Suncreststudentlife’s Weblog

The deadline is rapidly approaching for the Dallas Mission Trip.  I would love to invite all of our middle school and high school to student to join us on this amazing trip.  The deadline to register is April 1st.

Things you need to know about the trip

• When:August 2-8
• Where: Dallas, TX
• Who: middle school and high school students
• Cost: $450
• Be the hands and feet of Jesus to bless those in need
• Typically we work on the homes of people in the community that cannot afford to maintain their homes
• Create great memories with friends

We would love for you to join us!

On Friday morning at 7:17 AM our little family of three became a family of four with the addition of Alyce.  We are proud parents of a beautiful healthy baby girl.  Grandma and Grandpa are taking watching Gibson.  He is not sure what to think of his baby sister, but he is really glad mom is not hooked up to an IV anymore.  We are hoping to go home from the hospital on Sunday evening. 

We are going to have Sunday Stew this week.  It is a chance for middle school students to hang out after church on Sunday, and get to know other students, or have fun with their current friends.  It goes from 12:00 to 4:00 PM and costs $5.  Which will cover pizza, drinks, and chips.  If the weather is nice we will be outside, however if the weather doesn’t cooperate we will play some games in the auditorium.

This is a little note from one of our students name Courtney telling us about MOVE or as it used to be called CIY.

As a side note this picture is from a MOVE conference that she attended after her freshman year of high school!

I don’t know what it is about CIY. I don’t know what things to say or words to use to explain what about it has had such an impact on my life, but I can say with utmost certainty that without my previous trips to CIY conferences, I would not be the same person I am today. If I had been asked as an incoming freshman, I would have said that I was going through the hardest time of my life when I went to CIY that summer. In hindsight, it was difficult, but I have gone through more trying things since then, and I will go through even harder things as my life goes on. But I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that had I not been at CIY that first summer, my life would have been a downward spiral through my high school years.

In the summer of 2005, God used CIY’s summer conference to reach into my aching, cut-up heart of stone and begin to change me into the young woman He wants and needs me to be. I can’t say that I am that woman yet, but each year since then, the worship and teaching brought to me by CIY’s talented leaders has helped me walk closer, step by step, toward that place.

Even now, as an involved student and leader in Suncrest Student Life Ministries, I know that I mess up and fall from His way-daily, at best. I believe, however, that one of the ways I have grown closer to Him is by growing closer to others who also love Him. CIY has not only provided me with a chance to grow closer to God, but I have also found friends in the other Christ followers of my youth group. CIY’s summer conference is a great way to meet, spend time with, and develop deeper relationships with friends.

As a senior in high school, I cannot wait to go to college. I can’t wait to be get out of the same school I’ve attended for four years, to be independent, and not have a curfew. The scary things about college: getting myself up in the morning, not seeing my parents every day, and being away from my youth group. With this year’s CIY impending, I can’t wait to spend every second being a teenager-singing to God with some of the best friends He’s ever given me.

Saturday was a busy day in my neighborhood.  Everyone was out working in their yards after a long winter.  I love getting to chat with my neighbors because it is one of the places that I know people outside of Suncrest.  I have some really great neighbors. Some that fit the mold of Suncrest of younger family with kids. However, I live in an older development and there are a number of people that are closer to retirement.  Those guys have great looking lawns and I am jealous.  Anyway, that is beside the point.  Saturday, I got to meet one of my neighbors that I have not had the chance to meet in the 4 years I have lived in my house.  His name is Harold and has got to be in his upper 60’s.  I love meeting people that have no idea I am a pastor because people just treat you differently when they find out you’re a pastor.  So, we talked for 15 minutes or so before he asked me what I did for a living.  I told him I was the Youth Pastor at Suncrest Christian Church.  I could watch the wheels turn in his head as he thought about all the things he had said and his rather creative use of the english language.  From that point on, he stopped cussing and tried to convince me how honest he was.

I wish this was an isolated incident, however ,I feel that it is way too common.  I wonder why people are so afraid to be themselves around pastors? Is it because we are too judgmental or is it their guilty conscience? I wonder, is it a good thing for people to try and be more proper and polite?  I wonder, if this guy really knew me, would he be so worried about offending me?

I guess for me, this situation is hard because I really want people to be authentic.  I hate it when people are fake.  I wish people didn’t feel like they had to pretend they are someone they really are not.  I don’t know. I guess I should take it as a sign of respect…but every time I have an encounter like this, it really gets my mind racing!

As a side note, I found out that there are still some people in Northwest Indiana that call African Americans “colored folks”.  To be honest, I think that was the most shocking part of my encounter with my neighbor I just met!

