The Lounge – Teens | Elkview Baptist Church

The Lounge – Teens

The Elkview Baptist Church Teen Ministiry exists to provide an environment where teens can WORSHIP God, to REACH teens who don”t have a relationship with God, and to TEACH teens the ways of God, and STIMULATE a deeper relationship with God and other believers.

Teens meet on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm in The Lounge. Sunday opportunities include Sunday School at 9:30 am and SNBS (Sunday Night Bible Study) at 6:30 pm.

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Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 11-7-10

This week in our group we continued the series of lessons on the life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. We took a look at Jesus’ teaching from the synagogue in Nazareth where he says that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, as well as the hometown crowd’s reaction to what he said he had come to do. We talked about the risks of being chosen by God to tell others about Jesus’ mission and discussed some ways we can meet the physical and spiritual needs around us.

We encouraged our teenagers to recognize that they’ve been chosen, they’ve been called to go, and they’ve been called to speak. The opportunities may emerge right here in our own community or in another part of the world.

Sometime in the next few days, talk with your teenager about following Jesus’ footsteps in this way. Here are some questions you could ask:

Do you believe God has a role or assignment for every Christian?
What are some ways you can speak to people about what God has done in your life or how much God loves everyone?
If you were going to do somewhere and offer your gifts and abilities to help others, where would you go, and why?

You also might want to talk about ways your family can get involved together in sharing the good news of Jesus and helping people with spiritual and physical needs. Have a blessed week and let me know how I can be praying for your family!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 10-31-10

This week we began a series of lessons on the life of Jesus, based on the Book of Luke. We started with a passage (Luke 2:41-52) that talks about the 12-year-old Jesus traveling to Jerusalem with his family and others from Nazareth to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. This passage describes the journey and gives us insight into how much Jesus valued studying and understanding God’s Word. Jesus stayed behind at the temple when his family left, and was listening to the teachers there, asking questions, and sharing his own understanding.

We discussed several ways that Jesus grew, as described in the last verse: “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” We talked about how Jesus was dedicated to God’s Word from a young age, and the effect that had on all the areas of his life.

When the opportunity presents itself this week, get your teenager talking with these questions:

How do you think Jesus become so knowledgeable by the time he was 12 years old?
What are you doing right now in your life to strengthen your friendship with God?
How have you, or someone you know, exercised wisdom in the last week?
When in the last week do you wish you’d exercised greater wisdom?

You also might also ask if your child is facing any obstacles to becoming a student of God’s Word, and how you can support him/her overcome those challenges. Thanks for your prayers for our small group ministry. Have a great week!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 10-24-10

This week we wrapped up our three-week look at God’s thoughts on sex. We concluded by looking at Colossians 2:13-15. We discussed how sin in our lives is like a tumor that grows inside, and how God’s grace removes it when we seek his unconditional forgiveness. We also looked at how God loves us enough to forgive us and even to forget our past mistakes. The students were encouraged to realize that God has forgiven them, and as a result can stop being enslaved to their past sins. Instead, they can and should experience the freedom that is given to them as a follower of Christ.

This week, I’d encourage you to take time to talk with your teenager about the power of God’s forgiveness. Here are some possible questions:

How can we better practice forgiveness in our family?
You were talking about God’s forgiveness in your small group; is it OK if we willingly go and sin because God is going to forgive us? Why or why not?
How might you share the good news of forgiveness with your friends?

I pray your family is having a blessed week. Thanks for your love for your teenager and your support for our small group ministry!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 10-17-10

This week in our small groups we continued studying God’s plan for sex. We looked at Paul’s conversation with the Christians in Corinth about the way they were living (1 Corinthians 6:12-17). We saw how he wanted them to realize that just because they had freedom didn’t give them an excuse to abuse their freedom. Our goal this week was to help teenagers realize that God created sex as a gift and that it is designed to be experienced by a husband and wife. We concluded our discussion by talking about how our bodies are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

This week, take a few minutes to talk with your teenager about dating, sex, and relationships. Here are some possible questions:

What have been some positive and negative results from choices you’ve made recently?
How are you developing the wisdom to make wiser choices?
What sources of temptation do you confront that you think other generations have never seen?

