we are going to top that!
Congratulations on an awesome month of service, fellowship, discipleship, and worship!

NO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM TOMORROW/D Now

There will NOT be an afterschool program tomorrow, April 13.
There will also NOT be any choir tomorrow.
If anybody would like to show up at the mobile unit anyway at 6 pm, we will be hanging out and playing games before the Point service.

Tomorrow's "The Point" service will be our last week in the series "let me tell you a story..."  Bro. Byron will be sharing part of his story with us.

In other news...  this weekend is the D-Now.  If you haven't signed up, make sure you do!  It costs $5.00 which covers your food, Bible study, and entertainment for the weekend (awesome deal right?!)

If you have supplies that you would like to bring to help build your toilet racer (i.e. wheels) you are allowed to do so.  Each group will be given money to spend on supplies for their racer!

Have a great day!  And I'll see you guys tomorrow!

P.S. You all still have 2 1/2 weeks before I get my haircut for the 50 perm challenge.  Its not too late!

Let me tell you a story...

Stories are so powerful. 

We all have our favorite books that we read as a child.  When we see those stories now it brings that warm feeling inside.  We can't help but smile and remember "the good old days" when times were simpler.

Stories help us learn lessons in life.  We learn to try new things by reading "Green Eggs and Ham".  We learn to use our imaginations and explore new worlds when we read "Where the Wild Things Are".  You can probably think of many more books or series that you read as a child.

Stories move us.

Jesus understood the power of stories.  When He taught, it would be common for Him to use an illustration (parable) to explain a concept or idea.

However, as we get older we tend to disconnect from the stories we heard as a kid.  We hear stories about David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den, and Noah and the Great Flood and we tend to put these stories into our "fairytale" section of our mind.  Its hard to try to relate to a giant killer when we are too busy trying to find ourselves in the mass chaos of school.

The stories that we read in the Bible aren't make-believe. 

They are legacies of ordinary men, with extraordinary faith in God.

So what is your legacy?  What will your "story" be?

You all have an infinite amount of potential.  Some of you may feel like its too late and that you have already made decisions that restrain and limit you.

My God is unlimited. 

Think big.  God is bigger than anything you can imagine.  With God on your side nothing can stop you from reaching the world.  So shine bright in the dark areas of the world.  God isn't waiting for you to "mature" to use you.  He wants to use you NOW!

Don't take the easy way out.  It's a lot easier to make up unbelievable stories that aren't true than it is to live unbelievable stories.  Dramatic stories and emotions may seem like they give you a lot attention but it never lasts. 

Don't let people view you as one who has a million problems.  Have them view you as someone who has the One solution.

One Last Chance for D-NOW Sign-up

You all have been hearing about this event for some time now, and it's finally here!

On April 15-17th we are having our Disciple Now Event.

For more information click on the tab above that says "Disciple Now"

We need people to sign up ASAP so we can form our groups early!

If you are already signed up invite your friends and have them sign up, but you need to do it before the end of this week!

50 Perm Challenge

I have issued a challenge to our student ministry.  Will you accept the challenge?

The challenge is to have 50 youth on ONE Wednesday night.  If you are able to complete this challenge then I will perform a task that I have never performed before.

If the challenge is completed I will get a.... PERM!!!  (Tiffany is cringing right now!)

I will keep my hair long with the perm until my birthday when I get a haircut.

That day is May 2nd.  So that means that you have until then to have 50 youth at one time for "The Point" Service.

The students must be in middle school or high school.  They must all come on the same day, and they must stay for the entire service.

Are you up for the challenge?  I sure am!

Live Freely

2 Timothy 1:7 - For the Spirit of God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of STRENGTH, LOVE, AND SELF-CONTROL.  ESV - (Emphasis added)

We have been going through the series "More than a Golden Ticket".  We have to understand by accepting Christ our journey isn't over.  Two weeks ago we talked about how God has made us a new creation and what looks like.  Last week we talked about how we are now freed.

We are freed from death, sin, uniformity, condemnation, and fear.

We know that being freed FROM sin, that it doesn't give us the freedom TO sin.  Why act like you are owned by something when you were set free?

I want us to continue to focus on being freed from fear.  Those that were at the gathering were given a card with verse 2 Timothy 1:7.  We have extra cards for those that need it.  I want you all to contine to repeat the verse.  Now this isn't like a magic spell that if you repeat over and over you'll begin to see glitter and stars. 
We all need to remind ourselves that God has made us without fear.  We add fear.  Satan adds fear.  God never gave us fear. 

If you don't believe me, spend a day with a 15 month old baby (I have one if you can't find one).  Babies are some of the most fearless people I have ever met.

Yesterday Christopher Setters said something pretty profound.  He said "I just need to remember to STAY STRONG."  I love that!  For you to STAY STRONG you have to have an understanding that you were strong in the first place.

But Satan and others make us feel weak.  We compare our lives to others and feel incapable of doing what they do.  But God sees more in us even if we don't see anything in us.

Use this as you continue to spread the gospel.  It may seem intimidating, but we need to share the gospel with others.  This wonderful gift we have shouldn't be kept on a shelf.

