Weekly Update: October 8

Parents,

      Welcome to Week 2 of the Weekly Update! In this week's Update, I want to celebrate our Middle School retreat this weekend, announce our High School escape and reflect on families who eat together.

Celebrate: Middle School Retreat
      We have 30 middle school students and 6 adults traveling to Eagle Eyrie for the Middle School Retreat. We'll be worshipping with hundreds of middle schoolers and youth leaders, digging into Scripture and enjoying the fall, mountain air. Pray for us!
Follow the Middle School Retreat during the weekend on the GBC Blog!

Announce: High School escape
      The Middle School students won't be the only ones "retreating" this fall. November 14-15, our high school students will be spending 24 hours at the river. Stay tuned for sign-up info.

Reflect: "The Family That Eats Together..."
      How often does your family eat together at home? Kara from the Fuller Youth Institute wrote this week about two new studies -- one from Boston College, one from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University -- suggesting that the more teenagers and their families have dinner together, the less likely they are to be involved with drugs, alcohol and risky sexual behavior.

      Because families are such an important part of youth ministry, we will continue to include this regular feature in the Weekly Update.

Until next week...