TCBC - Word of Life

Gull Lake - Biblical Worldview Retreat

2009-10-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

We made it back safe and sound from Gull Lake this afternoon. 27 teens and 7 adult leaders made the trip up to Michigan this weekend. It was a tremendous blessing to get away and spend some quality time with the teens learning about a Biblical Worldview and building relationships.

We learned a lot over the course of the time there. Some of the things we learned are that we need to have a Worldview that matches up with God's Word and the only way to know what that is is to be in the Word. We need to be studying the Bible in order to know what it says so we can know how to respond to situations in life. The Bible is the mind of Christ and we need to have the mind of Christ. The answer to all of life's questions can be found in the Bible.

Everyone has a worldview, it's either God-centered or Self-centered. What's yours?

Pictures from the weekend below:

UPCOMING: Biblical Worldview Retreat

2009-10-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

October 23-25 is our retreat to Gull Lake Ministries in Hickory Corners, MI. We are planning to leave at 1:00 pm CST on Friday 10/23 and return around 2:00 pm CST on Sunday. The cost for the weekend is $50 per person. Teens need to have a permission form completed as well.

We'll be staying in dorms so plan to bring your own linens, bedding and pillow. Also make sure to bring your Bible and a notebook.

The purpose of this retreat is to impress upon our teens the importance of thinking biblically in EVERY decision with which they are faced. Every person has a “worldview”, and that worldview affects the way we think, thus affecting our behavior. PJ will present five teaching/discussion sessions challenging our teens to filter all decisions and actions through the grid of Scripture for God-honoring results. Your teen will be stretched and challenged to THINK. The best $50 you could ever spend on your teen.

Parents Seminar - Coming Soon!

2009-09-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

We will be having a Parents Seminar on Saturday, September 26 at the church from 1-4 CST. We'll talk about how you (the parents) can partner with us (the youth leaders) in discipling and ministering to your kids. YOU are invited whether you're a new parent or are a grandparent. The more that come the more we can learn from each other.

Jim LeFever, our Area WOL Missionary will be sharing with us as will Phil Conrad, TCBC Youth Leader. In addition to the speaking sessions, we'll have a session of sharing parenting tips with each other in regards to what has worked and what hasn't worked in teaching, disciplining and raising our children.

We will provide babysitting for those that need it. Please RSVP to the church via email or phone (866-0432).

I hope to see you there!

Paint Job

2009-09-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight was our first club meeting in the repainted room. All that hard work paid off! We spent a week in August sanding, priming and painting. It looks great and it's nice to have a new paint job.

Kickoff

2009-08-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was our opening night "Kickoff" event for WOL. We had a fun Amazing Race activity. A combined twelve teams participated. Each team had about four teens. The challenges included a "Tow" or "Show", where teams had to go around a course in a wagon or perform a skit, a Doghouse challenge, where teams got to share a meal at Devon's Doghouse, and a frisbee game where they had to toss a frisbee from one cone to another cone without it touching the ground, similar to Ultimate Frisbee.

Many parents served as taxi drivers and at the end, we all met back at church for a nacho bar.

The winning Sr. High team:

The winning Jr. High Team:
(real men look at the camera!)

Home from Camp

2009-08-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

We made it home safely from camp yesterday at 11:30 am. It was a great week of getting into God's word and growing in Christ. We all had something to take from camp and we all have things in our life we want to change. The challenge now is to effect that change for God's glory.

Below are a few more pics from the week.

Growing in Jesus

2009-08-06T04:02:00.000-07:00

The week has gone by quickly. Today is our last full day here. Yesterday seemed to be a key day of spiritual growth for many of our teens. We sit down together as a group and chat about what we learned. God is showing more of Himself to all us through this experience. It's been a blessing.

Last night was the Talent Show (emphasis on "Show") and we shared the "Fearless Heart" routine that we did in Brazil last year. It was a lot of fun to do but more than that, another connection we could all make together as we regularly had time to practice after lunch.

Continue praying for us this week and beyond as we learn more about Christ and grow in Him but then also take what we've learned and make it a part of our lives. The goal is to change and become more like Christ every day of our lives, not just during the week at camp.

A few pictures from the past week are below. The first night was Jumbo Hasbro Night 'O Games and Mr. Potato Head was the MC. We also had a '50's night that was a ton of fun too!

