Continue reading »]]> It is hard to believe, but it is that time of year again — the time when many of our students pass from high school life on to their next chapter. Even though you will no longer be a high school student, know that you are still a part of our church, and we want to do all we can to help you transition to college, career, and beyond!

If you are graduating from high school this year, or if you are a parent of a soon-to-be high school graduate, please let Steve know by May 20. We plan on honoring these students during our June 10 worship gatherings. Let us know the student’s name, school, and what worship gathering they plan on attending June 10.

May God bless all of our 2012 graduates.

Also, if you have not done so yet, please let us know when your school graduation will take place. We want to watch!!

Continue reading »]]> Throughout the months of April and May, we are going to go through a series at Youth Group simply called, “Grow Up.” We do not mean to be condescending by this phrase. We merely want to help you take the next step in your walk with God — to grow up in your faith. Below is the series overview and an idea about what we will teach on each week. Along with that is a list of questions (Parent Cue) for parents to ask at home, to carry on conversations.

Series Overview

Do you ever wish you could just grow up? Maybe you yearn for the day you will get their driver’s licenses. Or graduate from high school. Or go away to college. Many of you don’t really want to be kids anymore. You want to be seen as adults. You want to feel like you’ve moved on, grown up. We all know how that happens physically, but what about spiritually? How do we know we’re growing in your faith? How do we know that you’re moving forward in that area of our lives? The good news is that God is just as passionate about growing our faith as we are. And there are five ways He will use to do that—some involving things that we probably already know, and other ways that we may have never thought about before.

Session One: Big Faith (April 15, 2012)

• Your faith in God matters to God. In fact, God is most honored through your living, active, death-defying, out-of-the-box faith. That being the case, He’s committed to growing it. Big. Imagine how differently you would respond to difficulties, temptations, and even good things if you knew with certainty that God was in all of it and was planning to leverage it for good. But in order for all of that to happen, there’s one thing it all hinges on—your trust.
• Parent Cue: What area of your life are you most reluctant to trust God? Why? 

Session Two: Big Life (April 22, 2012)

• You can know a lot. Maybe you know the stats of every football player in the NFL. Maybe you know the cheat codes to hundreds of games. Maybe you know every Scripture in the New Testament. But unless you do something with what you know, then what you know isn’t enough. Especially when it comes to our faith. God’s truth was meant to be put into action. It was meant to affect our lives, our relationships. And when we begin to live out the truths we know, something happens to us our faith. It begins to grow.
• Parent Cue: What is one truth that you know from the Bible that you can commit to live out this week? Follow up with each other to see how that’s going. 

Session Three: Big Team (April 29, 2012)

• Who has had the most influence in your life? Your mom? Your dad? A coach? A camp counselor? There are all kinds of people that play a part in our lives, in our stories. And some of these people have played a part in how you see God. In fact, God has used some of those relationships to grow your faith. We call these relationships providential because they are about having the right people in your life at just the right time.
• Parent Cue: Who are the people in your life who have had a direct impact on your relationship with God? In what way did these people influence, guide or encourage you?  

Session Four: Big Give (May 6, 2012)

• God grows your faith through spiritual disciplines. That’s probably not news for you. Praying and being generous are just things that Christian do. But there’s more than just doing an action because it’s the right thing to do. In fact, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He tells us that not only is our heart tied to how we pray and our generosity, but also the growth of our faith.
• Parent Cue: How can you leverage your time this week so that you spend more time with God? What is one way you can be generous this week? 

Session Five: Big Serve (May 20, 2012)

• Did you know that your spiritual growth is linked to your service? That’s right. You get something out of filling that volunteer position in the nursery or children’s ministry. You’re not just doing a job, filling a slot—you’re growing. God uses that service to teach you something about Him and others. And even if you don’t feel like you’re the best person for the job, or if you wonder, “Why am I doing this?” God says that if you want to grow, you have to serve.
• Parent Cue: Have you ever had a great experience while serving another person? What was so great about it? What are some characteristics you see in each other that would be assets in serving? 

