OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE TONIGHT: PACK SHACK NWA!!

Tonight we have a GREAT opportunity to use our time to live out James 1:27! The Pack Shack is an organization based in Rogers that serves hundreds of hungry families each year.  Tonight we have a chance to help this amazing effort happen by packing food to be delivered to these families. For more info on this organization, CHECK OUT THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE.

Here are the details for us..
WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS
WHAT?  Forming an assembly line to get the food packed up and ready to go to the families who need them!
WHEN?  Tonight at 7:00 (PLUS..a crew is needed at 6:00 to help unload food and set up the assembly line. SEE BELOW)
WHERE?  The RAVE YOUTH ROOM
WHAT DO I BRING?  Just a servant heart!

NOTE: We need some folks to come early at 6:00 to meet the truck and representative from The Pack Shack, who can help unload the food, bring it into the youth room, and set things up for the rest of the crew to come in and hit the ground running. IF YOU CAN DO THIS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW VIA TEXT, EMAIL, PHONECALL, SMOKE SIGNAL, ETC.

Come be a part of something very special!  THANK YOU ALL!!

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA: HELP NEEDED!!

This year is a very special year for our efforts to reach out to the community around us! We've expanded our clothing drive and pancake breakfast into two events. The clothing drive was a HUGE success, serving well over 600 people. If the number of kids' coats given away was any indication, over 400 of those people were children.

We've invited them all back on December 13 for Pancakes with Santa! They'll each get to meet Santa individually, build a toy in Santa's workshop (which is where our amazing RAVE teens come in..), and have a delicious, warm pancake breakfast with Santa and their families. On top of all that, they'll hear the story of the birth of Christ. It'll be an AWESOME chance to show Christ's love to people!

Here comes our chance to serve: We're going to dress up like elves and help each child individually in the building of a wooden toy that they'll take home and enjoy! They'll always remember the time an elf helped them build a toy!

THERE IS A SIGN UP SHEET ON THE BOARD BY MY OFFICE!!

SO...we need as many teens as we can to put together an elf costume, as simple or elaborate as you want, and wear it that morning to help make these kids' Christmas a special one! Here are the basics...

WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS
WHAT?  Dressing up like Santa's elves to make kids' Christmas a magical one
WHEN?  December 13, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
WHERE?  Robinson Avenue Family Center
WHAT DO I BRING?  Just dress like an elf and come ready to serve!

RAVE CHRISTMAS PARTY!!

Believe it or not, the time has once again come for the RAVE Christmas Party! This is a long standing tradition of having a BLAST while exchanging gag gifts, wearing TERRIBLE Christmas sweaters, going on a scavenger hunt, and eating and spending time together, while always kept fresh with a few surprises as well...

This year will be no exception! Here are the details!

WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS and their friends!!
WHAT?  A Christmas party full of games, food, fun, and so much more..
WHEN?  Dec. 6, 2014 from 5 pm to 8 pm
WHERE?  The home of the the Frenches
WHAT DO I BRING?  Wear a BAD CHRISTMAS SWEATER, bring a $5 GAG GIFT, and dress warmly!

This is ALWAYS a GREAT night, so come be a part of it!!

JUNIOR HIGH RETREAT!!

Believe it or not, it's time again for the Areawide Junior High Retreat! It's going to be another great year, and this year we'll be joined by a couple more churches' youth groups to make it an even more amazing event!  NOTE: If you're a parent and would like to come along, we would LOVE to have you! You'll be doing a GREAT service to these teens, and you're guaranteed to have a blast yourself!

Here's the rundown!

WHO? All Junior High (7th-9th) RAVE teens and their friends and families!

WHAT? An AMAZING weekend of worship and growth, surrounded by Jr High teens from all over the NWA! We'll have worship, play games, do the ropes course, and so much more!

WHEN? October 24-26, we'll leave at 7:00 (not 5:00!!) on Friday, and return around lunch time Sunday.

WHERE? Camp Siloam Springs in Siloam Springs! It's a great retreat center!

HOW MUCH? $50 (PLEASE PAY ONLY KEITH WHITEHEAD)

WHAT DO I BRING?  All your bedding (sheets/sleeping bag and pillow), all your own bathroom stuff, BIBLE, and weather appropriate clothing

Come be an important part of a GREAT weekend!

FAMILY NIGHT LIVE: ARKADIA!!

To call Arkadia a RAVE crowd favorite would be the understatement of the year! Last time we were there, it was so great to see generations coming together over and enjoying the beauty of vintage video games! We played unlimited games from the golden age of arcade and had a blast doing it!  Time to go back and do it again!! 

