The High School Ministry

Twitternation

Thu, 21 May 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Ok, so I've had at least three conversations in the last day about Twitter! First of all I don't understand the phenomena, do people really care what I'm doing every moment of every day? I know I don't care that the person in line in front of you just bought 10 packs of wrigley's spearmint gum. However I have discovered that many people, students in particular really grasp on to the stream of updates by their friends and even total strangers. This just strengthens my opinion that people are increasingly yearning for relationships, for people to connect with.

We are living in a culture that desires REAL relationships, especially the GenX, GenY and Millineal generation. Many young adults and younger are tired of the status quo, they're tired of just going through the motions, myself included! I've talked to several people the last few weeks who want their lives to make a difference, who want to impact others. The question is how?

I don't necessarily know the answer to this question but I do know that this is the life that Christ has called us to live. A life that is about serving others instead of ourselves, a life committed to love, compassion and integrity. Those are 3 things that are not easy to do. It's hard to love everyone but Jesus taught that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be kind and compassionate to everyone and to live our lives in such a way that others will notice a difference in us that will make them ask why we have such joy!

I know that not many people read this yet, but I'm convinced that whoever does read this will be encouraged by it. Don't settle for the status quo, don't stop learning, and when you have something to say, say it! I guess that brings me full circle back to Twitter, maybe there is a point to it, maybe we haven't tapped in to the true potential of it yet. Instead of random useless information, perhaps the opportunity exists for us to begin making a difference in the world we live in by Twittering about how we've shown love, compassion and integrity in our daily lives, what the heck let's give it a shot!

Weekly E-Mail 05/14/09

Thu, 14 May 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Dear Parents,

What a week! I want to thank every mom who was able to join us for our first annual Mother’s Day Celebration! It was a great morning, I know I had a lot of fun and I hope you all did as well. It definitely gives us something to look forward to next year. Thanks to everyone who helped out with all of the details of Sunday morning as well, it wouldn’t have been a success without all the time and energy put in by everyone.

We also had our last small group meeting of the year on Tuesday, including a great time of celebrating and honoring our graduating seniors and their parents. Thank you to everyone who came out for our time together. I know all the leaders are excited for a summer of fun and connection and will be ready for small groups to start up next fall. Thanks to all the families who donated meals for our small group leader meetings on Tuesday nights this past spring, it was a huge hit. All the leaders and myself enjoyed every single meal that was prepared and are truly thankful for your generosity and time in preparing them for us.

This weekend we will be continuing our series entitled, “If Only”. This weekend our message is about naming the regrets we have in our past so we can put them behind us and move forward. Please take a moment this week to talk with your student and ask them if they have any regrets that they need to admit. It will give you the opportunity to help them move past them so they can begin healing and growing.

Last but not least I want to make sure everyone has received a calendar and is up to date with what’s happening this summer. If you have not received a calendar, let Missy know and she will get one in the mail to you. I also want to make sure your up to speed with what’s happening in the next couple weeks, so check the calendar and website and let us know if you have any questions!

Have a great weekend and an amazing Sunday! I look forward to seeing you all soon!

In Christ,

Howie

Mother's Day Revisited

Sun, 10 May 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Sometimes I have a great idea for what I want to blog about then I sit down and it's gone. I don't know if it's old age (haha) or if my mind is racing about too many things to remember what I wanted to say 5 minutes ago. Either way I'm lost for words (which doesn't happen too often). So since I don't want to ramble I'll just sign off for now, but I'll come back when I can remember what I wanted to say.....

Mother's Day

Tue, 05 May 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Dear Moms,

This is a SPECIAL mid-week email to ALL MOMS! This weekend we are having a special service just for you and we want all moms of high school students to come and celebrate with us! Please make sure that you are here at 9 a.m. for our service dedicated to you! We will have some “Special Mom” food, some “Special Mom” stories and a “Special Mom” gift, we’re even gonna tone the music down (a little bit) just for you! Please make plans to come and spend the morning with us as we celebrate “The Greatest Day of the Year”!

I’ll look forward to seeing all of you this coming weekend!

