Morph/RELIC Preview (11/5 & 11/6)

Hey Parents! 

Happy November! We had such a blast with everyone at the halloween party this last week! Back to our normal schedule this week.

Morph on Tuesday Nights for High School - 6 - 8
RELIC on Wednesday Nights for Middle School 6 - 8

Have you signed up for an interview yet? 

We would love it if students would join us for a discussion on Friday, November 23rd 6pm-7:30pm.  We will provide pizza and have a game afterwards! If you've been around AC3 at all the past month you've heard an awful lot about this "20/20 vision". AC3 is evaluating, doing our best to look at where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Our students are the future of AC3 so their thoughts and opinions are SO valuable to us. 

If you haven't signed up for your interview with vital church yet, this would be a perfect time to do that at! Since you've got to be there to drop your student off anyways. Your opinion is valuable too. We want everyone at AC3 to do one of these interviews. Thank you in advance for your transparency and willingness to help us grow!

The interviews will be 

November 22 & 23

You can sign up for your own Interview today! Just click Events inside of your Church Center App. Or if you don't want to download the app, reply back this email and I'll have Sarah, our office administrator call you to set up a time that works for you. 

A paper sign-up is also available at the Info Center.

Questions? allencreek@ac3.org 360-659-SEEK

https://ac3.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/305360

Here is the Morph/RELIC preview for this week:

The parent preview is also posted on our facebook pages! 

Find our facebook here:

Morph :  https://www.facebook.com/AC3.morph/

RELIC: https://www.facebook.com/ac3relic/

CREEK ESPRESSO IS OPEN THIS WEEK

The espresso stand will be open an hour before youth group on the 1st and 3rd week of the month. Students can come early, buy a hot cider, a cocoa or italian soda and just hang out. We really want students to know this is a safe place that they can come and just be.

Small Groups, Game time and Hang time - We believe fun is important, especially for teenagers. These students live in world full of overwhelming expectations, they need a break from that sometimes! Fun is also the key to building relationships! We make sure fun is a big part of youth group because its part of creating a safe environment for our students to learn and grow in their relationships with others and with Christ.

November teaching - A month on waiting

It seems like in our fast paced culture, waiting is becoming a thing of the past. However in God's economy, waiting is valuable. This whole month we will be looking at the times in our life God may be asking us to wait. The next four weeks' topics will be: Waiting on calling, waiting on answers, waiting on love, and waiting on healing. 
This week Anna will be teaching us about waiting on calling. Christians are always talking about being "called" or waiting to be "called" towards a certain passion or direction for their life. We will explore what the Bible has to say about our "calling". 

Announcements for this week!

• Sunday Morning Class - Just a reminder to come check out the class for Jr. High and High School students during our 10:30 service on Sunday.
• Camp! The leader team has been working on plans for a winter camp this year! We are so excited about playing in the snow! Stay tuned for more details, we hope to have a date soon.
• Pizza for your thoughts? - (Yes I've included this in the preview TWICE because its THAT IMPORTANT!) We would love it if students would join us for a discussion on Friday, November 22nd 6pm-7:30pm.  We will provide pizza and have a game afterwards! If you've been around AC3 at all the past month you've heard a lot about this "20/20 vision". AC3 is evaluating, doing our best to look at where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Our students are the future of AC3 so their thoughts and opinions are SO valuable to us! We hope everyone can make it, please mark your calendars. 
• If you haven't signed up for your interview with vital church yet, this would be a perfect time to do that at! Since you've got to be there to drop your student off anyways. Your opinion is valuable too. We want everyone at AC3 to do one of these interviews. Sign up in the church center app or call sarah at the church office to reserve a spot (360)659-7335. Thank you in advance for your transparency and willingness to help us grow!

That's it for this week!

-B

Morph/RELIC Preview 10/31 Halloween PAR-TAY

Short Preview this week! Here’s the info you need to know about the Halloween Party!

Find the halloween event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/629657280896941/

• No youth group tonight (Tuesday)! - The party on Wednesday is for High School and Jr. High Students!