Thanks for your commitment to your child and your support for our small group ministry. Have a blessed day!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 8-29-10

This week we began a three-week small groups series on the topic of dating, sex, and relationships. While this can be an uncomfortable topic for some, the Bible has a lot to say about sex. We started this week by looking at the creation story and the first man and woman (Genesis 2:18-25). This passage describes how God made Eve just for Adam. She was a beautiful gift and partner for Adam. God presented her to Adam, and he took her to be his wife. The passage was also tells us they experienced an intimacy that went deeper than just a physical relationship.

Our goal in this series is to help teenagers understand that even though friends and culture bombard them with the message that sex before marriage is normal, this is not God’s plan. God wants married couples to have an amazing sex life—which is achieved by following God’s plan.

This week, I’d encourage you to take time to talk with your teenager about the topic of dating, sex, and relationships. Here are some possible ideas to discuss:

Sex isn’t a bad thing, but an amazing moment between two individuals, and like everything God has created it is better when we follow God’s plan.
If you have questions about sex, do you feel comfortable asking me about it? Or, do you only feel comfortable discussing it with your friends?
Do your friends’ view of sex line up with God’s view, or is it different?

And just a reminder: If you have any questions or concerns as our small groups go through this series, you’re always welcome to call me!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 8-29-10

This week in our small groups we discussed the fifth part of our HABITS series: Tithing. We talked about Psalm 24:1, which reads, ““The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” God has given us everything and we are then called to give back to God a portion. This is called a “tithe,” or 10 percent.

We talked about how God gives us all we have and then asks us to give back a portion to help serve people and share the good news of Jesus’ love.

This week, I’d encourage you to find time to talk with your teenager about this small group lesson. Here are some suggested questions that may help generate dialogue:

How can you give God back a portion of your time, talent, and money?
Are you being a good steward of all the things that God has given you to use?
What is your view of how our family uses money?

Thanks for praying for our teens!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 8-15-10

This week in our small groups we talked about being involved in and serving within the church body. God has gifted your teenager in ways that you might not even know about. Jesse didn’t know that David, his youngest son who was out with the sheep, was already picked by God to lead Israel. Challenge your teenager to step out in faith with God and serve.

Here are some questions you could ask your teenager this week to start some good dialogue:

Are you afraid of the future? Why or why not?
Do you feel qualified enough for God to use you to minister to other people?
What would it be like to get involved in a ministry at church and serve other people?

Thanks for your spiritual investment in your child. I get to see the results every week!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 8-8-10

We’re continuing our small group series on HABITS for spiritual growth. This week we talked about Bible memorization. Psalm 119:11 tells us, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Bible memorization helps us become more familiar with who God is and how God wants us to live. Jesus relied on Bible memorization as his primary defense for fighting off Satan’s temptation.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 talks about the important role parents play in helping young people learn and love Scripture. This week, I’d like to challenge you and your teenager to learn a verse together. They worked on memorizing Psalm 119:11 at small group, but you might want to choose a different verse. Also, possibly use these questions to generate some good discussion:

Why should Christians memorize Bible verses? What are some ways it might help your spiritual life?
What is the best way for you to memorize Scripture?
If you decided you wanted to value the Bible more, how would you make this happen? What changes or decisions would you make to make the Bible a greater treasure to you?

Have a blessed day!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 7/25/10

This week we continued our small group series on developing some good HABITS for spiritual growth. Our topic this time was on the “A” from that acronym: Accountable Friendships. We all need friends who know our weaknesses and love us anyway and are able to hold us to our commitments. These are the friends who will come up to us when they see us making choices that might endanger or derail us spiritually.

