MOVE Day 3: Our Staff

As you probably heard, Jamie and I had an unexpected family emergency on Day 2 of Move, had to meet our son in Kalamazoo. By God's grace, he is healthy and avoided serious long-term injury! Because of our top-notch adults who serve as staff at Modified, we were confident Move would go on without a hitch for our group. It did, and I'd like to take a minute to highlight them:

Caycie is with us for the first time this year as an adult. She attended Move every year she could has a high school student, and knows all about how the program works. Caycie also volunteers in The Flood, our jr. high program, at Kids City, our Sunday morning kids' gathering, and is on the leadership team of Thrive, our young adults ministry.

Justin also attended Move as a student. He is a graduate of Spring Arbor University, and has served as camp staff at SpringHill Camps.  Justin joined Modified's staff this year, and leads a small group on Monday nights.  He brings some colorful personality - and a banana suit - to our team!

Kevin is a Move veteran, having been here in Holland one year as a student, and six years as an adult volunteer (just about as many as me!). Kevin is incredibly student-focused, and brings a high level of enthusiasm to our group.  You may remember him from years past for his stellar hair styles.

Our staff rock, and your students were in good hands while I was away.  Special thanks too to Wally, our worship minister and himself a Move veteran, who drove over from Lansing to fill in and support our volunteers!

Welcome to MOVE 2016

Twenty students and five adults from SLCC arrived in Holland this afternoon, excited to dive into the 2016 edition of CIY Move! For those of you unfamiliar with Move, it absolutely the highlight of our student ministry calendar. Our church has such a long history with this event, and we always see God work in incredible ways in students' lives.

This year we are digging into the book of Ephesians, and will talk about being Kingdom Workers. Kingdom Workers are followers of Jesus who devote themselves to building his kingdom. Doctors can be Kingdom Workers. Teachers can be Kingdom Workers. Gas station clerks can be Kingdom Workers, and so can students! Anyone who chooses to make God's Kingdom the first priority of their life can be a Kingdom Worker.

Before CIY challenges our students with this focus all week, we out started tonight by talking about love. Unless we know that we are loved, we can't be Kingdom Workers. In Ephesians 1, Paul talks God's love. He loves us so much that he adopts us into his family, invites us into his conversation, and wants us on his team.

You're welcome to journey along with us! Read through Ephesians with us this week, and ask God to open your heart. And, please pray with us. Pray for community to grow among our students. Pray for our adults to maintain energy and enthusiasm. Pray for God to shape students' lives and to draw them into deeper relationship with him!

Parents Lab

Last Saturday night we hosted our very first Parents Lab. It's new to you because, well, it's still new to us! The big idea was to get parents in the room and share our 18 year children & students' ministries strategy. If you weren't able to join us or you'd like a review of the material covered, here it is.

The most important relationship for anyone is with Jesus Christ. This relationship governs pivotal decisions, provides identity and a worldview that values others. The Bible is clear that parents are responsible for growing and shaping their children's faith. Children are impacted profoundly and primarily by their parents, who live out their faith each day. The church has far less time with students, on average only 40 hours a year. 

Red is the love and acceptance of the home. Yellow is the guiding light of the church.

Red is the love and acceptance of the home. Yellow is the guiding light of the church.

What happens when you combine the two? You get orange! Home and church working together to shape the faith of students. The best part? Working together means a better future and greater impact than working alone!

Combining influences means everyone wins. What's not to like?

Combining influences means everyone wins. What's not to like?

We have assembled an 18 year strategy that helps shape & grow students' faith from birth through high school graduation. Using an aligned curriculum from start to finish creates consistency in what your student is learning. Partnering with families means there's transparency, so you don't have to guess what they might be learning from year to year. This curriculum builds on 3 Basic Truths that develop over time, just as students grow and mature. Learn more about Orange Curriculum here.

Several transitions take place in the life of a student, so we've worked to make these less intimidating for students. Several student ministers serve in both Kid's City and The Flood or The Flood and Modified. Building familiarity with ministry staff prior to transitioning creates a positive experience for students.

Hopefully this has provided a big picture view of what we're trying to accomplish in children's & student ministries at SLCC. We pray that you'll partner with us for a better future and greater impact in your student's lives. 

If you'd like to meet with Walter or Josh and hear more, click here.


This is our 18 year strategic plan, showing programs for each age at the bottom. 
Graduating from one program to the next doesn't have to be scary. Student Ministers help make these transitions a positive experience.

BLog Min Map.png

These are the 3 Basic Truths in loving God, Self and Others. Note that as students mature, the truths develop to reflect that growth.