Tomorrow Night...

Hey Momentum -

I hope you are ready for the most extreme fall kickoff known to man, because in just over 24 hours, we will be startin' up a party that is going to rock your face off. It all begins at 6:00pm in the church parking lot, and this is your reminder not to miss out. There will be a 20 foot rock climbing wall, as well as full size inflatable boxing ring and jousting platforms. And that alone is a great reason to bring a friend, because then you can own them with a pugil stick! Inside, we will have full screen games set up with guitar hero, dance dance revolution, and wii sports. There will be free food and drinks, and absolutely no excuse not to have fun! PLUS - we have a brand new iPod Touch to giveaway to one lucky person. Everyone can enter the drawing, but you will get an extra entry for every person you bring who has not been to a service at Momentum before. So pack the car out and get them here!

We are so pumped for this event, and you do not want to miss out, so make sure you are here tomorrow night (Wednesday, Sept. 23) at 6:00pm when the fun begins! Also don't forget that tomorrow is See You at the Pole, so make sure you head to school early for prayer at the flagpole. Oh, and while you're there...grab a ton a friends and bring them to the kickoff! See you then!

Counting it down...

sniff, sniff...I miss Momentum!

We know it's been a long, hard summer...but you can wipe those tears from your face because MOMENTUM's BACK! We are so excited to be getting back to the fall schedule beginning this week! Here's a few things you need to know about...

- This sunday is national "Back to Church Sunday" Make sure you make it a priority to attend the service. If you and your family haven't been to church in awhile, we'd love to have you come this sunday! Our sunday classes begin at 9:00am and the worship service is at 10:30am. See you there!

- Our ManTime and TeaTime Groups will be starting back up later this month, but for this coming Sunday night (Sept. 13) the guys and the girls will be meeting together at Pastor Ryan and Liz's house from 6-8. If you need more info or directions, please contact Pastor Ryan at 218-343-7179.

- This coming Wednesday night, September 16th our fall programs kick back off. The buses will be running and we are excited to see everyone back at Momentum. We will be having a "welcome back" night, a chance for us to get to know our new students and for you to meet your leaders for this year. Also, it will be my (Pastor Ryan's) last chance to speak to you on a Wednesday night, and I believe I have something special to share with you. Hope to see you there...6:30-8:00pm.

- The following Wednesday night (Sept. 23rd) is going to be so big and incredible that I can't even begin to describe it to you...we will be kicking off the fall with a MASSIVE parking lot party. We'll have a rock climbing wall, an inflatable boxing ring and joust platforms, food, and some full-screen video games. ALSO, we will be giving away an iPod touch to one lucky person. Start inviting your friends NOW...you will not want to miss this. This is a great way to introduce your friends to our youth ministry and get them excited for the fall!

NEEDS for Falll Kickoff Event...

We’re working on planning a big fall kickoff event this year, and I am looking to borrow a couple of things for that evening. Please let me know if you have any of the following that you’d be willing to lend us for our event.
Thanks!

- Dance Dance Revolution (any system) with 2 floor mats. If possible, we’d need to borrow the gaming system as well unless it is for Microsoft reg. xbox
- Nintendo Wii with some interactive group games, inc. controllers.

You are not going to want to miss this event…mark your calendars now for Wednesday, September 23rd, 6:00pm in the parking lot at church.

August Stuff

Hey Momentum!

A couple things to remind you of! We’re meeting for night 3 of 4 at Bridgemans tonight at 6:30pm. We’ve been having a great time going through the book of Philippians together. Even if you haven’t made it to one yet, we’d love to see you tonight.

ALSO – we’re hosting a bonfire this Sunday evening. There will be lots of fun and food to go around, and it’s a great chance to reconnect with some of the friends that you haven’t gotten to see over the summer. We’ll all meet together at the church and ride together. The event is FREE. We’ll be leaving church at 6:30pm and returning by 10:00pm.

And guys….I need you to get your registrations in if you’re planning on going on the ManTime Wilderness Adventure. Registrations need to be in no later than this Wednesday (Aug.26) so that we can make the appropriate reservations. You are not going to want to miss this weekend…camping and canoeing at Taylor Falls. Register online or grab a form from the website and hand it in to me by Wednesday.

I’m also looking for input/ideas on what we should have as a part of our big fall kickoff event this year. If you have ideas, leave a comment on our Facebook page or website, or just email it back to me!

