Investing in the Teens of RBC
My name is Bob Shull and I am the Senior High Youth Pastor here at Reston Bible Church. I am so thankful for the investment that RBC has made in the youth of our area for almost 40 years now. I am actually one of the fruits of the Youth Ministry here – having become a Christian when I was a Junior at Herndon High School (back in the “Remember the Titans” era) through the ministry of Dave Wentzel, RBC’s first Youth Pastor. Since that time, many things have changed (hair & clothing styles, the cost of gas, technology, to mention a few) since then in our society and in our church. RBC however has continued to focus the time and energies of our Youth Staff on encouraging our families with teens, teaching and equipping our students, and working with our students in reaching out to their friends. We follow the goal of the church as a whole to “Know Christ and make Him known” – both in a big group and small group setting. We also have a long tradition of taking and extended time with our teens in the Word of God at our Winter Retreat and Summer Camp. We give teens an opportunity to be involved in the ministry by using their gifts in worship, drama, teaching, and in the one anothers. We are blessed to have a facility that allows us to do bigger outreaches and events like “First Fruits” and our “Bring It” Talent Competition that impact our community. We have also been blessed to go with teens on over seas mission trips to places like England, Trinidad, Croatia, Brazil, Bolivia and to stateside locations like PawPaw, West VA, Chicago, Maysville SC, St. Louis Mo., and many more. It is on these trips that our teens have had to put their faith to the test and have seen God meet them there. What never ceases to amaze and motivate me is the ability of our teens to still believe and obey God in both little and big ways. Older adults can learn from them in this!
One of the greatest gifts that God has and continues to give the Youth Ministry are many volunteers He has led to join us in investing in our teens and their families and building the Kingdom of God. It is an understatement to say that working with teens is very “relational”. Just like all adults, teens are looking for a place to “belong”, a place to wrestle out what they believe, a safe place share their thoughts and doubts and grow in their faith in God. Doing this requires us to have men and women of all ages, gifting, and personalities who have a clear love for God, a love for His word, and a willingness to love and work with teens. Could God be nudging you to consider stepping out to join us?
The Youth Ministry is hosting a “Youth Ministry Preview and Training Event;” it will be on Sunday May 31st, 2015. It is designed to help anyone who wants to learn more about the youth ministry and is evaluating how he or she can serve at Reston Bible Church. Our hope is everyone attending will get the answers they need to make that decision. We will meet at 10:30am in the front classroom of the Youth Building. Aaron Osborne and Lee Banton will give the group an overview on the who, what, and why of the Youth Ministry. It will briefly cover what we do and the strategy behind it. We will then have the group join and observe the Sunday Morning Meeting – either in the Senior High (called GAP) or the Junior High (called Break Thru). This runs from 11am to 12:15pm. Afterwards the group will have lunch and the training aspect of the event. We will first cover the volunteer process; how someone becomes involved in the youth ministry. We will next cover what the volunteer roles are that we need in the Youth Ministry. We actually need not only relational people, but also those who are gifted administratively, and with specific talents – in music, drama, video, multimedia, etc. We will then go over what we see as being the “essentials” of youth ministry. There is not one type of person who can do youth ministry. However there are some essentials every volunteer needs to have and be growing in. Finally, we will talk about of the “keys” or wisdom that volunteers need to know to be effective in working with teens. It is not about just “hanging” out with teens – it’s helping them to individually learn how to follow Jesus in their lives.
If this sounds like something you want to explore, I would invite you to use this link to register for the “Youth Ministry Preview and Training Event.” You can go to this link: www.restonbible.org/youthpreview
Coming to this event does not mean you are committing to join the Youth Ministry Volunteer staff. However it will allow you to hear, see, and experience what Youth Ministry at RBC looks like and be able to make an informed choice on applying to volunteer with us. It is our goal to identify those who want to join us and begin working with them over the summer to be ready by the fall. If you have any questions or want any other information, please contact Lee Banton at leebanton@restonbible.org
Sincerely,
Bob Shull, Sr. High Youth Pastor
From the Field: Haiti Family Mission Update
Over Spring Break, a team of 21 parents and Jr. High students flew to Pignon, Haiti to serve with RBC-supported national pastor, Francois Romelus (featured here in a previous From the Field). While adults from RBC had visited before, it was the first trip that included students, and it was amazing to see the way the Lord used them.
