As these youth prepare to don a different gown, we want to celebrate them!

Wednesday, May 18

Moorhead High graduates, families are invited to the Baccalaureate Service at the Moorhead High Auditorium at 7:30pm on May 18^th. This is a community, ecumenical celebration led by the seniors. We encourage you to come to this very special service.

All Friends in Faith: We invite the graduating Friends in Faith seniors, parents, siblings, and grandparents to a special Milestone Event at 8:30 pm in the Christian Life Center on May 18^th. This is a very meaningful event to celebrate this part of your journey of life. Families of graduates, please have each person attending with their graduate fill out the blessing form.  You can make more photo copies or fill one out as you arrive at the event.

Sunday, May 22

We will recognize the graduating seniors at the 10:30am service in the Christian Life Center. You may sit with your families and come forward when called for the blessing.

We are excited to celebrate with you!

Friends in Faith,
Kathy Hunstad & Ashley Strelau and the Youth Ministry Team

Join us this Sunday morning from 8-10:30am for breakfast!

There will be: egg bake, cinnamon rolls, juice, milk, and coffee.

Thank you to all the amazing youth and parents who helped serve the Lenten Meals this season!

Grow From Experiences

1) Sharing: Joy (What’s going well this month?), Junk (What isn’t going so well this month?), Jesus (How have you seen Jesus acting through others this month?)

Go around the circle, say your name and answer the following:

What made celebrating Christmas meaningful?
What is wonderful/hard about winter for you? How do you handle it?
What are THINGS…..you don’t like to fail at?
What are THINGS…..you don’t want advice about?
What are THINGS…..that are hard to put back together?

2) Focus: Life is filled with all kinds of experiences that include joy, celebration, sorrow and challenge. God promises to be with us and give us strength and wisdom to grow through all life’s experiences. Sometimes, we resist God and the people God has placed in our lives to help us. We are stubborn and proud and think we can do it on our own. Today we’ll share ways to open our mind and respond well to whatever comes our way.

3) Read & Discuss: Elaine Bailey commentary: “Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” ~ Virginia Satir   Life is messy and uncomfortable at times. Things don’t always go to plan. We encounter bad experiences as well as good ones. For example, you might get criticism from someone that makes you feel raw and vulnerable. The pain feels so real it hurts you to the core. Perhaps you can’t let go of it in your mind, you keep replaying it over and over.

For example, you might get criticism from someone that makes you feel raw and vulnerable. The pain feels so real it hurts you to the core. Perhaps you can’t let go of it in your mind, you keep replaying it over and over.

When you’re stuck in the middle of a problem it’s hard to see it as an opportunity. It’s easy to wallow, say woe is me and keep replaying the story of just how bad things really are. You may react to the situation in one of the following ways:   Explode with anger; Get frustrated; Shrink inside yourself; Get caught in the drama (…and jump on the pity bus!); Ignore it; Cry; Blame someone else; Freak out and panic; Become anxious and obsessed with worry; Fear (of failure or being exposed); Discouraged and want to quit; Want to run away, change your name and start again! Why do we react this way?…Because the pain feels so real, it makes you feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, and if you give it power then it will stop you dead in your tracks.

“Every problem introduces a person to himself.” ~ John McDonnell.

I LOVE this because I believe whatever you are going through in your life you ALWAYS have the opportunity to grow through it and from it. Every experience unlocks a little more about who you are and how you show up in the world.

“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” Beyonce Knowles

Discuss: When have you recently handled a situation in your life in a very healthy way? …in a negative way? What have you discovered from both?

Read: Rom. 8:26; 12:12; Phil. 2:1-8—Share what you learn from each passage

How can we respond as people of faith to challenging situations? What qualities do we need to develop & practice?

Read & Discuss cont.: Phil. 4:13; 1 John 1:8-9—When have you been unable to see your fault in a situation? What are the promises in these passages? How can they help us to respond well to all life situations?

Read & Discuss: 1 John 4:7-9; 1 John 4: 18-20—What makes it easy to love someone? What makes it difficult? What do these passages say about love? What do they mean that perfect love casts out fear?

Read & Discuss: (Elaine Bailey commentary) Here’s how I see it…It’s ALL about your attitude towards the situation and how you manage it and pain it creates. Let me explain some more…

Pain is a great teacher – The pain that you feel when something goes wrong teaches you about where you are just now and who you are in that moment. How you handle the experience you are having defines whom you become and influences the ultimate outcome.

You are NOT alone – The truth is that life is messy! We all experience both negative and positive times. You can’t avoid it – It’s just a natural part of life and an essential part of being human. Know that this moment will pass and you will move through it and beyond it.