Thanks! I’m getting excited for things to kick back off in a few weeks with our regular service. Mark your calendars…Wednesday September 16th the fun begins again!

Thursdays in August

We're going to be at Bridgeman's Restaurant in Duluth for a laid-back bible study and hang out time. The time is from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Make sure to bring your bible, and feel free to invite a friend to come along. We will provide the drinks, and you can bring your own money and order food if you want. Hope to see you there!

Bridgeman's Restaurant is located at 2202 Mountain Shadow Drive in Duluth, just across the street from the mall by K-mart.

Twins Game Coming Up!

Hey Hey Momentum -

Just a reminder that we're headin' down to the Cities to visit the Como Zoo, where we will be having a grill out, and then we'll be taking in a Twins vs. White Sox Game in the evening. You can still sign up for this event, and it only costs $15, which includes your dinner, transportation, and game ticket. Grab a form here, or check the info board at church. Many of the churches we attended camp with are coming, so it's a cool chance to reconnect with some of the friends you made. Let me know if you have any questions...

Events and Camp Info

It sure is good to be back in Minnesota...we had an amazing trip to Arizona. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the trip blog for lots of pictures and info about our time there. Stay tuned for the trip highlight video, posting later this week.

















Don't forget, this week we're hosting our first ever outdoor movie this Thursday night. Looks like the weather is going to go okay for us, so make sure you're there for this! Starts at 8:30pm in the parking lot at DGT. Feel free to bring a friend, and make sure you bring a lawn chair to sit in. There's one more day to vote for which movie we show, so make sure to head to the website and cast your vote before Wednesday night!

Also, we'll be spending the next two weeks attending the RECHARGE events at Sand Hill Lake Bible Camp. I'm totally pumped, as these are some of the best weeks of the summer every year! The best news...it's not to late to sign up. There are still spots remaining for both Jr. and Sr. High. See the info below, but if you want to sign up, go to www.rechargeyouth.com and get your info entered as soon as possible. And be sure to let me know that you've signed up so I know you're coming!

Jr. High - July 6-10. For students entering 6th grade through students entering 9th grade. Cost is $160.00. The bus will be leaving from church at 9:00am on Monday, July 6th. We will stop for lunch along the way, so you will need to bring $$ for this. If you want info on what to bring to camp, head over to the RECHARGE website. The bus will be returning around 3:00pm on Friday the 10th. We will be stopping for one meal on the way home as well, so bring extra $$ for this also.

Sr. High - July 12-18. For students entering 9th grade through graduating seniors. Cost is $185.00. The bus will be leaving from church at 12:30pm on Sunday, July 12th. Please eat lunch before we leave. If you want info on what to bring to camp, head over to the RECHARGE website. The bus will be returning around 3:00pm on Friday the 18th. We will be stopping for a meal on the way home, so please bring $$ for this.

I know many of you have told me that you are planning to attend camp but have not signed up yet...please go online and get your registration in as soon as possible and let me know when you do. Looking forward to seeing you there!

While We're Gone...

Hey Momentum:

As I'm writing this, we're getting close to heading off to the airport for our missions trip to Arizona. We're praying for an exciting and powerful week of ministry with Coldwater Church in Avondale! Please keep our team in your thoughts and prayers this week. If you want to follow along with us, we will be keeping the trip blog updated with what we're doing...use the link on the right hand page of the website or go here. If you're really wanting to stay in the know, you can follow Pastor Ryan on twitter for up to the minute updates.
























Also...we're totally pumped for our next youth event...Thursday, July 2nd we will be hosting an outdoor movie at the church. We are having a hard time deciding what movie we should see, so we need your help! You can vote on the website, and the movie receiving the most votes by July 1st will be the one we show. Go here to vote or check on the right side of the website.

Summer X-Games Highlights

We ended our school year with another edition of Momentum's Summer X-Games.  This event is always the highlight of my year as youth pastor.  Be sure to check out the pictures on the website. Below are a few of my favorites...

Even though we won't be meeting on Wednesday nights during the summer, we've still got lots of fun in store for you all!  You should be receiving a calendar in the mail this week, but you can always stay up to date by checking out the event details on the website.  We also always have an updated copy of the calendar posted online.  Hope to see you soon at one of our events!  Remember that we're roller skating this coming Thursday night.  If you were on the winning team from the X-Games, you get in for free!

Tomorrow Night!

Summer Info...

