CHRISTEENS 2016!!

Christeens time is here!!

Christeens is one of the best events of the year! (Since his move to Russellville, Jake Greer, formerly the youth minister at Center Street, is now in charge of it) It's a wonderful weekend of worship, bonding with each other, amazing speakers, teachers, and worship leaders, and TONS of fun! We stay in a host home (ours loves us so much, they've asked for us for 3 years running!) for free, and have wonderful devos at night with them. As youth rallies go, you won't find a whole lot out there that's better than Christeens! So here's the rundown..

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS AND FAMILIES
WHAT? A weekend youth rally with over 1000 other teens from all over AR and the mid south
WHEN? March 4-6, leaving Rob Ave. at 5:00 on Friday, having already eaten (Snacks will be provided at the host home that night.)
WHERE? Russellville, AR, at the PAC of Russellville High School
HOW MUCH? $35
WHAT DO I BRING? Your own sleeping stuff (sheets or sleeping bag) and pillow, ALL of your bathroom stuff, BIBLE, warm clothes, and money to eat lunch and dinner on Saturday. You CAN bring money for venders at the event, IF you want to. (They sell shirts, hats, etc. with Christian themes.)

Check out the schedule below!

F'WEDNESDAY AT JOHNSON!!

We've been invited to a FWEDNESDAY (friends + Wednesday) at Johnson church of Christ from tonight from 6-8pm! FREE CHICK-FIL-A & BUFFALO WILD WINGS!! And great worship with NWA teens!! There will be a speaker from Harding University (plus info booths from Harding and Freed Hardeman) speaking on the topic of "By Design". Should be a REALLY good night, and hopefully our first of many!

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS AND FAMILY
WHAT? A night of worship, fellowship, and free food
WHEN? MEET THERE AT 6, or caravan from church at 5:45!!
WHERE? Johnson Church of Christ (5602 Elmore St.)
WHAT DO I BRING? Just a bible and a friend if you like!

FAMILY NIGHT LIVE: ARCADIA!!

 The time has once again come for us to come together as FAMILIES and enjoy a night of good ol' fashioned video games!! Here's what it's all about..

The owner of Arkadia Retrocade in Fayetteville lost his sweet wife to breast cancer back in the fall. He's always been so good to us, and we've had special devotional prayer times with him, praying and signing for his wife via FaceTime. Through all this we've established a wonderful relationship with him. He usually charges $5 per person, but for our events there, he's never charged us more than $3. This week, he has decided not to charge us a penny, even though we'll be there after regular business hours. That's per person AND for two hours renting the place out. Yeah, he's a nice guy.

So here's what we'd like to do. I've invited both Johnson and Southside (and possibly Mount Comfy) to join us, and I'm asking everyone to bring a couple dollars anyway. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY, but if you would like to, I think it would be a wonderful gesture for us to "pass the hat" and give it to him. Regardless, we're going to a (huge) special devo time with him, and surround him with the love of Christ. So here's the skinny:

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS AND FAMILIES (Bring the whole fam!!)
WHAT? A worship time with 2 other youth groups, plus unlimited video games, and food!
WHEN? Sunday night, February 21, 6-8 pm
WHERE? Arkadia Retrocade, 1478 N. College in Fayetteville
HOW MUCH? FREE, but feel free to bring a few bucks as a gift for Shea
WHAT DO I BRING? Just a 2 liter and the whole family!

JUNIOR HIGH RETREAT 2015!!

Junior High Retreat time is here!

This has become a bit of a "crowd favorite" and for very good reason. Junior high teens and parents alike have fallen in love with the uplifting spiritual atmosphere, the old and new friendships, and the time for junior high kids to come together in their own environment to worship God and learn about Him in very age-specific ways.

This year will be exactly that! We join forces with other NWA churches to spend a wonderful fall weekend drawing closer to God and forming powerful friendships that will last a lifetime!

PS: We would LOVE to have you join us and be a part of these and so many other kids' lives! Please let me know if you're interested and able!

WHO? All RAVE Junior high teens (7th - 9th grades) and parents!
WHAT? A wonderful weekend with other junior high kids from NWA growing in their faith
WHEN? October 23-25
WHERE? Camp Siloam in Siloam Springs
HOW MUCH? $40 for teens and $20 for adults/kids
WHAT DO I BRING? All your own bedding and bathroom needs, BIBLE, clothes for a variety of weather, any (safe) outdoor fun stuff you want to bring

FALL RETREAT 2015!!

Fall is upon us!!

For RAVE, that means settling down from an AMAZING summer and shifting into a more reflective, introspective mode. With that comes our annual FALL RETREAT! It's always a wonderful time of reconnecting with each and God and catching our breath from the hustle and bustle of the new school year. 

Last year we started what will hopefully become a new tradition of joining with the other churches who attend GVBC with us, and this year we're especially blessed to have Nick Ruple speak to us on the theme "FaithFull" and it's exactly what our teens need right now. 

We would LOVE to have a ton of parents join us, so if you're interested, please let me know! Here are the details, but if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!!

WHO? All RAVE teens and parents!

WHAT? A weekend away to dig deep into the word of God and reconnect with each other

WHEN? Oct. 2-4

WHERE? New Life Ranch

HOW MUCH? $70 for teens, $35 for adults/kids

WHAT DO I BRING? BIBLE, all your own bedding & bathroom stuff, weather appropriate clothes for a full weekend including clothes you can get a little dirty in AND CLOSED TOED SHOES FOR THE CHALLENGE COURSE! (Also, bring hammock if you have one!)

This is ALWAYS and a phenomenal weekend, and so much of that is our parent support, so come join us!

SENIOR HIGH RETREAT 2015!

