JANUARY 2014

PLUGGED IN
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION TO HELP PARENTS BETTER PLUG INTO THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STUDENT.

January Issue
THIS MONTH

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THE GATHERING (1/15) GIRLS MINISTRY (1/12) SE ASIA 101 TRAINING (1/12) DNOW PRAYER NIGHT (1/16) DNOW (1/17-19)

COMING SOON

RESOLUTE...
ITS THAT JOYOUS TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHEN MANY OF US STRESS AND STRETCH OURSELVES TO THINK ABOUT THINGS WE NEED TO CHANGE. FROM SHRINKING WAIST LINES TO SPENDING MORE TIME WITH FAMILY, WE ALL IN SOME CAPACITY LEVERAGE THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR TO MOTIVATE US TO BE DIFFERENT...BETTER THAN PRIOR MONTHS AND YEARS. AS YOU CHECK OUT THIS MONTHS NEWSLETTER, WOULD YOU THINKING BACK TO THE ROOT WORD OF RESOLUTION WHICH IS RESOLUTE AND MEANS TO BE FIRMLY RESOLVED OR DETERMINED; SET IN PURPOSE. IN WHAT WAYS WILL YOU STAND RESOLUTE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH? FAMILY? CAREER? MINISTRY?
A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

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SE ASIA 201 TRAINING (2/16) THE GATHERING (2/26) WILD GAME DINNER (2/27) DODGEBALL @ WM (3/12)

VOLU NTEER SPOTLIGHT

DONNA VAN HEMERT

ENGAGE

PRAY FOR DNOW

EQUIP

DEEPLY COMMITTED TEENS

STUDENT MINISTRY STAFF

Matt Hubbard
Lead Student Pastor
ONE THING I HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2014 More dads and moms actively and condently leading their children spiritually, including myself.

Melissa Sponer
Girls Ministry Associate
ONE THING I HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2014 Read the entire Bible cover to cover.

Ross Spigner
Middle School Pastor
ONE THING I HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2014 Passionate worship in Spirit and Truth from myself and students.

Amanda Beach
Ministry Assistant
ONE THING I HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2014 See more students lead condently.

From Our Heart

! When you think about the New Year, what word most likely rst comes to mind? Was it resolutions? Thats often the rst word I think of when it comes to starting a new year. I begin to picture in my mind the old English politician William Wilberforce (think Isaac Watts and Amazing Grace) or maybe even Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin standing in front of Parliament declaring that they resolve themselves or that they stand resolute on a certain belief, commitment, etc. In other words, they are sold out, they will stand strong, they will do what it takes, regardless of consequence, to make that belief or commitment a reality. Sadly, over the years, my resolutions have become more singular in nature in that my only resolution is not to make resolutions. This year I want to try something new, and I wonder if you would join me. ! Im not a huge, goal-oriented person as many of you are. I used to be very goal-oriented, but over recent years I have shifted my focus away from quantitative (think measurable, numbers) goals to more qualitative (less measurable, life-change) goals. I dont know about you, but I nd it easy to get caught up in and even discouraged by the numbers or accomplishments game. I begin to focus more on the score than the actual game or lives that Im invested in. There must be a healthy balance of both. ! Ive been thinking and praying about these for awhile now. Though I havent fully come up with all the resolutions, I have categorized them accordingly. Would consider joining me in searching for this balance and setting some of these goals? Keep a lookout on our new www.ibclrstudents.org (COMING SOON) for some ways to hold each of us accountable! Personal Spiritual Growth Ministry/Missions Health Marriage & Relationships Family Career Finances Making Disciples

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WEB ON THE

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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
DONNA VAN HEMERT
MY FAMILY: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! RUDY (HUSBAND...MARRIED 1992) ! CONNOR (AGE...19) KATHERINE (AGE...16) DUKE (LABRADOODLE) ! ! ! !

WHERE I SERVE: ! ! ! ! ! I HAVE SERVED FOR: !

I TEACH THE SENIORS WITH MY HUSBAND AND THE RAINWATERS. 13 YEARS. HAWAII FOR RELAXATION. JERUSALEM TO WALK THE ROAD CHRIST DID. ANYTHING CHOCOLATE THE RESURRECTION STORY (MARY FINDING THE TOMB EMPTY.)

