Calvary Magnolia Youth

Arkansas Youth Conference 2008

2008-04-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

The CBYF & MBSF will be going to AYC tomorrow. We are excited about the fact that there will be 28 of us headed to AYC! HALLELUJAH!!! I have never been part of a group this large going to AYC. The biggest that I have ever gone with is 19. God is Awesome! This weekend will be an awesome weekend if we allow God to work.

Skit Guys to come to Magnolia, AR!

2008-03-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, March 9, Calvary Baptist Church gave me permission to bring in the Skit Guys for the Fall MBSF Kick-Off. What an awesome thing that we can have a name group come in and use this to get contacts on the campus. This event will be open to youth groups around the state. I want groups to bring their students and let them see a college campus and the MBSF as well.

On Saturday, March 8, the CBYF had a Video Scavenger Hunt. We had 9 teens and 3 of our Calvary's Kids to participate. Our list was some very fun stuff. Some a little embarrassing, but a lot of fun. One example was proposing to someone. Dustin Morris was in our group and he proposed to a McDonald's employee. They also had to be a bull and matador in front of Taco Bell. It was a very fun evening. We went all over Magnolia to accomplish what was on the list.

We are currently starting the Outreach portion of the Gospel Journey. Be in prayer for us as we try to reach our community. Acts 1:8 tells us that we are to start in our hometown and work from there. If we don't reach out to our community, we are not doing what Jesus asked us to do.

Welcome to the Family!

2008-02-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday night, before we started our Gospel Journey lesson, I was approached by one of our students, Parker. She wanted to talk. I had heard she was asking about being baptized, but I hadn't heard it from her. We had a very good conversation, and went into class. The lesson was awesome. We talked about our sins not being able to be removed by good works. Afterward, Parker wanted to talk with Bro. Chuck. We got out of class after the adults were dismissed.

I called him and he came over to the office and we met with Parker. She shared with Bro. Chuck her experience with Jesus. After a good discussion, Bro. Chuck asked her if she was going to come forward for baptism. She immediately told him yes. There was a different request for her baptism though. She wanted to be baptized on Sunday morning, and she wanted to be baptized on this past Sunday morning. Bro. Chuck told her that he would have the water ready.

Sunday morning came around, and she and her sister, Meghan, were in Sunday School. Parker was extremely nervous. I told her that there was nothing to be nervous about. I was going to meet her and we were going down the aisle during invitation together. I wanted her to know that I was there for her. We went to Bro. Chuck, and he asked her the questions that he said he would ask her. When she was asked if she was saved, her reply was, "Oh, Yeah!" What an awesome answer.

Bro. Chuck asked the church about her for baptism, and everything passed with no opposition. Bro. Chuck then asked the church if they "would like to see a baptism this morning?" It was great to see God had worked in this young girl's life. It was also great to see God doing things in our church.

We were very fortunate to get Parker and Meghan. The addition of the family is great to our church. Parker is excited about the fact that she feels at home at Calvary in Magnolia. God has been working in the CBYF for the past few months, helping to get things going in the right direction. Praise be to God for what He is doing here!

Friends and some random thoughts

2008-01-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

Recently, I put in our mail out bulletin a story that I would like to share. At a recent MBSF conference, there was a speaker that really hit on some things that I feel that we as the church are not doing. The story is about his daughter Samantha. The gentleman is the Executive Pastor of a church in Texas. He was approached by a member that told him that his daughter, Sam, was hanging out with this girl named Serena. Apparently, Serena is not someone that has a very good reputation. The member tells of things and suggests that the father have a talk with her.

As he put it, he would have to have a, "come to Jesus meeting with her." As she came home one night, he said, he needed to talk wth her. "Sam, I hear you are running around with a girl named Serena."
"Yeah, Dad, isn't she great."
"Yeah, she is."
"Don't you just love to hear her laugh?"
"Yeah, it's great."
"Don't you just love to see her smile?"
"Yeah. Sam, I understand that she drinks."
"Yeah, Dad, she drinks a lot."
"Sam, I understand she's slept with a lot of guys."
"Yeah, Dad, she has slept with a lot of guys."
"Sam, why do you hang around someone like Serena?"
"Dad, Serena needs Jesus."

