#awkward PARENT NEWSLETTER / EDGEWATER ALLIANCE STUDEWNT MINISTRIES

MAY 2015 ISSUE #3

Hey Parents!

In this issue...

Note from Youth Director Cassandra recaps the year

Page 1

Parent Resource Some crazy reminders from Orange Family ministries on how much time we actually have with our kids!

Page 2

Summer Events This is your source for times and details for all things in summer 2015

Page 3

Summer Calendar Overview of dates by month for summer 2015

Page 4

Wow, what a year we’ve had! Looking back over the past school year it’s hard to believe so many things happened in the past eight months. Your student(s) have walked through what it looks like to be #AWKWARD in following God. It is our hope that some of the conversations happening at Youth Group have continued on at home. It is our goal to come alongside you in raising your children up to be who God has made them to be, any way that we can. That is the reason why we place them in small groups with peers and connected with an adult leader. This is where growth happens and your student(s) are given the opportunity to take the next step in their walk with God. Take a few minutes to ask them what they have learned from this year at youth group. Join in on the conversation of what it looks like to be #AWKWARD: Slightly Uncomfortable, Never Embarrassed. While #AWKWARD is coming to a close and regular youth group meetings will be taking a break for the Summer, we have some awesome things planned for the next few months. We’ve included our summer calendar in this newsletter so be sure to check it out. There are High School and Middle School hangout events every month, Sunday morning Discipleship classes and two Mission Trips. We would love for your student(s) to be a part of any or all of those activities. If you have any questions or concerns be sure to let us know. Happy Summer!

PARENT RESOURCES

So I’ve started this blog post like 14 different ways (not exaggerating). It just might be the most challenging one yet. Once you know what it’s about maybe you’ll understand why. I’ve been told there are 936 weeks in the life of a child from birth to 18. We have a visual for those weeks here at Orange in the form of a jar filled with 936 marbles. The idea is that when you count the weeks you have left with a kid, you stand a better chance of making your weeks count. As you take one marble out of the jar each week, the marbles begin going down, you see what you have left… you get the idea. I have 3 kids and the jar of my first-born has 4 marbles in it. One. Two. Three. Four. Four marbles. A cap and gown. A prom tux. Graduation announcements . . .

All reminders that there’s not much time left before the infant that entered my home 18 years ago will soon be leaving as a man. It’s not that I’m sad really. I imagine I’m feeling close to what a person feels like when . . .a great life work is coming to a close... the company that was once a dream is now making a profit...the book has been written and the first copy is in-hand. a doctorate is framed and hung on the wall. These are dreams placed in someone’s heart that they . . . acted on, poured their life into, made their biggest investments in, and waited years for a return that was never guaranteed. Dreams this big leave you totally depleted and yet full in the most satisfying way. It’s your passion. It’s what you sacrifice for. It’s what keeps you up at night. It’s what drives you in every decision you make. It’s what will take you to the edge of sanity and make you question why God ever thought you could do this. It will expose every flaw you possess and bring out heroic qualities you never imagined lived within you. That’s what parenting—and my family—has been for me. It will forever be my greatest life work. It makes me want to cry and cheer all at the same time when I look at my son. Being his mom and getting to be a part of him becoming who he is today has been the most amazing experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I want to shout, “I did it! I did it! Look what God used me to do! Look at my son! He’s amazing!” (cue the band, parade and confetti) Looking back, I can’t even begin to tell you where all of my 936 marbles went. Some were spent sitting in a rocking chair just staring at his infant face. Others looking for Blue’s Clues, put-ting Transformers together, listening to him read his first book to me, eating lunch with him at school, going on all those field trips, shopping for cool shirts. talking about girls, talking about God, helping him recover from his first broken heart, letting him chauffeur me around, taking selfies together, getting ready for prom . . . It’s worth pointing out that when I look back, it’s not the “big” mo-ments that I remember most. It’s the smaller everyday moments that stand out. I truly believe the best way to spend your marbles is by simply making yourself available. It’s making the most of the drive to practice. Eating dinner together with no electronic devic-es. Helping with homework. Playing in the yard. Hosting sleepovers and listening to their stories. We will always be our children’s parents. But things change when they move away. My son will be going away to college soon, He’ll be out on his own, putting to use the years he has spent under our influence. We had our eighteen years, and now it’s time for him to go and be all that God made him to be. After all, that was the plan all along. God used us to help an infant become a man. And not just any man. An amazing man who loves God and loves people. This was the hope—our end in mind—that guided our choices as we spent our marbles. It’s what helped us stay focused.