Lead your way through – How we handle the problem defines us and determines whether we settle and survive or create and thrive in our lives. You have two choices here: 1) Allow it to hold you back and limit you OR 2) Allow yourself to learn through it and grow. People who are successful often talk about a difficult time and how this was the pivotal moment on their development.

Own it don’t deflect it – Don’t become the victim: woe is me! Take responsibility for moving through and making change. Some people cling on to their story replaying it for everyone to hear. It becomes their excuse for staying stuck. Look for the opportunity in every situation.

Reframe the situation – My role is to help them reframe their problems and transition through their pain using it as a catalyst for success. How can you use this situation to unlock your creativity and find a solution? Here are a few prompts:

• What is the problem?; What am I currently thinking about it?; How does it make me feel (what emotions are associated with it?)?; What am I learning; What do I want the outcome to be?; What options are available to me? What support do I need from others?; What’s your first step?

Remember there is no destination. Start from where you are right now and see every experience (good or bad) as a place where you can make positive change and growth.

Share: What situation in your life, currently, needs changing? What are you doing to make that happen? How is faith & God’s presence in your life helpful? In what ways do you need more help?

Read the following quotes: Share how they might help you think more positively about life situations, particularly challenging ones:

Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave. Mary Tyler Moore

Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God. Pope Francis

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. John C. Maxwell

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. e. e. Cummings

I think you grow wherever God plants you. I hope I’m growing as a person of faith, as a Christian. That should be our number one objective this journey of life. That all starts with a personal intimate relationship with Christ and then being in prayer every single day about all of those things – being tenacious about it.

4) Sending: What will you do this next month to live out growing from experiences as a faithful follower of God?

5) Closing Prayer: Close your small group time in prayer by coming up with a prayer as a group, or read the following together:

Gracious God, ever present, help us to trust you are every present, whatever comes our way. Give us wisdom to face life’s joys and challenges. Open our hearts to the cares and needs of others. You have gifted us with love. Help us to accept and love ourselves and to accept and love others. Teach us to be forgiving, especially when it’s hard. Thank you for your gift of the Holy Spirit and being ever present in our lives. Amen.

FiF Ski and Snowboard Trip  – Friends in Faith will be returning to Montana for our Ski and Snowboard trip February 12-16^th, 2016. Registration is now open to all youth in 9^th-12^th grade! Turn in your registrations and deposits now! This trip is almost full!

Sr. High Synod Youth Gathering – All 9th-12th grade youth are invited to the NWMN Synod Youth Gathering April 22-24th at the Castaway Club on Pelican Lake. There will be speakers, live music, dances, games, worship, a coffeehouse, hot tubs, an open gym, and more! Check out the registration form, and invite your friends!

Seattle Summer Servant Trip – Senior high youth and adult leaders will travel to Seattle to work alongside people who are living in poverty and are effected by homelessness. We will also worship and have time to explore while we are in Seattle. We depart on June 7^th & return on June 17^th. Check out the brochure at the info desk, youth room or online. Sign up by February 28th to join this great opportunity! Turn in registrations & direct questions to Kathy or Ashley.

Houseboat – This summer Friends and Faith will be going on a houseboat trip to Rainy Lake, MN! The trip is open to all 9-12^th grade youth, and registration is already open. This trip fills fast, so make sure your youth turns in their deposits and registration forms soon! We need your registrations by February 17th!!

Be Still.

1) Sharing: Joy (What’s going well this month?), Junk (What isn’t going so well this month?), Jesus (How have you seen Jesus acting through others this month?)

-Who is someone you admire/ look up to? Why?
-How do you find peace throughout the day?

2) Focus: Read the following passage out loud as a group.

The Real Meaning of Peace (Author Unknown)

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.

But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest – in perfect peace.

The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?

“Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”

Discussion: – Would you have chosen the same picture?
– Comparing the pictures to your life, when is your life like a calm lake? When is your life like the stormy rugged mountains?
– What does it mean to you to be ”calm in your heart”? What is stopping you from this?

3) Scripture: Read Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Discussion: -God takes our stormy mountain days and reminds us to “be still.” What does it mean to “be still”?
-Is this easy for you or more difficult?
-The word “Selah”, which is used at the end of each section of this passage and 71 other times in the Bible, is often translated as ‘stop and listen’ or ‘pause and think of that’. Why do you think the word Selah is mentioned so many times in the Bible?

4) Sending: What will you do this next month to live out being still as a faithful follower of God?

5) Closing Prayer: Close your small group time in prayer by coming up with a prayer as a group, or read the following together:

Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Help us to “Be Still” amidst the storminess of our lives and find you in our serenity. In your loving and holy name we pray, Amen.

