.::ZONE ONLINE

Bless The City Slideshow

Matthew — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:32:22 -0800

Here is a picture slideshow featuring highlights from the Bless the City trip to San Francisco this past weekend. What a blessing to those who went and those who were served, including the San Francisco Rescue Mission.

So much to say...

Matthew — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:33:46 -0800

Today, I sat down ready to make some awesome announcement videos. The problem is I don't have my camera-friendly look or persona today. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to say, what I don't want to forget to say and who I don't want to forget to say it to. Maybe I've been overthinking it, because I have run out of words to say. I am typing these words, because I'm honestly too tired to say them into the camera.

Advent Conspiracy -
Begins on Sunday, November 29th. Middle School and High School Students will be encouraged to do the following things through this series:
Worship Fully
Spend Less
Give More
Love All
For more....see the link under "Causes" on the right side of the page

Bethlehem -
Our middle school students and their families are participating in this re-enactment of the original Christmas story on December 10-14. If you want to be fitted for a costume, meet at First Baptist Church of Santa Clara this Sunday @ 6 pm. The sign-up form for this event are to the right under Middle School Links.

Christmas Decorating -
High School students, you are invited to be a part of preparing the auditorium at Campbell Church of Christ for Christmas. December 5th from 7 - 9 pm in the auditorium. Refreshments are included and you are encouraged to bring your own Christmas music to share.

okay enough with the ABCs theme....

Bless the City -
There is no better gift to give at Christmas than yourselves. High School students have that opportunity through Bless the City, December 18-19 where we will be serving with and at the San Francisco Rescue Mission. Cost for the trip is $45.
The sign-up form for this event is to the left under High School links and is due by December 6th.

NO EDGE THIS SUNDAY - SEE BETHLEHEM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR SUNDAY NIGHT!

Vantage Point -
Vantage Point is once again open for new members. If you are eager to develop as a leader, play a role in shaping the Zone or to learn more about how God has prepared you to lead others then Vantage Point is for you. Applications are due by January 3.
The Vantage Point Application is on the left under High School links.

Elf with the Helfs -
Sunday, December 20th from 6 - 9 pm, high school students are invited to an Elf themed party that will include: Elf (watching, quoting and singing along), eating and exchanging white elephant gifts. It will be a fun time to gather with your friends to celebrate.

NYLI - Coming 12/31/09 9:00 pm - 01/01/2010 10:00 am
More information is coming soon...

Some final thoughts -
Greed is the one thing sure to kill gratitude, beware!!
I would love to see some comments here or on Facebook...let's keep the conversations alive!
What Material Lies Responses are you going to put into practice this week?

Go in peace----ful contentment.

Matthew

Care Links to the Right

Matthew — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:04:17 -0800

For those of you who were inspired to make a difference through the opportunities Acacia and Christy shared today, check out the links on the right under "Causes." The Child Protection Compact Act is what Acacia was talking about. The Suubi Project is what Christy shared with us.

Make a difference. Stand up to the material lies.

One additional thought from today...Life and your hands were made to do good.

MS Announcements Week of Oct 26

Matthew — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:39:36 -0700

Mostly Prayer Breakfast @ 6 am and Rake & Run this weekend...any questions?

HS Announcements Week of Oct. 26

Matthew — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:36:10 -0700

Check them out, especially as they include time-sensitive information...

Tuesday @ 7
ACU @ Red Robin

Wednesday @ 7
Contact @ Aylesworths

a sanctuary echo

Matthew — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:23:16 -0700

Sometimes (believe it or not), the reverberations of weeks of preparation for a single gathering continues well past its "end." Yes, there are still things to put away from Sanctuary. There are also reflections from Sanctuary:Fall that I want to share this evening.

Tonight, I watched someone take a branch that wasn't fully connected to the vine and move it the extra few inches to be connected. Isn't that sometimes what God calls us to do in the lives of our friends? We of course can't literally connect them to the vine but we can do our part towards encouraging others to connect to the vine.

The interaction I had that has for some reason stuck with me from Sanctuary:Fall was when at the end a student made sure there would be enough apple cider before taking a cup. At the point this question was asked there were at least twelve full cups on the counter. Most of us live by the "don't take the last one" rule in cases like this. We have no problem taking food or beverages until it is the last one. There is something beautiful when on of the first people considers those who are last before taking some for themselves.

