WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

We returned to Messiah College yesterday in hopes of recapturing our title. After 4 previous tournaments, we've amassed quite a resume, (by Olympic medals) our record is: 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze....and I won't beat around the bush this time about our results this year...

We won the whole tournament!

Our team roster:
Emily Laughlin, Darren Smith, Brandon Bowers, Emily Biechler, Elisa Ott, Trevor Jones, Maegan Keperling, Matt DuVall, Will Welsh, Heather Morris, Tanner Burkhardt, Cameron Strosser, Michael Weber, Madeline Zapata, Lucas Charney, Cody Straub, Matt Hatch, Cole Bigelow, Steven Morris, Nick Tulli, Ian Martzall, Erin Patterson and our three adults players: Jerry Bigelow, Troy Jones and Justin Watkins

Our Best Tournament Ever
We went 9-0 through the day, but beyond the quantity of wins, the quality of our wins was the best ever. Our play absolutely dominated the field and we never faced a time when we were close to losing. In fact, the semi-final playoff game was our quickest game of the day and barely lasted 5 minutes! A number of times I looked over to the other team's sideline to see double digit players who had gotten thrown out while our sideline was without a single player! We were just catching everything teams were throwing and gunning them back.

And most important to me, it was our cleanest, calmest tournament. Other than our talk before we left, I never had to remind our team to play with integrity...There was very little tension between us and other teams and very little talk of cheating. (Usually every team complains about every other team's play) It was a dominating performance and we played like champions with our attitudes, integrity and words. That to me is the greatest success of it all.

We had such a fun day playing with each other and getting pumped for each game. We had a wonderful cheerleading crew (Pam Bigelow, Kyle Bigelow and our camera woman, Erika Straub) and a closing worship service that got a number of our students involved up on stage (thanks to Tanner, Steven and Madeline for putting us on the map!). After some great worship, students were challenged to give their lives to Christ to let Him do great things for the Kingdom NOW, just as He has used young people throughout the Bible and history til now.

We are happy to return champs of the tournament...We celebrated with a trip to Wendys on the way home and celebratory frostys! We won two bags of brand new balls to break in and practice with for next fall along with championship t-shirts we'll all wear proudly as soon as they come in. Thanks to everyone who came with us for not just a great win, but a great day of fellowship and giving God glory with our actions.

During our Girls Ministry Sunday night, our group celebrated the end of our Esther study! We learned how evil Haman payed for his selfish pride. The theme of the evening was "Obsessed With Fame" . We watched a Beth Moore dvd segment on this topic and she talked about America's National obsession with fame and celebrities. We saw that middle school girls are especially prone to falling prey to this addiction.

We all have the God -given need to matter but we saw how pitifully small a goal of personal greatness is. We were meant for so much more. When we embrace God as our purpose we will end up doing great things-each little act of love makes the ordinary extraordinary!

The Esther story showed us God's divine providence- He knows, He sees, He acts, working out every detail for good! His hidden hand is always working behind the scenes guiding our fate .We talked about the Jewish celebration of Purim. Each year the Jews remember how young Esther saved her people by observing this holiday. The story of Esther is read, there is feasting, festivity, rejoicing, delivering food to friends, and gifts to the poor. Jews all over the world bake cookies for Purim called Haman's Ears! What would our celebration have been be without eating these tasty cookies!

Our night ended with the girls breaking into small groups to do some personal sharing and prayer. The teens are looking forward to Girls Movie Night this Saturday night (23rd) -6:30 -11:30. They will be curling up with their blankets & popcorn to watch a double -feature, "One Night With The King"-(the story of Esther), and "Enchanted"!

-Report written by Deb Burkhardt

Jr High All Night Bowling

This past weekend we had an awesome group of Jr Highers make their way to Garden Spot Bowl for their Christian Lock In! From midnight to 6am, the 19 Jr Highers and 5 adults enjoyed the Christian music, Bible trivia, snacks, pool tables and fellowship around the bowling lanes.

I was impressed at how many bowled all night long and that none of our group fell asleep! WOW! At one point, some of us even bowled on multiple lanes! Chad Busswood and myself finished the night with 14 games bowled...We wanted to get our money's worth :)

All night bowling, although it sounds crazy, is always a favorite and we are looking probably at March for our next event in which we might invite both JR and SR High to the alley for a night of sore arms, conversation, and of course, BOWLING! Thanks to Chad Busswood and Joy Olcott (who bowled all night long without a break!!) and Chris Reitnauer and Deb Deberdine who helped chaperone our evening!

Fall Retreat 2009

As every year has been, the Fall Retreat is often a highlight of our school year for many teens. We took an amazing group with us to Summit Lake Camp in Emmitsburg, MD, joining with several other local youth groups including Millersville Bible, Lampeter Church of the Brethern, and Lampeter UMC.