Summer Camp!

2009-08-04T04:37:00.001-07:00

We are spending a week at Gull Lake Ministries in Hickory Corners, MI this week for our Summer Camp. We are having a great time and being challenged to grow in Christ. We had an injury though. Lynn scrapped his knee and hand and hurt his wrist while playing capture the flag. He continues to participate in other games though so seems to be healing well.

It's been a fun week so far, making friends, getting to know the counselors, etc. Parents - feel free to call my cell if you want to talk to your kids!

Marengo Cave

2009-04-28T06:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend 27 brave souls had the opportunity to "prove themselves as men". We ventured down to Marengo Cave Park and took an adventure through a cave. This is an experience we will not soon forget. We were joined by Scott Tiede, and his son Caleb, from Bethel Bible. Scott shared with us on what a man is and how to get wisdom. It was a great weekend of growing in the Lord, fellowship and danger! See the pictures below:

Tourney Time

2009-03-19T07:08:00.001-07:00

With Spring Break beginning next week, WOL Club meeting will be cancelled on March 25.

We will, however, be holding a Father/Son 2-on-2 double elimination tournament for the Jr. High guys on Wednesday (3/25). There are currently seven teams signed up. The tournament tips off at 6:05 pm CST at the TCBC Arena.

If you would still like to sign-up, contact Josiah or his dad, Pastor Andy. If your dad can not make it that night due to work, illness, etc. you may recruit a DIA leader to play with you.

Note: Congrats to Matthew and John Rodibaugh, 2009 Tournament Champs!

TI Service

2009-02-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening, our teens held a TI service for our church as they prepare for Area Teens Involved coming up in March.

Chill with Phil - Feb 09

2009-02-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our Friday the 13th Chill with Phil night.

Wednesday Evening Service Cancellation

2009-01-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Due to the extremely chilly temps that are expected beginning tomorrow night, we have decided to cancel all Wednesday evening activities at Tri-County Bible Church on January 14.

WOL teens - you will be well served to spend this extra time memorizing some verses from the verse paks! :D

God Bless and stay warm!

WOL Announcements

2008-11-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

Reminder: There is NO WOL Club Meeting this Wed. 11/26.

Superbowl - Friday/Saturday, November 28-29
Meet at church at 3:45 pm CST (this is a change from previously announced)
Bus will leave at 4 pm CST.
We will return at 6:30 am CST on Saturday morning.
Bring extra cash for food and snacks.

Other Upcoming Events:

Friday, December 12 - Jr. High Christmas Party at TCBC
Tuesday, December 30 - "Phondue with Phil" for Sr. High at Phil's house (this is a Chill with Phil event)
August 1-7, 2009 - SUMMER CAMP at GULL LAKE MINISTRIES in Michigan

Details are yet to be finalized but we are looking into the first week of August for Summer Camp. This runs from Saturday to Friday. This will be an awesome week that teens will NOT want to miss.

Wii Bii Chillin'

2008-11-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

We had a bunch of teens come out to Chill with Phil this evening. We had the Nintendo Wii games going all night with Tennis, Bowling, Boxing and Golf. We also had other games like euchre and Catch Phrase. There was a bunch of great food including homemade carmel apples!

Car Capers 2008

2008-10-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had a blast with all the Senior High teens that came to Car Capers last night. We had some great games including a drag race where your team had to push a car across the parking lot in a race against another car, an obsacle course, a creeper race, a tire and hubcap toss and a tire changing challenge.

Despite a little drizzle, everyone had a great time enjoying great food and music as well.

The videos are of the obstacle course and the creeper race. These games were a lot more challenging than they look. More than one person left a little blood out on the track.

Thanks to all the leaders and adults that helped set up and run the games, make the food, challenge the teens, set up the sound system, etc, that made this event a success! Thanks to the teens for bringing your friends out for a fun time and opportunity to hear the Word being preached.

FIREPROOF

2008-09-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

FIREPROOF opened this weekend and we took several WOL leaders along with their spouses to see it this evening. It was very well done and made some excellent points in helping us keep our marriages Christ-like. If you want a thriving relationship, you must be willing to serve. It's not about you, it's about Christ, and one way we can demonstrate our love to our spouse is by serving her (him).