Using Psalm 133 this week, we encouraged our students to pursue accountable friendships because of the rewards of living together in harmony. We also reminded our teenagers that Jesus himself said people would recognize Christians because of the love they have for each other.

In the next few days, look for an opportunity to have a spiritual conversation with your child. Here are some possible questions to fuel that dialogue:

Do you currently have a friend who holds you accountable? What are some benefits from that friendship?
Are there any areas of your life that you would want me to hold you accountable?
Are there areas of my life that you see where I could be growing or improving?

Thanks for your love for your teenager. Have an awesome week!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 7/18/10

This week we started a new small group series that can help your student develop spiritual “HABITS” that will help them grow spiritually on their own. Each week, we focus on a different letter from the acronym HABITS. Our focus this time was “H” which stands for “Hang Out with God.”

In Psalm 1, the psalmist contrasts the way of the wicked with the way of the righteous. The wicked person progressively falls into deeper and deeper sin, while the righteous one enjoys a blessed life. The righteous person is like a tree planted by a stream of water that doesn’t wither and produces fruit. Fruit is the result or byproduct of reading, meditating, and applying God’s truths to our lives.

We believe in the value of parents and teenagers having conversations about spiritual topics. So, each week I’ll be sending you some questions that can help generate healthy dialogue with your child. Here are some questions based on our small group meeting this week:

What are some examples of spiritual fruit that you have seen in your life?
Have you ever felt like you were walking, standing, or sitting with people were leading you away from God’s path for your life? What did you do to overcome it?
What did you learn from meditating on God’s Word this week?

I believe this will be an awesome series that will help your teenager get closer to God. Thanks for your investment of love and time in your teenager’s life. Have a great day!

What are some examples of spiritual fruit that you have seen in your life?
Have you ever felt like you were walking, standing, or sitting with people were leading you away from God’s path for your life? What did you do to overcome it?
What did you learn from meditating on God’s Word this week?

I believe this will be an awesome series that will help your teenager get closer to God. Thanks for your investment of love and time in your teenager’s life. Have a great day!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 6/20/10

We continued our family series in our small groups this week by talking about the priority of understanding one another and doing so honestly. We looked at Nehemiah’s life and how he honestly assessed who he was and how he needed God’s help. Nehemiah also was honest with his shortcomings and ultimately committed to making a difference, and these are the very things we can do, too.

I’d encourage you to take some time this week to read Nehemiah 1 on your own and then discuss your observations with your teenager. Here are some possible questions to ask:

What situations create the greatest moments of honesty in our family, and which situations seem to hinder honesty?
What can I do help encourage more honesty in our family? How can we work together on this?

Discuss ways you can be honest with one another as you seek to better understand what it means to be a parent and a teenager in today’s culture. Talk about how you can pray for one another and take a moment to do so together.

Remember, you’re always welcome to call or email me if there are any ways I can pray for you or your family. Have a blessed week!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 6/13/10

We’ve started a new small group series that directly impacts your family! It’s all about family life and focuses on important topics like communication and understanding. This week we looked at James 1:19-27 and James 3:1-12, emphasizing three keys to healthy family communication: being quick to listen, being slow to speak, and being slow to become angry.

Take time during the week around the dinner table or in the car to discuss the following:

What are ways we as a family can be better listeners?
What are ways we as a family can communicate without becoming angry?
What are strategies we can employ when we become angry?

Be sure to share any thoughts and experiences you have on the challenges of good communication, and take time as a family to pray for one another and encourage one another in becoming a family with good communication skills.

I pray this series will help your family grow stronger and healthier!

Youth Group Parent Involvement Blog – 6/6/10

We made it! We just finished our four-week small group study looking at the New Testament by talking about the church and how each Christian plays an important role within it. It was a great time discussing not only the amazing things God did in the early church from the Book of Acts, but also talking about ways in which God could do the same things at our own church.

