Week 4: SHARING OUR STORY

Parents, 

Good Afternoon. We have an exciting week in CREW.

1) Color Testimony Sharing. THIS WEDNESDAY. If your son or daughter is coming to CREW on Wednesday night, he or she will need a white shirt and be prepared to be covered in color dust (think color run dust). We will be using this as a way to share our testimonies on social media.

2) Camping Weekend in Galax, Virginia. Friday-Sunday afternoon. Cost: $10. We still have spots available just let me know if your son or daughter would like to come. Tents are provided.

3) Youth Service THIS Sunday night at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. ALL CREW students are encouraged to participate. We will meet in the Sanctuary at 5 pm to go over our songs. Dinner will be provided.

Below is the weekly email on what we are learning this summer in our SHINE series:

Dear Parents,

We are continuing to learn more about how to shine for Jesus! This week’s Shine episode is entitled “Sharing Our Story.”

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus challenges us to be open with our lives and shine for Him. Here’s how The Message paraphrase says it:

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

Sharing our own faith journey toward Jesus with others can help move them to consider Christ, because it makes the gospel personal and relatable and demonstrates Jesus’ life-changing impact firsthand. So this week we’re learning how to briefly share our own personal faith story with others—this is often referred to as a “testimony.”

This week…

Pray! Pray for your teenager’s friends who don’t know Jesus. Pray for your student’s efforts to share their faith story with others.

Engage. If you’ve never shared your own faith journey with your teenager about how you came to trust in Jesus, this week would be a great time to do that! As you talk, consider asking them…

• How do you think sharing your faith story with others fits into being a “light-bearer” and “going public” like Matthew 5:14-16 says?
• Since you started the Shine series at youth group, do you feel like you’re getting better at being a light to those around you?

·         How can I pray for you?

Thank you for praying for and engaging with your student this week!