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About Search & Rescue
“What’s with your name?”
“What’s with the name ‘Search and Rescue’?” Teenagers today live in the richest, most technologically advanced age the world has ever known. More and more they are told by society that they have the ability within themselves to create their own truth and reality. Sounds great, but does that promise deliver? It seems that if those things were true, we would have it made. We would be happier, more fulfilled, feel more secure, and know more peace. Somehow, though, our world seems farther away from those ideals than ever. In the Youth Ministry of the University Church of Christ, we believe and have experienced one promise that has proven itself to be infinitely trustworthy. Colossians 1:13 says that God has rescued us from darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of His son, Jesus, who was the only one who could give us freedom from that darkness and bring us wholly back to God. The story we believe in faith says that God has from the beginning of time sought after us and longed to rescue us from the lie of the world that says we can find full life without Him. There is no story more passionate and thrilling than that of God’s amazing and awesome love for us – a love so deep that He allowed His only Son to pay the price for our wandering hearts so that we could know and experience once and for all that there is no where we can go that God won’t find us and bring us back into His grace. That is why our Youth Ministry is called “Search and Rescue.” That’s what God does. That’s what we can count on, and what we want the world to know, starting with you! Come get to know us as we get to know the Creator, Son, and Spirit and learn the story of our rescue!
“May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you
to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the
light.
For he has
rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom
of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
Colossians 1:11b-14, NLT
Because these things are important to us in the UCC Youth Ministry, you can expect to see: Christian Community Through family bonding, team and relationship building, and personal involvement with spiritual mentors, we are striving to foster a healthy community that can shape all families and lead them closer to God. Christian Service Shifting from primarily being fed by the church to feeding others, both within and outside of the church is a foundational part of developing stability and maturity in one’s relationship with God. Spiritual Formation Spiritual growth takes place through the assimilation and struggle of God’s people reaching out and experiencing His love and comfort. Spiritual formation occurs gradually through spiritual renewal, worship, leadership, accountability, and in other disciplines. Biblical Training We take our teaching opportunities seriously. We have a set curriculum cycle that guides our Sunday morning classes. Sunday morning studies are focused on a textual study while Wednesday classes are topically based. PARENT INVOLVEMENT Faith has always been passed on to the next generation through relationships from the last generation. As a church we understand that it takes a community of faith to raise a child. Through a committed effort from all parents and teens and others involved, our teens can learn how to remain committed to purity and wholesomeness in a world characterized by the opposite. Parents and other sponsors are an essential part of everything we do in this Youth Ministry. No activity can run effectively without the stability, creativity, and energy they bring. Through the involved and committed effort of all parents, teens, Elders, and Ministers, this Ministry will function as a powerful resource to the families of the University Church of Christ Our ministry utilizes all our parents and families through their rotating participation on our Parent Planning Committee, which coordinates some of the regular activities of the Youth Ministry. All activities will have a lead person who will be the organizer and the one in charge of the activity. The benefits of the PPC are plentiful. First, it is a way to expose our students to all of our parents. God has gifted each of our parents in their own ways and we want our youth to receive the blessings that our parents have to offer. We also desire for our youth to have relationships with as many of God’s people as possible. The PPC will also provide a way to keep our program fresh and new. Everyone has their own creative ideas and will have an opportunity to try out and put together events in which our youth can be excited to be a part. When the same person or group plans all activities, the activities tend to always look the same. The PPC will allow each activity to be more carefully planned out and more effective. The rotating nature of the committee also ensures that no one parent has to be responsible for more than a few events a year.
Sunday Morning and Wednesday Night Bible Study Every Sunday morning at 9:50 a.m. and Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. our group gathers in the Seaver Academic Complex “Nook” room. Biblical studies on Sunday mornings this year will include I & II Samuel, I & II Timothy, and the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ walk to the cross. Some topics of our Wednesday night series will include a look at aspects of discipleship using movie clip illustrations, learning to have a Heart of Worship, and purity. We almost always continue our time together after class on Wednesdays by hanging out and catching up at Malibu Yogurt or a coffee shop. After Shock The most powerful part of an earthquake happens during the waves of after shock following the initial tremor. In the same way, it is our goal to host fun, interactive events where our youth group can invite friends without a church home to get to know our group without feeling intimidated or pressured. We pray that the most powerful effects of these outreach activities happen after the event, through repeat interaction with our group and building relationships based on a mutual search to know God and His will for our lives better. Some examples of past After Shock activities include football at the beach, mini golf, bowling, and special events like Gross-Out Games and Kiddie Pool Kickball! Service Projects Because we believe that service wasn’t just a suggestion for Christian discipleship, but the foundation of it, our group participates in a service project on a monthly basis. We have hosted and/or participated in events such as: a bake sale to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims, handing out snack bags to the homeless in Santa Monica, collecting presents for the annual San Felipe Santa Run to Mexico. We are always looking for ways to serve those with needs within our congregation as well as people who have never even set foot in a church building. Youth Dinners This activity encourages fellowship and spiritual growth opportunities. Every month, our group gathers as a whole group or in separate junior and senior high groups in the home of a different family to play games and eat together, worship, and talk about various spiritual issues relevant to today’s Christian teen.
Camps and Retreats Every year our group takes several trips to various locations for weekend or weeklong events. Some of these annual events include a Fall Family Campout, Winter Retreat & Ski Trip, Teen Camp for high school, and King’s Kamp for middle school as well as many other retreats where we join other SoCal youth groups for fellowship and to grow our relationships with Christ. Fun-filled Activities From trips to Magic Mountain to movie nights to lock-ins and Christmas parties, there are loads of activities that are designed specifically for spending time having fun together. There is no substitute for friends who share the common bond of the Lord, and we LOVE strengthening that bond through laughter and just being together. Mission Trips Last year, our 8th-12th graders traveled to Grants and Gallup, New Mexico for a weeklong service experience. We worked with a Navajo children’s home, helped a local church prepare for their summer VBS, assisted the local food pantry, and even got to sing to the kids and residents of a battered women’s shelter after a day of working on their facilities. This year, we are excited to return to coordinate and teach the VBS for the local church, which focuses on inviting children from the most impoverished parts of town. We are also looking forward to a 6th-8th grade mission trip here in the Southern California area later in the summer of ’07. |
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 24255 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu , CA 90263-4504 (310)-506-4504 |