Here's the skinny..

WHO?  ALL RAVE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS!!

WHAT?  A great night of playing together, eating together, and worshiping together!

WHEN?  Sunday night, October 19th, at 7:00, wrapping up around 9.

WHERE?  Arkadia Retrocade (1478 N. College Ave, Fayetteville)

WHAT DO I BRING?  Just $3 to get in  NOW ONLY $2  (a GREAT discount from the usual $5 for UNLIMITED playing!), and GUYS BRING CHIPS, GIRLS BRING DRINKS!

Don't miss it!! See you there!!

AREAWIDE YOUTH WORSHIP!!

The event formerly known as "the EVENT", which was previously known as "Sunday Night Live" is back in action for the 2014-2015 school year!! These are GREAT nights of worship and fellowship with area youth groups, hosted by each of the churches you see in the picture here! We eat, we meet and greet, and we worship together with wonderful worship leaders and an awesome speaker! Here's the rundown!

WHO?  All RAVE teens and their friends and families!

WHAT?  An areawide youth worship with teens from all over the NWA

WHEN?  This Sunday night! We'll leave the church at 5:30 and carpool to Southside.

WHERE?  Southside Church of Christ in Rogers

WHAT DO I BRING?  Just a heart that's ready to worship!

See you there!!

FALL RETREAT: ALPHA AND OMEGA!!

Amazingly, it's fall retreat time again! This is an all ages escape from the world for a few days of growth, worship, bonding, and fun, all out in the beautiful fall weather! It's a weekend to catch your breath while growing closer to God in so many ways. This year is going to be extra special because we're being joined by teens from the churches that attend GVBC with us! Johnson, Mount Comfort, and Claremore are all bringing teens to worship and grow alongside us! We'll hear speakers from each group, and have what I have no doubt will be some of the most amazing worship ever! It's shaping up to be an AMAZING weekend!

Our theme is going to be ALPHA AND OMEGA, and will be a deep look into how God is the ALMIGHTY, the beginning and end, and is infinitely bigger than any of our worries, fears, or mistakes.

Here are the basics!
WHO? RAVE teens of ALL AGES, and as many parents as would like to come
WHAT? A weekend away in the beauty of fall to grow closer to God and each other
WHEN?  September 19-21 (we'll leave around 5:00 on the 19th, and return around lunch time on the 21st. NOTE: Arrangements are being made for those with extracurricular commitments! SEE ME IF THIS INCLUDES YOU!)
WHERE? Beautiful Sky Ranch Cave Springs
HOW MUCH? $78 for teens, $39 for parents and smaller kids
WHAT DO I BRING? Clothes, bedding (pillow and sheets or sleeping bag), BIBLE, ALL your bathroom needs

FNL MOVIE NIGHT: GOD'S NOT DEAD!!

Folks this movie has been making waves since it's release date!! What better movie to support than this!  This weekend we're gonna give it a go!  We're going join forces with the Children/Family ministry and show it on the big screen in the gym with popcorn and drinks and the whole nine yards! It'll start right after our 5th Sunday singing night, and for those who would like to stick around, we'll have some discussion and devo time right after. It's gonna be a GREAT night!  Come be a part of it!

Here are the details..

WHO? All RAVE teens/families PLUS this is a GREAT night to bring a friend or two!!
WHAT? Watching the hit movie God's Not Dead
WHEN? This Sunday night, August 31, at 7:00 pm
WHERE? The Rob Ave Family Center
WHAT DO I BRING? A friend and any snacks you would like to smuggle in (popcorn and drinks provided)

FAMILY NIGHT LIVE: VOLLEYBALL!!

Time again to come together as families to eat, play, and worship together!  These are always a blast, so come on out! Here are the details!

WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS AND FAMILIES!
WHAT?  Playing volleyball and cards, having a cookout (THANK YOU BILL!!) and worshiping together!
WHEN?  THIS SUNDAY NIGHT from 7:00 to 8:30ish
WHERE?  At ROB AVE (previously was going to be at Veterans Memorial Park, but it's looking like rain)
WHAT DO I BRING?  Guys bring 2 liters, girls bring sweets!

SEE YOU THERE!!

SENIOR HIGH RETREAT!!

It's HEEEEERE!!  The spring is coming, and with it comes AWESOME youth stuff like the SENIOR HIGH RETREAT!!  And folks, this one is gonna be AMAZING.  I'm so pumped about this theme!  It's gonna be a DEEP DIG into our walk with God, the people we journey with, and what happened with each encounter on the road to Emmaus. This is gonna be GOOD STUFF.