Make a date with your mate and go see this movie!

A Time To Dance

2008-09-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

We had our first Chill with Phil of the year tonight. We kicked it up w/ the electric slide, the cha cha, the macarena, Cotton-Eyed Joe, etc. Then, for more kicks my team beat up on Jake's team in euchre. (Reminded me of great times in Brazil.)

We had a great group and a ton of fun...of course.

Here are a couple pics and a video from the night.

WOL Kickoff 2008

2008-08-27T20:41:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome kickoff this evening. We met at church, got everyone signed in and sang some songs with some members of S.O.S. (Saving of Souls) Christian Band. Phil shared a message on pursuing eternal treasures and then we split up into teams and went on a pursuit of our own...a scavenger hunt. Each team had to find clues at various locations in Rensselaer. Some were pretty challenging but all teams completed the route and it was a great time.

Here are a few pictures from the evening...

Brazil Trip - Days 9 & 10

2008-08-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

We departed from Grupo CEO at 5:20 am on Saturday, August 2. We arrived at the airport in Fortaleza about an hour later and got set to check in. This all went very smooth. Now after a week in Brazil it was time to say good-bye to Bill and Erika. It's amazing. Months and months go into the planning and preparation and suddenly you find yourself saying good-bye as the trip comes to a close. We got through security with no problems and then it was off to Sao Paulo. This flight lasted about three and a half hours. We then had a layover in Sao Paulo for about nine hours. Some of us slept and some of us played cards. There wasn't a whole lot to do. We walked through a few of the shops anticipating our last flight.

Finally, at around 5:00 pm we were able to go and check-in. Thankfully, everyone had all the correct paperwork and we didn't have any problems with anyone losing any documentation to get us back home. The process of getting through security and customs seemed more lenghty but that's the way it is with international travel. After a little waiting at the gate it was finally time to board United Airlines Flight 842 to take us to Chicago. It wasn't a full flight and the more savvy of us were able to snag a better seat! It's a lot easier to find a position to sleep in two seats than it is in one. For future mission trips, I highly recommend we purchase a business class ticket for the youth leader. He really deserves it. :)

Ten and a half hours later, we land in Chicago at 5:30 am CST on Sunday, August 3rd. We quickly got through immigration and our luggage picked up. It was a welcome site to see the Davis van pulling up to collect our luggage. Ron, Tim, Scott, Roger and Heather were all there to greet us. I (Phil) am still mad at Jessi for not letting me hug Heather first!

We stopped at a breakfast buffet on the way home and chowed like crazy. We did eat but travel is wearying and plane food is very average.

We rolled into the church parking lot at 9:30 am CST and all got together for a prayer of thankfulness. It was an awesome trip and the Lord worked in us mightily.

Thank you all for your prayers, blog comments and support!

Brazil Trip - Day 8

2008-08-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today was an R & R day at the beach in Fortaleza. Erika's parents hosted us and had a magnificent lunch for us of chicken, salmon and other fish. The ocean was beautiful and it was great to soak up the rays and swim in the ocean.

This evening we had a huddle with the Moore's and the others here at Grupo CEO. We all shared what impacted us the most. It was a most memborable evening and week. So hard to say good-bye.

Please pray for us as we begin traveling early Saturday morning. Our flight leaves at 6 am CST.

Brazil Trip - Day 7

2008-07-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Kyle and I'm a bad blogger. I wish Phil would do this for me. I can't think of anything to write. My foot hurts so bad. I feel useless. I'm homesick and just sit around crying all day. I miss my mom. I wish I was Phil (except for the bald part). Ethan hardly ever checks on me. It's such a bummer.

I'm kidding, this is Phil with your daily blog. I made that first part up. Seriously, Kyle did excellent today. Helped with a lot at VBS and the work site! Ethan has been awesome too, doing a great job serving his brother.

Today was our final day of our servant ministries. We started this morning with the story of Noah in VBS. Casey, Dave and Ben did the teaching for us. We also finished teaching the dance routine to those that were there.

All your kids are doing wonderfully. I did fail to mention yesterday that Jessica hurt her foot too. Amazingly she also hurt it while playing barefoot outside. We need to bring all the moms next time so these kids quit running around without shoes on. They sure don't listen to me. So, yeah, it's a lot like WOL!