It's spring time again! And with it comes the annual Senior High Retreat! This one is gonna be SO GOOD, and it'll bring a chance for every voice to be heard and leaders to step up to the plate! We'll be at beautiful New Life Ranch in Siloam Springs, and we'll be talking about being ROOTED in Christ! This is one NOT to be missed! Hope to see you there!

Here's the skinny..

WHO? 9th-12th graders and any parents who would like to come!

WHAT? A weekend away to focus on God, relax, and enjoy each other's company

WHEN? April 24-26 (We'll eat at Wendy's on Friday at 5 and leave Rob Ave at 6:00)

WHERE? NEW LIFE RANCH, one of the best of the best around!

HOW MUCH? $85 for teens, $42.50 for adults (if money is tight, PLEASE let me know)

WHAT DO I BRING? BIBLE, sleeping bag and pillow, warm and cool weather clothes, bathing suit, ALL your own toiletry/showering needs, any outdoor sports or indoor games, cards, etc.

TREK 2015!!

TREK TIME IS HERE AGAIN!!

There's no way to capture in a blog post what happens when you go to Trek. It's a week-long mountain climbing worship and growth experience that's like nothing else. We go every other year to conquer a mountain together and the time has come once again to take the journey to Colorado!

PAYMENT NOTE: The total cost for Trek is $315. In order to prepare what needs to be prepared on their end (a LOT goes into what our guides, Wilderness Expeditions in Salida, CO provide for us.) they need about half the payment by the beginning of March, so we need a $150 deposit by Feb. 25 in order to get it to them on time and avoid late fees. (NOTE: PLEASE PLEASE talk to Keith/myself if money or the timing on the payments are an issue. We WILL work with you!)

SO...here are the details!
WHO? RAVE TEENS 9th-12th grades and ANY PARENTS THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME!!
WHAT? A literal mountain top experience like no other
WHEN? We will leave early the morning of June 26 and return late the night of July 3.
WHERE? Salida, CO
HOW MUCH? The total cost is $315, with a deposit of $150 due Feb 25
WHAT DO I BRING? I have bring-lists ready to go in my office, and we'll have a meeting SOON about how to best gather supplies and prepare for the trip. More details on that ASAP.

CHRISTEENS 2015!

As weekend youth rallies go, Christeens is the best around! It's a weekend spent in Russellville with hundreds of teens from all over Arkansas and more, gathered to worship, hear amazing speakers, and spend some fantastic time getting closer to each other and to God. We stay in host homes, and our group impressed their host family so much last year, that they have sought out my contact information so they could make sure we stay with them again this year. Way to go, RAVE!

Here's the WEBSITE and here's the skinny..

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS (adults invited and needed!)
WHAT? A top notch weekend youth rally
WHEN? February 20-22, 2015. We'll leave around 5:00 Friday, and return early Sunday afternoon.
WHERE? Russellville, AR at the high school Performing Arts Center
HOW MUCH? $35, plus $15 IF you want a shirt, and eating money for 3 meals out (fast food prices).
WHAT DO I BRING? Bedding (sleeping bag and pillow) and ALL your own toiletries, BIBLE, clothes for the weekend, etc. (NO NEED TO BRING DRESSY CLOTHES)

Come be a part of a GREAT weekend!!

FEBRUARY AREAWIDE AT ROBINSON AVE!!

It's our turn to host one of these fantastic gatherings of NWA teens, and we're gonna do it up right! We're gonna have hilarious games, delicious food, passionate worship, and a phenomenal lesson about being DEVOTED to God! There will be more info on how you can help with the food over the next few days, but here are the basics you need to know right now!

WHO? ALL NWA TEENS AND FAMILIES!
WHAT? A gathering of around 300 NWA teens to connect to each other and to God
WHEN? Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 pm
WHERE? Robinson Avenue Church of Christ Family Center
WHAT DO I BRING? More info on that ASAP!

Come be a part of a great night!!

SOUPerBOWL 2015!!

Superbowl time is here again!!

This year we'll go back to the Poulos house for a heart-felt devo, some amazing food, good laughs, card playing, and we MIGHT just watch a little football!! This is always a great night of just relaxing and enjoying spending some time with each other.

Notice the SOUP part of the name there? See what I did?  Let's take this chance to bring some canned goods to replenish our pantry! It's constantly being used, so let's help refill it!

Here are the details!
WHO?  RAVE TEENS AND THEIR FAMILIES
WHAT?  A great night of being together watching the game, serving our community, and praising God!
WHEN? Sunday night, Feb. 1, starting at 5:00 and lasting until you need to go home or the game ends, whichever happens FIRST :)
WHERE? The Poulos House
WHAT DO I BRING? AT LEAST 1 canned good for the pantry and your favorite snacks or desserts!

Come rest your bones and have a great time with us!

JANUARY AREAWIDE YOUTH WORSHIP!!

Time to get together with a couple hundred teens from around the NWA and worship our little hearts out! We've had more and more Rob Ave families joining us for these areawide, and it's been WONDERFUL. This is a GREAT way to spend a Sunday night: hear a fantastic speaker, worship with 300 plus teens and families, have a delicious free meal together, and reconnect with (or make new) Christian friends from right here around us on all sides.  Come worship with us at Mount Comfort this Sunday!

Here's the skinny..

WHO? ALL RAVE TEENS and their FAMILIES

WHAT? Worshipping, eating, and connecting with teens and their families from all over NWA

WHEN?  Sunday, Jan. 11. Starts at 6:00, so we'll meet up at Rob Ave at 5:30 to carpool/caravan

WHERE?  Mt. Comfort Church of Christ in Fayetteville

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

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!!