Just a reminder that this Sunday is Cribs.  In case you didn’t know, Cribs is a chance for high school students to hang out after church for a couple of hours.  So after church we are going to grab some McDonald’s and then go to the Post’s house and hang out.  They have a bunch of fun things to do at their house.  We will hang out there till around 4 PM.  If you do not drive plan on getting picked up at there house at 4 PM.  We will have directions and maps Sunday in the Annex.

As many of you are well aware, Nathan will be leaving us at the end of May.  There is nothing wrong, in fact, Nathan is awesome and he loves Suncrest.  However, he is a here as a year-long intern, and his internship ends at the end of May.  We will all be sad to see Nathan go, especially Gibson who calls him “Intern”.

However, there is good news.  We have found Nathan’s replacement and his name is Dan Schuler.  He is a great guy and comes with amazing recommendations from people I trust tremendously.  He will be joining our staff officially June 1^st

Here are some random facts about Dan

• Graduating in May from Johnson Bible College
• Grew up in Ohio
• Loves basketball and football
• Ran cross country in college
• Graduated 7^th in his high school class
• Is an extrovert
• Loves The Ohio State University football
• Likes making movies
• He makes a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Was a runner in the “Preacher Grand Prix” (it’s a big deal ask somebody)
• Likes acting

If you would like to say hello to him and make him feel welcomed to the Suncrest family, feel free to email him a greeting at notashamed257@gmail.com.

The things we pass on to our kids can be funny at times.   I am continually amazed at the things Gibson (my 2 year old son) picks up by watching and mimicking my behavior.  However, the other day, he did something else. Something that runs much deeper than learned behavior.   Something that must be written on his DNA.  He, on his own, decided not to double dip his carrots in his ranch dressing. In turn, he ate the ends off his baby carrots and then set them aside and started a new carrot. To help you understand why this is a big deal, I think you have to know a little bit about me.  I am a little bit germ phobic, and plenty of people make fun of me about my tendency to freak out about germs.  To be fair, it’s not just me. My mom’s side of the family has major OCD issues, so I guess that this is one thing that I have already passed on to my son at a very young age.  I am so proud that my kid is not double dipping!!!

I only hope I am able to pass on my faith in Christ half as well.

Sunday, March 22nd will mark the return of Suncrest Cribs.  After the 11 AM service all high school students are invited to join us as we go to Post’s House down in Lowell.  We will stop at McDonald’s on the way and grab some lunch.  Once we arrive at the Post’s, we will hang out and play games until 4PM.  It is a great chance to hang out and connect with other high school students.

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to hear from students that have attended MOVE or what we once called CIY.  It is one of the most powerful events we offer each year, and I have a hard time explaining to people what actually happens, and why it is so great.  So, I thought I would let other students tell you about it.

Our first post is from Emily Cioroianu.

What does MOVE mean to me? Well, I think there’s a lot of things, but for each of them to make sense you need to know a little bit of my story. First off, I am NOT, in any way, a very outgoing person. I’ve had the same small group of friends for the last ten years because I’ve just never been very good at making new friends. So for me, CIY was acceptance. I had slowly been working towards connecting with other students around Suncrest, and was sort of successful, but it was really scary and difficult for me. Then CIY came and everything honestly changed. Every night all the girls were hanging out together in someone’s room, every meal everyone was crammed together at a too-small table, every session you were sitting next to, and growing closer with a different person from our group. The closeness of it all was phenomenal, and returning home really did leave me feeling a little lonely no longer being surrounded by such great people. Another thing to know about me, is that I, like everyone else, have a whole lot of baggage. Just growing up I had to deal with a bunch of garbage and I never really know what to do with it. So for me, CIY was a fresh start. I went on this trip having no idea what to expect and God completely knocked my socks off. Walls that I didn’t even realize I had put up were blown away, and I can honestly say that I am a changed, and better person because of it. One last thing to know about me is that I am hopelessly nostalgic. I love to look back on different things I’ve experienced, talk about old fun times with friends, and look back over old pictures. And so for me CIY is one of my most treasured memories. There are still jokes and random catch phrases from the week that you’ll find those of us who have been sporadically reliving with one another. And it is those things that take the friendships made over the week and turn them into friendships that last for much longer. So I guess if I were to have to give the week one word (which those of you who have been know that its a very difficult task) I would have to go with CONNECTION. Its a week where you’re going to connect with other students, you’re going to connect with awesome leaders, and most importantly you’re going to connect with the creator of the universe– and trust me, there’s nothing more exciting than that.