In Christ,

Howie

The little things

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:21:00 +0000

I marvel at how the little things matter so much in life! As a husband I know that it's the small, daily things that matter most to Amy but I still manage to forget to do said things. This morning I'm sitting at my computer at home listening to Isaiah and Mya laugh and play! The sound of a baby's laughter is something that can't help but make you smile! There is such an innocence to the laughter, a sound that communicates so much more than just fun! It communicates safety, comfort, joy and happiness! It makes me happy to be a dad and it reminds me to not take these sounds for granted. I think of two families who will never hear that sound again from their little ones! My prayers are with the Cantu's and the Anthony's as they endure something that I can't even imagine!

This morning I had the opportunity to experience these things with a couple of students I'm meeting with. There is safety, comfort, joy and happiness when we come together and hang out while we look at God's word! That's only a portion of what God wants us to experience in His presence, some other things that we will experience are pain, sadness, rejection and danger! A stark contrast to comfort and joy! As we met and talked this morning it became apparent that God isn't calling us to a life of just comfort and peace but also a life of trial and pain!

I still marvel at the little things but I'm reminded and keenly aware that my life has a larger purpose, one that will more than likely take me to places and situations that are much more uncomfortable and painful than places of joy and happiness!

Viva Mexico

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Buenos Dias to all of you back home in Arizona! As I sit here in Ensenada sipping my caramel macchiatto I'm astounded at how "normal" it feels. I could be at any Starbucks in the world right now writing my thoughts down but here I am relaxing and thinking about how good our God is! This week has been amazing in many ways, the students have been tremendous, and I have seen some incredible sights. So far we have painted at the church, done crafts with the orphans from Casa de Gabriel, beautified the local park, worshipped in spanish, eaten amazing local cuisine and had a great time getting to know some locals. Last night was church and after church we went down to the local soccer park and played for an hour and a half with several students from the community! A lot of fun and a lot of sweating out the amazing local cuisine. Everyone had a great time of hanging out, laughing and enjoying one another's company. We are all doing very well, a few pounds heavier and extremely healthy. Thanks for all your prayers for us, we have felt each one of them as we've all been challenged in our faith! Please continue to pray for the remainder of our time here, today is another work day but tomorrow is our excursion into Ensenada with all the students. Before we head into the downtown area we will be traveling to la playa (the beach) for some fun in the sun and surfing lessons from the guys down here, it's gonna be awesome! I hope all of you are having as great of a week as we are! Oh I gotta go my macchiatto is getting cold and I need a refill! See ya Saturday!

February 27, 2009

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:46:00 +0000

This week I want to talk about our upcoming weekend! I want to make sure and let you know about the Dare2Share event we will be attending this weekend. Each year we have the opportunity to take students to an evangelism training conference in downtown Phoenix. Together with churches from all across Arizona, we come together for two days of worship, teaching, training and fun! Each year I am blown away by the impact that this event has on so many students from around the valley! This year we are taking 50 junior high and high school students and leaders, and I’m excited to see how God will move in all of us! Please be praying for us as we travel to the Dodge Theater tonight (Friday) and all day tomorrow!

Please pray that God will stir up the hearts of our youth and create a new desire in them to share their story and Christ’s love with their friends! I will also ask that you pray that God will protect our hearts and keep us open to His leading! I feel honored to take your students to this event and I ask that you will specifically pray for me that God will give me the opportunity to connect with the students in a deeper way this weekend! I am praying that God will provide time for me to talk with students about their faith and how they can share that faith with others. This is a great opportunity to be encouraged, motivated and set on fire for the gospel of Jesus Christ! I would love for 25 of you who receive this to respond to me and tell me that you will be praying for us as a group, I'm attaching a list of those who are going so you can pray for all of us by name! Below are a list of high school students and leaders attending this event:

Leaders

Howie Biemeck

Blake Goodman

JoAnne Haan

Missy Holtzen

Jared Prokop

Julie Schilly

Students

Jordan Burnidge

Parker Duty

Kevin Gunther

Nicole Haan

Raela Jernukian

Samantha Jones

John Lincoln Sturges

Ashton Minter

Aubrey Mollet

David Pipitone

Ashley Schiele

Chelsea Schultz

Bri Smith

Trevor Waggoner

Thank you in advance for your support, what a great chance for all of us to partner together in this awesome way! You can respond by simply scrolling to the bottom of this letter and posting a comment. I will be checking it periodically today and tomorrow, so feel free to write me back, I would truly appreciate the prayers!

