Summer 2010 Info

Middle School Service Project July 31st Angel Food For our next service project we are going to return and help at the Angel Food Grocery relief and distribution on Saturday morning July 31st. The service time is from 6-11am. Please wear comfortable clothes, tennis shoes and bring a water bottle. We will leave from church at 5:30am. Please contact Dave Carpenter for additional info and let him know if you are coming. Other Upcoming Projects Samaritan Inn On Friday August 6th we will have a service trip to Samaritan Inn. We will be collecting items to deliver to the inn as they are in great need this summer of bath room tissue, sunscreen, HE laundry detergent, and other paper products. Even if you cant go on the 6th you can help collect items. We will collect these items up until the 6th and then deliver them that day to the inn and go on a tour and find out other ways we can help at the inn. The details for the time of the tour will be forthcoming. Drop of your donations for the inn by Pastor Nathan’s office or bring them on the 6th. Community Lifeline Save the dates August 19th or 20th Our last service project for the Summer will be at the Community Lifeline Center of McKinney. More details on this event will be coming to you as we get closer to the date. Pool  Party!!! Thank you Thank you to everyone who came out to the Pizza and Pool Party at the Mead House last night July 21. Thank you also to the Mead Family for hosting us! We will try to have one more social event toward the beginning of August for fun and fellowship. Have a safe rest of your summer! pn

Confirmation Info

One of the greatest opportunities we have as Lutheran Christians is the instruction and discipleship of our children and youth.  The gift of faith received at baptism must be nurtured in order for our young people to become mature Christians. Additionally, students must learn to apply this faith in a world that continues to grow in complexity and secularism.  Many of the issues that students face in Middle School today could not have been imagined by previous generations.  Lifelong commitments of following Christ are often made during these formidable years, and we have an obligation as churches and families to create environments that best allows this to happen.

Confirmation provides a wonderful opportunity in which we can make sure that our students are given a clear presentation of what it means to be a Christian today.  We can also insure that they are given the Biblical perspective on how to deal with the difficult issues they face.  Finally, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the privilege and opportunity to nurture each student’s personal relationship with Christ.

Goal

A Middle School ministry that partners together with parents that impacts and ministers to the whole student by teaching and modeling how to be a disciple of Jesus and equipping them with tools that help them grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ

Information and Transformation

Confirmation at Our Savior is not just about information, memorizing the catechism, or knowing all the right answers it is also about transformation in the lives of students and their families. When the people of Israel were about to enter the promise land Moses said to them, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7) Moses words are a reminder that our walk with God is not something limited to a worship service or what happens on a church campus but rather our walk with God is best seen and transferred to our children in the everyday moments spent with them. Confirmation then is designed to encourage, partner with, and reinforce what is happening in the home. Students may complete all their work and know all the right answers which is good but if it is not being reinforced in the day to day life of their parents and families, transformation will have a hard time taking place. We in Middle School Family Ministry want to partner with you the family in this challenge and great opportunity to disciple your youth. While we have resources and programs that we think will help you in the discipleship process, we also want to hear from you to know what you need in terms of additional support, ideas, resources, encouragement, etc. We want to be on your team to help you in the noble task of parenting. So please let us know how we can help and what we can help you with. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t have all the answers or even if you have no idea where to begin or if you feel that you have made too many mistakes or if the challenge seems to great, let us help you and your family to be a great success. We have great confidence in your ability because God himself has given you your children!

Topics and Information Covered

Confirmation at Our Savior is typically and best completed in a three-year program however the program may also be accomplished by completing all six modules. Students successfully completing all 6 modules will be given the opportunity to participate in the Rite of Confirmation. The six modules include instruction on the Old Testament, New Testament, The Sacraments, The Creed, The Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer and The Sacraments will be our two main topics for Sunday evenings this year 2009-10. May 1 & 2 are the dates scheduled for the Confirmation Class of 2010 to participate in the rites and rituals of Confirmation.

On Campus Instruction

As we partner with you in the instruction you are already giving your youth at home we also provide an opportunity for additional teaching reinforcement on the campus of Our Savior. The on campus instruction for this year is Sunday evenings from 5:00pm-6:30pm.  The first part of the evening will consists of games and community building in the Woodlands Room or outside. Part two will consist of large group instruction, led primarily by Pastor Nathan. The third part will consist of small group time, where students will break into gender based teams. In the groups, the students will learn to apply the lessons to their lives and pray for each other.  These teams are led by an adult member of the congregation who is designated as the small group leader for the year.  Each aspect of the evening is important in the discipleship training so it is important that students arrive on time and are present for the entire evening.

Here is how the schedule looks.

5:00-5:20       Youth room and outside games

5:20-5:50       Group instruction by leader

5:50-6:30       Small group time

6:30-6:40       free time/pickup

Students will take home an assignment to be completed with his/her parents.  This assignment is a continuation of the material covered Sunday evening. The assignments are designed to be devotionals and as resources for instruction for the family to do together once a week. Please do not treat these opportunities as simple homework that a student does by herself but rather as an opportunity for the family to sit down together in God’s Word.

Worship Attendance and Summaries

Worship is an opportunity for families to together give praise and honor to God and to receive the benefits that Jesus offers us in Word and Sacrament. Regular worship attendance is expected of families at Our Savior. During confirmation students are expected to be in attendance at 70% of the weekly Sunday worship opportunities at Our Savior. Attendance at worship is tracked through attendance cards so please make sure your students name is included on them. Midweek worship services like Advent and Lent are not counted against students but serve as “bonus” for those who have a hard time in their regular attendance on Sunday morning.

In order to help students think about all that is involved in worship and to help them actively reflect on the worship service, worship summaries are given to the students to complete during the confirmation years. 15 worship summaries are to be completed through out the year. Of the 15 summaries at least 6 must be turned in before the Christmas break. Worship summaries are included in this notebook and also available in the middle school church mailbox and at the rear of the sanctuary on the kids activities table.

Wednesday  Night Schedule (8^th Graders & Completing Students)

Pastor Tutwiler will have special nights with the 8^th graders to focus on the promise they will make on Confirmation Sunday to God. Students will have 7 evening sessions throughout the year to interact more with Pastor Tutwiler and one another.  These sessions will include a time for teaching and dinner provided by the host parents.  Each 8^th grade family will be assigned a night to provide food along with at least one other family. If helping to provide the meal causes a financial difficulty to your family please let Pastor Nathan know. See the schedule for the specific dates.

Materials Needed

Students will need to acquire an NIV or ESV version of the Bible.  OSL will supply each student with a copy of the Small Catechism, a notebook to keep lessons, other handouts, and any other materials needed.  It is expected that the students will bring their Bible, Catechism, notebook, and a pen to class weekly.

We are honored to be able to be a part of this discipleship experience with you.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 972-562-9944 or through email at nathan.wendorf@oslmckinney.org

* Special arrangements are made for students entering OSL’s Confirmation program after sixth grade contact Pastor for more information.

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2010-2011 Info Coming Soon!