West Side Blogs

Each week in The Wild we learn exciting new things that God wants to teach us.  To help kids take home and apply what they are learning we want to provide parents with some of the basics that we cover each week and also a few questions you can talk through with your kids in the car or during a meal sometime this week.

This Month’s Virtue: SERVICE is lending a hand to help someone else.

The Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing that only God knows?

Memory Verse: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Ephesians 6:7

This Week’s Bible Story: Secret Service – Matthew 6: 1-4

Think About it Questions:

1. Kid’s Question – What did Jesus mean about not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing?
2. Parent’s Question – Has anyone ever done something nice for you in secret? What?

Join other young adults July 30 for a Springfield Sliders baseball game. The game starts at 6:35pm.  Meet at the church to carpool to the game — leaving at 5:45pm. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the stadium. For more information, contact Stephanie Wise at 217-414-8415.

Summer is certainly a busy time for short-time mission trips! There was a team of people who left for Oklahoma to help with a children’s home. Tami Schroeder, the trip leader sent us a short summary of their trip. 

“On July 5, five adults and two teenagers set out for a mission trip to Cookson Hills Christian Ministries in Kansas, Oklahoma.  Cookson Hills is a ministry that helps children who are struggling.   After a tour of Cookson, we ate supper with one of the families.  It was great getting to know some of the Cookson Hills kids.  On Tuesday through Thursday, we completed various tasks in order to serve and help the people at Cookson.  The men and teenage boys helped prepare the grounds for Wilderness Camp.  They also helped organize the tool shop.    The ladies cleaned coolers, made pizza, cookies, brownies, and lemon bars.  We also cleaned the dining hall and a house.  On Wednesday evening, we went into Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to purchase items for the kids at Cookson.  Some of the items will be used at the Wilderness Camp. We learned much about the operation of Cookson and the ways they help children and teenagers who need the Lord. We also enjoyed a time of devotion and prayer each day with the Mission team.  We came home on Friday with joy in our hearts knowing that we served the Lord.”

If this trip sounds appealing to you be sure to keep it in mind for next year. This has been a great trip for many families and people wanting a low cost way to make a big difference. Thank you trip members for all your hard work and efforts to get to know the kids at Cookson Hills!

Hey Group Leaders,
Last spring we showed you the small group leader toolbox and some of the ways you’d be able to use it to stay in touch with your group and with West Side about your group. We’re excited to roll that out to you. Below you will find some training videos we’ve created to show you how to use some of the functions of the group leader toolbox. You’ll be receiving an email that has your username and password to access the toolbox. If you haven’t received this, please email fitz@wschurch.org

Accessing the Small Group Leader Toolbox

Emailing your group from the Small Group Leader Toolbox

Adding a person to your group from the Small Group Leader Toolbox

Posting attendance from the Small Group Leader Toolbox

Hi Team,

On May 26th, we had a team meeting.  During that meeting I passed out job descriptions for each role on the West Side Production team.  I also handed out and explained in detail the WSCC Volunteer Covenant.  Several of you have filled out and turned in the volunteer covenant, but there are many of you who have not done this yet.  It is time for me to set a deadline for this to be turned in.  I need all volunteer covenants signed and returned to me no later than Sunday August 1st.  If you never received one or have lost your copy of the volunteer covenant you can click below and get one.  One page is my copy and one page if for you to keep.  Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.  I am so blessed to lead a team of amazing volunteers like you!

gAbE

WSCC VOLUNTEER COVENANT

Each week in The Wild we learn exciting new things that God wants to teach us.  To help kids take home and apply what they are learning we want to provide parents with some of the basics that we cover each week and also a few questions you can talk through with your kids in the car or during a meal sometime this week.

This Month’s Virtue: SERVICE is lending a hand to help someone else.

The Bottom Line: What in the world are you doing to put others first?

Memory Verse: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” Ephesians 6:7

This Week’s Bible Story: Feet first – John 13:1-17

Think About it Questions:

1. Kid’s Question – What are 3 ways you can put someone else first this week?
2. Parent’s Question – Who do you typically “put first”? How?

From June 22^nd-24^th there were 9 jr. high students and 2 adults who went to Champaign-Urbana to help out at a couple different ministries, including Salt & Light and Axiom’s Campus Ministry. Their challenge from Jr. High leader Chris Sandel was to come up with the best way to model Matt. 25:35-40. Here is trip member Megan Moran’s overview of the trip:

“This summer for junior high we went on a mission trip to Champaign. The first day Chris told us to come up with a way to show God’s love in the community. We split up into two groups of five kids, my group decided to make baskets of snacks for nurses in the community, and the other group decided to get candy bars and write down bible verses and pass them out to people. The second day we went to a food and clothing bank, called Salt and Light. At Salt and Light we helped out by sorting clothes, making bags of food to pass out, and just helping with anything that was needed. On the third day, we cleaned up the college dorm we were staying at, and we finished quickly. We went back to Salt and Light to help out with more sorting and separating food. I think this was a very fun trip for all of us, and I think God taught us that there is always something you can do to show God’s love.”

-Megan Moran

Thanks Velocity for making a difference in Champaign-Urbana! We are told they helped out almost 400 families on this trip! You have definitely shown us how to model Matthew 25. Be sure to check out Velocity’s website to see some fun pictures and visit the web pages of the ministries they served.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Matthew 25:35-40