It's always a treasure to take a break from our busy lives: No TV, no homework, no jobs, no cell phone reception....And spend our time reflecting on our relationship with Christ and with others.

This year's theme was how to incorporate Christ into every single area of our lives. Friday night we were asked to think of our lives as a house blueprint. Why is it that we are not consistent in all areas of our lives? We act one way at school, one way on the soccer field, another way with our boyfriend, another way at youth group....And that's not limited to teenagers! We're so compartmentalized.

Saturday late morning was a powerful experience as we spent an hour as individuals reflecting on our desire for Christ through stations: There was music, art, and Scripture to take in and meditate on...There was even a station to respond through an expression of art. Before putting Christ at the center of all areas of our lives, we have to resolve in our heart that we really believe Him to be worth it.

After our night game on Saturday night, students were asked to quietly enter the tabernacle (our large meeting room/barn) quietly and pick up a heavy stone. The teaching time was focused on Abraham who after being promised the rich blessings of God through his son Isaac, was asked by God to sacrifice him on an altar. It's an unbelievably hard story to grasp when you think of God's request, but the point is simple: Did Abraham trust that God really was worth it all, even above his beloved only son? Abraham raised the knife in obedience, but God stepped in before he could do it....Abraham was willing to give God everything and that is what we're called to today. Students were asked to bring their stones up to the front of the group in a symbolic gesture of sacrificing the things they hold onto too tightly. The Youth Pastors took each stone and built a large altar to represent the commitments of students.

Our weekend wrapped up with an incredible challenge from our speaker about the kind of living God's people are called to. Ben was very blunt and honest about the kinds of decisions that are not acceptable for followers of Christ. From being controlled by video games to respecting parents...from girls focused on their appearance to the guys who check them out...It was a very bold call for a transformation from a heart commitment to living out our faith in every area of our lives.

Throughout the weekend we had amazing worship that became an experience of community and praise. Our worship leader not only led us in song, but in contemplation of the words we sang...challenging us to not just sing the words, but to believe and live them out. Our worship times were powerful and were followed by Ben Murray, who's dynamic and down to earth communication engaged students on a deep level.

The time in between sessions was spent connecting with one another in our group and with students outside our group. Whether through conversations, football games, card games or meal times...Our group grew close with one another through the bond of Christ.

I think it's safe to say that the weekend not only moved the teenagers, but the adults who came along. This Sunday at Encounter, we are going to be putting on a "mini fall retreat" for those who missed it.

Encounter: Community Needed

On Sunday November 15th, we spent most of our time in small groups looking at....well, what you see in front of you...ART! We broke everyone into groups of 3-5 and gave each group one of the 4 pieces of abstract art. The task was simple enough: What do you think this painting means and how could you apply it to your understanding of God?

Ok, most groups didn't find the task extremely "simple", but all really got into it. After groups spend time talking, we came together as a large group and I put each painting up on the big screen. Groups that had the particular painting were given the chance to explain what they thought it meant and what they could learn about God from the painting. We then opened it up to other opinions as to what teens saw.

You wouldn't believe some of the great insights they gave! Wow! The point was this: Just as these paintings can represent mystery and abstraction, our concept of God can be hard to grasp clearly...He is infinitely beyond our comprehesion and at the same time, He wants to be known by His creation so He is very accessible. But like our exercise with the paintings, we need to realize that commmunity is vital to our pursuit of who God is. We need one another to share experiences, insights, and understanding of God so that our concept of God can be deepened... Community also provides accountability to our thoughts of God so we don't get pulled away from the truths that God has revealed to us already.

Powerhouse or Fading Glory?

First a recap of our three previous tournaments...
Spring '08: 2nd Place In our very first tournament, hosted at Messiah College, we lost in an intense championship game that came down to 5 on 5 before we lost our momentum, and the game...
Fall '08: 1st Place Hosted at Camp Hill UMC, our team was untouchable as we coasted through the tournament without a single loss to become the champions.
Spring '09: 3rd Place With a couple hiccups earlier in the day, we needed to beat the top seed in the final game of the regular tournament to make the 4 team playoffs...And we did with great ease! Sadly, our game used the full 15 minute limit, and on a day that had already been short on time, the decision was made to cut the playoff and go straight into the championship game. It was widely accepted that we would have won the title if playoffs had been held.

It's hard to describe just how intense these games can get. I am a very competitive person, so I even must curb my intensity! If you've not come with us before, I highly recommend supporting our team in the next tournament on Sunday February 14th at Messiah College. Otherwise, it's hard to really picture the heart-racing, gut-wrenching games, or the constant strategy and scouting sessions in between matches....