One additional effect of Fall is that things truly do feel lonely and bare. I need only look at the tree outside my front window at home to see this reality. However, none of us enjoy feeling lonely or bare, especially when we're around others. Our response is like that of Adam & Eve, attempting to hide ourselves behind one of the leaves that fell off the trees. We live in a world that does everything it can to prevent being in situations where they might possibly be asked to bare anything regarding or about themselves in the presence of others. Fall doesn't allow us to remain hidden or fake. It exposes us for who or what we really are.

Sometimes the reverberations continue for you as well, I imagine. Feel free to share some of your Sanctuary:Fall echos in the comments below.

May Your Fall Be Full of God

HS Announcements Week of Oct. 19

Matthew — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:01:54 -0700

This week's announcements are highlighted by Sanctuary, Wednesday from 7-8:30 pm in the Oak Room. Give them a view below.

MS Announcements Week of 10.19.09

Matthew — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:59:47 -0700

Below are this week's Middle School Announcements. Check them out and get the latest info on The Zone Student Ministry: Middle School .

Materialize: where did that golden calf come from?

Matthew — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:16:56 -0700

So after class on Sunday, I started realizing something that I hadn't really thought about before. Where did the golden calf come from? I mean it takes a lot of gold to make a golden calf, so where did the supplies actually come from?

Do you remember who the Israelites were before the Exodus? Maybe it is better asked, do you remember what the Israelites were before the Exodus?

Slaves. Their lot in life was minimal. They owned little. They were owned by many. I know there were a lot of them. Estimates vary from the 1.6 to 2.5 million Israelites, enslaved in Egypt.

On the night of the first Passover as recorded in Exodus 12, death came to the firstborn sons as a result of the Pharaoh's unwillingness to let God's people go. The people of Egypt were so sick of the inconveniences, plagues and now death that had resulted from all of this that they wanted to do anything they could to get the Israelites to leave their country and never return. So guess what happened, the masters turned to their slaves and said,"You can have whatever you want of my stuff." Exodus 12:36 say, "The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!"

So catch the circle of things that is happening? It is crazy that in Exodus chapter 12 God is causing the Egyptians to give the Israelites whatever they ask for and then in chapter 32 the Israelites are making a god out of the jewelry that God caused the Egyptians to give them.

POINT: How often do we take the things that God has given us and turn them into gods? In what ways do we take the things we have and turn them into gods, forgetting that they were from God. Like the Israelites, sometimes we are given blessings from God and instead of thanking God, the blessings become our gods.

.:ms announcements week of Oct 5

Matthew — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:44:43 -0700

Below are this week's Middle School Announcements. Make sure you have Prayer Breakfast and Let's Go Bowling marked on your calendars at home.

:.hs announcements 10.5

Matthew — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:05:24 -0700

Fewer announcements this week. More thoughts on our possession obsessions. May God give us the strength to obsess less over possessions and more over loving the people around us.

.:ms announcements week of September 21, 2009

Matthew — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:55:12 -0700

Middle school announcement video is below. It's been one of those LONG prayer breakfast days for all of us. Praying that those who attended were fed in all ways and given the strength for today. Feel free to leave a comment with questions, thoughts or announcement ideas.

.:hs announcements week of September 21, 2009

Matthew — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:51:41 -0700

Below are this week's high school announcements. I'm currently taking ideas for future announcement locations, themes and costumes (LEAVE A COMMENT).

BONUS Contact Carpool reminder here!

High School Announcements Week of September 14

Matthew — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:53:07 -0700

Middle School Announcements 09.14

Matthew — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:01:46 -0700

Here are this week's Middle School Announcements...

Revolve Tour

Matthew — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:59:51 -0700

Revolve Tour, the conference for teenage girls is coming to Sacramento, November 20-21 and YOU are invited!

Revolve Tour includes great speakers, Christian musicians, worship and more that connects with a wide variety of teenage girls. Our group will be staying in a hotel near the arena. The cost of $69/person includes dinner Friday night, breakfast Saturday morning, lunch Saturday afternoon, hotel costs, transportation costs AND the ticket for the Revolve Tour. Tickets are limited.

To sign-up: fill out the Revolve Tour Sign-up Form (located under HS or MS links) and turn it in along with $69. Remember scholarships are available, because we don't want you to miss out on this weekend.

