Fast Food Fridays  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

Our first Fast Food Friday is this week from 12-1 p.m. at the Taco Bell at the corner of Okemos and Jolly. Join other students (middle and high school!), staff and leaders for a quick bite to eat. You need to bring your own money for food! See you then!

Pool Parties Next Week  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,


It's time for some poolage, grubbage and volleyball action next Wednesday. If it's raining, we will be meeting at the church instead. If it's cold, we will still meet at the Bytwerk's...there is plenty else to do (bonfire, volleyball, etc.)
The party will be at the Bytwerk's. Their address is:  
2865 Willoughby Rd, Mason, MI 48854‎
‎

Just a reminder: the middle school party is from 6-7:30 p.m. and the high school party is from 7:30-9 p.m. We will have Smores at both. 

(If you are going into 9th grade- it's up to you which one you want to go to. But you can only go to one of them!)

Here are directions from the church to the Bytwerk's. 

Summer Schedule Change  

Posted by Jordan Jones in , ,

Starting this Wednesday, our gathering times will change for both Impact and Crosswalk!


Both Impact and Crosswalk will now both be on Wednesday nights. 


Impact is from 6-7:30 p.m. We ask that you leave right at 7:30 p.m. to allow Crosswalk to come right in. 


Crosswalk follows right after from 7:30-9 p.m. We ask that you don't arrive earlier than 7:30 since Impact doesn't end until then!


We are so excited for this change...it will be nice to have a break mid-week for both groups and Crosswalk peeps will be more likely to make it since it doesn't fall on the tail end of a weekend (when most people are still out of town during the summer). 


More details about the summer schedule can be found here. All summer long I will be updating the blog for Summer Collide nights that require a little more detail.


Love you guys!

6th Grade Transition  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,

We've had a lot of questions from incoming 6th grade families about the move-up to Impact. Hopefully you received the letter we sent in the mail a month or two ago, but if not here is the abbreviated version: 


Current 5th graders/Incoming 6th graders can begin attending Student Gatherings on Wednesday, June 2, when we begin our summer schedule. You can still attend Children's programming on Sunday morning until September if your family so chooses. Past that- you are officially a part of our Impact community. 


We will have a 6th Grade Parent Orientation that same night, June 2, during the gathering (6-7:30 pm). During this time, we would love to share the vision of the student ministry, how certain gatherings & events coincide with that vision and give you the opportunity to ask questions of us.

Incoming 6th Graders are also eligible to attend Impact Summer Camp (June 19-23). More details can be found here. 

Update on the Home Front  

Posted by Jordan Jones

A copy of the letter I am giving out to families this week...



May 13, 2010

Dear Collide Families,

I just want to start off by thanking you for your willingness to trust your children to my spiritual leadership this past year. I shouldn’t be surprised, but somehow I have been overwhelmed by your support and encouragement. However, I have not been shocked by the transformation God has led our community through this year. It is the story God has been writing since the Fall of His beloved creation: drawing men back to himself. I could speak for hours about the culture of transformation we have desired to initiate within the Student Ministries, but my chief aim in writing you today is to share parts of my heart and where God is guiding me and how that collides with my Trinity family.

Colossians 3:17 illuminates the Christ-followers mission: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Translation: Our lives are about making the name of Jesus famous. That somehow because of our interaction with people, both in the things we say and the things we do, the people that surround us will crave Jesus himself. I tell our students all the time: let the unique passions God has implanted into you be a billboard for the name of Jesus to be made more famous.

When I think about our families here at Trinity, I see God painting a canvas of distinctive passions and gifts in each of us that all come together to create a beautiful portrait of the advancing Kingdom. However, the colors of that portrait are dulled when we run from visions and dreams God has placed deep in our hearts.

I write to you today with a sad, but enlivened heart. Beginning next fall (2011), I will be pursuing a law degree with an emphasis on human rights. I truly believe this will allow me to embrace more fully the dreams God has already placed in my heart. With that in mind, I will be stepping down as the Director of Student Ministries here at Trinity in August 2011. Undoubtedly, I will miss being a part of the transformation God is initiating among our students. The last four years have humbled, stretched, liberated and at times confused me. Words don’t suffice. However, I have not been able to shake the passion of social justice that God has embedded deep in my soul. Please know this was a gut-wrenching decision and one in which I relentlessly pursued God and trustworthy counsel.  

I understand numerous questions abound from a revelation like that. The fact that this is still a year away allows the ministry to have a more natural transition of leadership. Currently, the plan is for me to continue in leadership over both middle and high school ministries with our present staff staying in tact. We plan on beginning a search for the individual who would take my place beginning in December of this year. Our desire is to have this individual in place by May 2011 so we could have a few months to work side-by-side. Please persistently pray that Satan wouldn’t use this to disrupt the momentous transformation God has been commencing in the last 6 months, because that transformation certainly isn’t about me.