Pastor Francois runs an orphanage of 50+ children, and it was such a blessing to see the ways that our students could play and interact with them, despite the language barrier. Our students were really able to open up the children there and practically show the love of Christ. On top of playing games of soccer, teaching them to skateboard, braiding hair, and hanging out, we also had several special opportunities with them.
We set up Easter Egg hunt with them and talked with them about the resurrection of Christ. We treated them to s’mores cooked over an open fire, after which everyone licked clean their sticky fingers. We had English classes as they taught us some Creole. And we took the oldest ~20 students to a beach a few hours away. Most of them had never been to the ocean and didn’t know how to swim. It was a treat for them, and a blessing to have fun with them.
We also had the blessing of helping the local church run a VBS-style children’s program. While it was a bit chaotic at times with almost 400 children who couldn’t speak English, it was an amazing blessing to serve the community. Our theme for the week was “Mwen Se Trésor Bondye” or “I am a Treasure of God’s”.
We had a great opportunity to play and do crafts with the children and act out Bible stories, as the national pastors taught God’s Word. At the end of each day, each the church provided a meal of rice, beans, and a little chicken for the children, and it was humbling to see how so little meant so much to them. Please pray for the children to understand that they are God’s Treasure.
Finally, we were blessed with many opportunities to connect with and encourage the local church. Eric Smith, the chairman of RBC’s elders, taught a marriage class. We were able to hear the testimonies of and pray for all of the national pastors and elders of the church in Pignon. Please continue to pray for them as they face many hardships and persecution to lead the church.
Thank you to the many who prayed for this team. We definitely saw the answers to many of your prayers. Please continue to pray for Pastor Francois’ children and their futures, as there are very few career opportunities for them.
**Thanks to all who attended the team review on Wednesday, 4/29 in the Jr. High Room. Please continue to pray for Pastor Francois and the ministry there.
From the Field: Pignon, Haiti
Pastor Francois Romelus and his wife, Madou, have humbly and faithfully led a church in Pignon, Haiti, since 1982. They have a church of over 200 people, run the local elementary school, and care for a large number of widows and about 50 orphans. They were in northern Virginia the weekend of February 22nd, when services were cancelled due to inclement weather. He recorded the following message to Reston Bible Church:
A team of 21 parents and Jr. High students are going to work with their ministry over Spring Break (March 26-April 3). The team will be running a VBS style camp for several hundred neighborhood children, trying to show God’s love for the orphans, and caring for the local church. God is doing much through the ministry there, and we want to be an encouragement to them.
Please pray for:
- The church in Pignon, that their faith in and dependence on the Lord would continue to deepen in the midst of many challenging circumstances.
- Pastor Francois and his wife Madou, that they would be encouraged in the Lord.
- The RBC team, that we would be a blessing and encouragement to the church in Pignon. Specifically, that we would be able to communicate to the children how much God treasures and values them.
Many people have asked about ways to help care for the orphans in Haiti. You can check out an Amazon.com wish list for them by clicking here. There you will find items that will be a blessing to them. You can purchase them off Amazon.com or elsewhere, and drop them off at Aaron Osborne’s office at RBC by Wednesday, March 18th, and we will deliver them. If you have any questions, please contact aaronosborne@restonbible.org.
Bill Plowden Memorial Service
VISITATION & SERVICE | On Tuesday, March 3rd visitation and a memorial service for Bill Plowden will be held at Reston Bible Church. The visitation is from 2:30-3:30pm and the service will begin at 4:00pm. A reception will follow at the church.
MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS | Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Bill Plowden to the Plowden Family Fund at Fundrazr.com (http://fnd.us/c/3iF3b) to support the children’s college fund. Letters for the girls about Bill can be sent to theplowdengirls@gmail.com.
FROM THE FAMILY | We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of the many friends and family who have walked with us throughout this journey. The Lord has used your prayers and support to sustain us in every possible way. We would also like to thank all of the wonderful staff of Massachusetts General Hospital who have cared for Bill over the past 18 months. A special thank you to our RBC family for your loving support and for helping us to plan Bill’s Celebration of Life.
Fun, Fun, Fun at Family Fun Night
Over the upcoming Spring Break, a missions team (led by Mike Meyers and Jason Goetz) will jet down to Brazil to help host a Vacation Bible School program for up to 200 children of the Terena Indian Tribe. On Friday February 20, the RBC Family-Quest Brazil team hosted a Family Fun Night at Reston Bible Church as a team-building exercise.