• Extended Time! - The lobby will be open at 5 for kids to come and hang out! Party starts at 6 and goes until 8:30

• Creek Espresso will be open tonight with some AWESOME specials! 50 cent Italian sodas and snacks! Send your students with a couple bucks to spend if you can :)

• Invite your friends! - We’ve encouraged students to invite their friends to this party! It is for both Jr high and High School students!

• Costumes! - Students can wear their costumes! We ask that costumes be appropriate (No butts, no boobs, no belly) and not overly gory.

• Snacks! - If you have committed to bringing a snack please have it to the church early if possible! If it needs to be cooked or heated please have it here no later then 5. If you would like to bring a halloween snack to share please let B know! 

Morph/RELIC Preview (10/22 & 10/23)

Hey Parents! 

Here is the Morph/RELIC preview for this week:

The parent preview is also posted on our facebook pages! 

Find our facebook here:

Morph :  https://www.facebook.com/AC3.morph/

RELIC: https://www.facebook.com/ac3relic/

CREEK ESPRESSO IS OPEN THIS WEEK AND NEXT WEEK

The espresso stand is open an hour before youth group this week and next week for the Halloween party! Students can come early, buy a cocoa, chai tea, or italian soda and just hang out. We really want students to know this is a safe place that they can come and just be. 

Small Groups are set - You're students small group should be pretty set as to who is in it and who is leading it. The purpose of small groups is for students to have a smaller, closer knit community that they can check in with weekly. We also want students to have a specific leader that is their "small group leader" that they can talk to if they ever need a safe adult. Small group leaders should be touching base with you in the next few weeks to introduce themselves.

Game time - As usual, we’ll play some games! Games are a great way for students to build relationships and just have fun!

The "Talky" part - This week - Ghost stories with Wayne-o

This week, our resident Old guy, Wayne will be sharing some stories with us about his experiences with the spirit realm. We'll talk about those beings we cannot explain, who they are, what they are, what's their purpose and what's our part in it all.  

INVESTIGATIONS continues this week! 
Happening on Tuesday nights during youth group, this class is built on questions about faith, God, creation, or the bible. Meeting from 7-8:30 in the conference room for the month of October. 

Announcements for this week!

• Sunday Morning Class - Come check out the class for Jr. High and High School students during our 10:30 service on Sunday. Students are dismissed from the service and meet in the conference room. Bring your bible! 

• Halloween/Harvest Party -We’ll have our Halloween/Harvest Party on October 30th! This party will be for both Jr high and High School students. Students can wear their costumes and we'll have lots of fun games and food. Invite a friend!
• We need help with food this year! We are wondering if some of you might be willing to donate some snacks for the party! We’d like to provide some “heartier” and “healthier” options as well as a few treats. Please email B at Morph.AC3@gmail.com if you are able to help. Here is a link to a few halloween themed suggestions : :https://delishably.com/holidays/Party-Food-Ideas-For-Halloween
• Before you go... for Juniors and Seniors -  It's hard to be a Christian out in the real world! This is a small group designed to provide a community where students can talk about the challenges they'll face after high school. 
•  They start meeting the first Saturday in November during the "extended" portion of the service. Contact Sarah Ade to connect with this group. (425)418-2141 or sarahpearlade@gmail.com
• Kreek Kids Christmas Program is looking for actors, singers, musicians and volunteers for our Christmas Program. (If you don't know, Kreek Kids is the name of our children's ministry here at AC3.) 
  Practices will be held at 6:00 PM Oct. 27th until ‘Show Time’ Sunday, Dec. 8th.
  Some parent helpers will be needed each week at practice. Please let us know if you are available a week or two. 
• Want to know more? Contact Trina @ 425-737-4061 with your questions.

Lastly, 

Have you signed up for an interview yet? 
We really value your input and hope that each and every one of you will participate. The information collected will be confidential and not shared directly with the AC3 leadership—this is an opportunity for you to be totally transparent and authentic in your comments.

The interviews will be 
November 22 & 23

You can sign up for your own Interview today! Just click Events inside of your Church Center App. Or if you don't want to download the app, reply back this email and I'll have Sarah, our office administrator call you to set up a time that works for you. 