EmBrAcE DiVeRsItY

1) Sharing: Joy (What’s going well this month?), Junk (What isn’t going so well this month?), Jesus (How have you seen Jesus acting through others this month?)

-If your best friend had to pick one word to describe you, what would it be?
-The hardest part about being in a relationship with another person is… (Think friends, family, or dating)

2) Focus:

Different
Individuals
Valuing
Each other
Regardless of
Skin
Intellect
Talents or
Years.   -Pinterest quote

Discussion:
-What does diversity mean to you?
-How can we embrace those who are different than us?

*What different types of diversity do you see every day?
*How does social media and our culture influence the way we think about diversity?
*Why do people shy away from or avoid things that are different or unknown?

3) Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 (MSG) I want to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way– the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary.

Discussion:
-Why do we sometimes hide what makes us different; even if those things could bring our the best in others?
-How can we make other people feel valued for the gifts they have?
-What is something good that could come out of embracing other people’s diversity?
-How can you recognize and value what makes you diverse?

4) Sending: What will you do this next month to live out embracing diversity as a faithful follower of God?

5) Closing Prayer: Close your small group time in prayer by coming up with a prayer as a group, or read the following together:

Dear God, Please help us to speak and think kindly to impact people’s lives in a positive way by showing your love and compassion. Empower and strengthen us when we need to go out of our comfort zone to welcome others and invite them in. Amen.

Playful Curiosity

1) Sharing: Joy (What’s going well this month?), Junk (What isn’t going so well this month?), Jesus (How have you seen Jesus acting through others this month?)

–Finish this statement: ‘I am playful when…’ –What is your favorite childhood memory?

2) Focus: “I beg you… to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” -Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Discussion: -What does it mean to ‘live the questions’ in your life? -When might it be helpful to not know the answers to what is happening?

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” -Stephen Hawking

Discussion: -Is it easier to focus on the big picture or the details that make up the big picture? Why?

-What are your favorite ‘Why?’ questions?
-What are you curious about or want to know more about in your faith? In your life?

Discussion: It’s okay to have faith questions!!
-How can we learn to live with the questions we have?

3) Scripture: 1 Peter 1:10-12 (MSG)

The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it– that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves– through the Holy Spirit– the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!

Discussion: -Why were the prophets only told part of what was happening?
-Think about a time you were only told part of a story or part of what was happening. What was difficult about that? What was easy about it?
-How can curiosity strengthen your faith?
-When can curiosity sometimes stand in the way of your faith or life?

4) Sending: What will you do this next month to live out playful curiosity as a faithful follower of God?

5) Closing Prayer: Close your small group time in prayer by coming up with a prayer as a group, or read the following together:

Dear God, help us to look at each new day with playful curiosity. Empower us to become like children, unafraid to ask questions and see stories from a different point of view. Help us to create a space where our faith can grow and be made new each time we gather together. Amen.

Join us THIS SUNDAY for an amazing concert from Rachel Kurtz and AGAPE* who were both at the Youth Gathering in Detroit this summer! If you are interested in going, let Kathy or Ashley know by noon on Thursday to purchase your ticket for $5. Otherwise tickets will be $10 at the door. We hope to see you at Oak Grove at 4pm for the concert!

Join us Sunday, September 13th for God’s Work, Our Hands! As a congregation, we are joining with churches from all over the country in the ELCA day of service. You and your family can sign up at http://vols.pt/toBq6Y or in the church office. There are many different service opportunities already set up for this day, all you need to do is sign up! As a bonus, you will receive a t-shirt to wear that Sunday as a thank you for signing up and helping serve!

At 10am we will have a send-off service for everyone who is participating in the service day, and you will depart for your project around 10:20am!

Please call the main office if you have any questions: 218-236-1333.

Hi Friends,

So it has officially been 12 days since we have started this journey through faith and God and now we are getting everything packed and heading home to Moorhead and Fargo, with both sad and strengthened hearts.

Isaac Here!

So my Detroit experience has been unique compared to others. I left Camp Emmaus July 10 early in the morning and arrived in Alexandria to get picked up by all of my friends. Coming into this trip I did not know what to expect, but now, I would not have had done anything differently. From reconnecting with old friends, to blossoming new ones, I have cherished my time with my friends in faith. One of my personal highlights comes from today, having a send off service for our seniors. Watching them grow up is eye-opening. Coming home will be one of the hardest days in my summer, for not being able to be with such an amazing crew will break my heart. But I know that these people will always be in my heart, as well as God! I must thank the friends of faith for giving me this life changing experience and thank you to all my friends. I love you all dearly and I am already missing Detroit with all my heart. I hope all of you had an enjoyable time reading this blog and I wish you all a spectacular rest of the summer!

