Student Ministry

Student Center Project

steve.poston@lakotachristian.org — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:54:00 GMT

Thanks to the hard work of many volunteers, we are wrapping up the Student Center project. Sunday, November 8th @ 10:00 am is our target to resume our Sunday morning AXIS program for Jr. High & High School students. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to make it and we can use your help.

Work will be going on Saturday 10/31 beginning @ 9:00 am, Sunday afternoon beginning @ 2:00pm and probably every afternoon / evening next week ... We are also planning to work on Saturday 11/7 starting @ 9:00am... If you have some availability during any of those times we would love to have your help. The more help we have, the more quickly and completely we can finish the project and open the space up to all it’s normal ministry groups. We can use both skilled and unskilled help... For more info or to volunteer, contact Steve Poston

STUDENT CENTER OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, November 21st from 7:00 – 8:30 pm

We invite all Jr. High & High School students, their parents, CPSM volunteers and anyone who has volunteered in the Student Center Project to join us for a time of celebration and fellowship. It will be a fun night of fun giveaways, showcasing the ministry, sharing plans for 2010 and appreciating those who have worked so hard. Dessert and drinks will be provided. RSVP to Dawn Shively dawns@centerpiontechristian.org or call the church office 779-8800 ext 22

Student Center Projects & Program Interruptions

steve.poston@lakotachristian.org — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:56:00 GMT

We are about to begin several long-overdue projects to update and fix up the Student Center. These include a redesign of the stage, replacement of carpet, video projection upgrades, drywall repair and painting ... With these projects, there is likely to be several weeks in which the Student Center area is not usable for programming. Schedules and timelines are currently being developed for these projects. We hope to begin in the next week or so and complete the projects sometime in September.

As these projects get underway, we will communicate any changes or cancellations of regularly scheduled programming as early and effectively as we can. We ask for you flexibility and understanding as we move forward with these projects.

We are also seeking volunteers with skills in carpentry, electrical, carpet installation, drywall repair, and painting. In addition, we can use not-so-skilled volunteers who can come and provide help to the skilled labor folks. If you are willing to help with the project please contact Steve Poston ASAP.

Love Offering for Interns

steve.poston@lakotachristian.org — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:45:00 GMT

This summer we have had two interns who have served with us at Center Pointe Christian Church. We introduced Joe Dore and Brad Shelley in late May during graduate recognition Sunday and they have been hard at work ever since. Let me give you a quick glimpse into the contributions these guys have made to our ministries in the months that have followed.

Joe has developed curriculum and taught our Jr. High ministry on Sunday mornings, led Jr. High Bible Study on Thursdays, planned lunch and activities for both High School and Jr. High Bible Studies each week, participated in video promos for SNL, been a part of the adult teams for CIY Move and Know Sweat, helped plan other events, and been the connection point for parents and students as they paid and turned in forms for CIY conferences and events. He’s also filled in administrative gaps since our Student Ministry Assistant, John Goulding left the staff at the end of May to join the Axis Church Team.

Brad came to us last Fall with a desire to come home this summer and invest in his home church to help develop ministry to college age students. This summer his efforts have focused on laying a foundation for that ministry. He has been teaching a Sunday morning class on spiritual disciplines, leading a book discussion on Tuesday nights, and planning social and service events for that group. In addition, Brad has helped with weekly Jr. High and High School Bible Studies and activities, been a part of the adult teams for CIY Move and Know Sweat, participated in an SNL video promo, and participated in the Jamaica Mission Team.

Both of these guys have given a ton of effort and time to our ministry this summer without once complaining. While internships are about the interns learning and gaining practical experience, there is usually benefit to the church as well. These guys have been huge assets to our ministry team, especially in this season of transition. They have allowed us to do things in ministry that we would not have been able to do otherwise.

In the next couple of weeks the guys will be wrapping up their internships with Center Pointe and preparing to go back to school. Joe will be completing his internship this Sunday, August 9th and will be entering his final year @ Cincinnati Christian University. Brad will be finishing up his internship on Sunday, August 16th as he preaches in the morning worship services and then preparing to head back to Johnson Bible College for his Junior year. As they close their internships, we want to say thanks and show our support to these two guys who are now forever part of the Center Pointe family.

In addition to our regular offering on Sunday, August 16th, we will collect a special love offering for Joe and Brad in all three morning services. Checks should be made payable to Center Pointe CC and noted “Intern Offering”. The funds will be split between them and sent to help with their school bills for the coming school year. Please, prayerfully consider a generous gift to help support these guys as they pursue preparation for ministry in the service of the King. Also take the time to express your appreciation to these two guys for their contributions to our ministry and to our students.

Today's Teens Face Unique Challenges

steve.poston@lakotachristian.org — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:46:00 GMT

WOW! That’s the only way I can say it ... WOW! We just had over 30 sixth grade students and their families at our 6th grade Crossover this past Sunday. It’s an event that celebrates the 6th graders’ time in Children’s Ministry and connects them to Student Ministry ... Tammy and Mandy and their whole team have done such a great job of pouring into these students and laying a spiritual foundation in them. Now as they enter student ministry, they enter a crucial juncture in their journey. In the next six years, they will face the challenge of developing an independent faith – one that knows how to feed itself and can stand on it’s own, apart from the faith of their parents. A faith that is ready to withstand the storm of college academia and humanistic philosophies of our world.

The following excerpt from a Prison Fellowship Breakpoint article I recently read sheds some light on the challenges they face ...

