We have been working hard over the past few weeks to re-vamp our DSM website.  It is still a work in progress, but since we’ve been doing that, we also re-built the middle school ministry page.  If you have been checking this page often for updates on what’s going on or if you’ve subscribed to any of the feeds, you are going to want to head over to the new home of this page at middleschool.damascusministries.com.

In the next couple of weeks we will be posting over there on what you’ll find at the site and anything else you might need to know about the middle school ministry’s new home on the web.

As we begin to approach the dates for our Castaway Bay retreat, we’d like to give you a brief glimpse into what we will be talking about while we are at Castaway.  Our theme for the weekend is going to be “Move” and focused all around the simple idea of looking at how God is moving in each of our lives and how God can use us to move into the lives of those around us.

At each of our Move Sessions we are going to study a different components of how God is moving in our lives today.  We will look at  how God has moved all throughout history and how that is still so important today.  Our worship, videos and lessons will all be designed to help us connect with this theme.  Think about some of your favorite stories throughout the Bible, how did God move in their lives?

I’d like to update you as to a change in our staff. Pat has been offered, and accepted, a position at Cross of Christ Lutheran in Bloomfield Hills. He will serve them as the Director of Student Ministries. This is a great opportunity for Pat and Melody, it allows them to stay in a local congregation, while at the same time allowing Pat the opportunity to  build and lead his own ministry team. Pat’s last day will be October 21st.

We are very thankful for the 8 years of ministry and leadership Pat and Melody have provided here at Faith, as well as their friendship, they will be missed. We also know and trust that God has great things planned for their future and look forward to hear of how He uses them to bless Cross of Christ. Please take a moment to congratulate Pat and Melody on this new ministry opportunity.

I know for many people this was a surprise.  After talking with a few people on Sunday I figured I would try to answer a few of the common questions that people have already brought forward to me:

Why are you leaving?
As Joe stated, this truly is a great opportunity for Melody and I.  I have loved every minute of serving as the Middle School Minister here at Faith over the last 8 years (yes, even the 2am jogs around SpringHill camps).  After lots of time thinking and praying over the last several months both Melody and I feel it is the right time for me to use my gifts to help grow and develop ministries at another place.  This was an incredibly difficult choice for us because we have such a rich and amazing history here at Faith, and such a connection with so many families.

What are you going to be doing at Cross of Christ?
I will be the Director of Student Ministries, overseeing both Middle School and High School ministry.  As only the 3rd full-time staff member at the church I will also be able to give guidance and direction in a few other areas as well.

Who will replace you?
I know that Dave Frank, the Director of Student Ministries, is working very hard to find the best possible replacement for the Middle School Ministry.  He is currently taking resumes and will begin interviews, etc. in the near future.  Until a replacement has been found many of our volunteers have stepped forward to run, teach, etc. at all of our programs.  So the Ground Floor, 2nd Floor, Castaway Winter Retreat and Christmas Blitz will all still happen.

When is your last day?
My last Ground Floor is Sunday, October 18th.  My last 2nd Floor (and last day) will be on Wednesday, October 21st.

What’s this we hear about a party?
Faith has been gracious enough to throw a farewell/celebration of service party for Melody and I on Sunday, October 18th at 12:30pm in Room 16.  We will have pizza and other food for any families and students that would like to come and hang out with us and say “see ya later”.  Everyone and anyone is invited, and I’d love to be able to see all of you there!

September 13 @ 9:15am

For those that haven’t noticed yet we’ve also gone ahead and placed some new stuff on our website.  The biggest change is that you’re now able to find out all the information on our newest trip, the Castaway Winter Retreat!

January 16-18, 2010

The flier is out, we’ve got spaces available, and we’ve dropped the price to only $100 for what should be our best Winter Retreat ever!  Head over to our Castaway page to download the flier and see all the information that we’ve got available.

Wednesdays @ 6:30pm

If you head over to our 2nd Floor page you can read up on a brand new addition to an already great class.  It’s called “Pre”.  Basically we’re making Room 16 available for anyone that wants to come hang out after school.  We’ll be in the room all afternoon for students to come by, do homework, play video games, shoot pool, and enjoy some dinner on us.  It’s completely free and will be starting up when the 2nd Floor kicks off on September 16.