We also emphasized the importance of working as a team and looked at 1 Corinthians 12 and Paul’s description of the church functioning as a body. This week, I’d encourage you to take a few minutes to talk with your teenager about our small group lesson. Here are some questions you can use to guide the conversation:

What would it be like to see God add new Christians to our church every day? Do you think this is possible?
Do you believe certain people in our churches are more important than others?
If God wants every Christian to be attending and serving in a local church, but not everyone does that, what could be the impact on that congregation?

You might also want to discuss your own role in the church. Do you realize that you, too, are an important part of our church? Have a great week!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 5/2/10

This week we started a series that overviews the New Testament, and we began by looking at the birth of Jesus. We read Luke 2 and focused on verses 1-20. The passage describes the interaction between some shepherds and angels. It’s a great passage that reminds us of four things:

We can worship God instead of worrying about things in our lives.
We have the responsibility to both “show and tell” others about God’s love.
Every Christmas we can seek or hide from the true meaning of Christmas.
We can choose to forgive others, or forget about it and ignore the tension that might exist between us and others.

Take an opportunity this week, perhaps in the car or at a meal, to ask your teenager about the different ways we can celebrate Christmas that might be more meaningful. Here are some other questions that might help generate dialogue:

Do you think “peace on earth” is possible?
Do you spend more time worrying or worshiping?
What if your friends have heard the “good news” but don’t seem to care? How should you handle that situation? How might it affect your interaction with those friends?

If you came up with a good question that worked for you and your child, please send it to me! If it worked well for you, I’m sure it will work well for another parent as well.

As always, thanks for your prayers and for your support for our small group ministry. Have a great week!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 4/18/10

This week we concluded our small group series on the Law and the Prophets. The Messianic prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 52 and 53 served as our text for this lesson. We learned that the Messiah would come in obscurity (Isaiah 53:2), no one would come to his defense (Isaiah 53:8a), and he would take the punishment for our sin (Isaiah 53:4-6).

I’d encourage you to take time this week to talk with your child about the four-week series we just finished. Here are some specific questions tied to this week’s lesson:

Why do you think God wanted the Messiah to be born in obscurity to an average” family?
How does the hope of Jesus’ return give you hope today?
How can we as a family celebrate the hope we have in Jesus and our thankfulness that he paid the price for our sins?

I trust this has been a challenging and growing series for your teenager. Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or any prayer requests. Have a great day!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog 4-11-10

As we continue looking through the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament, we’re making some exciting and challenging discoveries. Ezekiel 36:26-28 is a great passage we covered this week. In these verses, Ezekiel communicates God’s promise to renew the hearts of the Israelites living in Babylonian captivity. God had allowed the Israelites to be captured by Nebuchadnezzar to punish them for not remaining spiritually faithful. They had settled in to live in Babylon blending into the culture.

We know that your teenager faces challenges to conform to the surrounding culture. We believe a strong relationship between parents and their kids is a key to helping raise young adults who get to the place where they own their faith. Here are some questions that could generate some conversation in your family this week:

What are some modern-day things that cause us to get too complacent in our spiritual lives?
How have you experienced “coaching” as you’ve learned to follow God?
How can we as a family be a spiritual coach for each other?

Please let me know if there are specific ways I can pray for your family this week. I’m committed to doing whatever I can to support you, too. Have a blessed day!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 3/14/10

This week we started a new small group series focused on the Old Testament Law and the Prophets. Our memory verse from this week’s lesson (Proverbs 1:7) reminds us that knowledge begins with fear (awe, respect, reverence) for the Lord. God’s audible delivery of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites included a reminder of how they had been freed from slavery. From Exodus 20, our teenagers discussed the importance of several priorities: being in constant awe of God (vs. 2, 20), giving God top spot in our lives (vs. 3-11), treating others with love and respect (vs. 12-17), and keeping our motives pure (v. 17).

We reminded the students that although most of the Commandments are worded “negatively,” we must not forget the “flip side.” For example, the flip side of “You shall not murder” is “Love one another.” The absence of murder is only half the story to living a God-honoring life.

