The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

On November 13th we will combine both the Jr. High and High School groups for a night of putting shoe boxes together to get them ready to ship out to children in need. We will meet from 6-8PM.

We need you to help gather toys and and candy to put in the boxes. If you need a list of things you should buy (or not buy), CLICK HERE. You can start bringing in the toys on October 30th and then on November 13th we will put them together. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor D.

On Sunday, July 31st, we will be having our annual Water Night! There are some things you need to know before you come.

• You need to wear appropriate clothing. That means you should wear shorts and a 
t-shirt. If you want to wear a swimsuit underneath that is fine. White shirts are probably not a good idea.
• Your clothing should be able to get dirty and wet.
• You will want to bring a change of clothes and a towel. We will have a lesson after the games, so you will want to be comfortable!
• HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: We will start the fun at 7 P.M. so that we can enjoy a little more warmth and sunshine. We will still end at 9 P.M.
• JR. HIGH STUDENTS: We will meet at our normal time of 4:30 – 6:30 P.M.
• Come ready to have fun!

If you have questions, please contact Pastor D at the church office (515.733.5360).

If you will be in 7th grade next year, June 5th is the day you have been waiting for. We want you to join us in the jr. high group. The group meets on Sunday nights from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Sunday nights are high energy and lots of fun. There is food and games. We have some really great leaders and a great group of teenagers.

Also, you will be moving up into the Jr. high Sunday school class.  Dave Granzow teaches our Jr. high Sunday School class, and they just love him.

If you will be a freshman, It’s time for you to move into the high school group. Sunday, June 5th, will be the first day for you to move up. You do have a choice. You can attend the jr. high group until August, you can attend the high school group that meets 7:30 – 9:00pm, or you can attend both. The choice is all yours, but you should consider going to the high school group so that you can begin to build relationships. I am excited about what God has planned for the group this summer. I hope you are too!

Also on June 5th, if you attend our church, you’ll be moving into the high school Sunday School class.

Are you ready! This summer we will be going on a missions trip back to Puerto Rico! Are you in? This will be an awesome chance for us to minister to the people of Puerto Rico. We are really excited about this trip and we are praying that God would be preparing the way for us to have an impact on the lives of the people we interact with, and that He would impact our lives as well.

Is God leading you to go with us? Please pray about your involvement in this trip. We want you to go if your desire is to serve the people of Puerto Rico. We don’t want you to go if you are looking for a vacation or a chance to get away. So, please pray about this trip. Don’t just sign up because it sounds cool. Talk about it with your parents and see if this trip is for you.

WHEN?

July 22-29, 2011

WHERE?

We will be going to Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

WHO CAN GO?

This trip is for students that are currently in grades 9-12. We have space for 12 students, once all the spaces are filled, we won’t be able to take any more, so if you want to go, make sure you get your application in and sign up to meet with Pastor D right away.

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING?

Students will spend four days serving with local ministries and programs that seek to address the very basic needs of residents. We won’t know exactly what we will be doing until we get to Puerto Rico

WHAT IS THE COST?

The cost for the trip will be approximately $1300. It may be more, it may be less, but it will be somewhere around there. Once we have our team together, we will be able to determine travel costs and a final amount. If you plan to go, start saving your pennies because a $60 deposit will be due on September 15th.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO NOW?

First, you need to pray about this trip! Then, you need to fill out the application form included with this letter, have your parents fill out the consent forms and sign up to meet with Pastor D to talk about the possibility of you going on the trip. This meeting will be an interview about you going on this trip with us. You need to turn in your application form by Sunday, September 12th.

Once we have our team together, we will be getting more information to the team members as well as holding training sessions.

There’s all sorts of things happening this summer. Here’s a list of some upcoming dates, and what will be happening on these dates.

• June 27th: We will not be having youth group because D & Jill will be with a group at Challenge. Follow along with what’s happening in Columbus. (click here)
• July 4th: On Sunday night, July 4th, we will be having youth group at our normal time. It will be a relaxed and fun night. We hope you will be there!
• July 10th: (HIGH SCHOOL ONLY) On Saturday, July 10th, we will be going down to Hope Ministries to be a part of their Service and Mission Team. During the day we will do a variety of activities which includes a service project at the Hope Outreach Center, a meal at the Hope Café, a tour of our Bethel Mission facility, education about homelessness, and a visit to the homeless who live in tent camps along the rivers in Des Moines. If you would like to go, you must sign up. You can call D, facebook him, text him, or email him to sign up (d.koundakjian@harvestefree.org)
• July 11th: We will NOT have youth group on July 11th because of VBS. If you would like to volunteer to help, sign up at the church. It will be lots of fun!

Okay, before you ask, yes we will have youth group on Father’s Day. Be nice to your dad. Make him a cool card, and then let him rest in peace and quite, while you come to youth group!

Now, enjoy this silly little video.

Just a reminder that we will not have youth group on May 9th because of Mother’s Day. So take the evening and make it special for your mother! Be creative! Think of something you can do to thank her for all she does for you.

Here are some ideas you can use:

Those are just a few ideas. You can think of something awesome. If you have a great idea, leave it in the comments section below!

We will be having group on May 16th, so be there!