At that moment, he could only think of, "WOW!"

We preach to our kids that we shouldn't hang with the wrong crowd. We don't need to be friends with these "SINNERS". The conclusion to this story is that 3 months later, Serena accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior! We should follow the lead of Christ and hang out with SINNERS. Story after story is told in the Bible about Christ with the wrong crowd. He didn't do the things that they were doing, He just showed them love. The same love that God showed to us when He sent Jesus to die for our sins. As the church, we need to start running with the wrong crowd!

RANDOM THOUGHTS
I found out tonight that one of my best friends in the ministry and life in general has accepted a full time position as the Youth Pastor at a church. I am overly excited about the opportunities that God has for him in this new church. While he leaves a very good church and supportive Pastor, he has had some doors opened by God for him. Be in prayer with me for Richard as he begins his full time ministry to the Youth in Prattsville.

ICE SKATING!
The CBYF and MBSF went Ice Skating in Little Rock on Saturday night. We had a blast! We spent the whole evening laughing at each other and just enjoying the time that we had to fellowship together. Probably 90% of the time, our group hovered around the railing on the edge of the ice. A few brave souls ventured out away from the comfort zone of the wall. Steven and Austin were given skates that had nothing to slow them down. Most of the time, it was the wall that brought them to a stop. Chase hit the ice and skated until we had to leave. He would skate about 30 feet and fall, skate 30 feet and fall. He loved every minute of it. I learned that you need strong ankles for this. There is the first problem that I had encountered for the evening. We stopped at Wendy's on Colonel Glenn Road in Little Rock before we made the journey home to Magnolia.
- Bro. Greg

Trip To The Haunted Corn Maze

2007-10-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007 - The CBYF took a trip to the Haunted Corn Maze in Dixie, LA. We left Calvary BC at 3:20. The group that we took was eager with anticipation to get there. We went into Shreveport and at Whattaburger. This is the place of the "Double Meat, Double Cheese" saying. The stop was well worth it. Everyone thought their meal was excellent. We didn't understand why they gave us a number. We were the only ones inside. We got the number the way the do at Western Sizzlin' or Bonanza. After a time of fellowship, we loaded into the van and returned to Dixie.

We got to the Maze well before dark. We thought it would be good to go into Phase I of the Maze. This turned out to be more than we bargained for. After about 30 minutes, we finally made our way out of the maze. It is amazing how many times you can go in circles when you don't know where you are!

We then took the Hayride. This turned out to be nothing more than a good time of eating dust. We were herded into the trailer like cattle being lead to the Livestock Auction. We rode this until the sun went down. Then it was time for the MAIN EVENT.....The HAUNTED CORN MAZE!!!

We got in line, and waited. They were sending groups in 5-6 at a time. After 35 minutes in line, we made it to the front of the line. The group that I went in with was Austin, Jennifer, Jessi, Christy, and Chase (he's only 6 years old). The first "monster" to jump out us, Chase simply says, "Hey." You know, just a casual conversation with a monster in a corn maze. I was shocked that it didn't affect him any more than it did. There were several times when Austin, Jennifer, and Jessi were so scared that they were running through the maze. The highlight of the evening was probably when the Hannibal Lecter character stepped out in front of Austin. We were not allowed to touch the monsters and they were not allowed to touch us. Well, Austin had no time to avoid him. He basically tackles the guy, but he didn't stay around to find out if he was OK. Austin was out of there so fast. I didn't know that he could move that fast.

About halfway through the maze, Austin, Jennifer, and Jessi got so scared that they took off and left us behind. At this point, Kaitlin had joined us. She was a little scared. As we were completing our time in the maze, two monsters stepped out and scared Kaitlin. I said, "Keep moving, Kaitlin." The monster heard her name and continued to say her name as we were trying to get away. "The best is yet to come, Kaitlin." he said. It was great. Afterwards, she thought that it was fun when she thought about it.

While we were there, we had an interesting game of Tether-ball. I hadn't played that in quite some time. It is very tiring. We laughed all the way home on the Church van. It was a very good outing for the CBYF. We will definitely do something like this again.