Well, I know that it's just starting to get warm, but summer is literally right around the corner for us here at Momentum. I want to give you some info regarding both our action corps missions trip and RECHARGE events at Sand Hill Lake Bible Camp.

Registration is now open for our Action Corps trip. June 16-23, we will be going to Avondale, AZ (a Phoenix suburb) where we will be working closely with a church plant in our fellowship. This is an AWESOME opportunity for our students, who come from a church nearly 100 years old, to be actively involved with a church around 1 year old. The cost for this trip is $575 and includes everything aside from a couple meals on our travel days. This cost is a little higher than we originally anticipated, mostly due to the extra charges from the airlines for checked baggage. We do have some fundraising opportunities. Please contact me for leads on specific jobs that can be done or if you'd be interested in selling candy to raise money. We will also have several scheduled fundraisers in the month of June, and can also make a sample support letter available for you. Don't let money keep you from being a part of this opportunity, contact me now and we'll work out a plan to make it happen! Registration is limited to 15 students, and several of those spots have already been taken. Registration forms are available on the youth info board, or you can register online here.

Every year, we attend RECHARGE at Sand Hill Lake Bible Camp in Fosston, MN. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, as they are always challenged in their faith and come home excited about God and His plans for their lives. There are two events available. Junior High takes place July 6-10, and is for students entering the sixth grade through those entering the ninth grade. Registration cost is $170, but you can register at a discounted price of $145 if you do so by Sunday, June 14th. Senior High is for students entering ninth grade through graduating seniors and takes place on June 12-17. Registration cost is $185, but you can register at a discounted price of $160 if you do so by Sunday, June 21st. All registration for this year's events is being done online at www.rechargeyouth.com. There are no paper forms. If you need assistance registering for camp, please contact us and we can help you, but make sure you do so before the early deadlines or you will be charged the full price. All payments should be made to Duluth Gospel Tabernacle, as we will be charged directly by the camp.

There are opportunities to be a counselor at the RECHARGE events, as well as Kids Camp at Sand Hill Lake Bible Camp. (June 29- July 2). Interested individuals should apply online here.
Please do so by the first week of May and you will be contacted regarding the availability of counseling positions.

Any questions? Contact us at info@momentumym.org or 218.722.1928.

Ascension Convention - Day Two

We had a full day today at Ascension, but it was a good one!

This morning started off with a wake up rally and then the students could choose from around 10 different equipping sessions. We finished off the morning with a large rally with Joe Kessler as the speaker. Joe spoke at our junior high camp last year and is a lot of fun. He is very good at incorporating comedy in with his speaking, but he ended with a strong challenge to students to find their identity in who God has made them to be.

We had free time this afternoon and took the bus to downtown Chicago. 

Our group ate together at Ed Debivic's...an old style diner which is known for how incredibly rude the waiters and waitresses are.  Our waitress really wasn't that mean, but the guy waiting on the table behind us was just ripping on the people at his table non-stop...it was awesome.

We returned tonight for another great evening rally.  Phil Gwoke spoke again and really challenged the students to become "road warriors" instead of "roadkill".  He stressed the importance of keeping connected with others who help keep you strong and keeping on the course that has been set for us.  We ended the night by taking communion together as we reflected on the events of Good Friday and Jesus Christ.  We had a great day!

Ascension Convention - Day One

Here's a quick update from our time in Chicago so far...

We arrived in Rockford last night around 12:45am and spent the night at the Rock church. Gotta love sleeping on the cold, hard floor! Nah, it wasn't that bad, and it's an awesome blessing to be able to stay for free. We woke up this morning and had lunch at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. Such a cool experience to enjoy a Medieval tournament and feast! The students seemed to really enjoy it. We spent a couple of hours at a local mall before heading to check in at the hotel.

The conference got off to a GREAT start tonight! It began with an awesome time of worship led by the Steve Fee Band. It's always such a powerful time when such a large group of students come together to worship God. Tonight's speaker was Phil Gwoke, who was our senior high camp speaker from last year. He really connected with the students and shared very powerfully about how Christ came and identified with our struggles so that we could turn and put our trust in Him.

Please join me in praying that this will be weekend where our students are challenged spiritually and really come away having met with God. We have a morning session tomorrow before we break to go downtown. Then we will come back for the evening session.

FYI

The movie for tonight's movie event has been changed to Bedtime Stories.

Movie Night This Sunday!