Listen, parenting is hard. It is a culmination of your worst and best moments. One day you’re speaking wisdom in love and the next you’re yelling in anger. Some of your marbles will be spent restoring a relationship while others will be simply playing in a sandbox. Both are needed. The point is to imagine the end, and make the 936 weeks you have with your child count. Because I’m telling you, it will feel like there’s a hole in the bottom of your jar, but there’s not. Time just really does go by that fast, and before you know it you’ll look over and see 4 marbles sitting there.

Now, go be an amazing parent. You’ve got this! One marble at a time.

For more awesome parenting resources, check out www.theparentcue.org!

One Marble At A Time by Autumn Ward | May 8, 2015 | Blog, Imagine The End | Orange Parent Cue Blog

#EASMSUMMER2K15

! You are invited to attend D-Teams this summer! Check-out student ministries a little early Sunday

mornings at 10:15am starting June 7th!

Middle School students will be walking through Prayer, Holiness,

and Peer Pressure.

High School D Teams

UPDATE High School deteams

will have this option for summer. It is sure to be interesting

and relevant! How Not to Date a Jerk -

Seminar style class led by Ed & Mary BethhKoplin

Graduating Seniors & College Students

With students home for the summer and high school seniors moving on from D-Teams, we are excited to bring you guys together

for a Sunday morning small group opportunity.

Mission Trip Fundraisers!

Middle School Car Wash @ EAC

May 23rd - 9am-12pm

High School - Detroit Envelope Fundraiser

Sunday, June 7th & 14th EAC Lobby

Come hang out together for an evening of games and fun!

There will be snacks, but no dinner.

June 11th, July 2nd August 13th

7:30pm - 10:30pm

High School Tour de Springs

Enjoy some sun, maybe a kayak & each other at the springs. June 6th - Juniper Springs

July 3rd - Rock Springs August 7th - Blue Springs Meet at church at 8:30am. Returning around 2:30pm.

The EDGE

Young Adults and College Students

are invited to this weekly gathering

Tuesdays at 6:30pm upstairs @ EAC.

&

Middle & High School Come hang out and watch a

movie, then we will talk about the way God shows up in the

characters, plot and events. June 9 & August 18

6:30pm-10:00pm

Sunday Worship @ Edgewater Alliance

We would love to see you and your family over the

summer and invite you to check out our worship services

on Sundays at 9:00am and 10:30am.

Missions

Meetings

Students that are serving on

Summer Missions have meetings on Wednesdays. They should

check their acceptance letters for dates and times.

VBS @ EAC will have an

exciting new twist this summer. We are bringing VBS

to the kids in several local neighborhoods, communities and

parks! Check out edgewateralliance.org

to find a VBS near you!

EASMONLINE.COM

Has everything you need to know this summer about the

happenings here. If you have more questions,

That’s awesome!

We would love to talk to you!

Edgewater Alliance Student Ministries 310 N Ridgewood Ave Edgewater, FL 32132

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

Edgewater, FL

32132

Permit #11

Check us out on the web @ www.easmonline.com

May & June 2015 May 23 Middle School Car Wash May 25 Memorial Day May 29 NSBHS Graduation June 3 Last Day of School June 6 High School Tour de Springs June 7 & 14 Envelope Fundraiser June 9 Movie & Theology Night June 11 Middle School Summer Night June 15 No Drama Mama M.S. Girls Mission Meeting

June 21 Happy Father’s Day June 21-26 Mission:Orlando

July 2015 July 2 Middle School Summer Nights July 3 High School Tour de Springs July 4 Happy 4th of July July 6 No Drama Mama H.S. Girls Mission Meeting

July 11-25 Detroit Missions

August 2015 August 2 Stock Holders Dinner August 7 Middle School Summer Nights August 18 Movie & Theology Night

Summer D-Teams High school d-teams will run from

May 24, 2015 - July 5, 2015. Middle School d-teams will run from

May 31, 2015 - August 23, 2015