Isaac

Hello! I have the great pleasure of getting to blog on the last day so I get to tell you about my entire trip!  My trip started out very well. I had so much fun in Chicago! I got to walk around a beautiful city with my best friends. The next day the beach which was amazing! except that I was wearing expired sunscreen so my back ended up being the color of a fire hydrant. Then there was our day in the amusement park! Where I had a blast getting completely soaked on all of the water rides. Now all of this was awesome but nothing can describe the amount of emotions I had when we finally drove into the motor city itself, Detroit! I must admit I wasn’t expecting it look the way it did. The city looked normal and sure there may have been some graffiti but not the kind of damage I had thought, until we finally got to our proclaim justice day. Where we got to go out into the city  into the neighborhoods of Detroit and that’s when it hit me. Home after home was either abandoned or destroyed. Being able to go and help even for the short amount of time we did was probably one of the best moments of my life. Being able to see and talk to the people who lived there was amazing! Everywhere you went someone was thanking you for what you had done. It was life changing. We rose up together and made a difference! This trip is something I will never forget and I am so sad that is over but, I know the friendships we have made will carry on forever

Hannah Maki

Hello, the trip to Detroit and back has taught me 2 things . First be grateful for what you have, and second no matter how many friends you went with you definitely came back with more. The reason why I was taught to be grateful for what you have was from the service day project. For instance when we were walking through one the suburbs of Detroit I noticed how many houses were boarded up and even the ones that weren’t I thought maybe they should and one of the houses I had thought was abandoned I saw a young boy walk out then the rest of his family and as I saw him run over to throw a football around with his friends it made me realize how privileged I am to be able to take a shower when ever I please or to be able to afford to go on a trip like this one. The second thing I learned was that no matter how many friends you went with you definitely left with more. I learn this by the progression we all took to getting to know each other on the trip, for instance on the way down when we were playing bus games I have to say it was a bit awkward switching seats every 2 minutes to talk to someone who you maybe have never even heard of, but by our last night in Eau Claire you could have easily started a conversation with just about anyone. This trip not only taught me those things though it also was a fantastic experience. Some of the highlights for my trip included going to the Cedar Point Amusement park, going to Hard Rock café, going to the Navy Pier, staying in the Motor City Casino-Hotel, going to Ford Field, the gathering itself and hearing the Motown All-Stars sing classic hits like “My Girl”, “Ain’t to Proud to Beg”, “I Want You Back” and many more. While has been perhaps the most fun I have had all year I am excited to see my parents and to sleep in my own bed, but I do think that long after we have graduated we will look back at the great memories we had on this trip.

Seth Lawrence

I’d have to say my very favorite part of this trip was going to the less fortunate neighbor hoods of Detroit and helping them with cleaning up garbage, cleaning out houses, and just simply trying to make it a more family friendly place to be. All the things that the people living in those houses were emotionally unstable to do. The trip to Detroit was pretty fun too. Spending a day walking around Chicago was definitely memorable. We got to see what life was like in a big city for people who we less fortunate, and for those people who are definitely very fortunate. Seeing those who were less fortunate in both cities really made me see a new perspective on how grateful we all should be about what we have back in Moorhead. I’m also so grateful that all of our amazing group leaders gave us the opportunity to go see new and fun places. Going to the zoo, aquariums, museums, waterparks, and amusement parks were all stuff they were willing to do. They wanted us to not only help the people of Detroit, but to also have fun, and they definitely gave that to us.

Kate

The experiences all of us have been able to share throughout our trip have been amazing! It fully hit our group last night that our time together is almost up for this trip. We have shared many memories from making new friends, meeting the people in Detroit and being able to live in community with them, to being able to feel welcomed by everyone else on the trip. This group of youth and adults have truly lived out their faith in their day to day actions. They have welcomed their neighbors, stayed positive when things might not have gone exactly according to the plan, they were open minded and willing to go out of their comfort zone if that is what the moment called for, they also created a space where every voice could be heard. Many times throughout the trip I was told by adult leaders from other groups and from people of Detroit how much they appreciated the FiF youth and adults! I want to say thank you to all the youth and adults for sharing their faith and being a part of this trip! Each person brought something different to our group and our experiences wouldn’t have been the same without them. Ashley

Thank you to everyone who supported the youth and Friends in Faith! You helped create so many wonderful memories for our group. We invite you to join us at the Stockholder’s Banquet in September so we can share our stories and pictures with you!

Our small group thanks you, and we can’t wait to see all of you back home!
Hannah, Isaac, Seth, Kate, and Ashley