During the next few days, consider asking your teenager some of these questions:

When have we seen God at work in our family? (Consider building an “altar of remembrance” to help honor the times you saw God at work in your family.)
On a scale of 1-10, how do you think we do as a family in putting God first? Why?
What are some things we can do together to show love and respect for neighbors?

Thanks for your prayers for our small group ministry. It’s great to see what God is doing in our teenagers’ lives!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 3/7/10

One of the most well-known biblical stories is the account of David and Goliath. Even people who don’t read the Bible and never attend church understand the basic event. In our small groups this week, we used this familiar story to help our students understand the importance of “protecting” our identities in God. David faced challenges from King Saul and Goliath. They questioned or attacked his identity as the future king or as a child of God. But David stood his ground because of his relationship with God.

This week, I’d encourage you to find some time to talk with your teenager about the idea of having our identities stolen, challenged, or undermined.

Are your friends building you up or tearing you down?
How is your relationship with God these days?
If you could do something big for God right now, what would you do?

Remind your teenager that we can find our strength and beauty through a deeper, more intimate friendship with God—just like David had. Have a blessed week!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 2/28/10

One of the biggest challenges for teenagers is developing a healthy self-identity. I know that’s one of the common topics I hear in my conversations with parents here in our church. This week, using the life of King David, our small groups started a two-week series that challenges our teenagers to develop identities based on God’s standards, not culture’s standards.

Our culture says we should identify ourselves by our physical, intellectual, and social abilities. But God is more concerned with our inner being—our hearts. Abilities and skills and talents matter, of course, but Christians can cultivate lives of character, and identities that reflect God’s heart.

This week, find time to talk with your teenager about his/her identity. Here are some possible questions you could use:

How do you define “inner beauty” or “inner strength”?
What do you think it means to be a person “after God’s own heart”?
What plans do you believe God has for your life?

Talk about your own experiences in discovering God’s plan and purposes for your life. Emphasize how you appreciate all of your teenager’s gifts and talents and skills, but ultimately what matters is the condition of their heart.

Thanks for your love for your teenager. Have a blessed week!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 2/21/10

We finished our five-week small group study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their life. The first week, “Reaching Out to Your Friends,” focused on helping students understand that we are created in God’s image and we have the opportunity to share God’s love with the world. Week two, “Making Significant Connections,” focused on understanding the basic need that humans have to be connected with others on a deeper level. Week three, “Growing in Your Faith,” focused on the truth that we were created to know God and grow spiritually by spending time with God.

Week four, “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. This week our final study was “Honoring God In All That You Do,” and we focused on the truth that God rested on the seventh day to show us the importance of taking time to stop and express our love and worship for God. Using Genesis 2:2-3 and Psalm 46:10, we saw that we were created to honor God.

Sometime this week, generate some discussion with your teenager about honoring God:

What are some traits of a healthy attitude toward worship?
As a family do we honor the Sabbath as a day of rest, or does it look just like every other day of the week?
What are some great ways to prepare yourself to worship God when you come to church?

Thanks for your love for God and your love for your teenager. Have a blessed day!

SNBS Parent Involvement Blog – 1/31/10

Dear parents,

We just completed week four in our five-week small group study designed to help students understand God’s purposes for their lives. This week’s lesson, called “Serving in Ministry,” focused on the truth that God’s unique design provides us with the privilege to serve others. Our hope is that students will have realized they are gifted to serve and will begin serving others today!

Sometime this week, ask some questions to generate discussion with your teenager about serving others in ministry. Here are some possible questions to ask:

Share with your teenager how you believe God has gifted you to serve others. What are some ways that you serve others individually?
As a family, how much do we value the importance of serving? What are some ways that we as a family could serve others in our neighborhood, in our church, and in our community?
How does serving others in ministry help us grow in our faith?

As always, thanks for the investment of love, time, and prayer you make in your teenager’s life. God will reward your faithful commitment!

The Lounge – Teens

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