There will be more info as we go, but the basics are already in place, so here ya go!

WHO?  ALL RAVE SENIOR HIGH (9th-12th) TEENS, THEIR FRIENDS, AND PARENTS
WHAT?  A time of digging, growing, learning, bonding, and worshiping together
WHEN?  April 11-13, 2014
WHERE?  Sky Ranch, one of the best of the best around
HOW MUCH?  $80 for teens, half price for adults (NEVER let price stop you. Talk to me, Keith, or Harry, and we'll handle it confidentially.)
WHAT DO I BRING?  Bedding, Pillow, toiletries, BIBLE, weather appropriate clothes, and any sports stuff you wanna bring.

This is gonna be a GREAT weekend.  Some of the leadership is gonna be taken on by our AMAZING bunch of seniors.  Don't miss out on this one!

SIGN UP TODAY OUTSIDE MY OFFICE OR EMAIL ME AND I'LL SIGN YOU UP!!

MARCH FNL: ARKADIA RETROCADE!!

HERE ARE SOME PICS OF A GREAT NIGHT!!!

IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!!

After a couple of reschedulings and postponings, we finally get to go to Arkadia!  Folks, this place is AMAZING. It's an AUTHENTIC 80's arcade, complete with every arcade game you loved as a child, with one AWESOME twist: You pay a flat fee at the door and you can play AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.  I know.  It's FANTASTIC.

SO..our March Family Night Live will be a BLAST!! We'll have the place to ourselves, so we'll have a time of worship and some food too, so it'll be GREAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY (my kids love it ALMOST as much as I do)!!

So here are the basics!  See you there!

NOTE: It's usually $5 to get in, but the owner is going to give us a never-before-seen price of $2 this time!!

WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS AND FAMILIES!
WHAT? An awesome night of having a blast, worshiping, and just being together
WHEN? March 16, 2014 from 7 until we want to leave
WHERE? Arkadia Retrocade at 1478 N. College Ave. Fayetteville AR 72703
WHAT DO I BRING? Just bring $2 to get in, and GUYS --> SNACK FOOD, GIRLS --> 2 LITER

THE FLOOD ON THE BIG SCREEN!!

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES!!

It's not that often that Hollywood looks to the bible for inspiration, and yes, this one will probably have some holes in it, but even so, this'll be a great chance to go out together and see a story from the bible played out on the big screen!  It opens March 28, so Sunday, March 30, I'm going to go see it at 7:00, and I would love to take a crew along with me! If we pile 'em in for Spider-man, we can pile 'em in for Noah!  

ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO GO, PLEASE GET ME YOUR TICKET MONEY (BY THAT PREVIOUS WEDNESDAY NIGHT) AND I'LL GET TICKETS IN ADVANCE!!  That way we just walk right in!  So let me know if you wanna go! Let's make a family affair!

ANNOUNCING THE LANDING!!

SO SO EXCITED to announce that this year we're going to unveil the TEEN VERSION OF CELEBRATE RECOVERY CALLED "THE LANDING"!!  This is still in the development phase, so now is the best possible time for YOU to join this effort!

SO MANY teens are struggling with hurts, hang-ups, and habits.  This for the full range of these struggles.  It mirrors the way Celebrate Recovery is structured, but it's geared directly toward teens. This is REALLY going to be an amazing thing, and will go WAY beyond just benefiting Robinson Avenue. This is going to change lives the same way Celebrate Recovery has.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW!!

1. We're building a team of people who will be part of this.  The specific roles are still very much to be determined, so if you feel a draw to this ministry at all, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! How amazing will it be to be in on this from the onset!

2. Start now, joining with your teens, looking for people who need this ministry.  It's for addictions of all kinds, hurts from mistakes in the past, hurts from being victims of people or circumstances, and so much more.  KEEP A PRAYERFUL EYE OUT FOR TEENS WHO NEED THIS MINISTRY!!

MORE INFO COMING VERY SOON!! PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS AS WE GO!!

SOUPerBOWL PARTY 2014!!

SOUPERBOWL TIME IS HERE AGAIN!!

No, I'm not just misspelling it.  For our Superbowl parties, we bring as many cans of soup (or any other food) as we can to replenish the pantry here at Robinson Avenue.  The needs for this continue day after day so here's our chance to give a little to those in need!