Session Six: Big Moments (May 27, 2012)

• Have you ever met someone who went through something really difficult, yet if they had a chance to rewind and change what happened, they would be reluctant to do it? And the reason is because there was something they learned from that experience. It’s what we call a pivotal circumstance, a defining moment in their lives. Each of us has had one. Some may seem bigger than others. But to each one of us, they are huge. And you know what? Even thought it’s not something we would necessarily choose or want to happen, God takes those moments and uses them to grow our faith.
• Parent Cue: Share about a time in your life that was really hard, but something good came out of it. Maybe you learned something new about God or yourself. Maybe you built some great relationships with people who supported you. How did what you learned or experienced somehow make the situation more bearable?

Continue reading »]]> Just a quick reminder that we will not have Youth Group on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012. Instead, be sure to spend time with family and friends celebrating Jesus’ resurrection!

We will resume the following Sunday at our normal time of 6-8pm at RCC, where we will start a series called “Grow Up.” We hope to see you there!

Also, please be sure to invite everyone to RCC’s 11th Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday, April 7. More details can be found at www.rccsalem.com/egghunt.

Have a great Easter!!

Continue reading »]]> Join us for a “night off” from Youth Group on April 1. Instead of our normal routine at RCC, we will be meeting at Park Place Lanes for a time of pizza and bowling! Here are all the details you need:

Where?
Park Place (Sandy’s) Bowling Lanes (16 Rockingham Road, Windham, NH)

When?
April 1 from 5-8pm (note this is one hour earlier than Youth Group normally starts)

How much?
Bring $13 to pay for your bowling, shoe rental, pizza, and soda.

Who can come?
Any student in 6-12th grade, so bring a friend! (Parents are also invited, but not required.)

What will happen?
We will all meet at the bowling alley, start the evening with pizza/soda, and get to know some Lincoln Christian University students, who are helping out at RCC during this week. After that, we will bowl a couple strings. Parents, please be ready to pick up your teenagers at 8pm from the bowling alley.

ON FACEBOOK? BE SURE TO RSVP ON OUR FACEBOOK EVENT!

Continue reading »]]> It’s that time of year again! The time for flamingo flocking!!

This is a fundraiser done by the youth group of Rockingham Christian Church in Salem, better known as the “RCC Students.” This flocking is done in good spirits and is not meant to cause any trouble. If you are “flocked,” the flamingos will keep their flock in your yard for 48 hours until they mysteriously disappear to another appetizing yard.

We are going to offer you 3 different options for removal. You can participate in 1, 2, or all 3! If you are truly dissatisfied and do not want to participate, we totally understand. But please… DO NOT HURT OR THROW AWAY OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS! Thanks so much!

Flamingo Options:

1. Flamingo Removal: $20
2. To Pick the Next Yard for the Flamingoes to Flock: $15
3. To Never Have the Flamingoes Return: $10

If you would not like the birds to land in your yard at all, you can purchase “flocking insurance” for this season, you can do so by paying $25 at RCC at any time.

Please contact Steve Cullum to have the flamingoes removed within 24-48 hours. The RCC Students thank you for playing along!

**ALL DONATIONS HELP SEND A GROUP OF RCC STUDENTS TO WORKCAMPNE 2012!**

WorkcampNE creates an environment to deepen teenagers’ faith in God through serving. They assist the elderly and under-resourced by doing minor home repairs at no cost! This year, the group will be heading to the Brandon, VT, area to serve. This is particularly important, due to the devastation many in VT still suffer from the recent hurricanes.

To find out more about WorkcampNE, visit their website at www.workcampne.com. In order to find out more about our trip, you can follow our youth group mission trip blog at www.rccstudents.com/missiontripblog. We will be sure to update it during and after our trip.

