July eNews

July eNews
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By Jim Gum Newsletters July 9, 2013

Verge 2013
Jacob Well’s High School Trip

In June, a group of more than twenty JW high-school students and leaders headed to Colorado on their second annual VERGE trip. We asked our Youth Director, Adam Cooper, to share about the vision for the trip, some of the stories from this summer’s trip, and what else is going on with middle school and high school students this summer. Read on…

JW: What is Verge?

Verge 2013Adam: VERGE is a week-long trip to Colorado. We spend three days serving in inner-city Denver with an organization calledCenter for Student Missions (CSM). CSM hooks us up with various service opportunities throughout the city: preparing and serving food in homeless shelters, playing cards with senior citizens, boxing up donated goods at the World Vision headquarters, planting and weeding at an urban garden, or bringing breakfast to day laborers. Students are provided a look at both the pain and the hope of the city and are able to partner with the ways God is already at work.

After three days in Denver, we drive west three hours to Buena Vista where we spend another three days experiencing God’s creation through whitewater rafting, rock climbing, hiking and swimming in hot springs. We spend our nights around the campfire telling the ways we’ve seen God’s Story being told around us and through us. Adventures in God’s creation provides an opportunity to take a step back and observe our stories in context: that we are each a part of the narrative ourselves.

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Baptisms – August 25th, all-church gathering at Shawnee Mission Park

BaptismBaptism is a sacrament that marks our lives being drawn into God’s life. It symbolizes our own lives being wrapped up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and into participation in God’s Kingdom here and now. If you have never been baptized and would like to do so, sign up by clicking the link below. There will be a meeting on July 16th at 7pm for baptism candidates and also an opportunity for mentoring leading up to the baptism. If you have questions, contact Jessi Marcus.SIGN UP HERE

Second Saturdays
July 13th, 9am-1pm

Second SaturdayMeet at Jacob’s Well at 9am on the SecondSaturday of the month to go out and serve our neighbors in Kansas City. We participate in projects like: serving at local nonprofits that pursue peace and justice, cleaning up a neighbor’s yard, or helping out with someone in the Jacob’s Well community that needs some helping hands. Dress in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty! If you have questions, contact Kate Kennedy.

Community Compass
Sunday, July 21, 12:30 – 2pm

Community CompassJoin Pastor Tim Keel and the rest of the Pastoral Leadership Team for an introduction to Jacob’s Well. You’ll learn about our community as well as our core values and practices. Lunch and childcare are provided.

SIGN UP HERE
New Baby? Click here to let us know about your latest addition

Jacob’s Well Marriage Immersion
Saturdays, July 20 & 27, 8:30am – 1:30 pm

Grant and Emma WoodEngaged couples, newly married couples, and couples married for years will benefit from Marriage Immersion led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic. Join us for a two-part series at Jacob’s Well. The Immersion will include a continental breakfast and in-depth seesions on all things marriage. The cost is $120 per couple and is included for those hosting their wedding at Jacob’s Well. Childcare is provided.SIGN UP HERE

Tom Ryan’s Recent Article on Sexual Brokenness

Tom RyanTom Ryan leads our Shame No More ministry for men dealing with compulsive sexual behaviors. Tom has recently written a blog for Breaking Free – “Honest Discussions about Internet Temptations.” You can find a link to the articlehere.

Need help or interested in learning more about Tom’s work with sexual addition?  Email Tom Ryan confidentially or call him at 913.226.5217
Jacob’s Well Verge 2013 Trip to Denver and Buena Vista, Colorado.

Verge 2013 (continued)

JW: Share about the vision or mission behind VERGE…

Verge 2013Adam: Something deeply spiritual takes place within a group of people that serve and go on an adventure together. In a stage of life where labels, judgements and cliques often dictate relationships, a trip like VERGE breaks down the self-imposed social barriers between high schoolers. When students can rally around a common goal of service, their preconceived notions of one another are destroyed and replaced with a common purpose of living into God’s Mission for his world.

I am a strong believer in the power of story. God’s Story is on display everywhere, and our individual stories are a piece of this narrative. Both halves of VERGE — service in Denver and adventure in Buena Vista — highlight a different portion of what it looks like to lean into God’s Story. We see different chapters of the same Story in the faces of the people we serve, each other and ourselves. In Buena Vista, we get to play in God’s creation. We get to climb the face of his mountains, raft in his freezing cold rapids, swim in his hot springs and hike to the apex of this planet.

Verge Small GroupJW: Tell us a story of when you saw a student connecting to that narrative.

Adam: On the final evening of the trip, we were processing in small groups how we had seen God around us and through us throughout the week. Owen Swanberg, a freshman, began recounting his experience of handing out trays of food to around 80 homeless people over lunchtime at the Denver Rescue Mission.

Person after person would come shuffling through the line with the same posture: “face down, shoulders hunched over with a closed mouth and sad eyes,” Owen said. He explained that there was a point in the line where Owen was handing them their lunch tray, and their body language would drastically change. “Their backs would straighten, their arms would reach out, and they would be smiling with thankful eyes…I felt like I was handing them hope and joy. I want to do more things like that in my life.”

Adam CooperJW: What else do you have going on this summer with MS & HS students?

Adam: For students, summer brings with it a massive increase in spare time. While we maintain our regular mid-week programming rhythms–Tuesday and Thursday evening activities for middle school and high school respectively–we leverage this increase in time by adding VERGE, a week at Youthfront camp, a confirmation course and other non-programmed activities. Last year, we launched our summer internship program too. The interns are a major part of juggling the many moving parts during the summer months.

JW: What’s one last thing you want the JW Community to know?

Adam: I am always searching for new leaders who are interested in pouring into the lives of our middle school and high school kids. There are a lots of different ways to serve, so if you’re interested in joining our leadership team, shoot me an email and we’ll figure out where the best fit is for you within our group!

JW Middle School Info

JW High School Info

Email Adam