First Baptist Youth Ministries

This post is mainly for the STEM '09 team and parents.

A bigger version of this with phone numbers will be available on Sunday, along with medical release forms/permission slips.

A couple of extras including a to bring list, dress code, and sleeping arrangements are at the end of this post.

Itinerary:
Sunday, June 21:
9a FBC of Elyria Children’s Church set up
10a Children’s Church see/use program Day 1
Monday, June 22:
4.30-6.30p FBC of Elyria Community Outreach cookie handouts
Sunday, June 28:
8a FBC of Elyria van/bus load up
9a Sunday School
10:15a AM Worship service
11:30 change into travel clothes
Noon Leave for BaYouCa
En route lunch/supper
9p (ish) Camp BaYouCa arrive/settle
orientation
??p team devos/Lights Out
Monday, June 29:
Camp BaYouCa Up and Ready
morning personal devos
Breakfast
Lunch
Assist w/campers
Supper
5p (?) Evening Chapel
Intros Pastor Dave & team
Songs Reilly leads
Verse Jen leads

Team devos
Lights Out
Tuesday-Friday Camp BaYouCa
Up and Ready
morning personal devos

AM Chapel
Intro Pastor Dave
Songs Reilly leads
Verse Daily verses team
Creation Days Dana K.
Puppets puppet team
Bible Story Pastor Dave

Lunch
Serve throughout afternoon
1 hour ‘next day’ chapel practice

Supper
Evening Chapels (guys/girls)
PM team devos
Lights Out
Friday night pre load

Saturday, July 4
6:30am Team 2 leaves
8a Team 1 clean up and leave
Personal devos in vehicles

3p Team 2 arrives in Boston
5p Team 1 arrives at FBC of Elyria
Late team devos/Lights Out

Team 2 schedule
Sunday, July 5 personal AM devos
AM ministry
Choir, testimonies (?)
Team devos/Lights Out

Mon-Wed am personal devos
Community Outreach Ministries
w/Bill Edmondson

Thu, July 9 Travel Home
9p Arrive home

SUNDAY NIGHT - STEM report - 6pm-7pm

Chapel Itinerary
Daily days of creation Dana Kincaid
Puppets Ethan -Ethan
Bryan -Emily
Stuart -Ashley
Parker -Reilly
Newman -Mel
Teacher, props -Katelyn B, Amanda, Wes
Prop Builders Aaron Goodrich, Phil Curless
Verse Teams Day 1 Aaron, Becky, Steph, Bryan
Day 2 Carissa, Jesse, Derek,
Day 3 Phil, Kellee, Katelyn Q
Day 4 Jared, Liz, Kellee, Stuart
Story Pastor Dave, w/called up leaders for acting purposes
Prayer Time Thank God for being
PM Chapel song, both verses, PM puppet review, story review, prayer time

TO bring:

Bible, Pen, bedding (including bag or blankets, pillow, air mattress), toiletries, towel or two, swim suit (ladies - modest one piece - tank-inis are allowed if thet adequately cover), Team 2 (Boston) will need Sunday clothing, Team 1 (BaYouCa only) will not need dress clothes, grubby clothing (this is camp) including grubby shoes, regular shoes (tennis shoes or sandals), church camp stuff (bug spray, flashlight, etc, you know the drill), permissions slip/medical release form,

dress code - modest shorts (finger length at least, t-shirts (no tanktops outside sleeping quarters)

Sleeping arrangements:
First Sunday - girls guy separate
Mon-Thu - teens will be assigned cabins to help put campers down, then meet together in Burman's cabin for team devos, then return to their assigned cabins to sleep.
Friday - Girls/guys separate after pre load for Saturday
Sat-Thu - Guys at a church, girls at missionsry home

WHEW!!

Don't forget. Sunday we have children's church, prep is @ 9a, CChurch is @ 10:15a
Monday - Church Community outreach - 4.30p-6.30p

You must let me know if and why you will not be at either of these events.

Questions, comments??

dburmanjr@firstbaptistelyria.org

My first review!!!

After reading a number of reviews and doing some research, one can get a lot of information on a movie/book series. Normally, I refrain from actually seeing the movie or reading the book. With the promoted 'cleanness' of the movie, I had been considering renting it.

With the rise in popularity and the increase in interest by young people (mainly girls), I wanted to have my own take on this, not just Focus in the Families, or other sites/authors. This happened because I was given the opportunity to view the movie by a friend who had purchased the movie to review it themselves.

Usually at this point, like other reviews, I would start with positives, then negatives, than a final analysis with suggestions for parents and teens. The hard part is that even the positives are really wrapped up in lies.

For example. Bella, while struggling with being in a new environment, is smart and respectful. The problem that I picked up on was the (at least in this point) almost perfection of Bella. She is made out to be what every girl wants to be true in their own life. She always knows best, every piece of advice she gives works for other people/couples. All the guys like her and are willing to sacrifice their own relationships to be with her. The girls also seem to like and follow the advice from Bella. She is kind to her parents and is willing to lie to protect them. She even seems to have every answer to her parents' problems.

This is what every teen girl wants to think. They know all the answers and they are in control. (I guess we all would like to think that!) She even knows how to handle Edward, and actually seems to control him in many ways. Positives, but wrapped up in the fantasy of Bella being always right and almost always in control of herself, her relationship, the dangerous situations she willingly places herself in, and even in control of the relationships around her, which would have all the boys flocking to her if she would let them. The positives are wrapped in lies. Lies about how life really is.

