Mixin' It Up!

This week we decided to mix it up a bit. After worship we bundled up and hit the streets. We walked down to Queen Anne Ave to do what Jesus did, eat and drink with friends. First stop was El Diablo Cafe for some Mexican hot chocolate. Then we went to Menchie's for frozen yogurt and assorted toppings (paid for by the pound). It's not really a breakfast of champions, but it sure looked good! Then we went to Noah's Bagels. There we sat down, ate and drank and talked about Jesus.

It was perfect that the topic at All Saints this week was Luke 15, since last week we had talked about Jesus and Levi (Matthew) the tax collector. We talked again about why it was significant that Jesus kept hanging out with tax collectors and other "unsavory" people and why the Pharisees made such a stink about it. We even made the comparison that it would be like Kasey Keller (star goal keeper for the Seattle Sounders) hanging out with drug dealers. You just wouldn't see it. But that's what Jesus did! God's heart is for those who know they've got work to do and are repentant.

We even talked about the intelligence levels of sheep for a while. But there seemed to be some sheep fans in the group who just didn't want to admit that sheep aren't very bright. They insisted that sheep are smarter than they pretend to be. Maybe we'll need to plan a field trip to a petting zoo soon.

Side note: I had the opportunity to cheer on Cameron at his awesome soccer game on Sunday. It was awesome. The MSM Team wants to cheer for the middle schoolers at All Saints. Please let us know when and how we can be involved in their lives (recitals, games, project fairs, etc.).

Second Side note: The MSM @ All Saints blog (this thing you're reading right now) has it's first follower!! Thanks Allayna!!

Up coming Events!
Wednesday (10/26) All Saints Prayer Night! 
Please come at 7p to prayer for our youth before their Lock In and the friends, teams, classes, and families they'll influence on a daily basis.

Friday (10/28) MSM Lock In (Overnighter) at All Saints!
Starts at 7p. We'll play games, worship, learn, eat pizza (this'll be later so they may want to eat before coming), play more games, maybe sleep, play more games, and have a pancake breakfast. Parents please pick up between 8:30a-9a.
All youth must have a signed permission slip (copies available at drop at drop off)
Youth should bring snacks or drinks to share, $5 for supplies (totally optional), appropriate sleeping attire, sleeping bag/blankets, pillow, toiletries, flashlights, etc.
Bring some friends and get ready for fun!!

As always contact me with questions, concerns, etc.

Hannah
middleschool@believedoubtseek.org

Jesus calls Levi (Matthew)… but not on the phone.

This week at MSM we took a look at the story of how Jesus told Levi to leave his job as a tax collector and follow him. We talked about how rabbis chose their disciples, how tax collector’s were viewed by society, and who the Pharisees were. After we’d looked at each I asked the group who they related to most. The group seemed to agree that no one was like Jesus because he was perfect. And no one really identified with the Pharisees because they thought they were perfect. So we explored why they related to the tax collectors. Jesus told the Pharisees, "Healthy people don't need a doctor -- sick people do. I have come to call not those that think they are righteous, but those that know they are sinners and need to repent."We talked about who is a sinner (everyone) and what we as sinners needed to do (repent). 

At MSM this week we also played a few silly games. One involved tying balloons to our ankles and popping them. That game was really loud. Could you hear us?! We won't be playing that game during a gathering again. We don't want to get in trouble. =)

What: Youth Lock In. Games, Music, Food, Fun, Friends, and maybe even a little sleeping.
Who: 6-8th graders at All Saints AND their 6-8th grade friends, teammates, cousins, and neighbors.
Where: All Saints Church 1716 2nd Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
When: Friday Oct. 28 @ 7pm - Saturday Oct. 29 @ 9am (pick up between 8:30a-9a)
Why: It's fun. Middle schoolers are generally socially driven. It's an opportunity for the students to get to know each other in contexts outside of Sunday gatherings and grow as a unified crew to represent All Saints and our mission.
How: 
- RSVP by emailing me, turning in the permission slip, or letting me know who plans on being there (this is mostly so we can bring enough food!)
- Fill out a permission slip available at the concierge desk.
- Please bring: PJs, toothbrush/paste, sleeping bag, pillow, $5 donation for suplies, other sleepover necessities, drinks and snacks to share, and friends.
- We are hoping someone can bring their Rock Band set, Wii Games/Fit,  and other fun games for the group to play. If you have them, please get in touch with me.