MY DREAM VACATION DESTINATION IS: ! ! ! ! ! ! MY FAVORITE SNACK FOOD IS: ! MY FAVORITE BIBLE STORY IS: ! ! !

www.vimeo. com/

www.facebo ok.com/

www.twitter. com/

www.instagr am.com/

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

2014 / January
1

Happy New Year!

Last Day to sign up for DNOW @ $65! Price goes up to $80 after this day.
Girls Ministry 12-2

Student Worship MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00)

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The Gathering
13 14 15
5:45-6:15 meal 6:15-7:30 worship

12

SE ASIA GO training 101 @ 4pm

16

DNOW Prayer Night

(Horne Hall)

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DNOW

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DNOW

19

DNOW

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Student Worship 22 23 MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00) Student Worship 29 30 MS (5:45-7:15) HS (6:15-8:00)

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DGroups 26 start back! 27 6-7

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COMING SOON

February 16 February 16 February 26 February 27

Girls Ministry to Briarwood Nursing Home 12pm-2pm SE ASIA GO training 201 @ 4pm The Gathering 5:45pm meal, 6:15pm worship Wild Game Dinner @ 6:00 pm

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW A SPECIAL VIDEO INVITATION.

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

ENGAGE

PRAY FOR DNOW!

By now you have probably heard about an event soon approaching called DNOW. DNOW is an acronym standing for Discipleship Now. Since our mission is to be and build reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ, our church sets aside one special weekend to specically focus on students so that they might be discipled and learn how to build disciples themselves. So what is DNOW? DNOW takes place here in Little Rock. Parents, like yourself, volunteer their home for a weekend to allow 5-10 students and a few college students/adults to stay at their house for two nights sort of like an extended sleepover. These college students/adults will be Bible study leaders for the weekend and will facilitate time in Gods word and meaningful discussion with the students. In addition to the home Bible studies, there will be worship services, shared meals, service projects, and fun and games that are planned throughout the city and on the church campus. In the past, the weekend has had a signicant impact on our church and we pray and expect it to continue to have lasting impact this year. Our theme this year is Unleashed. Two primary phrases sum up what we mean. (1) God unleashes his Spirit upon his people. (2) God unleashes his people into the world. As our church continues to make strides towards being and building disciples, we want our students to be challenged to make disciples themselves even in their teenage years. In John 14, Jesus prepared his disciples for a time when we would leave this earth. In that moment of anxiety for his leaving, the disciples were comforted to hear what Jesus told them next. Jesus said he would not leave them as orphans, but that he would send them a Helper, the Spirit of truth, who would enable them to be his witnesses to the world. Jesus promised that he would unleash his Spirit upon his disciples. In the early chapters of book of Acts, we see the fulllment of that promise. And once the

Spirit came, the disciples were empowered and emboldened. They were unleashed! They were unleashed to the world making the most of every opportunity to tell others about Jesus. We hope our students experience Gods Spirit unleashed on them, and therefore are unleashed to make disciples in the world. For some parents, DNOW is familiar and you have been taking part for years in the weekend by serving in various ways. For others, this may be the rst time your child

What to pray for:

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Godly friendships to form between students. Pray that these students together would embrace being unleashed for Christ. Enduring discipling relationships between students and Bible study leaders that are able to come alongside parents throughout the year. Pray for our host homes and many volunteers as they are unleashing their homes, vehicles, and servant hearted gifts. Pray that they might show gracious hospitality as they help maintain an environment for Bible study, fun, and rest. Pray for our speaker Jeremy Nottingham and our worship leader David Freeman. Pray that the Spirit would be unleashed through them. Pray for students to be able to worship fully and hear Gods word clearly.

How to pray as a family?

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Consider praying as a family for DNOW. Pray for it during mealtime prayers, bedtime prayers, and family devotions. Consider writing your child a note prior to DNOW sharing with them di!erent ways that you will be praying for them throughout the weekend. Pack the note in their bags in a place they will be sure to nd it. Please mention DNOW in your Sunday school classes and small groups throughout the church to pray for the weekend. Be present on Sunday morning of DNOW, Jan. 19th at 9am. We will have a special recap of the weekend that we hope all parents can attend. We will facilitate some easy, simple, and yet very meaningful prayer time for parents to pray over their children. You wont want to miss it!