With a heart of appreciation,



Jordan Jones
Student Ministries Director

Movies Showing at this Week's Movie & Popcorn Nights  

Posted by Jordan Jones in , ,

We will be watching The Blind Side tonight at Crosswalk. It is rated PG-13, but we think it is a great conversation-starter movie and is worthy of our time.

On Wednesday night, we will be watching UP.

Character vs. Comfort  

Posted by Jordan Jones

"God is more interested in our character than he is our comfort." - Jon Weece

May at Collide Student Ministries  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,

Impact (6:30-8:30 p.m. still)

May 5- 8th Grade Celebration & Last night of small groups until the Fall
May 12- Worship Night
May 19- Movie & Popcorn Night
May 26- HOPE World Missions Night


Crosswalk (6-8 p.m. still)

May 9- No Crosswalk (Mother's Day)
May 16- Movie & Popcorn Night
May 23- HOPE World Missions Night
May 30- No Crosswalk (Memorial Day)

Let it rip you to pieces...that way God can put you back together.  

Posted by Jordan Jones

You were not meant to carry the weight of it all. 

You don't have the power. 

And really...if you were honest...you ain't that good. You don't have that much skill. 

John Eldredge, in his book Wild at Heart, declares that we are made to depend on God; we are created for union with him and nothing quite works the right way in us if we forsake that bond between God and ourselves. 

We get out of rhythm. 

Jesus even declares  in John 15 that, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." 

Sobering. 

No better yet, freeing. 

Check out this quote from C.S. Lewis: "A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other."

Jesus + Nothing.

Pranks...  

Posted by Jordan Jones

...are sweet. 

I loved being a part of them in high school. There are a few that I still don't talk about because they have remained anonymous and I like it that way!

But...there are lines. And we have had a few pranks around here in the last few months that have crossed those lines. I'm not here to be mean cop and I'm not going to get into much more detail than that...I'm just here to ask you to actually think through the prank past the initial reaction and humor that will come from it...sometimes there is more going on than just that. 

But, I trust you guys more than you can imagine. Just wanted to put it on your radar. 

Love serving you all. 

-Jordan

Mother's Day  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

I came across this quote by Abraham Lincoln this morning:

"I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother."

How thoroughly true. Mother's Day shouldn't be a one-day mission to let our moms know how much they mean to us...it should merely be a culmination of appreciation that has swelled throughout the year. 

But it's still nice to celebrate the day: so spend this next Sunday showering your moms with hope, love, appreciation of who they are and the sacrifices they make daily for you. No- they aren't perfect. But they certainly try. 
Just a reminder: there is no Crosswalk on Sunday night. Spend time with your fam!

SUMMER CAMP!  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,

I haven't talked about it in awhile, but an important date is coming up this weekend...

Price for Collide Summer Camps 2010 go up $20 after Sunday! So get in your registration packets with your $44 deposit by May 9.

MS Camp Details here. 

HS Camp Details here.

Youtube Channel  

Posted by Jordan Jones

We updated our Youtube Channel. Check it out here.

If you do anything today, please check this out...  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

http://www.collidemagazine.com/blog/index.php/1793/dont-be-afraid-of-them

Fight.

Sunday Night Thoughts  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

I hate to minimize what happened last night to a few bullet points, but I'm not sitting across from your sipping coffee like I wish I could be. 

  • Last night was one of the highlights of my 3+ years here at Trinity. I saw broken people celebrating the reality that God has been restoring them the last few months. I saw a fire that I have never seen. I saw creativity come out in students in fresh ways. 
  • It was fun leading side-by-side with Zach last night- that guy continues to push me to a place of awareness of what God is up to, how much Satan is pissed at what God is up to...and if our ministry is causing a stir in the battle of good and evil that is in our midst. Thanks dude. 
  • A few people asked what the names of the songs we did last night were, so here you go:
          Cannons by Phil Wickham
          Shipwreck by Starfield
          You Never Let Go by Matt Redman
          Revelation Song by Jesus Culture
          Come Thou Fount
          You Won't Relent by Jesus Culture
          You Deserve by Hillsong United
          Freedom is Here by Hillsong United
  • We had a ton of students turn in Mission Trip Applications...right on! I'm so pumped for the transformation that will happen in our lives, but more importantly the love and service we pray will be infectious to everyone we come in contact with throughout the trips. 
  • Don't forget that we won't have Crosswalk next Sunday night because of Easter. Trinity's Easter Services are this Saturday at 5 and 7 p.m.or on Sunday morning at 9 and 11 a.m. 
Love you guys. Love my job. Love seeing what God is doing among us. Don't take it for granted. 