Thank you so much for helping us serve others on our mission trip!!

Rockingham Christian Church – www.rccsalem.com
RCC Students – www.rccstudents.com



Continue reading »]]> Are you a fan of “The Hunger Games” book series? Are you excited for the movie? In connection with its release, we are going to be walking through “The Hunger & Thirst Games” at Youth Group in March! Each week, we will take a look at a different aspect of Matthew 5:6 in addition to other Bible stories that deal with us being hungry and thirsty for God.

Also, we will be dividing you into districts for some competitions. (No, these will NOT be to-the-death!) Everyone will have MANY chances to win points for their team — through games/events, Bible memory, and inviting friends! Do you have what it takes to lead your team to a victory?

Below is an overview of what we will talk about each week during the lessons and small groups. Parents, you can find a couple “Parent Cue” questions as well to help you continue discussion at home after Youth Group each week.

Session 1 (March 4, 2012) – Are You Hungry To Do Something Great?

• God wants to use you to do something great, like Moses with the Israelites’ exodus!
• Parent Cue: What are some of your gifts/talents? How can God use them? What are some ways God might want to use you to do something great?

Session 2 (March 11, 2012) – Jesus and the Thirsty Woman

• What does Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well have to teach us?
• Parent Cue: What are some things that impressed you with the story? What is the difference between religion and a relationship? Is God calling you to reach out and share His love with someone in particular?

Session 3 (March 18, 2012) – Jesus and the Hungry Men

• Jesus mentions that he is the “Bread of Life,” but what does that really mean?
• Parent Cue: What are some things you desire in life? What does Jesus mean that He wants us to hunger for things that will not fade? How can you continue to desire Jesus more than other things?

Session 4 (March 25, 2012) – Staying Hungry

• Are you prepared to continue a life of hunger for God?
• Parent Cue: When was a time you were really hungry? At that point, what would you do for food? How can we remain like that for God, constantly wanting more of Him?

Continue reading »]]>

Want to participate in a great cause? Join us for the 30 Hour Famine event!

We will be fasting for 30 hours, starting after lunch on April 20, in order to experience what many around the world endure every day. We also ask that you raise as much money as you can in order to help world hunger. All money will go to WorldVision.

In connection with the Famine, we will partner with several southern NH and northern MA churches, in connection with WorkcampNE, to host a community-wide service project day on April 21. We will meet together at 8:30am on April 21, serve the community all day, and celebrate that evening with a meal and worship.

If this is something you would like to participate in, please talk to Steve for more details.

DOWNLOAD THE EVENT BROCHURE!

RSVP & Share via Facebook!

This is in connection with THE GATHERING (http://thegatheringyouth.wordpress.com).

*More information coming soon, including venues.

Continue reading »]]> On March 17, 2012, we are inviting all teenage girls and their mothers to join us for a one-day event called ENTRALLED, hosted by Rockingham Christian Church. This is designed as a mini-conference or retreat.*

We will start the event at 9:00am with some worship and light breakfast. The day will continue with two main seasons with great speakers, creative activities, a break for lunch, and one main session to end the event at 2:00pm. Throughout the day will be times for discussion and commitments. If you are interested, be sure to talk with Yvette or Emily as soon as possible.

The cost will be $5 per person to cover food. (If you pay online, there will be a 3% surcharge to cover fees.)

REGISTER ONLINE

SHARE THE FACEBOOK EVENT

*If you have been to Revolve before, think of this as a smaller version of that weekend event.

Continue reading »]]> Due to New Hampshire’s February vacation coming up this week, we will not do our typical thing at Youth Group on Feb. 26. Instead, we will have a big game night, designed for you to bring a friend and just have some fun! Expect a night full of fun, food, and frantic crazy awesomeness!

So, if you are not off on vacation, we hope to see you join us!

We will resume to our normal Youth Group on March 6 with a great series that we think you will really enjoy. Stay tuned for more information on coming soon…