Fall Retreat is right around the corner and it's going to be epic. The details will start being leaked next week but I promise you are not going to want to miss out. Here's the payment plan:

If you have any questions about the payment or in need of help for the trip please email me at jason.harris@heritagecc.net

This Sunday night at VERB we start a three 3 series on sin. Sin isnt going anywhere but we are and when we get hooked on sin it limits where we can go. Hope you will make it out to VERB this week as we begin the process of cutting open sin adn expossing it for what it really is.

Parents don't forget to go here: http://verb.heritage-cc.org/info/sermon-discussions for follow up questions during the week.

VERB's Pancake Breakfast

This Sunday VERB is sponsoring a Pancake Breakfast during the In-Between Scene. All you can eat pancakes and sausage for donation. Hope to see you there.

Small groups...DONT MISS IT.

We started small groups last week and if you missed out no worries; there's still time! Heck, we never stop accepting students into small groups! Last week we allowed small group leaders and students to get to know one another and catch up on summer events and how school was going so far.

After this week there will be a change in how were doing things. Last Wednesday and this Wednesday all small group leaders will be there at 6 to meet all students and parents. Whether it's this week or a month from now if your wanting your child to join small group you as the parent will need to meet the small group leader and fill out a little paperwork. It's important to us that parents and leaders know each other and have good communication. So the only thing that will change is the fact that the leader may not get there until 6:15, 6:30, so you may miss them. Take advantage of this perfect time to meet them!

Another feature were adding to small groups this year is an email that will be sent to you from the small group leader about the weeks topic. Here's this week's email:

Dear parents,

This week we started a four-week series called "God's Big Story." This series will provide teenagers with a big-picture view of God's story, with the goal of giving students a healthy understanding of what the Bible is about and how it applies to their lives.

In this first week, we looked at Genesis 1-2 and examined the picture of how God created the world. The world is broken, but God didn't create it that way. He created a world that was truly "good." It's important for our teenagers-and for adults-to remember how God meant things to be. We live in a world filled with pain and difficulties, but God designed a world that was good.

Each week in our series, we're giving students two key words to help them remember the big idea. This week our key words were CREATION and GOOD. Simply put, God created the world, and it was good.

Here are some questions you might use this week to engage your teenager in some conversation about this week's lesson:

•What main idea stuck with you from your small group meeting this week, and why?
•What is one way that you see God reflected in your own life?
•If all of humanity is created in God's image, how might this affect or shape the way you treat other people?

Thanks for your trust as you allow your child to be a part of our ministry!

If you are not signed up yet with your child's small group leader and you would like to. Email me at Jason.harris@heritagecc.net and I will make sure that you are.

Parent BBQ

On this Friday evening were encourging all parents of VERB (parents of Middle & High School students) to come out for an evening of good food, laughs, bonding and hopfully building. The event is free but we do ask that you R.S.V.P. by Wed Sept. 28 so that we will have accurate amount of food. You can do that my emailing me at jason.harris@heritagecc.net

Let me know if you have any questions

Thanks,
Jason

Parent + VERB = Great Partners

We think at VERB that if VERB and the parents are on the same page and working together it will make for a better outcome with the student. So one of the ways that VERB is trying to partner with the parent is by providing you with some follow up material for during the week.



Every week at VERB we cover a topic; most of the time we spend a few weeks on a certain theme (this week we start a 2 week series on Friends). So what were going to do is provide you with the main points, the verses (once our podcasts get fixed you will be able to listen to it) and a few questions for you. This way you can have some follow up discussion later on in the week with your student.

This discussion can be done during a meal or a car ride or you can have several through out the week. Our hope is that you would use this resource to help stir some Biblical dialogue and communication between you and your student and help VERB keep the message in their life a little bit longer.

This content will be loaded on the VERB website every Sunday night or first thing Monday morning. You can find this resource on the VERB website here: Sermon Discussions



Hopefully this will be a helpful partnership and it will continue to grow more and more. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you and your family.

P.S. - The Parent BBQ coming up on September 30th at 6pm. It's FREE! We DO need you to R.S.V.P. by Wednesday night. Please make time in your schedule to make it out to this dinner.

We all know that this day in age with Facebook, having real friends and keeping real friends is a bit of a challenge. It's almost like friends are changed as often as students brush their teeth or middle school boys take showers which is about once or twice a week.

This Sunday night at VERB were going to be looking at the good and bad of friendships and even though the Bible is not 100% clear on how to get friends or how to keep friends. It is pretty clear on a few things we should look for in friendships and things we should aspire to as a friend. Hope to see you Sunday night.

VERB Small Groups

On Sept 14 we launch our small groups. Topics to be covered in small groups this semester will be: The Full Story of God, Identity, Who is God, and Belonging in Community. The cost for small groups is $20 for the year. On the 14th were asking for a parent to join the student between 6-7pm to meet the small group leaders, fill out a quick sheet about their child and ask any questions they may have about small groups. The total time needed for this meeting will be 15min or less, please make yourself available. It's important to us that parents and leaders know each other and have good communication. If you can't make it email me at jason.harris@heritagecc.net and I will set up a time for you to meet your small group leaders.

VERB's Newsletter

This Week at VERB:

Tonight: Movies at VERB - it's the last one of the summer. Next week we launch our small groups. To read about them click here: http://journeyfrom98.blogspot.com/2011/09/verb-small-groups.html

This Sunday marks the 10 year anniversary to 9/11. So, we will not be having a VERB service but we will be having a church wide prayer and praise service starting at 6pm.

Dates to pay attention to:
- Sept. 14 - 2hr. early dismissal. If your wanting to be picked up from school on this day by VERB and have lunch. You need to email me at jason.harris@heritagecc.net to sign up for it. Sign up by Tues Sept 13.
- Sept. 14 - Small group Launch
- Sept. 16 - Friday Night Frenzy 6pm - 9pm
- Sept. 18 - VERB Service "Let me tell you about my Best Friend"
- Sept. 24 - First Fruits Farm
- Sept. 29 - Paintball trip (public school is out)
- Sept 30 - Parent BBQ 6:30

Hurt...um Yea!

I'm sure we all have been emotional, physically, intellectually, romantically hurt before in one or all of these areas.

I remember as a 3rd baseman in middle school my coach trying to teach me a lesson about moving away from the bag when the ball was hit and he was wanting me to lean into the bag. So he was standing about 10 feet in front me hit balls with a bat as hard as possible at me and I was having to catch the ball and I was doing good until one of balls the coach hit at me, hit me! The ball hit me square in the forehead and left the imprints of the stitching of the ball in my head for a couple of days. Talk about physical pain.

I remember as a high school student being in a relationship with this girl (a relationship that If I am honest I should admit that I should have never been in) but had spent a lot of time with girl only to find out that almost the whole time we were together she was also seeing someone else. I guess that's why you should never date someone from another school...it's hard to keep tabs on that. It was a bad romantic hurt.

I'm sure I can keep going with stories... I love telling them. Most of us can agree that hurt and pain is everywhere in our past and the Bible tells us that if we're not careful with what we do with this hurt, it can cause us problems in the future. The Bible gives us instruction on how to handle this and this Sunday morning were going to address hurt and unforgivess. If you can, read Matthew 18: 21-35. Hope to see you at HCC.