A paper sign-up is also available at the Info Center.

Questions? allencreek@ac3.org 360-659-SEEK

https://ac3.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/305360

That’s it for this week! Remember Halloween Party is next week, invite a friend!

-B

Orange Tour Take Aways - Make It Personal

I attended Orange tour this year with several others from the AC3 youth leader team, the Kreek Kids team, and Hillside Church leader team.

Orange believes that two combined influences make a greater impact than just two individual influences.

The Church + Home = greater impact 
Light (yellow) represents the Church + Love (red)represents the Home 
And the two of them together = Orange

Each year we go to Orange we get resourced and empowered to connect the church with the family to bring Jesus into the hearts of each kid that comes through our doors. I am so grateful our team has able to go the last couple years. 

This year's theme was "It's Personal" 

The speakers and teachers called for all of us to connect more deeply and individually with the kids and teens in our lives—to really get personal. 


How? 
Reggie Joiner and his team presented 5 Questions that you should answer to give every kid HOPE. 








Here they are (from the perspective of the child you lead):

1.) Do you know my name?
Such a small, simple piece of knowledge yet it speaks wonders to a child when you know it. Their name. When we can look a kid in the eye that came to your class for the first time last week and say "Hey Brian how are you doing this week?" Their eyes light up, just because we took the time to notice them, and remember who they are. 

2.) Do you know what matters to me?
We need to see each kid as an individual, and as an individual they have different likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies etc. "When you know what matters to kids, kids feel like they matter." 
3 tips for how to do this one:

• See kids as individuals. This is particularly applicable for those of us that work in ministry and education. We often see the group of kids but sometimes forget to see each kid individually. 
• Ask clarifying questions. Simple questions like "What do you mean by that?" or "Tell me more about that." or "Oh?" can help a kid feel like what they are saying matters and therefore they matter.
• Do things that interest them. When you know a kids interests you know what matters to them.

3.) Do you know where I live? (Understanding their story and context)
"Nobody needs to be seen by everybody. But everybody needs somebody who sees them." If you know a kid's circumstance, where they come from, what their family is like, then they will feel like someone actually sees them. This can help make a child feel loved, accepted and safe.

4.) Do you know what I've done?
So many kids can be consumed by shame over what they've done. Shame is associated with depression, grief, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction and violence. According to Brene Brown–“Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging." 
When we begin to know kids personally, we can break down the lie that what you do defines who you are. 

More from Bréne Brown on shame here:  Bréne Brown Ted Talk 

5.) Do you know what I can do?
This one speaks to a kids potential. God has created each child with amazing gifts, talents, and their own personality. He has breathed creativity and passion into each one of them. "We often speak to what we think students need instead of what they actually need." Perhaps if we take the time to make it personal, to get to know what they can do, we can help them grow into their fullest potential, embracing the person God has created them to be. 

That's it! Simple huh? It may be simple but its not always easy. 

However if we can begin to answer these 5 questions we can begin to make it personal. 
Do you know....

And when we Make It Personal with the kids in our lives, we are really loving them the way Jesus does. 

Who's Who at AC3-Braeden Crain

In our mission to be a safe church for seekers, we sometimes hear those attending say that they don't know who someone is. We want you to get to know the faces you see around AC3. We are starting with the Triad, and last time we introduced you to Rick Thiessen. Next up, we have Braeden Crain, our Youth Director.

Questions: Spiritually-minded

• How I clear my mind after a challenging day:

If you had asked me a year ago my answer would be different… I would never have had imagined myself saying this but these days I clear my mind best when I go for a run. A good 3 mile run gets my mind straightened out usually. 

•  Advice to a person of faith dealing with a broken relationship with their church:

Don’t give up. People are broken, the church is not perfect and people hurt people. But don’t give up on Christ’s bride. Be a peacemaker and seek out resolution and restitution. Find a trusted friend to walk the path with you and a mentor to guide you through it. 