About 230 people (55 families!) came out despite record cold temperatures to play games, make crafts, watch movies, and devour pizza, popcorn, and ice cream. The mission team had its first chance to work together on a project, and it was wonderful to hear our younger volunteers ask (after having served for 5 hours), “Is there anything else I can do?” We were also happy to hear people say, “When are you doing this again?”
Special thanks to:
– The Don’s Pizza for giving us a great deal on our dinner
– Our volunteers who served alongside of us even though they are not going on the trip
– Our church family for coming out to support us. We hope you had FUN!
If you would like to support the team’s mission financially you can do so by clicking HERE (this link will take you to the Open Arms Worldwide website) and then following the instructions at the top of the page.
You can also support the team by eating out at The Jukebox Diner (46900 Community Plaza, Sterling VA, 20164) on Sunday, March 8th. For the whole day, (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) you can leave your receipt in the jar at the register and 10% of your bill goes to support our mission team!
Event Update: Daddy-Daughter Dance
This year was the 5th Annual Daddy-Daughter Valentine’s Dance, and it was a huge hit once again! I had the privilege of serving at the event for the 4th year in a row. Needless to say, I am richly blessed by this event each year, so that is why I keep coming back to serve!
This year’s theme was “Paint the Town Red” and the painting theme was incorporated throughout the church. In addition to a large paintbrush in the lobby, there were paint cans hanging above the tables in the Clubhouse where red plastic flowed out and onto the tables. There were even dipped pretzel sticks that looked like paintbrushes!
The evening began for the girls with a special dinner date with their dad. Afterwards, they arrived at the church to receive their corsage and to get their portraits taken with their dad. Both dads and girls were all dressed-up for the evening. The girls had obviously spent time carefully picking out their lovely, sparkling, flowing dresses especially for this evening. They were absolutely stunning with their hair styled and make-up done (some of them better than I can accomplish, I might add!). Afterwards, they enjoyed an evening of crafts, ice cream sundaes and dancing. The evening finished off with a talk about the “Grand Finale of Creation” – the girls themselves. What an excellent ending to the evening where these girls were being celebrated! The second grand finale was a shower of red balloons falling from the ceiling of the sanctuary, which the girls absolutely loved!
While all of the dresses, decorations, crafts and desserts were amazing, the REAL focus of the evening was daddy-daughter relationships. This dance provides an opportunity for dads to be intentional about spending one-on-one time with their daughters, which is something that can be hard to do in the hustle and bustle of life. I especially loved watching the girls posing for pictures with their dads. I was able to look through the pictures at the end of the evening and tears filled my eyes. What a wonderful keepsake for the girls to remember this evening with their dad, where they felt cherished and connected with their father. I know the girls will remember this time fondly.
Not only was this evening important for the special relationship between dads and their daughters, but it also has implications for the girls’ future. A friend of mine posted something on Facebook that I think directly relates to this. She said that when she was younger, her Daddy gave her a strand of pearls and told her that she, like the pearls, was beautifully refined and worthy of being treasured. Now in college, she was wearing the strand of pearls while on a date with a man who truly treasured her. She said she was thankful for her dad who set the standard for how she should be loved. I love how the Daddy-Daughter Valentine’s Dance provides a place where this teaching can begin. Here, fathers can teach their daughters what it looks like to be cherished and loved, setting a precedent for the rest of their lives. It is truly a special event!
-Angela Caldwell, event volunteer
From the Field: Where’s the Ban-yay-ro?
Twenty-two members of Reston Bible Church, led by Mike Meyers and Jason Goetz, are preparing to jet down to Brazil over spring break to help host a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for up to 200 children of the Terena Indian Tribe. The mixture of parents and kids from 5th grade and up met for the second time last week to get to know each other, learn important words like ban-yay-ro (bathroom), and figure out how to make this VBS absolutely amazing.
A few numbers from the meeting:
7 pizzas consumed
2 cups (of water) spilled
5 sentences learned in Portuguese
2 worship songs sung
5 craft projects picked
And a zillion other details discussed
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FAMILY MISSION TO BRAZIL? Join us for Family Fun Night on February 20 from 6pm to 10pm as we play games, eat, and have a bonfire on Mount Minter. Where else can you go for dinner, friends, and hours of fun for just $10 and get to hear about our mission to Brazil? Hope to see you there!