Here's another, Bella and Edward do not have sex. Positive, right? Well, the whole relationship is about the total thrill of forbidden fruit. Bella is (again in a very "every girls dream" fantasy sense) absolutely intoxicating to Edward. He actually calls her like heroin. I found this funny, because a while back, I was speaking with our teens about purity, and warned them that once they start marching down the road of physical/sexual intimacy, it acts like a drug. It is hard to get enough of it. In fact, in terms of physiological reactions and addictions, sex/porn/physical stimulation and satisfaction is the biggest drug this world seeks.

The physical and sexual tension in this story is INTENSE. Bella allows Edward to be in her bed through the night, while she is just in her undergarments. They periodically test their ability to kiss and touch without driving Edward too crazy, otherwise he would kill her/consume her. There is, physically speaking, a continual pushing the limits as far as possible. It is, in a sense, a story completely about playing with fire, and not caring about the potential consequences. Why? Because Bella loves Edward and would sacrifice her soul and eternity and family and anything else to be with him. Which she figures out after just a few times being around him.

As a youth pastor, I know that the young ladies that are not informed about, warned about, and kept from giving into these types of feelings oriented-life changing decisions have a potential to fall, and fall hard. These falls usually are into life changing decisions and relationships that will taint their relationship with God and all others for the rest of their lives. Many, after being willing to give everything away including family, friends, and their whole self, will have nothing but loneliness, regret and lifelong consequences.

I guess what is fascinating about this story is how accurate it is about what teens want. It is a story about what a teen girl wants. He is a hunky, protective, addicted (to her), strong, mysterious, committed guy, who is only and all about her. He doesn't even sleep, he just watches her sleep.

And the guy is accurately portrayed as always on the edge of totally giving in to his passions (which every teen guy is in hormonal terms) but in this fantasy world, he doesn't, because of his love for Bella. Not very realistic.

My wife made a great point about what this movie does. It awakens physical and relational passion in young girls even more so then guys. I, as a guy, was not really tuned into that, I found it interesting and even enjoyed a bit of the sci-fi/action/fantasy side of it (and laughed a couple of times at the different stereotypes thrown around in the high schoolers) My wife, however said it reminded her of some of her thoughts and struggles as a teen. I would not want my daughter thinking or feeling the thoughts and feelings this story wants to awaken in young women. The Word of God warns young women to keep from stirring up this love too early. (Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5)

This movie sells and resonates because it is VERY passionate and erotic; mainly in very female terms. Almost in the same way that immodestly dressed women and skin can trip up a guy. The passionate, forbidden, thrill of this is designed to stir up feelings that are to be reserved for couples getting closer to marriage (in the commitment phase) and in physical terms, not until they are married.

Coming from a Mormon author, it was not surprising to me that the eternal man-woman relationship is over emphasized. It is part of one of the lies that the Mormon church plays on. The eternality of earthly relationships. Many turn to Mormonism because they want to have a family and marriage for life. THEIR relationship is what is of eternal importance, even to the point that their relationship will make them GODS for eternity. The HEIGHT of pride is making oneself their own God. Bella does it, the vampires do it, and the Mormons do it. Again, it is all fantasy and lies. Marriage, the male-female relationship, and the family (as well as the church family) is what God uses today to bring him glory and impact the world. In eternity, we will be married to Christ. Our relationship will not need the bond of physical intimacy; it will be far beyond anything we can imagine.

Also there is the whole vampire, undead, wear-wolf, murder, blood drinking, (with more to come in greater amounts later in the series). It is, in terms of today's media, not too over the top. Vampires/fantasy/sci-fi is good when there is a good story line, and the story line wrapped around the relationship of Bella and Edward is intriguing and fresh. The word of God is clear that Christians are to have no part in dealing or thinking about witchcraft and divination. This is why I had problems with Harry Potter and much of the Wicca/witchcraft promoting thing being forced through the media pipelines in to our heads. I am softer on sorcery/magic in a fictional/mystical sense. Like worlds that our not our own. See Sci-fi/Lord of the Rings/Narnia/Shannara. The question here is tough, and I am still thinking/praying through it. Do vampires, which are fictional characters, fall into this realm?

I am always a little worried when the portrayal is in a modern world context. This can be a stumbling block to those who lose sight of the line between fantasy and reality. At first I was neutral, but as I thought about things like – cannibalism, sacrifice of animals, and pagan practices, I am leaning that vampire stories do not fall into my "ok to read it/watch it as entertainment" category. (Which means I should include, Angel, Buffy, etc. as no-nos)The relationship/lust/forbidden fruit story line is of more concern to me. (Which of course means I should be putting down pretty much every teen angst/teen relationship show that is out there – you know- the 90210 repeats – men lifting trees- the Uh-O C, etc. etc. , AND almost everything on Lifetime and the WB)

OK, I have decided, stay away from vampires. I mean, vampire stories, not actual vampires.

One book on today's appeal of the underworld and witch craft makes an interesting statement about the correlation to who we are as spiritual beings. We are interested in things like eternity, living eternally, perfect love, sacrificial love, fallen beings stuck in difficulty searching for an answer.

It seems to me that when the world answers these longings, the results are corruption, deceit, consequences, and a twisted sense of satisfaction that never really satisfies. The world has twisted the gift of sexual intimacy. A gift designed to glue/cement a man and a woman together in the marriage relationship. Unfortunately, that bonding agent always creates pain and strife when use outside of marriage.

Twilight is all about playing with fire and forbidden fruit. I will not be one to allow, or even worse promote this type of temptation to my children or my teens. I would urge godly parents and leaders to consider making the same commitment.

Pastor Dave Burman, Jr.