From the double-edged sword of new technologies to the omnipresent media, today’s teens are facing unique challenges. And they often face those challenges alone—without input and guidance from adults.

Today, teenagers can go through days, if not weeks, without ever spending meaningful time with adults. The typical teenager wakes up, goes to school, and then to an extracurricular activity. They spend the majority of their waking hours interacting with other teens. If your teenager is like many today, he or she may not even eat with the family, but instead eat dinner while watching TV. After dinner, there is homework or chatting on the phone or online with—again—people their same age.

And what about Sundays at church? Even there, your teen may attend a youth worship service, attend Sunday school, or go to youth group—again, away from the influence of adults.

The result is that young adults—who desperately need the input, modeling, molding, and love of adults at this critical stage of life—are almost entirely devoid of meaningful interaction.

But even when we adults do interact with our teens, are we providing the kind of love and truth that is vital to their lives and to their souls? Of those teens in high school who profess faith, surveys by the George Barna group indicate that somewhere around 85 percent of “born again” teens do not believe in absolute truth. Nearly 50 percent said Jesus sinned during His earthly life.

I think there in a real connection between the things that students do or do not believe about Truth and how much quality interaction they have with mature believers. The things they believe about Jesus are a direct result of the things that they learn from adult Christians in their life. While the primary responsibility for raising kids in faith rests on their parents, the church can have a huge impact in the process. Adolescents need to be connected to other adults who can share life with them, who will mentor them, who will love them, who will speak truth into their lives.

I’m excited about the future of the Student Ministry here at Lakota / Center Pointe Christian Church. In the coming year, we anticipate connection with nearly 150 students grades 7-12... The key to deepening their faith will not be creative programming or fun activities. Those things are good tools and we will seek them out with great energy, but the key to our kids developing a deep love for God, a strong commitment to the truth of His Word, a heart of compassion that seeks to serve others, and the ability to lead others to the savior is the influence of adults that will be in their lives.

If you have a heart for students, we need you to come along side and share life with them. You don’t have to be an expert in teen culture or in teaching ... You just need to love God and have a heart for kids ... If you’re interested in talking about Student Ministry, either to get involved or to get your student(s) involved, contact me in the church office (513)779-8800 ext 43 or by email steve.poston@lakotachristian.org

For His Glory and His kids,

Steve Poston
Student Minister

The Wonder

steve.poston@lakotachristian.org — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:25:00 GMT

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Easter Pageant at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. I had been twice in past years and was amazed, touched, and inspired by the portrayal of the story of Jesus. Having drawn as many as 75,000 visitors a year for the annual performance, they took a year off to totally redesign and rewrite the pageant, so I was particularly anxious to see what it would be like after 2 years of preparation. It was complete with a cast of hundreds, a live orchestra and choir of over 300 voices, special effects, a film sequence displayed on a pair 50’ x 28’ screens, a revolving stage and live animals. The musical score was specially commissioned and developed by two composers... It was all there … and yet somehow, I found myself uninspired… I sat trying to focus, but found myself comparing it to the previous pageant and its impact on me. In my mind, I was critical of the music, the difficulty in viewing one of the screens from where my seat was located, and several other aspects of the performance. I was even conscious of my attitude and tried several times to set it aside and be impacted…until I saw them …
In front of me were two young boys. Ironically enough, I must admit that when they came in and sat in front of me just before the pageant began I thought, “I hope those boys will be quiet and behave so that I can enjoy the pageant.” And they did. I hadn’t noticed them for most of the performance. But then it happened. As the scene shifted from the crucifixion of Christ and the subsequent lamenting and doubting by the disciples into the resurrection scene, I noticed them. The video screens began to show a sequence of a body wrapped in burial cloth in the tomb. As one of the hands began to stretch inside the cloth, one of the boys poked the other and pointed to the screen, his mouth hanging open in awe. Then, in a burst of light, the risen Jesus appeared on the stage in a cloud of fog and spoke to his disciples. The boys jumped with excitement as the disciples began to celebrate the risen Lord. Then as the scene moved on with powerful music, Jesus hugged each of his disciples, and his mother after which, he began to rise up in the air toward a cloud of billowing fog and bright light… The boys’ faces lit up as they sat amazed at the sight of Jesus “ascending into heaven”.

As I sat and watched those two young boys in front of me, I was struck by the sense of wonder … I saw their faces light up with excitement. I saw them sit up in their seat and look at each other. I saw the sense of amazement and awe they felt as they experienced the portrayal of our Lord conquering death. And then it struck me… The two boys that I had thought might be a distraction to my enjoyment of the pageant, were much more focused and much more engaged in the experience than I was. And they were amazed and awestruck. They were filled with wonder and awe.

I wonder… When was the last time that I allowed the story and the scene of the savior’s death and resurrection to stir up a sense of wonder in me? The event I experienced tonight was simply special effects, some film, and a couple of cables and yet those two boys were amazed by it. The real story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is even more astounding than the pageant representation. So why am I not filled each day with a sense of wonder and amazement? That Jesus died for our failures and rejection… that he conquered death and came back to life… That he would suffer excruciating pain, intense humiliation, and complete isolation for those who had rejected him time and time again. That he would endure all of that for me? How could I not be amazed by that story every time? How could I lose my sense of wonder over God’s great love and powerful act of redemption? How could I let it become comfortable? Why don’t I celebrate that fact everyday and not just at Easter?

Thank you boys for reminding me that what Jesus did for us is not just a great thing but also a wondrous thing…