December @sardisyouth

@ SardisYouth November 2013 Committed to glorifying God, the Youth Ministry of Sardis Presbyterian Church exists to accept, engage and nurture all youth and their families in order that they become disciples of Christ and serve the Lord.

High schoolers filled 9 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes and will go to the Samaritan's Purse OCC Processing Center on Dec. 14 to process shoe boxes for shipment around the world.

Take A Break Tuesday: Holidays and Thankfulness

TAKE A BREAK TUESDAY: Formerly called “High School Bible Study,� meets every other Tuesday at the home of leaders, Alison and Adair Crossley. At the most recent gathering, the group shared the importance of being aware and thankful for their blessings in the upcoming holiday season. The next gathering will be January 14.

Middle School Great Escape Parent Meeting: December 8 Early registration starts in December.

There will be a parent meeting on December 8th at 7:30pm. This is a wonderful adventure the middle schoolers will not want to miss! Carolina Alba has attended The Great Escape the past two years as a sixth and seventh grader. She said “I have loved both years at The Great Escape, which has helped me on my faith journey.” During the sports tournaments “we got first in girl’s basketball, second in co-ed soccer, second in guy’s chees, and first in girl’s 5k...go Sardis! You name it and The Great Escape has got it.” During The Great Escape “the pastor sends all of us out to find a quite place to sit with God, and just chat. Later on during family time, I always heard how amazed people were from really feeling His presence all around them. I felt that way too, and it is the best feeling in the

Our middle schoolers had a great November! They kicked off the month at the Stewardship dinner where they helped babysit and entertain the children. Then had a month full of fun activities including clay making, scooter games, broom ball, and the annual progressive fast food dinner! They ended the month by making sandwiches to help feed our homeless neighbors.

December holds much more fun for our middle schools. We are looking forward to starting the month by helping buy gifts for the Angel Tree. December also brings the much anticipated trip to Sky High and the annual white elephant Christmas gift exchange to end 2013!

High School

High School youth were invited to the Crossley home to eat spaghetti and watch the powerful movie, "TO SAVE A LIFE." Jake and Roger were childhood friends who went their separate ways in high school. The very popular Jake had no time for Roger, whose loneliness and despair led to unfortunate tragedy. The movie shows how the tragedy shaped the rest of Jake's life and his discovery of the importance of God in his life and the importance of connection and kindness with all types of people. Here are some of our youths' reactions to the movie: "Makes you wonder if people around you feel the same way that Roger felt." Sophie Riddell “It made me want to be nice to shy people." Meredith Banks "A truly life changing and eye opening experience." Chase Hunter High school students watched the video, "FROM ONE SECOND TO THE NEXT," about the dangers of texting and driving and the power of forgiveness. Through the insight of people who spoke about the horrors that happened to them in a matter of seconds due to foolish negligence, youth and advisors gained a better understanding of the valuable lessons learned: "Put your phones away while driving, and as hard as it may be, Jesus commands us to forgive one another. "

2014 Montreat Youth Conference The 2014 Montreat Youth Conference is a unique gathering of young people from all over the country for a week of study, worship, and recreation. Activities include morning energizers, music, keynote, small group meetings, afternoon recreation activities, and evening worship. It is designed for high school students, entering freshmen through graduated seniors, and their adult leaders. Sardis will be attending the week of July 20-26, 2014. We are targeting a cost of $350 when offset by fundraising, total cost is $680. This includes conference registration, room and board. For more information contact David Abercrombie (704-491-9104, dabercrombie2@carolina.rr.com) or Dean Bowen (704-763-7760, bowenm23@aol.com) or view the conference website at: http://montreat.org/current/2014-youth-conferences-at-montreat

December 2013 YOUTH CALENDAR December 1:

MS Fellowship: Meet at Target in Matthews at 6:00 p.m. to shop for Angel Tree

December 4:

MS Sabbath: 6-7 p.m. this will be the last Sabbath of 2013

December 8:

MS Fellowship: 6-7:30 p.m. “God is Like a Light” enjoy a game of Sardines.

MS PARENTS: A parent meeting will be held immediately after Fellowship!

HS Fellowship: 6-7:30 p.m. Guest speaker, Chris Porter, with Collegiate Athletes in Action, will speak to High School Fellowship on Sunday evening, Dec. 8, on the topic "Does the Way You Live Your Life Really Matter?" Chris says the youth should "Put on their seat belts for an evening of frank conversation.”

HS PARENTS: 7:30 p.m. Required parent meeting for all Belize and Montreat participants (wait listed youth parents for Belize are urged to come). Important dates and youth auction fundraising requirements discussed.

December 13:

MS at Sky High: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sky High / Carolina Place Mall food court. You will need $12 for Sky High and the Sky High permission slip, plus money for food.

December 14:

MS Service Project: 8-10 a.m. help deliver Angel tree gifts HS Operation Christmas Child: 6-10 p.m. Meet at Sardis at 5:30 p.m.

December 15:

MS Fellowship: 6-7:30 p.m., “God is Like a Gift” Christmas gift exchange party HS Fellowship: 6-8:30 p.m. Progressive Dinner

December: 22 and 29: No Fellowship

Stay Connected! @SardisYouth

Your Youth Leaders High School Dean Bowen (bowenm23@aol.com) Middle School Jeff Weston (jsweston323@gmail.com)