Jr. GAP - Guy Talk/ Girl Talk: Expectations

Wednesday night in youth group will be dedicated to talking about expectations.

Expectations come from everyone: parents, teachers, friends, classmates, teammates, the church, society...  We're going to talk about these and how they can be a heavy burden to carry.  Sometimes these expectations can lead to serious problems, like depression, eating disorders, or even suicide.

So how should we handle these?  We'll look at a bunch of verses and what God says to do with expectations.  We talk about BEING our best instead of always ACHIEVING more and more.  We'll talk about focusing on the heart instead of the body.

Expectations is such a broad topic for today's teens.  We'll be touching on a few different aspects of this, but as parents, feel free to ask your student what expectations they have placed on them at home, at school, at church...  Some may surprise you!  Use this conversation as a way to talk about spoken vs. unspoken expectations and how to handle the pressures.

Update

From Jill -

Hello Everyone, I hope that you find this blog useful to keep in touch will the busy happenings here with the kids at maurice. I want to redirect you to another page specifically for Children's Ministry. We now have our own blog: to get to the blog go to http://www.mauricefirstchildren.blogspot.com/.

Jr. GAP - Commercial Night!

From Tracy:

Thanks for checking back with the weekly blog for Jr. GAP!  This week, we're going to be making our very own Super Bowl commercials to be shown at the Super Bowl party on February 6.  It'll just be a fun night of hanging out in our small groups, building relationships, laughing, and spending time together.  Be sure to ask your student what commercial their small group decided to make!

Also, just a reminder that THIS Friday is Friday Night Flicks!  We're watching the movie "To Save a Life", and $5 will get you all-you-can-eat pizza, a fantastic movie, and great conversation afterward.  Come to the bus barn at 6 pm for a good night!  We will wrap things up around 9:30 pm.

Jr. GAP - Guy Talk / Girl Talk

Welcome to the Youth and Children's Ministries Blog!  We hope to post valuable information for parents so you can be better informed in what your kids are learning.  It'll be brief and updated regularly - or at least that's our goal!  Hopefully this will equip you to ask your children great questions about youth group or Sunday School, because we know kids don't always fully share what's on their minds or what they've experienced.

From Tracy (Jr. GAP Youth Pastor) - 

We're just starting a new series called "Guy Talk/Girl Talk."  We are looking at different topics that are relevant to a teen's life.  Topics include: decisions, emotions, expectations, fear, family, the opposite sex, the internet, love & romance, using your talents, and temptation.

We start each night as a large group, talking about the subject and listening to an adult's testimony.  Then we spend the majority of our time in small groups, discussing the topic in depth and from a guys' or girls' perspective. 

Last week we started talking about decisions, and our college intern Hannah shared about some decisions she's had to make in life.  The students had great questions and thoughts during the small groups and we talked about the importance of seeking advice and gaining wisdom from others.

This week we're tackling the issue of emotions.  We'll be looking at the wide range of emotions teens face, as well as a look at depression.  It's a huge topic for many students, and we hope it'll be a time of encouragement and understanding.

In Him,
Tracy