nights to 6-8pm. In This Issue

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1 White Oak Christian Church Parent Connect Colerain Campus Edition January 2015 This fall has been an exciting time for us. We launched a new program, named it Fusion and along with many other exciting adventures my wife and I found out that we were expecting triplets. White Oak Christian Church is committed to providing excellent environments for our students and families to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. As a team we reviewed the fall and realized that we may do better to change our time on Sunday nights to 6-8pm. Fusion will now run from 6-8pm on Sunday evenings and will offer elements for High School and Middle Schoolers. Small groups will be offered during the 6-8pm time for everyone and groups will vary in depth to accommodate middle and high school students. Groups will consist of opportunities for Prayer, Questions and talking about life. Fusion will continue to be rooted in Biblical teaching, opportunities for worship, and games. We want to create an environment for students to bring their friends and lead there friends to Jesus. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We pray that the things we do will help your child(ren) become fully devoted followers of Jesus. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns Philippians 1:6 In This Issue Words for 2015 Dirty Sprite The Race Debate January Calendar Upcoming Events Current Series: NAMESAKE Exploring what it means to be a part of a FAMILY.

2 What if this year we... Parent Connect What if as a family this year we: What if this year we Laugh loudly and often. And not at each other.unless it s really, really funny. Then we re posting it on Facebook and Instagram. Listen openly and fearlessly. The best part of being a family is the opportunity to hear one another. Fearless conversation listens as hard as it speaks. Speak freely and with courage. The best communication is seasoned with love so liberally that the heart is always heard before the words. Do to each other as we would have done to us...including practical jokes and pranks, but not limited to that. Think before acting. Putting ourselves in the other person s shoes helps us catch a glimpse of what they may be seeing.or athlete s foot, whichever the case may be. Judge slowly. Because even in a household, it can be easy to rush judgment. Sometimes especially in a household. Read the Word. Because the Bible is truth. And whether we do it every day or a few times a week or even just when we re in a panic, it s words are life! WORD OF THE YEAR While many are busy 'resolving', some avoid those commitments like the plague. Nonetheless, everyone refocuses and retools at the start of the new year. One way your family can make a resolution even if you aren t resolutions people is considering a word of the year. As a family, decide to target a word that might influence decisions and priorities in your home. Some ideas: love, give, volunteer, hope, forgive, or laugh. Then make some creative reminders using the new family buzzword. Try wordle.com, a site that let s you create an art piece using words and phrases. Have the word emblazoned on some magnets and post them everywhere, even your car. Or pinterest the word and see what the masses are doing! Pray continually. No greater conversations happen in our house than the ones we have with our creator. Big or small, we re talking to him about it. Serve others. This does not include things like taking out the trash or folding the towels (unless you re doing it in someone else s house.) Serve one another. This DOES include taking out the trash and folding the towels and a billion other things we do for each other every day that go unnoticed and unthanked. We ll say thank you in It s a new year. Be intentional. Be courageous. Be family. DIRTY SPRITE it s a growing trend among some teens Dirty Sprite, purple drank, or lean combines the fizzy goodness of soda with candy and medicine for a potentially addictive and deadly cocktail. Students are combining cough syrups, prescription medications, and even crushed painkillers with soda to achieve a quick and tasty high. Unfortunately, many of the medications they re using are highly addictive and in the improper dosages can be lethal. Experts recommend keeping prescription painkillers and similar medications locked and out of reach. They also encourage finding a prescription disposal service for any medications not currently being used. Many communities offer free disposal promotions and some pharmacies offer free disposal continuously.

3 Further Reading & Events January 18th 6pm at WOCC An all church event where we will begin a dialogue about how we can speak about race/ ethnic issues from a Christian Perspective Kainos: A Time to Speak Watch the discussion on the recent events and hear from a diverse panel of speakers. Benjamin Watson s reponse to the Ferguson Events rg/article/benjaminwatson-on-ferguson The Race Debate Parent Connect It s all over the news. Accusations of police exercising undue authority based on the color of a person s skin. People rioting and protesting for equality. Even before Ferguson claimed the limelight, the race conversation dotted our landscape like snowflakes just beginning to fall against the dark of night. Remember Trayvon? Or how about Clippers owner, Donald Sterling? It seems that racism is alive and well and it means having thoughtful, reflective conversations with your teenagers. Consider looking at some verses about how God defines us. Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:8-14, or 1 John 2:9-11 might be great places to start. What causes some people make judgments based on outward appearances? Why do some feel judged based on their skin color? What are some appropriate ways to have the conversation on racism? Do you agree with the protestors actions in Ferguson? If you have encountered prejudice, how have you responded? If you haven t, how might you respond when you do? What might be some ways to bring racial healing and reconciliation in our community? The Bible is clear. Jesus considers the heart of a person. And our hearts, and their capacity to change and grow don t change base on the color of our skin. People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 6:17 Since we know this to be true, how do we follow that example? Are there issues within your heart regarding people of a different national origin or people group that you need to confess? How can you stand in the gap for people being oppressed or treated unfairly?

4 Upcoming Events Super Bowl Party (High School) February 1st Guys bring a pack of pop or water Girls bring a snack to share CIY Believe (Middle School) February Cost: $75 (when registration paid in full by January 19th) $90 for registrations between January 20th & February 9th Ignite Retreat (High School) March 6-8th Cost: $80 January 2015 Contact Us Students@thewocc.com Web: FaceBook woccstudentministry SNOW TUBING $20+Waiver Meet at Perfect North Slopes in one of the domes (look for WOCC Student Signs) 7-10pm Believe (MS) Weekend Conference for Middle Schoolers at NKU. Register by Jan 18th and save. 1st WED Bring a Friend for Dodge Ball and more Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat st Wednesday SNOWTUBING 7-10pm Early Registration Deadline for Believe

5 INSIGHT 9:30am January 2015 Our world values being unique. So much so, that we end up looking the same as we try to be different. But we aren't a number. We aren't our clothes, our relationships or our accomplishments. In Christ we are much more. In these four thought-provoking youth Bible study sessions, Eric Mason compares the message the world constantly tells teens about their identity with the truths found in Scripture. The world tells us it's all about how you look, what you have, what you do, and whom you are connected to. But Scripture teaches that while those things can be important, they do not constitute who you are. As followers of Jesus Christ, our identity is found in Him. January March 2015 In Twelve Extraordinary Women, girls will learn more than fascinating information about these women, they ll discover, how God worked in and through them just like what God wants to do in their lives today With biblical teaching and real-life stories, this series will help students ground their identity in Christ and live boldly as children of God and heirs of heaven. Some of the women you'll come to know include: Ruth (Ruth 1-4) Anna (Luke 2:36-38) Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42) Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:56-61) Sarah (Genesis 11-25) Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) The Samaritan woman (John 4) Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1-2) Students will be challenged and motivated by some of the Bible's most faithful women. Their struggles and temptations are the same trials faced by all believers in all ages. And the God to whom they were so committed is the same God who continues to mold and use ordinary people today. February 2015 Followers of Jesus are called to be a sent people, joining God in His mission to take the light of the gospel to the darkness of the world. In these four inspiring sessions, students share real-life stories about their own struggles with letting the gospel transform their lives and the impact surrendering to Christ has had on those around them. And David Platt and D.A. Horton provide powerful teaching from Scripture that helps teens see how they can intentionally live on mission and fulfill God's ultimate purpose for their lives.