Those who are planning to attend are encouraged to sign-up to participate in the Bake Sale on October 4th and ZoneSit on Saturday, October 24th.

Check out RevolveTour.com for more info on the conference.

E-mail mhalfenger@gmail.com for additional information.

High School Announcements...Week of September 7, 2009

Matthew — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:05:31 -0700

Here you go high school students and parents...

Gathering of the Unashamed

Matthew — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:10:28 -0700

Sometimes students' faith is kept on the DL because they feel like they are the only one...
You feel like you are the only one who really wants to follow Jesus. You feel like you are the only one who spends their weekends at church. You feel like you are the only one. If you are tired of feeling like you are the only one, be a part of The Gathering of the Unashamed, September 26th from 5-8 pm at San Jose City Hall.

Transportation is on your own to this event, but grab some friends and join us at City Hall. For more information, check out the video and website below.

Gathering of the Unashamed

See You At The Pole 09

Matthew — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:21:22 -0700

For 19 years students around the world have been meeting on the fourth Wednesday of September around their school's flagpole to pray. Plan on being a part of the movement by choosing to ENGAGE on September 23rd, at your school's flagpole one hour before school begins.

Hollywood Fresh - Recap

Matthew — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:16:53 -0700

Hollywood Fresh has come & gone, but we've got the pictures to prove it happened. Who knew that in one night we could overdose on sugar and the Jonas Brothers/HSM? It was a great night to welcome the 6th grade students and honor the incoming freshmen.

Click on the picture below to see the slideshow.

Back to Life

Matthew — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:53:13 -0700

After a month and a half of being offline, the Zone Student Ministry Blog is back online! In the coming weeks look for pictures from the summer, previews of the fall, resources for parents and encouragement for the journey with and towards Jesus.

Please note the blog is still under repair/construction.

Class of 2009 Zone Student Memories

Matthew — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:40:31 -0700

This slide show is a collection of pictures of the Class of 2009 participating in events with The Zone Student Ministry.

Crazy Hair Edge

Matthew — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:10:50 -0700

What a way to end Edge for the 2008-2009 school year! Crazy Games! Great friends! What is up with that hair?? Great Edge memories with many more to come! Click on the picture below to see the pictures from Crazy Hair Edge.

I Get That A Lot

Matthew — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:25:43 -0700

With 25 middle school students and 20-plus people in disguise wandering Valley Fair we made a lot of memories last Friday night. Highlights included the food court, other churches doing their own people hunts and REBELS! Comment below on people who you thought had the best costume. Click on the picture to see all of the pictures from the evening.

30 Hour Famine

Matthew — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:28:05 -0700

I recently read an article in the LA Times about some students in the Los Angeles Area who recently participated in the 30 Hour Famine. I thought that I would share it with you all as a reminder that the 30 Hour Famine is coming up soon for Middle School students. It will be from 6 pm on March 27th - 7 pm on March 28th. Parents complete and submit the sign-up form under Middle School Links on the left to receive the 30 Hour Famine Student Guide. Sign-ups end, March 15th.

Read the article here: 30 Hour Famine in LA Times

Edge Friends Month

Matthew — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:42:44 -0800

We kicked Edge Friends Month off in the best possible way last Sunday. We made music videos!! You can check out one of the videos here.

Middle schoolers don't miss The Edge Sunday evenings from 5:15-6:30 pm

Strike Pictures have arrived!

Matthew — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:25:58 -0800

We had a blast at Strike in January and to help you remember how much fun we had check out the pictures. Well, at least I had a blast!! Click on the picture below to see the pictures!

NOR pics have arrived!!

Matthew — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:53:27 -0800

Night of Remembrance pictures are now up and available in the High School folder on the left. Or you can simply click on the picture below.

Audio Show #106

Matthew — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:44:12 -0800

We had an awesome time for Audio Show #106 today, which we are calling, " The No Show." My thanks to Chris & Kedrick for making the no show such an awesome time!!

Don't miss Sanctuary-Christmas Shopping-Christmas Party this week!!

What does it take?

Matthew — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:34:51 -0800

What does it take for you to believe this is true? What gets in the way of you believing that God sees you as gorgeous both inside and out? As we prepare for Christmas, know that God finds you to have been worth it!!

You are gorgeous inside >and outside!!