Can you smell it?!? Fall is in the air! If you are like me, you are a huge fan of the fall season. I was looking on my phone everyday this past month waiting to see the temperature outside drop from 90 degrees to 75 degrees. There is nothing better than long sleeves and jeans weather. And if you are like my wife, you were watching the Starbucks app to see when their pumpkin spice would finally kick back in! Nothing screams Fall like a $6 pumpkin spice latte.
While there is a lot of excitement around the fall season, there are a lot of things picking up for the student ministry as well. This fall, we are packed full of events, and I wanted to take a moment and fill you all in on what we have planned for our students here at Mount Carmel Christian Church.
We have 2 recurring events this fall, All-In and High School Small Groups. There are three ALL-Ins in the fall on September 17th, October 8th, and November 5th. All-In is for grades 6th-12 and it is held at the church from 6pm-8pm. We take this time to hang out, enjoy dinner together, worship, and dive into God’s Word. It is a great opportunity for students to meet new friends and engage in conversations with each other and their leaders.
High School Small Groups are using a new model this fall. We wanted to provide a consistent, weekly schedule for our small groups that would be easier for both the student and family follow. The guys and girls selected different days and times to meet that would fit their schedules best. The guys are meeting every Tuesday evening from 5:30pm-6:30pm at the church. For the girls, they have chosen to meet every Sunday morning at 9:00am in the Student Center at the church. At the end of the semester, we will reevaluate how this new schedule is working and make changes where they are needed.
One of the big events coming up for our student ministry is our kickball tournament at Parkside Christian Church on October 22. We will join the student ministries from Parkside and Eastside from 4pm-6pm to play kickball together. We did this last year, and it was a blast! We get dressed up in team colors and split up into teams to compete and enjoy some pizza afterward! This is a great time for students to relax and just enjoy time outside.
On October 27th we will be going to Shaw Farms from 4pm-6pm. Shaw Farms has hayrides and an awesome corn maze where you can use your phone to track your progress through the maze. They also have fun shops to get for fall fixins like pumpkins and apple cider. There is a $10 cost for this event for the corn maze and hayride tickets. This has always been a fan favorite for the ministry, and I am so excited to take the students this year.
The following Sunday evening, October 29th, is our student ministry baptism class. This class has two separate parts to it. The first class is from 6pm-7pm and that is for students and parents that are interested in knowing more about Baptism. The second class is from 7pm-8pm and that one is for students who have already been baptized and want to know the next steps in their new life with Jesus. In each class, students and parents are given resources to aid where they are in their walk.
In November we are having a Fall Retreat from the 10th-12th at Woodland Lakes Christian Camp. This will be another event where multiple student ministries will be together! Parkside, Eastside, and Miamisburg student ministries will be joining us for this weekend retreat as well! We will all get to the camp that Friday at 6:30pm to register and set up bunks, and we will end the event Sunday morning at 11am for pick-up. There is an early bird fee of $110 per student through October 28. On October 29th price will go up to $135. We are super excited about this retreat and can’t wait to spend the weekend with your students as we teach them about the love Jesus has for them!
Student Ministry Friendsgiving is an annual tradition we established a couple of years ago. This year’s Friendsgiving will take place at the church on November 19th from 5pm-8pm. It is a great time where families provide food for the student ministry to enjoy together. The night is going to be packed with stuffed stomachs, fun games, and prizes for the winners! This is a potluck dinner, so there will be a sign-up list sent out to families to bring their favorite Thanksgiving dish.
As you can see, there is a lot of stuff going on for the student ministry this season. While some of these events are not yet open for registration, be on the lookout for that email to let you know they are open. I truly feel blessed to serve the students and their families here at Mount Carmel Christian Church. I am here for any needs you all may have, and please feel free to contact me about any questions you may have! May God bless you all during this season!
David Rimarski