By Ross Spigner

EQUIP
(NOTE: IBC Student Ministry does not necessarily endorse the content and viewpoints expressed in these articles.They are posted here for purposes of keeping you informed as to what is happening in the world of youth culture.)

amanda@ibclr.org
will participate. Regardless of which category you nd yourself, we hope that we can all unite ourselves in praying for the weekend with one accord.

DEEPLY COMMITTED TEENS

http://bit.ly/deeplycommitted Our goal as parents is to raise kids with a deep passion for Christ.! The questions is how do we do that? What can parents do to raise their kids with

A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014

a deep commitment to Christ? Given that kids today are rapidly adopting a new type of faith referred to as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism that promotes the following idea:

Serves in their Community (+1)

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Gods desire for us is that we might be good Religion is there to help you There is a God but he is far away

The research sought to know what contributes to positive spiritual outcomes?! However they found there are many parenting practices so it was important to identify the real predictors from the counterfeit predictor. Counterfeit predictors are practices we assume would contribute to a positive spiritual outcome however they have no predictive value at all.! These factors are as follows:

Connected with Pastor/Youth Pastor: The fourth most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Conditions Score is that the child was connected with a Pastor or Youth Pastor 58% of parents described their young adult children as being connected with their Pastor or Youth Pastor while growing up.

The challenge posed to the family is, how do we raise kids to deeply love Christ?! How do we live out the scripture Deuteronomy 4:6-7 practically?! The Shema consists of 3 major parts: 1. Sharing your faith: The scripture states to repeat them to your children (not just say); Kids need to hear, know and do; Are we teaching our kids that the gospel of Christ is sin management or a! changed/transformed life? Living the life: describes a life lived in right relationship with God. Marking your home: Shema says write them on the door posts and your gates.! What does this mean today?! You own it.! People own their faith.

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How decisions were made in the home. Fathers work experience during childs growing up years. Mothers work experience during childs growing up years. Schooling (homeschool vs public vs private).

Discipline: The fth most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Conditions Score is that the parent did not use time out to discipline their child.
49% of parents used timeout to discipline their child(ren) as a typical parenting practice as these young adults were growing up. Typical parenting practices: Spanking (82%), Grounding (70%), and Lost of Privileges (78%) were all more common forms of discipline.

2. 3.

Real predictors are practices that have predictive value and contribute to a positive spiritual outcome. Prayer: By far the child that regularly spent time in prayer as they grew up (45% of young adult children are described by their parents as doing this as they grew up.)
59% of children are described by their parents as praying regularly now as young adults. 42% of parents say their family spent time together praying as a family several times a week.

Served at Church: The sixth most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Condition Score is that the young adult children regularly served at church while growing up.
53% of young adult children regularly served at church while they were Facebo growing up

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Students need to know, own and make known their faith.

LifeWay Research shows there are some best practices common in parents with kids that have a deep relationship with Christ as adults.! The research came from a study completed with Clay Reed asking parents who were involved in local churches to survey their own children. Ed and Clay dened a Spiritual Condition score to dene the term owning their faith.! These included :

Good Grades: The 2nd most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Conditions Score is that the child achieved good grades.
78% of young adult children are described by their parents as having achieved good grades. 90% of parents emphasized achieving good grades as their children grew up.

Instagra Community Service Projects: The m seventh most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Condition Score is that the child participated in ministry or served on community projects as a family while growing up. Twitter There you have it.! 7 indicators that lend to a deep commitment to Christ.! Thoughts?! Comments? Which of these 7 are regularly a part of your home?! Maybe Ill take another post to share the ones that are incorporated into mine and the ones Im looking to incorporate more in the future. If youd like to see the full presentation of Eds research, please click here.
By Dr. Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research

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Share their faith (+1) Involved in Church (+1) Leader in Church (+1) Reads Bible regularly (+1) Pray regularly (+1) Recognizes Spiritually Mature Adults (+1)

No Rebellious Years: The third most powerful indicator of the Spiritual Conditions Score is that the child was not rebellious a child/teen
21% of parents described their young adult children as NOT being rebellious when they were a teen.

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IBC STUDENT MINISTRY

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A publication of IBC Student Ministry. www.ibclrstudents.org 2014