Live Album Night | February 8
Together, next Sunday night, we will be recording our second live worship album.
The response to our first project, No Other Name, has been such an amazing blessing. We’ve heard so many great stories of how the music from that album has impacted you and given you a new avenue to worship God, along with familiar voices and arrangements, Mondays through Saturdays. Our desire continues to be putting solid, Biblical, singable, and passionate songs into your hands and hearts to extend our Sunday morning experience beyond the walls of our church. We are setting out once again to make a record because we deeply and truly love Jesus and his church – and his church needs great songs to sing for their great God.
We’ll be playing a selection of songs that really represent the journey, needs, and experiences of our church – songs that have become the anthems that resonate in our hearts for days after singing them together on Sunday mornings.
Our hope is to accurately portray our church on this record. When people visit RBC from other churches, they always tell me that we are “a singing church.” We sing a lot. And we sing loud. And we need your voices to help us paint that picture on this album.
Join us next Sunday, February 8.
Doors will open at 7:00 and we’ll get underway promptly at 7:30. CD pre-orders for the new album will be available for $10, and you’ll be able to pick those up a couple weeks before the digital release this Spring. We’ll also have copies of No Other Name that night on sale for $5.
Thanks, and we hope to see you all there!
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Our last live album, No Other Name is available from the digital music vendors below, as well as on Spotify, eMusic, Rhapsody, Rdio, and iHeartRadio.
Corey Mattison Visitation & Memorial
VISITATION: Visitation with the family of Corey Mattison will be held on Wednesday, January 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Reston Bible Church. The visitation will be held regardless of weather conditions.
MEMORIAL SERVICE: The memorial service will be held at RBC on Thursday, January 22, starting at 1:00 p.m. Click here for directions to Reston Bible Church
***PLEASE NOTE THAT NO CAMERAS OR RECORDING DEVICES ARE ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING FOR THE VISITATION OR MEMORIAL SERVICE, AND NO MEDIA INTERVIEWS MAY BE CONDUCTED ON CHURCH PROPERTY.***
FROM THE FAMILY: Corey was thankful each day for the blessings the Lord provided for him. He found joy in everything. On any given day you could find him fervently serving others without a hint of desiring anything in return. His greatest days were spent with his wife and 5 children regardless of what they were doing. Corey laid down his life every day for his bride and his children, a beautiful reflection of his love relationship with Jesus Christ. Corey died the way that he lived, sacrificing his very life to save his family.
MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Financial contributions made to www.gofundme.com/kdjh1o will go to support his wife Denise and the five children.
Please remain in prayer for Denise, her children, and the many others affected by this tragedy. In addition to memorial contributions (link above), we will post updates here should other specific needs for the family arise.
Ready to Reset: Post-Holiday Follow Up
So the holiday season is finally over. All the shopping, gift-giving, cooking, decorating, visiting, and traveling is now past but I wonder how many of us recognized the opportunities for a divine reset as we navigated the ups and downs of the holiday season. Were there any really hard and challenging moments that left you wondering what in the world was going on? Maybe it was a stinging remark by a family member or friend, or possibly you experienced unanticipated sickness or loss? Maybe it was a dashed expectation or just a general feeling that something was not quite right? At times, amidst all of the “expected” joy and celebration, we all can find ourselves experiencing some of the exact opposite.
Well, the good news is… it’s not too late to process those circumstances through the lens of the Gospel and look for what the Lord intends! In this update, we want to offer you a few follow up resources to remind you again that God is sovereign, He loves you and His love is not based on anything you’ve done, are doing, or ever will do. He always gives us more than we ask for (even if we can’t see it in the moment), and He has His hand on every aspect of our lives. He means all things for His glory and our good. We hope you will take some time to review these resources and remember how God ordains resets in our lives.
For some excellent resources in the RBC Bookstore, check out:
“Because He Loves Me” by Elyse Fitzpatrick
“Broken Down House” by Paul Tripp
“Jesus the King” by Tim Keller
“One Way Love” by Tullian Tchividjian
“Step by Step” by James Petty
For the link to the teaching from the Women’s Ministry’s “Ready to Reset” event, please visit the RBC Women’s Ministry Facebook page at www.facebook.com/restonbiblewomen
There you will find the link to the teaching as well as an email to send in any questions. We will get those answers back to you as soon as possible. And don’t forget to “like” us while you are there to be sure to receive regular updates and encouragements.
A blessed New Year to you all!