This will be in conjunction with our monthly TEEN LIFE GROUP, so THERE WILL BE A TIME OF WORSHIP AND BIBLE STUDY as our main priority.  So here are the details:

WHO?  ALL RAVE TEENS AND PARENTS!!
WHAT?  A combination Life Group meeting time and Superbowl Party, plus replenishing our church pantry!
WHEN?  5:00 to the end of the game, this Sunday, February 2
WHERE?  The Poulos home
WHAT DO I BRING?  Just bring your favorite DRINK OR SWEETS, PLUS AS MANY CANS OF SOUP OR ANY OTHER NON-PERISHABLE AS YOU CAN!!!

See you guys SUNDAY!!

FAMILY NIGHT LIVE SERVICE NIGHT!!

I truly believe that NOTHING builds relationships like serving together! This Sunday night is another FAMILY NIGHT LIVE, but this one is gonna be a little different.  This time, we're gonna serve together! There will be two groups. One will cook and serve dinner at the Salvation Army in Bentonville, and one will sort and prepare clothes at the Potter's House in Fayetteville. It's gonna be great night of serving and growing together! Don't miss it!

Here are the details:

WHO?  RAVE teens AND parents!
WHAT?  A chance to serve those in need AND grow together as FAMILY
WHEN?  Sunday afternoon/evening, Jan. 26, from about 5 till about 7
WHERE?  Potter's House: 2703 N Drake St, Fayetteville
                 Salvation Army: 3305 Southwest I St. Bentonville
WHAT DO I BRING?  Just a servant heart!

NOTE: Space is VERY limited on the Salvation Army team. The space can only hold about 10 people, so PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP if you want to be on this team!!
                  

1st ANNUAL PARENTS' CLASS!!

Ever feel like your home is one big awkward family photo??

Can't BEGIN to express how excited I am about this, folks!  It's time to dive headlong into equipping parents to be the best spiritual leaders they can be, and in the process, power you guys up to be the engaged parents that this youth minister will THRIVE on!!

Beginning this year, and continuing once a year, we're going to have a 6 week parents' class during the spring quarter. It will be divided up into 2 IDENTICAL 6-WEEK SESSIONS, so as to not disrupt other classes' teaching schedules, and to keep from pulling you away from other classes you love.

The first session will begin at the start of March and run midway through April, the second session will pick up there and run through the end of May.  This is REALLY going to be some quality content, so DEFINITELY make plans to be with us during one of the two sessions.  IF YOU TEACH, you may want to coordinate with another parent and split the quarter with them so you can both be in there without putting the pinch on the class you teach. IT WILL BE WORTH THE EFFORT!!!

With future classes, they'll be much more focused on one topic. With this first one, we're going to cover a wider array of things, but here are the main things we'll dive into:

1. The NEW approaches to youth ministry that you've seen happening (and will continue to see) at Robinson Avenue and HOW you can be as effectively engaged as possible
2. How to be the spiritual leaders in the home that God wants you to be
3. Things you should know about the EVER CHANGING WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA
4. How to be connected with and encouraged by other parents going through the same things you are

Like I said, this is DEFINITELY going to be something that you want to be a part of. Come have some coffee and some GREAT conversations about raising teens in this crazy world!  You WILL be glad you came!

***SIGN UP FOR THE SESSION YOU WANT ON THE BOARD BY MY OFFICE!!!***

CHRISTEENS 2014!!

This is, without a doubt, and event that is ALWAYS top notch!  This year is shaping up to be one of the best yet!  It's going to be all about our MISSION FROM GOD, and the lineup of speakers (SOME OF THE BEST AROUND THIS YEAR) looks AMAZING.  This is also a GREAT weekend for getting closer to each other, and as we move into this new era of parent engagement (rather than simply "chaperoning") this is a WONDERFUL trip for parents to join up on.  We stay in host homes and have lots of time for men to be with the boys and ladies to be with the girls.

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE HERE to see more details on their end, but here are our basics:

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS & PARENTS!! (Parents, DO NOT wait until I invite you personally!)
WHAT?  A FANTASTIC youth rally with worship, classes, awesome speakers, and more
WHEN?  Feb. 21-23, 2014
WHERE?  Russellville, AR at the high school performing arts center
HOW MUCH?  $35, plus $15 for a shirt (Christeens always has REALLY good shirts, just FYI)
WHAT DO I BRING?  BIBLE. Weather appropriate clothes, sleeping bag, pillow, and toiletries
   Also a little eating money for inexpensive meals (dinner Fri., lunch/dinner Sat., lunch Sun.)


THE SIGN UP LIST IS ON THE BOARD BY MY OFFICE SO SIGN UP AT CHURCH, OR JUST EMAIL ME NOW AND I'LL SIGN YOU UP MYSELF!!