Quote  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

“The longer you look at Jesus, the more you will want to serve him in this world.  That is, of course, if it’s the real Jesus you’re looking at.  Plenty of people in the church and outside it have made up a ‘Jesus’ for themselves, and have found that this invented character makes few real demands on them.  He makes them feel happy from time to time but doesn’t challenge them, doesn’t suggest they get up and do something about the plight of the world.  Which is, of course, what the real Jesus had an uncomfortable habit of doing.” - N.T. Wright

Please pray for...  

Posted by Jordan Jones

our very own Shelly McGee. Shelly is traveling overseas to check out a potential Level 3 Mission location for a future partnership with the Student Ministries here at Trinity. Pray that God would infuse clarity into the landscape of that potential reality and that even this prelim trip would show her and the team a small taste of what He desires.

Also, for me! I am heading home for 8 days tomorrow morning.

Level 1, 2 & 3 Mission Trips  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,

New Vision for Student Missions 

Level 1 Trip- Cincinnati (July 11-16)
Level 2 Trip- Chicago SEMP (July 5-10)   
Level 3 Trip- Will be announced at Crosswalk on March 21


Level 1 Trips- The Starting Place 

Your presence during a mission trip speaks more than a thousand words through your simple love and willingness to serve. We believe in stories – in telling Jesus’ story, in listening to other’s life stories and in bringing our stories together to transform hearts; a Level 1 mission trip is the perfect time to tell those stories. 
Past Level 1 Trips:  
  •  Niagara Falls, Toronto, Rutland (Vermont), Milwaukee, etc.  
Pre-requisites:  
  •  You must have at least completed 7th grade.  
  •  A desire to serve a community in whatever way they need! 

Level 2 Trips- The Growing Place 

Level 2 trips are not for all students.  This mission event is designed specifically for students who cry out for a deeper relationship with God and are serious about sharing their faith with their friends.  This event will be a holistic equipping experience that will stretch, challenge and prepare you for peer ministry. 

Past Level 2 Trips:  
  • Chicago SEMP 
Pre-requisites:  
  •  You must have at least completed 8th grade.  
  •  You have been on either a Level 1 (see list above) or Level 2 Trip (SEMP) in the past.  
  •  A desperation for others to see Jesus as vividly as you have! 

Level 3 Trips- The Stretching Place 

The Level 3 trip will bridge it all together. Our main goal is to partner with an international church or organization to mentor and train youth in evangelism and outreach with practical, yet engaging learning opportunities.  

Past Level 3 Trips:  
  •  Costa Rica 
Pre-requisites:  
  • You must have at least completed 9th grade.  
  • You have been on both a Level 1 (see list above) and Level 2 Trip (SEMP) in the past.  
  • A passion to see other people make disciples & embrace Kingdom work.  
  • Only current exceptions: you are a graduating senior or a middle school small group leader.

Application packets and more details can be found at our Student Deploy page. 

2 Summer Internships Available  

Posted by Jordan Jones in

Collide Student Ministry is seeking 2 enthusiastic, passionate, creative, Christ-pursuing individuals to serve on the student ministry team. We are looking to fill 2 full time intern positions during the summer months. The compensation is a $600 honorarium plus love offering given at the end of the summer. We will also set each intern up with a host family for lodging, if needed.

The primary focus of this position will be on building relationships with students in grades 6-12 that help lead to and nurture a relationship with Christ. The secondary focus will be to assist the staff team with the planning & implementation of the following "Kingdom-heart" events: weekly Wed. night gatherings; Mission trips to Cincinnati, Chicago and soon-to-be-announced international location; a Middle & High School Camp; and a intern-led weekly bible study. Specific responsibilities will vary depending on skill set and the gifts and graces of the person hired.

Official time commitment is from June 1- August 10 (10 weeks). However, if you need to be done at the end of July- we are open to that discussion.

Please send resumes to jordan.jones@trinitywired.com.

AMP Nights off-site this week  

Posted by Jordan Jones in ,

Both Impact and Crosswalk will be off-site for our monthly AMP Nights this week. 

Impact
EDRU in Holt (on Cedar St.)
6:30-8:30 p.m. 
Cost: $5 (skates included)

Crosswalk
Bowling Classic- Sky Lanes (Jolly & MLK)
6-8 p.m. 
Cost: $5 (shoes included)

* Don't forget that the purpose of AMP nights are for you to bring friends that you have been sharing the Constant Gospel with- so that can be introduced to the community you are a part of here with Collide!

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