My Epic Journey

November 22^nd–Parents’ Night Out

Time: 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Where: Grace Point Community Church (2393 Peachblow Road, Lewis Center, OH 43035)

Who: Individuals with disabilities and their siblings.

What is it: Parent’s Night Out is a youth sponsored event that allows caregivers to drop off individuals and their siblings at Grace Point Community Church to be cared for and engaged in a fun-filled evening of activities.

Cost: FREE! This is a service of the Student Ministry at Grace Point Community Church

Please call 740.548.7718 by November 20th to reserve your spot

November 29^th—NO EPIC (Thanksgiving weekend)

November 29^th—HS ELF Night

Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Where: Home of Dave and Traci Bleedorn (5356 Port Haven Drive, Galena, OH 43021)

Who: High School students

What: An opportunity to ring in the Christmas season with our annual ELF Night. We will be watching the movie, Elf. Fun games and prizes.

Cost: FREE!

What to bring: Guys—Pizza toppings (you will be making pizza for the girls). Girls—desserts

December—The NeverEnding Story Teaching Series

A manger. A baby. Shepherds. Stars. The Christmas story is one we look at with great reverence. The peaceful scene is recreated and plastered on everything from phone backgrounds to lawn decorations. But the Christmas story is more than a just a story we look back on and remember. It’s ongoing. It’s active. It’s a story that required a response over 2,000 years ago, and one that requires a response today. It’s a story that invites us to participate in it even today—because the Christmas story is the neverending story.

• Session One: invited to (December 6th)  When a story is small and distant, it really doesn’t have much impact in our lives, does it? It solicits a nod, a smile, a “that’s nice.” But it doesn’t affect us. It doesn’t move us. It doesn’t shake us. And while many people, us included, tend to approach the Christmas story, the story of Jesus’ birth, in a familiar, typical and remote sort of way, it’s not that kind of story. The Christmas story, at its very core demands a response—good or bad—from you, from me—from anyone who hears it.
• Session Two: participate in (December 13th)  The Christmas story is more than just one we respond to individually, it’s one we participate in—and we’re not talking bathrobes and kids in sheep costumes. The participation the Christmas story calls for is more earth shaking than a quiet stable and a clear sky with a bright star. This story shook the way the world operates when it started to unfold thousands of years ago. But it has the potential to do the same thing today when we become an active part of it. What would our world look like if we became a part of the vision God has for the world—a vision revealed with the birth of His Son, and rests on us now?

December 20^th—EPIC Christmas Party

Time: 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Where: Grace Point Community Church

Who: ALL EPIC Students

Cost: FREE!!!

What to bring: A gift under $5.00 for a gift exchange. Friends.

Middle School—Desserts

High School—Appetizers

February 12-14, 2010—The CHILL

Where: Camp Otyokwah (3380 Tugend Road, Butler, OH 44822)

Who: High School Students

What: This is our annual HS winter retreat. This year’s purpose is to get high schools students away from the stresses of life so that they can become one with the Trinity of God (i.e. the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), to become one with themselves, and to become one as a community/family of believers (Ephesians 4.4-6)

Cost: $75.00. Please stop by the EPIC table to pick up an information/registration packet.

1.  No EPIC this Weekend (November 30th).  Due to 5th Sunday (Family Worship) and the Thanksgiving Holiday we are taking a break from EPIC this weekend.  Please have your students worship with you as a family.

2.  EPIC ELF Night–High School ONLY. 

This Sunday night we are having our annual EPIC ELF Night.  Though I will not be around I want to thank the Mount’s for opening up their home for us.  The night will begin at 5:00 pm and end at 8:00 pm.  Students need to bring $3.00 for pizza.  We are also asking the guys to bring appetizers and the girls to bring desserts.  The address for Danny and Beth Mount is 7303 Trillium Drive, Lewis Center.

3.  Middle School addition.  Starting January 4th, We will have the middle school EPIC option at both the 9:30 and the 11:00 services on Sundays.  We are challenging our “regular” attenders to choose the 9:30 am option to help relieve some of the congestion at the 11:00 service in the main auditorium.  The EPIC services will be the same both hour with me teaching both.

4.  High School change.  We have a change in the High School programming as well.  Starting January 4th, HS EPIC will be meeting from 5:00-7:00 pm (instead of 6-8).  This will hopefully help families not have their students out later on a school night.

5.  Extra-Curricular Events.  Dare2Share (MS ONLY), The CHILL (HS ONLY) and Summer Camp (both) brochures and packets are all on the EPIC table.  Please take time to pick up appropriate information for you student(s).

6.  Christmas Gifts.  With Christmas just around the corner, we are planning on getting some EPIC specific Christmas gifts you can purchase for you student.  Right now you can still pick up EPIC Story and Ductball T-shirts for $10.00 a piece.  These would make GREAT stocking stuffers.   Also, we are in the works of creating a EPIC skateboard for those of you who have skaters in your family.  The cost would be $65.00 a  board.  More info to come on that.

I pray you and your family has a GREAT Thanksgiving Holiday.  We will see your student(s) on December 7th as we tackle the series, ‘Tis the Season:  A New Look at the Christmas Holiday.