This Sunday night we are going to have a movie night at the church. Instead of the Encounter Group meeting, we're going to watch "The Dark Knight" together as a fun way to wrap up last month's message series. Feel free to invite your friends...we'll have lots of snacks. We'll begin the movie at 6:00pm and the event will end at 9:00pm. Please note that this movie is rated PG-13, so you need to talk with your parents to make sure they are fine with you seeing it. There are movie reviews available at www.pluggedinonline.com or www.kids-in-mind.com. Hope to see you there!

Ascension Convention 2009

Just a quick reminder...Ascension Convention registration is now open, but you need to get yours completed by Sunday, March 29th to make sure you get a spot on this year's trip. It's shaping up to be a great event...quality speakers, a great worship band, and back by popular demand, another stop at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. Register online now or grab a form from the youth info board. And make sure to be here on Sunday March 29th for our spaghetti dinner fundraiser. We'll begin setting up at 9:00am, so make sure you're here to benefit from the money we raise. Those who are helping at the dinner need to make sure to dress nice, as you will likely be serving. White shirt and black pants always look nice...just no jeans please.

Here's a promo video for this year's conference...

Upcoming Events

Here are info and forms for upcoming events...

Guys - ManTime Paintball
Saturday, March 21st
Meet: 11:30am at DGT
Return: by 4:30pm
Cost: $35.00 (inc. lunch, gun, mask, & 500 rounds)
Click here for form






Girls - TeaTime Mall of America Shopping Day
Saturday, March 21st
Meet: 9:30am at DGT
Return: 9:30pm
Cost: $5.00 for gas + money for 2 meals ($15-20)
Bring shopping money if desired
Click here for form
RSVP to your small group leader



Ascension Convention 2009
Chicago, IL - April 8-11
Grades 9-12
Cost: $165.00, see form for details
Online Registration available
Deadline is Sunday, March 29th
Click here for form

We hope to have you take part in these with us. Any questions?
Contact us at info@momentumym.org

Encounter Group: This Sunday Night

Just a reminder that we will be having our Encounter Group again this Sunday night. I really want to encourage you all about this time. It is a great opportunity for you to grow in your faith by simply spending time with other students in the bible, prayer, and worship. Come and be prepared to grow. 6-8pm in the church fellowship hall. See you there.














Also, we are compiling a contact list for text message updates, so if you want to be included please let us know. There is a link in the right bar on the website to sign up, or you can send an email to info@momentumym.org with your name and mobile phone number. Be sure to take advantage of this great way to keep up on the latest from Momentum, just keep in mind that standard text messaging rates apply, so make sure your cell phone plan supports this and your parents are okay with it first.

Series Change/Acquire the Fire

Hey Momentum:

A couple things for you -

First off, registration is now open for the Acquire the Fire youth conference in Minneapolis on February 13-15. This is going to be one awesome weekend, so make sure you get your spot soon. We have only purchased a limited number of tickets, so when they're gone, they're gone. We'll be staying two nights in downtown Minneapolis and attending an awesome conference where you'll get to hear some great speakers and rockin' bands. The cost is $100/person. You can register online today to reserve your spot. Click here to register.

Secondly, we've postponed our "God's Economy" series until February because we have something new for you this month. Be sure to be there this week for the first part of "A Tale of Two Choices". You'll be glad you did, and we'll be glad to see you!

It's A New Year...

Hey Momentum-

Welcome to 2009! Hope you enjoyed the holiday season...

We're back in the swing of things here and have a few things to let you know about:

First, we are beginning a new message series on Wednesday nights in January. This series is called "God's Economy: Living Backwards" We're hearing a lot lately about what makes "economic sense"...but what does that really mean anyway? Come check it out and you may find out that things sometimes work differently living according to "God's Economy". And hey...bring a friend along with you!















We're launching a new opportunity for you, beginning this Sunday night (Jan.11th). But first a couple questions..."do you want to grow? do you want to be challenged in your faith? do you want to be encouraged to move closer to God?" If so, we have a new option for you. We will be meeting twice a month on Sunday evenings for a group gathering. We will be using this time to open our bibles, share and pray with one another, and worship God. The focus isn't on food or games...it's on helping you grow your faith. My prayer is that this gathering will be a place where we can focus on God and grow together in our love for Him. If that's your desire...we'd love to see you this Sunday night at 6:00pm. We will be meeting in the church fellowship hall.