Game One: Loss
We faced a ton of disadvantages our first game: We were the only team to face this squad of 15, as they were divided more equally with the other half of their youth group for the rest of the tournament. We played them on the basement court, which lends itself to a smaller team because of the close quarters (And a smaller team gets a handicap)...And to top it all off, the refs accidentally (I hope) threw their team almost all of the dodgeballs to begin the game.

Disappointing? Yes, but it wasn't a real show of what our team could and would do...

Game Two: Win
We faced a struggling team which helped to rebuild our confidence. It was a quicker game played down in the basement, and got our momentum moving.

Game Three & Four: Wins
To be honest, I don't remember exactly how close games 2-4 really were, but I don't remember being very nervous about our chances to win them. We played two of the three in the basement, which wasn't to our liking, but we put together three straight wins and in the running for the playoffs...




Game Five: Loss
Looking at the teams board, there were 6 of us sitting at 3-1 or better entering that round of play. It was the time of the tournament when teams hoping to make the 4-Team playoffs had to put up or shut up. We were facing one of the other 3-1 teams in a must win situation. Dropping to 3-2 would seemingly put us out of reach. We played a large York UMC team (they brought 33 players) on the upper court. It was a very loud and intense match that after a few minutes, was down to 9 York players against 7 Grace players.

All of a sudden, the refs were blowing their whistles to call the game on account of the time. The ten minute game limit had been reached and the win was given to York because they had more players remaining. They absolutely erupted as our team was left completely shocked. We had been given no time check to know how close to the end we were...Our playoff hopes were done.

Or were they?
Turns out, the refs had made a huge mistake, caught in large part to one of our own cheerleaders, Angela, who was video taping the game. It had only lasted 6 1/2 minutes! We were jipped of 3 1/2 minutes. When I found that out, I spent the next ten minutes trying to plead our case, asking for a re-match. But it didn't look like time would allow it and although the director of the tournament (who had not been present at our game) felt it was unfair, he couldn't do anything about it...

Game Six: Win
So we entered our last game playing the only undefeated team in the tournament. We were sitting at 3-2, out of reach of the 5 teams ahead of us and sitting in the middle of the pack. Some rumor was being spread that there was still a slight chance that if we won and a couple other teams fell, we could still make a play-in game for the playoffs...but when I looked at the board, I was fairly certain our chances were up.

We were the final regular tournament game that played in the basement. In my opinion it was the most intense game we played in as two other teams smashed in alongside the already crammed sidelines to root for us. This team was very good but we came to play and we played hard.

My nomination for MVP of the day goes to Darren Smith, Elisa Ott, and Ian Martzall. They were our three remaining players in a grueling game that pitted them against the other team's final player: An adult volunteer who was one of their best. Our three would hang back and dodge his throws before making their own wave of attacks...It went back and forth for what seemed like forever...Darren was the favorite target and he had some amazing moves to avoid them...Until the final onslaught got him and it was down to Elisa and Ian.

Elisa was a monster with the ball in her hand and was throwing all she had to get this guy out. And she finally was successful with one that grazed his back as he was ducking out of the way! And it was not a moment to soon as one ref blew his whistle on Elisa for crossing over the midline. But it the damage was done as she had eliminated him BEFORE the foul...The room absolutely exploded with excitement from our team and fans watching.

Unfortunately as I watched the playoff board being put together, I knew we were sitting on the outside looking. 5 teams with a better record than us, and we had two other teams sitting at 4-2 with us. I had just told the team the news and was putting on my sweatshirt to get ready to watch the playoffs, when...

"TEAM 8 WILL PLAY TEAM 14 ON THE UPPER COURT"

What? That was us! The decision had been made that a 5 team round robin playoff was much harder to run than if there were 4 teams, so they decided that since we had defeated the number 1 seed in the last game of the tournament, we'd be in the play-in game. I also think it was to make up for our game being unfairly cut short...And guess who we woudl face again??

Play-In Game: Win
We got our re-match after all as the team we had lost to in game 5 due to an incorrect call by the refs, lined up against us. This time, most of the gym was packed out with other teams watching. Tempers were flaring on both sides of the line as everyone was giving it all they had. But there's a point in most games when the tide turns and it's pretty clear who is going to win...And when it really counted, Grace prevailed! After game 6, this was probably one of the more meaningful games as we got a chance to redeem ourselves and prove that we deserved to be in the playoffs.

Semi-Final Playoff: Win
Very quickly, our day changed from disappointment to an awesome comeback story as we entered into the playoffs with a head of steam. The team we faced had only lost once throughout the day...but that's because they hadn't faced us! With a huge crowd watching on, we took care of business once again in a great display of team work, tenacity and athleticism.