Prayer Night
Monthly prayer night is being held at All Saints this Wednesday (10/26) at 7pm. It usually last about an hour and a half. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a group of parents or middle school supporters there to pray for our youth and the friends they'll be bringing to the Lock In? Just like the adults at All Saints our youth have a far reaching spere of influence. We should be praying for them. Please join me on Wednesday (10/26).

Thank you all for your patience as I work on getting more timely about posting this blog.

Hannah

Jesus was tempted in the Desert

This week at MSM we talked about Jesus being tempted in the desert. One interesting point that we discussed was that Satan and Jesus both knew scripture and were able to quote it back and forth to each other. Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God! How crazy is that to think about? When so many people on earth didn't know who Jesus was or why he was doing the things that he was doing, Satan knew. Satan knew what a threat Jesus was to the work that he was trying to do. At MSM we talked about how important it is that we know God's word too and how studying scripture can help us when we get tempted by the Enemy.

The big news at MSM was the official announcement: We're having a lock-in!
Lock-In Info
What: Youth Lock In. Games, Music, Food, Fun, Friends, and maybe even a little sleeping.
Who: 6-8th graders at All Saints AND their 6-8th grade friends, teammates, cousins, and neighbors.
Where: All Saints Church 1716 2nd Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
When: Friday Oct. 28 @ 7pm - Saturday Oct. 29 @ 9am (pick up between 8:30a-9a)
Why: It's fun. Middle schoolers are generally socially driven. It's an opportunity for the students to get to know each other in contexts outside of Sunday gatherings and grow as a unified crew to represent All Saints and our mission.
How: 
- RSVP by emailing me, turning in the permission slip, or letting me know who plans on being there (this is mostly so we can bring enough food!)
- Fill out a permission slip available at the concierge desk or downloaded from here (as soon as I figure out how to upload it).
- Please bring: PJs, toothbrush/paste, sleeping bag, pillow, other sleepover necessities, drinks and snacks to share, and friends.
- We are hoping someone can bring their Rock Band set, Wii Games/Fit,  and other fun games for the group to play. If you have them, please get in touch with me.

As always, contact me with any questions, concerns or comments!

- Hannah
middleschool@believedoubtseek.org

Jesus Showed Up Today

Today was our first day of MSM at All Saints!

We started off by interviewing one another and then introducing each other to the whole group. After Grayson said an opening prayer we created a Full Value Contract. That's basically a contract that says how we agree to work as a group. Some of the things we decided we wanted In our group were fun, communication, honesty, and ice cream. Some of the things we decided we wanted Out of our group were name calling, sarcasm, snacks, and being mean.
We had a quick brainstorming session to talk about some of the activities we'd like to do for MSM outings. The list included having lunch together, go carts, worshiping with the adult gathering, playing wii, and drinking slurpies. Then we listened to a worship song before listening to the story of Jesus Calming the Storm. First I told the story, then Cameron retold the story. Then we walked through it piece by piece and discussed why we thought Jesus reacted the way he did and why the disciples reacted the way the did. From there it was game time! This group likes to have fun that for sure. Allayna is a very boisterous Bippity Bop Bop Bop player and Max is a rock, paper, scissors master. Dazor is going to help plan the worship music for next week. Bella was there too, taking it all in.
It was an awesome first day! I can't wait to see everyone again next week!

Also, Stay tuned for upcoming event announcements!!


-Hannah