Katy felt a little sick this morning but recovered and did a great job today. All the kids have done great this week.

Jake and Jake led the basketball (basquete in Portuguese) and then kickball this afternoon.

We finished up the construction project this afternoon as well. Tom did a great job leading this project for our team. We whitewashed the walls and did the electrical work. We also moved dirt in the front yard to even out the ground. The girls did a lot of the whitewashing and Tracy helped with a lot of the dirt moving.

This evening we had a worship service with the kids. First with the younger kids and then with the teens. It was a great time of fellowship and worship. We did our big drama and of course the dance. We did it three times! We even got Bill out there for the finale...and Jake Goodman! It was great.

Afterwards we said our good-byes to the kids. Then I threw Jake Goodman in the pool! He was acting up.

Pictures may be forthcoming. Tomorrow perhaps. Love you all. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Brazil Trip - Day 6 (Evening)

2008-07-31T04:36:00.000-07:00

The afternoon was cut a little short so we only did one session of sports. We ran basketball and volleyball simultaneously. Melissa did a great job with volleyball and Jake and Jake did well with basketball. They had the kids doing layup drills and other b-ball skills. I think the dunking contest is today. ;)

In the evening we went into Fortaleza to the market. There was a huge section next to the beach that was set up with all kinds of little shops of souvenirs, hammocks, shoes, clothes. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there walking around and bartering.

After shopping we ate at a restaurant called Sal E Brasa. It was extremely good food and AIR CONDITIONED! We tried all kinds of meats and other various foods: fried bananas, fried cheese, sushi, shrimp, other cheeses, etc. Some of the meats we tried were wild boar, ostrich and a variety of other cuts of beef, chicken, etc. There was a variety of pies and cakes to choose from for dessert. Definitely a meal we'll remember.

We arrived back on campus around 11:00.

Brazil Trip - Day 6

2008-07-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

We are headed out for an evening on the town so I may not be able to blog later. I wanted to update you on our morning.

Construction continues on the building project and they may even finish getting the flooring in today.

We had a great morning at VBS. Denise taught the kids the story of David and Goliath. She used Phil to demonstrate how tall Goliath was. However the kids are convinced that Phil is much stronger.

Kendra and Jessi introduced the craft with the story of Jonah. The kids had a great time with it. There were not as many kids today but we did have about 20 new kids that were not their yesterday.

After crafts we spent some time teaching them our dance routine. It's amazing how much God has used that in our ministry here. It has been extremely beneficially.

Brazil Trip - Day 5

2008-07-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

On the building project this morning we finished the tiles on the roof. Dave got up there this time with Cicero to finish laying them. A few other local teens that hang out with us helped too. We also started on the windows and doors. PJ helped one of the men
with that. Then in the afternoon, we started on the concrete flooring. The mixing was all done by hand which is primarily how we helped. We got the other window and both doors in place and set up.

The building crew also did all the electric work on another house and whitewashed it all. This is a home that last week's team built.

VBS started today too with about 128 people coming! The children were very excited to make the Salvation Bracelets, and
Jake W. and Jon gave a lesson explaining their meaning. We were amazed that they didn't open the Salvation Bracelet bags when
we passed them out until told to do so, as some children in the US probably would have. For games, they played Freeze Tag, which
they enjoyed playing for the first time. We gave them candy bags for their snack as they left also.

Our sports ministry did soccer and volleyball today. The games of soccer basically consist of our splitting into several teams
and having a sort of tournament. It's fun to play with all the Brazilian kids because they are really good.

In the evening we had a worship service here at Grupo CEO. Jon, Jessica, Kyle and Ethan presented the drama and our
team did our "Brazilian Boogie" again. Everyone was so enthusiastic. The music was wonderful. It was a great time.

We did have our first injury, however. Kyle hurt his foot. I'd like to say he injured it while working construction or doing
something really dangerous. But I must be truthful. He injured it playing freeze tag...with 11 year olds. His attitude has been
tremedous but please be praying for him throughout the trip. He can still kind of walk on his heel.

Other than that we continue to be blessed down here. Thanks for your continued prayers and your blog comments. We read
them every day.