Be strong!  Have faith in God!  Know that He will never leave you!

New Creation

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Currently we are going through our new series "More Than a Golden Ticket". We know that our ultimate destination and desire is to one day be in the presence of our Father in Heaven. But many times I hear people say "but now what?". "By accepting Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and being justified through His sacrifice, does that mean I am done?"

Certainly not!

As I said this past Wednesday my hope is that 3 things will happen through this series...

1. You will begin to understand that you are not even close to being done with your Christian growth and journey.

2. You will fully comprehend the wonderful gift of grace that God has given to you through His Son.

3. You will see the NECESSITY of sharing the Gospel to everyone you meet.

We can think of thousands of reasons why we don't share the gospel but with others, but really there is only one thing stopping us... and that's us.

The first week we talked about how we are a new creation. We use the example of baptism to represent the death of our old selves and the birth of a new creation.

We are not just an improvement of our former selves. By uniting with Christ, we become something completely different than we once were. Sometimes we treat Christianity as a head start. Like there is a race and by being a Christian you get to start further down the road than everyone else. Its not that at all. The Bible tells us that the old is gone.

We still sin... we still mess up... but our God is a great God. He is greater than all of our problems, issues, and sin.

I want you all to think about this as you go through your week. God has given you a new life. Don't live like the old one! We were made a new creation by the Ultimate Creator.

So... how are you going to live like you are a new creation this week? You may need to let go of your old life. Pray for God to use you in your school, workplace, and home.

If you have a story where you were given the choice, and you chose to live as a new creation this week, share it with me at oakridge.youth@hotmail.com. Your story may be shared or used to help others throughout the week.

Don't EVER limit what God can do in your life.

Laser Cats minus the cats

Our lock-in winner has decided...

For President's Day, the youth will be spending the day...

WASHING ANGRY FERAL CATS!!!

Just kidding!

Actually she has chosen lasertag. So this Monday, February 21st we will heading out to Laser Craze on Donaldson Road.

If you need a ride, let me know by e-mail at Oakridge.youth@hotmail.com.

We will be arriving at Laser Craze around NOON - and we will be done by 4pm.

The cost is $10.00 which will give you atleast 3 games of lasertag and unlimited fountain drinks. Lunch will also be provided.

If you do not need a ride you can meet us Laser Craze at noon, or the Lighthouse at 11:30 am.

C-C-C-C-Camp!!!! (deposits are due)

We know its coming...

We've been waiting for such a long time...

And now the time is finally here!

It's time to turn in your camp deposits!!!

Okay, I know this may not sound like as much fun as camp is, but let me tell you what that $75.00 deposit does...

It will:

1. Save you a spot for camp

2. Guarantee you an awesome week of fun.

3. Give you the ability to fly (not really)

4. Lock you in on the fundraising/donations funds - This is really important.

Let me explain #4. Let's say we have 20 people give me their deposit. The 20 people will be locked in as "the original group", so whatever donations or fundraising we do will be given to this group first. If you signup and give me a deposit later on (May 15th for example) you will only receive funds that we get after your deposit. So if a donation is given before you give me a deposit, it may not go to you. So...

People who turn in their deposit March 23rd will receive funds from March 23rd up until camp.

People who turn in their deposit May 15th (or any date after March 23rd) will receive funds from May 15th up until camp.

But what if you don't have the money right now but you will still like to go?

That's okay. I know money may be tight (especially if you have siblings attending camp). If you know you are going to camp but can't give me a deposit now, just let me know by e-mail or writing me a note. Now this is not an option for people who have the $75 but procrastinate or want to spend it on stuff like candy (that's a lot of candy). But if you would like to go, and you can't get the deposit in, you will still be able to be a part of the "original group".

All checks need to be written out to Oak Ridge Baptist and be hand delivered to me.

If you have any questions or need to tell me that you can't have the money in yet, e-mail me!

Chris Tomlin Concert

If you have ever turned to K-Love on the radio or went to a contemporary worship service you will probably hear a song written by Chris Tomlin. He has become one of the most influential songwriters in the Christian community.

On March 19th at 7:00 pm he will be at the Bank of Kentucky Center. We are going as a church and we WILL BE PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION. If you are interested please sign up at the church. Tickets are $17.00. We want all of us to sit together so please signup before the deadline.

Louie Giglio will also be speaking. He is best known for his partnership with Chris Tomlin in the Passion Series. He is an outstanding speaker.

The deadline to signup will be next Wednesday the 10th.

Winter Weather Guidelines

With the unpredictable weather going on, here are a few guidelines to follow when it comes to youth meetings.

If Kenton County Schools are closed on Wednesdays, there will NOT be any afterschool program.

If there is a level 2 or 3 snow emergency for Kenton County there will NOT be any youth activities.

There will also not be any children's activities on Wednesday night if there is a level 2 or 3 snow emergency for Kenton County.

Make sure you check the website for any updates on activities. This will be the first thing I update before I start making phone calls.

Just a reminder... that if we DO have "The Point" tomorrow to bring your friend four series finale of "The Greatest Sermon". It will take $10 off your camp balance.

