Tonight we're kicking off our summer series called Parables. We'll be spending the summer looking at the different parables that Jesus used to teach throughout his ministry. We start by looking at Luke 15. We see three themes present through the Parable of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. We see something was lost, someone went searching and there was rejoicing when it was found. Jesus uses these parables to call out the Pharisees and religious leaders but also to invite us into the rejoicing!

On our 6th graders first night at the ROCK, Rick shares why the ROCK is so important. It's not just about believing in Jesus but at the ROCK you belong to a spiritual family! Why does that matter? The ROCK will help students grow in their faith. We can't do it alone. We need others. The ROCK will also help students face their problems. Many times students don't share their problems and face them alone. That's not God's desire. He desires that we face them together. The ROCK will also help students tell their friends about Jesus! We will provide a safe place for people to hear about Jesus but also give students to tools to share the message of Jesus everywhere they go. What's the key to all of this? Students must remain connected to the ROCK! That's our desire for all students... especially our new 6th graders!

On our 8th graders last night before they move up to our high school ministry, Rick shares some insight on how to live for Jesus over the next 4 years. Rick shares from John 15:5 and focuses on the keyword... REMAIN. When we remain connected to Jesus, we bear fruit. We also do something significant. Many students in high school don't remain connected to Jesus and leave him for something else. We want students to remain connected to Jesus because apart from him we can do nothing!

Mark Kaminski, our High School Pastor, continues our study through the book of 2 Timothy. Tonight we will be walking through 2 Timothy 2. In this chapter, Paul shows Timothy 5 word pictures that he challenges Timothy with. Each of these word pictures has a lesson to learn and an action that goes along with it. We will see that each of these pictures plays a role in us living out our legacy that we will one day leave behind. We want our students to understand they need to be focused, dedicated, work hard, value the Word of God and remain pure in all things. Each of these actions will help students live out their legacy. Paul’s ultimate challenge is to keep their eyes on Jesus as they run towards him!

Our Young Adults Pastor, Adam Schultz, kicks off our series by looking at 2 Timothy 1. In this chapter, Paul begins with some important challenges to Timothy. Adam is going to explain to us the power behind 2 Timothy 1:7. We will see the spirit that God has given to us… “a spirit of power, love and self discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). This spirit is for everyone who is a follower of Jesus… even middle school students! We’ll learn how we can live in this spirit and how that builds towards the legacy that we are leaving behind as we live out our life. We live and we leave a legacy. So the question we want to challenge our students with is… What is your legacy?