Copy

As a church we want to be a place where young people feel loved, can meet Jesus, and become the next generation of leaders. Please pray with us for our kids, students, leaders, and families! 

Creating Safe Places
from Corey Wilson, RVCC Parkland Student Ministry Pastor

This year in our high school student ministry we made it a priority to create a safe place for our high school students to gather and build meaningful relationships with each other and adults who cared about them. In a year with so many changes, we had to start with what matters most as we started to gather in person again. Jesus based the majority of his ministry on developing 12 young people, and he did much of that while sharing a meal together.

If you look at the first photo, you’ll see a group of students gathered around a fireplace in our church parking lot as we talked about life and faith together. It was a great night of meaningful fellowship and great conversations.
   

Now look at the second photo. This is where all that work paid off. The proudest moments you will have as someone who disciples young people is not when a student remembers a lesson, or shares about your church on social media (though those are nice!). What really makes my heart glow is when they live out the love of Jesus they have experienced by showing it to someone else.

Not seen in the picture of us sharing a meal in the church parking lot are the two neighborhood kids, who don’t go to church, that rolled up as we were cooking. They asked if we had any food to share and our students jumped at the chance and invited them to join us for dinner. Whatever else happens, we know that those kids will go home having met Christian teens who treated them with love and shared what they had with them. This is why we do student ministry at RVCC.

Saturday, June 26
begins at RVCC Parkland and ends at RVCC Graham
This traveling scavenger hunt is a fun evening, where you'll make great memories, and you'll have the chance to win awesome prizes. If you're undecided, check out this video of last year's antics. This event is hosted by RVCC's Kids and Student Ministries, but you don't need to be a kid or have a kid to participate.

Gather your team and register at rainierview.org/adventure

June 28-July 2 at RVCC Graham
Registration for Graham VBS closes on Tuesday, June 22
August 2-6 at RVCC Parkland
 
Grads Give Advice
Our Young Adult Ministry put together a Q&A video with some RVCC's high school and colleges graduates. We're proud of you all! Congratulations!
 

July 19-23
6:00-9:00pm at RVCC Graham
Charge Week is a "staycamp" for all 6-12 grade students (and their friends!). During this week we will we look at how to bring God glory in every season of life, including how to handle the 2021/2022 school year. The evening sessions are going to be amazing, but If you want to have even more fun, during the day on Monday we're going to Defy Tacoma, and on Tuesday we'll meet up at Tower Lanes.  

Making a Difference in Every Season of Life
from Corey Wilson, Parkland Student Ministries Pastor
 
One of the things I love about student ministry is that you are never too young or too old to serve in some way. Whether it’s students like Sebastian Helt who served his peers by running tech for High School Sunday nights each week or Ally Redford who stepped up to help create a fun and welcoming environment for our Middle School students on Sunday mornings. Ally even got to see two of our Middle School girls decide to get baptized over Easter.
 
Sandy Williamson is one person on our team who never ceases to amaze me. Sandy has been faithfully discipling a group of Middle School boys for the past two years, and this year, despite all the craziness, he found ways to consistently demonstrate God’s love to a group of boys who were not always the easiest to handle. With patience and a little creativity he helped his guys navigate a really tough season of life. Sandy found ways to celebrate by bowling with them, opening up his home, taking them out on his boat, or joining them on Zoom. Thank you Sandy! You are amazing.

Everyone, no matter how young or how old you are, has something that God wants to use to shape the hearts and minds of the next Generation. 

If you are interested in volunteering in our Kids or Student Ministry, we would love to talk to you! You can can contact the specific pastor who oversees the areas in which you are interested or you can hit reply to this email and we'll help you get connected.
 
RVCC Kids Graham - Cassandra Moreno, cassandram@rainierview.org
RVCC Students Graham - Erika Anderson - erikaa@rainierview.org

RVCC Kids Parkland - Kenny Redford, kennyr@rainierview.org
RVCC Students Parkland - Corey Wilson, coreyw@rainierview.org

Friday, August 13
7:00pm at RVCC Graham
This event is for families and people of all ages! We will open the parking lot at 7:00pm for desserts and yard games, and the movie will begin at sundown. We'll provide an ice cream sundae bar, popcorn, and water, but movie goers will need to bring their own chairs, blankets, and anything else you need. Save the date and watch for more details as we get closer to August.
 
How Are You Responding to Our Young People?

“Our greatest hope in this effort to 'grow young' as a church is that when any adult in any church sees a teenager or emerging adult, their first response is NOT:
 
    ... to shrug their shoulders in ambivalence. ... to roll their eyes in distaste.
    ... to throw up their hands in bewilderment. ... to tear up in grief…
 
…Instead, when adults see young people, we hope your first response might be:
 
    …to smile in welcome.
    ... to learn a name and listen to a story.
    ... to empathize with the challenges of growing up into an adult today.
    ... to be inspired by their energy and ideas.
    ... to be filled with hope about the potential of the church.
 
In short, we want you as the adults in our congregations to see the possibilities when it comes to engaging young people, not just focus on the obstacles. And we want you to to know that helping young people discover and love the church is not just a far-fetched dream. It can become a current reality."
 
If you find yourself more often feeling the first response as opposed to the second response, consider using the link below to download a free eBook from Growing Young. This eBook shares stories of how this simple change in mindset has impacted not just young people, but people of every generation. 
________________________________________________
WEEKLY EVENTS

The weekly time that our awesome staff and volunteers have with kids, birth through high school, is where young lives are really impacted. 
 

SUNDAY MORNING KIDS MINSTRY

RVCC Graham - 9:00 & 10:30am
  • Nursery (birth -36 months) and programming for preschool (3's-5's) through 5th grade is available at 9:00 & 10:30am.
RVCC Parkland - 10:00am
  • Nursery (birth -36 months) and programming for preschool (3's-5's) through 5th grade is available at 10:00am. 
RVCC Online
  • For those of you joining us from home, visit Base Camp Online for videos and lessons that your family can do with your pre-school and elementary children.
rainierview.org/kids

 
STUDENT MINISTRY PROGRAMMING

RVCC Graham Students
  • From July 7 to August 18, students are invited to a weekly hangout/open gym each Wednesday at RVCC Graham.
RVCC Parkland Students
  • Middle school students meet each Sunday at 10:00am.
Make a Difference and Impact Young Lives
 
In every one of the above areas there is always a need for more people who love kids and students and would love to invest in them. If that's you, feel free to email info@rainierview.org and we'll get you connected!
Facebook
Instagram

Want to change how you receive our emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.