Like It Or Not: TWILIGHT IS HERE!

Your teenage girl wants to see this movie!

FAMILY ZOOLIGHTS

Saturday, December 7th Meet at church at 4pm

$7 (kids 3 and under are FREE) Please RSVP with Sharry at sharryk@oakhills-church.org .

Harvest Party Pictures

Church Newsletter Column- October/November

“We are all single lanes in search of two-lane and four-lane highways that bridge to other islands.” Leonard Sweet

Many church leaders have declared recently that “Sunday morning is the most segregated time in America.” Obviously, this refers to the lack of racial diversity in ones given church on any given Sunday morning. I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, although I believe that statement goes far beyond race. I believe that Sunday mornings are also segregated by an institutional form of ageism. Most youth ministries, for example, are set-up to separate the teens from the other generations of the church body. Youth have their groups, their camps, their own mission trips, and even their own annual worship services (can someone say “Youth Sunday?”). I also believe this dynamic has been detrimental to the spiritual growth of several young people in the American church today. In a recent survey conducted by Fuller’s Center for Youth and Family, churched high school seniors were asked to list which groups supported them most as youth. With much excitement, it was revealed that PARENTS were the number one support system. What is sad is that ADULTS IN CHURCH were selected dead last in the options offered to them. The bad news is that many times students are woefully disconnected from the larger body of Christ, minus the youth pastor and maybe an adult leader or two. The Youth Ministry leadership team at Oak Hills recognizes this need with the youth we work with. We have made it one of our top priorities this year to create opportunities for older generations to connect with youth. We believe that a young soul will gain maximum love and knowledge when we follow the 5:1 ratio principle. This does not mean one adult for every five youth. This means that, at least, five adults in our church community will invest time and energy into the life of one young person. Two of those adults, hopefully will be their parents. Who will the other three be? I know that the other three are out there. I know that you feel either too busy or unqualified for the position. Remember the adults in your past who were present in your life. Remember how they shaped how you think and what you believe. You don’t have to be a regular youth leader to be present in the life of a young person. You can write notes of encouragement through the tough days of being a teenager. You can share your story of faith at one of the youth groups. You could attend the activities these young people participate in. You could learn some names and connect them with faces. You would no longer ask me: “How is the youth group doing?” You will now ask: “How is (insert name of youth) doing?” We have six seniors involved in our high school group. What are they going to say in June about the people of Oak Hills Church? Will they say that Oak Hills was segregated by generations or will they say they felt integrated into the Body of Christ? My hope and dream is that they feel the latter.

Youth Ministry Is Meant to Be Intergenerational

As a youth ministry program at Oak Hills Church, we are heading towards a system which is based less on dividing generation towards one that is purely intergenerational. This article from the Fuller Institute gives a solid basis for why it is essential that we head in this direction. To read the article, click here.

HIGH SCHOOL BROOM HOCKEY

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5th 9pm-11:30pm

Lloyd Center Ice Rink

$9.00 8th Graders are welcome to join us. Bring as many friends as you would like.

High School Bible Study: SAINT RALPH

The High School group will be watching and discussing the film, SAINT RALPH at Bible study next Sunday (November 9th). Watch the trailer above.

SERVING AT PORTLAND RESCUE MISSION

Our Youth Ministry community will be serving at the Portland Rescue Mission on Thursday, November 13th. If you are interested in joining us, please meet at the church at 5pm. Contact Curtis if you have any questions