December 4 @ 6:30pm

If you head over to the Upcoming Events page you can see some early info on this years big Christmas Party scheduled for December 4th.  This is another spectacular event that we’re offering up to any student in Middle School this year.

And then finally if you visit our Ground Floor page you can take a look at some of the lessons we’ve got planned for this fall each and every weekend.  As you can see we’ve done a bit of updating and we hope to have another fantastic year here in the Middle School Ministry.  As always, if there is anything we can do to assist you or your family feel free to contact us.

September 13 @ 9:15am

In just over 1 month we will be hosting our annual Good Morning Game Show, live in Room 16.  This years show is going to be better than ever with new games, great new prizes, and even more chances for you to win!  Students will want to show up by 9:15am on Sunday, September 13th to grab a seat and get registered.  We’ll have some pre-show games and activities before we even get started, so be early!

On top of our usual assortment of games and prizes we’ve thrown in a special bonus.  We will be giving away a free Winter Retreat (you know that one where we go to the water park) to the student who brings the most friends with him that don’t regularly attend Faith.  So throw a party the night before, invite all your friends to stay the night and bring them on over to the Good Morning Game Show the next morning and you (and maybe even your friends) might be walking away with some of the greatest prizes around.

Click for more info.

Yes, it’s true, both of our Confirmation meetings are done and over with.  But if you missed them don’t worry because we’ve got everything that we talked about at the meeting available for you to download right here on our website. Just go ahead and head over to our Confirmation page and you’ll be able to find the 6th Grade Information packet, the 7th Grade Information Packet, the 8th Grade Information packet, along with the Student Info Registration form that needs to be completed and returned to Pat Williams to register your student for this new year of Confirmation.

* Please note that you must register your student EACH YEAR for Confirmation.  We do not carry over your student from one year to the next.

** 8th Grade Class Update: Our Sunday classes for both boys and girls are already full.  Please take that into consideration as you register your student.

One of the most amazing things about our ministry is that we’re able to do so many great things because we have such a great group of volunteers (mostly parents!) that give of their time and energy to help make things happen.  Over the past several months a few of our staff have moved on and we find ourselves in need.

Wednesdays @ 6:30pm

Our biggest need is on Wednesday nights at The 2nd Floor.  The 2nd Floor is our small group class.  Each week we’ll spend time hanging out with our students, play group games, listening to a stage teaching, and then spending about 30 – 45 minutes together in table groups.  Each table group has 1 leader and about 6 students in it.  These students and leaders sit together almost every week giving the leader a great opportunity to get to know these students!  We provide group questions in advance and attempt to give our leaders as much guidance as possible.  We’re looking for about 6 people that might be interested in being a small group table leader.

Sundays at 9:15am

Our other need is on Sunday Mornings at 9:15am for our Ground Floor class.  The Ground Floor is a great class for any Middle School student to be a part of.  We’ve got great games, lessons, videos, comedy, and much more.  Our leaders at the Ground Floor get to hang out with students, sit in with them throughout the lesson, and lead a small breakout session.  We’re looking for about 3 new leaders for this class.

If you’re a parent (and we’re assuming that you are because no student would have read this much of the post!) then we’d love for you to consider joining our volunteer staff.  You’ll have the opportunity to get to know and connect with our other leaders, develop relationships with some great students, and play an active role in the lives of not only your own kids, but many others as well.  If you might be interested in this please contact Pat Williams by phone at 248.404.6246 or email at pwilliams@faithtroy.org.

August 5-8

It’s coming up faster than you think!  In fact, this Sunday, July 26th is our last day to register for this great retreat!  If you haven’t filled out the forms yet grab a flyer from our Sand Dunes page, download it, fill it out, and bring it in.  We’ll be going up on Wednesday, August 5th and coming home on Sunday, August 8th.  We’ve already got a great group and trip planned out for everyone that includes swimming in the coolest spot in Northern Michigan (two lakes that are only 50 meters apart!), climbing some dunes, hiking beautiful trails, great cooking, worship as the sun sets and much more.  You won’t want to miss out on this so be sure to turn in your registration as soon as possible!