Braeden and her husband, Brandon

• When I declared I was going to walk along with God, instead of away from him:

I was seven years old, sitting next to my dad in church. I have a Bible that I wrote down my commitment to him. Pretty cool to be able to look back on that and see the faith I had as a young child. Helps me remember what my faith should look like today. 

• Change I’d like to see among Christians today:

Oh gosh, let's not go down that rabbit trail. There will always be things we need to change. We will never be perfect. Each person has their own journey and their own struggles. I don’t know that I could name one single thing that needs to change for “all Christians”. 

• Moment I saw significant change in my servant life:

My first global leadership summit I ever attended I heard a women speak who completely changed the way I look at service. Mother Maggie was her name. It’s hard to describe the impact she had on me, if you weren’t there. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the presence of someone who radiates Christ… When she walked up to speak the whole room was silent and you could just feel it… I felt like it would be similar to being in the room with Mother Teresa. Anyways after she was done speaking I came away thinking “With all that Jesus has done for me, why would I not give him every ounce of everything I have? Every minute, every ounce of energy, every dollar, why would I not give it to him?” And since then that has been my motto. 

• How I found my way to AC3:

My family was looking for a church, and my mom new some of the founding members from Smokey Point Community Church. She actually played basketball with Rick on the weeknights. Anyways we found them when they were meeting at the hotel (before the school years) and we fell in love and never left. Now AC3 is my family. 

• Advice I’d give to Younger Me:

Relax. And try not to get diabetes

• Gifting I most admire:

Humble and gentle leadership.

• Favorite serving experience: 

I love Love LOVE serving in all the areas I currently serve. But probably my favorite experience ever was doing lights and building sets for some of our bigger shows like Imagine Christmas. It was just an absolute blast.

• What I tell others about serving:

I don’t know that I tell people things… but I guess if someone were to ask me “hey, tell me about serving” I’d say something like…: Serving requires a constant examination of your heart and motives. If you can get that in the right place and serve for the right reasons, you will grow more in your walk with Christ then you ever would just sitting in a chair listening to a sermon. (No offense to the awesome people who teach sermons…)

• 3 disciplines/habits that keep me connected to community:

Accountability with my small group/mentor, serving in the church, attending weekly services. The last one seems like a given but honestly if I don’t show up on the weekends when everyone else is here, I disconnect very quickly.

• 3 disciplines/habits that keep me connected to God: 

Prayer, Scripture study along with journaling, meeting consistently with a mentor


Questions: Secular-minded

• What book left a lasting impression on you?

Beautiful Outlaw. Very cool to be able to learn more about the personality of Jesus.

• If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Kraft thick and creamy mac and cheese… mmmm….

• There is a zombie apocalypse...What is your weapon of choice?

hm. Shot guns always seem to work well in those zombie shows.

• What is your dream vacation?

1 month, somewhere tropical, learning to surf!

• You have a day with NOTHING planned and no responsibilities! What do you do? 

Sit on my couch with my dog and do nothing. Or go to the beach.

• What is the last thing you binge-watched? 

Currently binge watching Hawaii five-o. I think I’m on season 5.

Braeden, husband Brandon, son Crosby, and daughter Charlie

• Morning person or night owl? 

Both

• What is your favorite sport to watch? Team to follow?

Football. Seahawks.

• You can only listen to the same song OR watch the same movie for the rest of your life. What do you choose? 

I boycott this question… I don’t want to choose…

• What are your top 3 hobbies?

Is being a mom a hobby? I feel like that counts as 3.
I like my dog, is that a hobby?
Or running… but that’s more just cause I wanna be healthy and not lose my toes due to necrosis.

Or maybe it's sarcasm. That’s it. Sarcasm’s my hobby. 

• Marvel or DC?

I don’t care… I love both types of movies. Why do I have to choose?

• Favorite season? Why?

Winter. Cause Christmas, duh.

• Beach or Mountains? Why?

Beach. I do love the mountains, the snow, the rivers, the lakes, the hiking. But the beach has my heart. The sand, the smell, the power of the waves. My soul is at peace when I’m there.