In Christ,

Howie

Friday, February 20, 2009

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Hey Parents,

This is our new format for our weekly updates. I hope that you have had a chance to get onto the website and look around. There are some really cool features to this website and I am very excited about how easy it is to access and update information, pictures, videos, calendars and much, much more.

This week I want to talk a little bit about the upcoming series and how you can help your student become more committed to reading God's Word! The series we are beginning this week is entitled, "On The Lot". If you click on the Sunday AM tab at the top of this page you can get a complete rundown of the series, including a week-by-week look at the Sunday topics. I love this series because it gives us a practical look at why we should read the bible and how it applies to our everyday life. We all know that God's Word is important but sometimes it feels like it really doesn't apply to us. I sometimes read the bible and wonder if it could be any more confusing. I've had to learn that I need to be committed to reading and re-reading until I understand, at the same time asking God for wisdom and discernment about what I'm reading to better grasp what God has in store for me. I doubt that I'm alone in this. Anyway, this will be a great series that I am excited to teach as well as learn from. I also want to invite you to come into the Ridge at some point to check out the new stage design and props, they are awesome! I would love your feedback on anything we are doing or have done, the more ideas the better I say!

As always please let me know if there is anything at all that you would like to talk to me about, I would love to hear from you! There are few new events on the calendar so make sure you check it out so you are in the loop! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you soon!

In Christ,

Howie

Weekly E-Mail - Feb 13th 2009

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a great week and have a restful weekend planned. I know that I will be spending some much needed time with Amy on Valentine’s Day. I hope that you all have a wonderful day celebrating this all to American holiday. I mean really, do we need a specific day to appreciate the ones we love, I think not! Sorry, I actually just fell off my soapbox so I’ll continue on in my normal fashion. Anyway, where was I, oh yes High School ministry! This weekend is our third and final week of our “Godview” series. This week we are focusing on having an ever-increasing view of God and how amazing He really is. I hope your student will be here for this awesome finale to this great series.

As most of you know, this weekend is a three-day weekend and with that in mind we are having a Dodge Ball Tournament on Sunday night. We will be hosting a few churches from the area who will be bringing out a team or two to claim the coveted t-shirt prize. However I do need some help from you. What we need is some chips, cookies, cases of water and some other snack food (anything you would like to send with your student Sunday morning or Sunday night).

In addition to Dodge Ball, below is a list of some other things going on this month. Make sure you check the Student Ministry calendar for all upcoming events.

HSM Dodge Ball Tournament Sunday, February 15:

Revision to the calendar* 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm in the Worship Center! $2 per person, teams of 5 with a prize going to the winning team!

LGLP Mission Trip Friday, February 20 – Sunday, February 22:

This is another weekend trip to Rocky Point! $65 per person and includes transportation and all meals on Saturday. Students need to bring some spending money, a sleeping bag, pillow, a couple changes of clothes, work clothes, their Bible, a pen, a journal and a heart to serve. 20 spots available, first come, first serve!

Dare2Share Conference Friday, February 27 – Sat., February 28:

We only have 16 spots left so make sure your student doesn’t miss out on this awesome conference! The cost is $75 per person and includes conference entrance, breakfast & lunch on Saturday and transportation! Come and sign up at the student info table outside under the awning in front of the Ridge.

New HSM Web-Site is Up:

Check out our new site at www.thehighschoolministry.com! Starting next

week we will be moving to a new blog format on the website for our

weekly updates. You will be able to keep up with what’s going on by visiting the website and clicking on the weekly blog page. That means no more e-mails on Friday, only a blog that you can check at your convenience.

Spring Break Missions Trip Mon, March 16 – Sat, March 21:

This will be our fourth year traveling south of the border to Porvenir, Mexico. Please make sure you stop by the student info table to sign your student up and to receive a parent packet with details of this year’s trip.

It’s gonna be a busy next month or so but I will do everything I can to keep you informed about what is going on in HSM! Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

In Christ,

Howie

The High School Ministry

Twitternation

Weekly E-Mail 05/14/09

Mother's Day *Revisited*

Mother's Day

The little things

Viva Mexico

February 27, 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

Weekly E-Mail - Feb 13th 2009

Mother's Day Revisited