If you have a friend that would like to be a part of the afterschool activity, they must have

1. A permission slip which is downloadable off of this website (click on the "Afterschool Permission Slip" Tab).

or

2. A signed permission slip from their parent.

If I do not receive either of those then the student will not be allowed on the van for pickup. We would love to have your friends come over, but before we can we have to have these forms. Its a matter of safety and security.

Our Guys = Big Boys

On Sunday, February 2nd, the middle school and high school guys' Sunday School class will be going to Frisch's. Meet us at the Independence location by Simon Kenton at 9:00 am. After we eat you will have transportation to the Lighthouse/Church. We will discuss it more this Sunday during Sunday School. Invite your friends!

The Fresh Prince and Napoleon's favorite food...

Tomorrow is our first afterschool program of the new year.

Many of you have heard about this program, but in case you haven't...

This is a program that happens afterschool (duh!). Students will be picked up from their schools. They will be taken to the Lighthouse. While they are there, they can work on homework, hangout, play games, read, practice, etc.

We want to feed the students good quality food. We know that there are picky eaters so if you do not want to eat what we have, please bring your own food. Any student that doesn't eat will not be able to participate. We don't want any student to go home hungry. Students will also be helping prepare the food. We aren't turning people in professional chefs, but we do feel it is really important for students to learn how to cook basic things (besides pizza rolls).

This week we will be eating Philly Cheesesteak and tater tots. We will also have other vegetables and snacks that they can eat before dinner.

If your child has any allergies that we do not know about, PLEASE let us know. We do our best to make sure that we eat things that are safe for peanut and nut allergies.

This is a FREE program. Your admission will be a permission slip that is downloadable below. If you have a friend coming with you, they need to fill out the permission slip before they attend.

Click this link to download a copy of the permission slip (afterschool program slip)

$5 Deals are ALWAYS the best

I hope everyone is recovering well from the Lock-In this past week. We had over 30 students come out for a night of paper throwing, blind fold dancing, and loving everybody especially people who...

For those that were not able to make it, come and see Bro. Thom about a calendar. I will try and put a downloadable version of it online.

This calendar has many important dates coming up. For example, if you had a calendar you would know that the afterschool program starts on January 26th. You would also know that in February we have a mystery activity (which will be chosen by our Lock-In winner Morgan Chenot).

When you get the calendar I want you to look at three HUGE months this year: April, July, and September.

April will be our big fundraiser, as well as our Disciple Now.

July 5-10th is camp at J-Creek

September will be our Northern Kentucky Youth Revival - please start praying now for this one!

And finally...

We have already started a new fundraiser for camp this year. For every visitor you bring to The Point Service on Wednesday (at 7pm) you will receive $5 off your camp balance. So start inviting!!!

Sorry baby you are not allowed to come...

New Year's Eve Lock-in

Date: Friday, January 14th, 2011
When: 7:00pm - 7:00am
Where: Lighthouse - 6036 Clubhouse Drive
What: I already told you, it's a lock-in!
How Much: Bathroom supplies and toothbrushes (read below)
Who: You...
Why: Stop asking questions!

But seriously, here are some more info for anybody that would like to come to this.
Lock-in's are basically an overnight party. We meet at the Lighthouse and we stay up all night without going out (we "lock" you "in"). If you need to come late or leave for emergency reasons, we obviously will be okay with that.
We'll have food, games, lots of free time to hang out with friends, and a Bible study. The big thing we will be doing is unveiling our 2011 calendar of all of the events that we will be doing throughout the year. We'll also be talking about 3 HUGE events happening in the spring, summer, and fall. The one in the fall is going to be the biggest thing we have ever done, and I can't wait to let you all know about it on Friday.
This lock-in doesn't cost any MONEY to attend. There will be an admission though!
Your admission is travel size toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste) and/or toothbrushes. All of the items we collect will go to a ministry that has recently started at our church "Unlock Your Heart" (click on the New Ministry Link to the right). If you do not have these items, you can buy them them from Bro. Thom for $2.00.
Your other admission is a permission slip. Here is a downloadable copy right here... (CLICK HERE). It will open up as a Google Doc/.pdf file. Click file on the upper left part of the document, then click print.
You may also receive one at the Lighthouse this week.
So come on all and I guarantee that you will have a blast.

If you are an adult (or know one) that would be willing to stay up part or all of the night we would love to have you as a chaperone. See Bro. Thom for more details...

Previously on Oak Ridge Youth...

We're Back!!!

I hope you all are having a happy new year. We are starting back this Wednesday, JAnuary 5th. Here are some important dates that are coming up...

January 5th - First "The Point" of 2011 - 7:00pm

January 9th - DirtyFridge practice 5:00 pm - anyone welcome, be early!

- SHARP Groups - We will ALL be doing days 41-45 this week (

***If you have already read that read it again, if you aren't there, double up on days until you get there (it will take you 2 minutes)***

January 12th - The Point

January 14th - New Years Lock-in - 7pm-7am

- This is NOT the big lock-in we do every year. This is just a night to celebrate our year, and talk about the new exciting things we will be doing in 2011.

January 26th - 1st day of afterschool program