Championship Game: ? ? ?
We faced yet another handicapped team (we had 25, they had 19) which disadvantaged us some. We played hard but this team caught a lot of our throws early on, sending some of our better arms to the side. It wasn't our best game of the day and the game soon turned in favor of our opponent. They had a great strategy which we will steal for our next tournament in which they gathered all the balls and attacked at one time towards one side of our court. It was very effective and caught us off guard.

So...Powerhouse or Fading Glory?

It's fairly obvious to say that we enter each tournament as one of the favorites. Our team plays hard and works well together. Tempers and frustration certainly can build throughout, but we keep our cool and stay focused. In our 4 tournaments, we have played in three of the championship games, winning one of them...and the previous spring we were favored to win it all if not for a lack of time. So what do you think?!

We were all very tired after playing so many games in a row but we were very proud of our performance...And to wrap up our day, like all the other tournaments, we gathered together with all the other teams for a time of worship before heading home. It's always a great reminder that there is much more to life than dodgeball and there is a beautiful community that we are apart of through our bond in Christ.


Mark your calendars and get practicing...

Our next tournament is less than 4 months away!

Prayer: Developing a love relationship

Prayer is the development of a love relationship with God. It is an absolutely essential part of our faith and yet it seems to be one of the easiest to overlook. A big reason for that is that many of us are not used to doing it regularly and haven't learned how to do it at all! We don't see the purpose in it, or we don't see the "results" we want, or we simply don't have time for it.

Even Jesus, who was God in the flesh, put prayer as a top priority. He would take Himself away from doing ministry for frequent visits with His Father. Prayer was a vital part of who He was, and He was God's own Son! In Luke 11:1-13 the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. They could see that there was something different when He prayed and they wanted a part of that. Jesus tells a parable about being persistent and keeping at it, reminding us that prayer takes time, effort, practice and persistence.

This past Sunday we set up 9 stations in the Youth Room, allowing the teens to practice communicating with God and being in His presence. Each station had a set of directions to follow as teens were encouraged to spend time in prayer at each. Below are some pictures from our time together along with a brief description of the station.

Station 1 : Communion
The words of Jesus were below the juice and loaf of bread, calling for us to remember His sacrifice as we took part in communion at the foot of the cross: His Body broken and His Blood poured out for us.

Station 2 : Being Real with God


Pictures of different emotions were displayed and the directions call for us to focus on being real with God. Are we faking it? Are we happy? Are we angry? Teens were asked to write a letter expressing to God exactly how they felt.

Station 3 : Art
Art supplies were offered for teens to express to God anything that were feeling, questioning, praising or needing. This was a place to be creative in their expression of prayer.



Station 4 : Community Words
Prayer is not simply an individual experience. We learn from one another through shared experience and conversation. The words "Forgiveness" "Grace" "Peace" "Love" and "Joy" were written across the wall and teens were asked to define those words. As you spent time at the wall, you would read what others had written, processing and praying through the thoughts of others in order to deepen understanding of these truths.

Station 5 : Candle Lighting
God hears our prayers for healing and hope in His name. Prayers for those hurting or prayers for hopes we have were lifted to God by lighting a candle. Teens were asked to envision their prayers rising to God just as the smoke rose from the flame of each candle.

Station 6: Prayer through Music









Two MP3 players were offered for teens to listen to one of three songs ( "I Believe in Love" by Barlow Girl, "Unashamed" by Starfield, and "I'm Coming Your Way" by Jared Anderson) and to prayerfully read through the lyrics. We then offered a journal for them to write their own thoughts or prayers in response.

Station 7 : House of the heart
A blue print of a house was set up on the floor, symbolizing the blueprint of the heart. The 6 rooms represented different parts of our lives:

The Bedroom: Intimate relationships
The Family Room: Family relationships
The Office: Work, school and entertainment
The Kitchen: Attitude and service to others
The Living Room: Our public image to others
The Attic: The secrets God only knows

They were asked to sit in the room they felt most needed God's strength and guidance, praying to invite Him in to that area for the upcoming week.

Station 8 : Praying the Psalms
The Psalms are full of amazingly deep expressions of prayer to God. A list was available giving the general theme of each Psalm. Bibles were offered and teens were asked to read through Psalms which had particular interest to their own lives. Post it notes were laid around the station so they could write things that stood out to them, or their own prayers and stick them on the wall.

Station 9 : Confession Stones
7 sins were represented by 7 jars: Greed, Laziness, Hate, Envy, Pride, Overindulgence, and Lying. Questions related to each were on a piece of paper. If teens felt they had committed those sins over the past week, they were to place stones in the jar as a way of confession.