A&M Youth
The sign-up deadline has passed, but if you did not sign up and want to go, talk to Monty and Heather. We'll do our best to get you in.
Hey Middle School!
Get excited! It's coming...September 12-14...this year's Middle School Retreat.
It's going to be a great weekend and we hope you can join us!
Here are the big details:
Who: Current 7th and 8th Graders
When: September 12-14
Where: Pineywoods Camp
How to Sign-Up: Look for the signup link a little further down.
Sign-Up Deadline: September 3
Cost: $70 (scholarships available)
Looking for more details? Okay here are some:
What should you expect?
After a nice little bus ride to the camp (which is a little under 2 hours away) we’ll spend time playing games, relaxing, hanging out, worshiping, eating, and talking about our great God. The games we play will be games that you probably don’t play anywhere else but at church…games like: take a hike, ultimate bingo, prince of wales, electricity, bubble race, zip-boing, and others. We’ll have some time to spend in small group Bible study and some big group stuff as well. Games, activities, fun stuff, Bible study, worship, helping us all grow closer to God and hanging out...that's what the weekend will be. We'll stay in cabins on Friday night and Saturday night. On Sunday morning we'll eat breakfast, worship, and then come back home. We think you’ll really enjoy our time together. Whether you have friends at church or not, you’re sure to make some new friends and enjoy being with other students. And as always, feel free to invite friends to join us.
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When do we depart and return?
First of all, those are pretty fancy words for leave and come back. But we're trying to be fancy. So, yeah. We will meet to leave on Friday night at 7:00pm. (that is the meeting time at the building - not the departing time - we'll depart as soon as everyone is checked in and loaded up. We plan to return around noon on Sunday.
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What is the cost for this retreat:
$70 This covers all of your food and expenses for the weekend. Do not miss this retreat for financial reasons...we have scholarships available, if needed. Just talk to Monty or Heather.
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A Word About the Cost:
The $70 each student pays covers a little over half the cost for each participant. Retreats are expensive. Our church has always been so good about providing a budget we can use to help cover the costs of retreats like this. The actual amount we pay the camp for each person is $112. This covers meals and lodging and access to the camp. Access to the camp and the facilities they have is worth a lot. It's a safe, fun, and well maintained space just for students. Basketball pavilions, sports fields (soccer, football, baseball, volleyball, and some other games like human foosball and gaga ball), a lake, trails, etc. The property, the upkeep, and the insurance for youth camps is high. Transportation, tshirts, snacks, journals, and game supplies are in addition to this. If your family has the money and you'd like to pay more than the $70 per student, you are welcome to do so, but not expected to. And again, we have scholarship money for any students who need help paying the $70.
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Parent Sponsors:
We always like to take parents on out-of-town trips. It helps you see what happens after the bus leaves the church building, and also lets you get to know our students and be encouraged by spending a weekend in Bible study, worship, and community. And - it helps our students because it lets them meet another adult who loves Jesus and is willing to hang out with middle school students. We can't take a lot of parents on youth retreats - although we love Family Retreats and hope to do another ones of those soon, and we can take a lot of parents on those retreats - but we can take a few. And we never want our youth ministry to be a drop-off youth ministry where parents drop off their students on Sunday and Wednesday and at retreats but are not involved in youth ministry events. If you can't go to a retreat, it's fine, but if you can go and would like to go on this retreat, talk to Monty.
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Click here to go to the MS Retreat sign-up form: MS Retreat Sign-Up Form
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Frequently Asked Questions:
(actually no one has asked these, we just thought these are questions you would ask if you could talk to this webpage and it would talk back.)
Should I come?
Yes, absolutely. Here is why: this will be a great weekend of faith and fun and getting to know others from your church and any friends who come. Sure, you could sit around your house instead and watch tv or play video games or go to an athletic game of some kind or do something else, but we really think this is something you'll be glad you were a part of.​
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Will it be just like Sunday morning class, but longer?
No, it will be very different. Sunday morning class is great, but being together for an entire weekend will let you really get to know others, grow in faith, have some fun, enjoy some awesome things, ride in a bus (definitely don't get to do that in class - I mean, we could. But that would make class longer, and due to budget cuts we no longer have those nice people walking up and down the aisle of the bus giving us snacks and cokes anyway), have some shared experiences like games and activities and meals, and enjoy being together.
What if I have a schedule conflict?
Just invite everyone who is a part of the thing you have planned to join us. So, if you have a game or practice, just invite your team. Then the possibility of playing the game or practicing won't exist because they'll all be at the retreat. You probably have lots of practices or games anyway, but there is just one retreat this semester. And if it's a team for a sport, and you bring your whole team, then we will have practice at the retreat and Monty will coach. He knows most sports pretty well. He knows water-skiing best...however, there is not big enough lake at the camp to ski...so we'll probably just hook up a skateboard behind the bus and teach everyone the concepts of skiing. It will be great. Oh, and for those who are safety conscious and are now worried, don't worry. We would never do anything to put you in danger...so the land-skiing is probably out. We'll just go sky-diving instead. We'll bring a bunch of helium and some balloons and you can go up a few thousand feet and then let go of the balloons. It will be great.
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Can we stop these ridiculous FAQ's so that I can get on my life?
No, sorry.
Have you heard about the seats on the bus?
We recently got the remainder of the worn-out seat covers replaced. Some of them were really worn - partly because we bought a used bus and partly because we've used it for five summers and have continued to wear out some of the seats. So, all of them are now recovered and they look good (except for a few paint stains from Paint-O-Rama on the day we had to run into the bus to get out of the rain.) Which brings us to our next point: help us take care of the bus. We have a really nice bus and we need your help taking care of it. So there will be times when snacks/drinks are not allowed on the bus. And we always need you to pick up your trash and throw it in the trash can. This is a simple concept really. But you would be surprised how many people through the years have had trouble with this. Crazy, huh?
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Okay, so the seats in the bus are repaired...what if I miss the torn pews at church? Can we get those back?
Nope. They gone. We got the new chairs and the pews with the torn seat coverings are long gone. But that brings us to fun memory from last year's Middle School Retreat. The Sunday of the retreat was the day when we had no carpet in the worship center and we wrote scriptures and prayers on the floor. The next week it all got covered up by the new carpet. But here's one fun thing to know: the names of all of our new 7th graders are written on the floor under the youth section as a prayer for each of you. We did this on the Sunday night of the retreat after Intersection (Sunday night youth.) You all have been prayed for long before you ever got into 7th grade. I think the names of most all of our current MS and HS students are written on the worship center floor, along with a bunch of Scripture and other prayers. But the torn pews, they're not coming back.
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What if I have some allergies or dietary restrictions?
Please tell Monty or Heather in advance of the retreat.
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Can you give me the sign-up link one more time?
Yes, yes we can. Here you go: MS Retreat Sign-Up Form
If you missed the Cardboard Boat Race and Family Night, here is a picture.
14 boats. 160ish students and families. Burgers and hot dogs. And an all-around great night!
