just a thought
"You are only young once, and if you work it right, once is enough."
-Joe E. Lewis
send in your favorite quote or an off-beat quote from one of your youth!!
email responses to oklahomauth@yahoo.com
Youth Pastors Chad & Julie Allred, of First Assembly of God in Miami, OK, have had a great opportunity present itself in their community! A door has opened for them to work with their local school system and health department speaking to junior high and high school girls in their area about issues such as Self Esteem, Body Image, Abstinance and Friendship! Yesterday, for the second time in two months, they held an event called "A Promise to Keep" in their church where the local schools bus in about 150 girls to spend the entire day attending classes addressing teen issues. This community and church, though, take this day to a whole new level! They don't only speak to these girls, they truly take the opportunity to go above and beyond and make each girl feel special. The day begins with each girl attending four different classes. "Bling Bling Wait for the Ring" is a class about abstinance, "Through a Guys Eyes" is about what guys want and the difference between guys and girls, "Strut Your Stuff" is about self esteem and body image and "What are Friends For?" is about girl issues and building lasting friendships. After the workshop classes, the girls attend a beautiful lunch in the church's gym (where after it is done being decorated is so beautiful it no longer even resembles a gym) and after the lunch there are drawings to give away prizes donated by local businesses such as shopping mall gift cards, movie tickets, bath and body products, clothing and accessories, I-Pods and much much more! In early afternoon, there is a closing session, held in the church's sanctuary, where Chad Allred, the church youth pastor, spoke to the girls about "The Princess Within". He called a volunteer to the stage and placed on her four things every princess has. A necklace, a septor, a cape and a crown! Each item represents a different thing that we as women posses! For instance, the necklace represents privelage. Chad explained that the princess is the only woman in the kingdom with a necklace and so it is a privelage to wear one. This privelage gives the princess the right to take control of her life and "say no". If the necklace is removed however, then the princess's privelage is gone and she becomes like "every other girl" in the kingdom! Wow! To close, Chad had youth pastors, from across the state, stand at the front of the sanctuary and each and every girl attending the workshop came forward to receive her very own tiara! As the youth pastor placed the tiara on the girls head, he looked in her eyes and said "You ARE a Princess!" Some girls walked away in tears! God is so awesome! Who would have thought that at a public school event, in front of their classmates and peers, that high school girls would begin crying because someone had made them feel loved and special! First Assembly of God in Miami, OK already has another event like this scheduled for next month! God is really doing a great work in their church, in their schools and in their community! Although, during the workshop, you are not aloud to mention "God" or "church" we can pray that the girls will walk away knowing there is something more! Please pray for Miami, OK and Chad & Julie Allred whenever you get the chance and pray for more of these opportunities to present themselves across our state!
If you attended Girl's Retreat 2009 then, without a doubt, you left CHANGED! The theme for the weekend was "What's Your Story?" Each Girl's Retreat service was packed with impactful worship, interactive drama and cutting edge video begging us to examine our lives and ultimately ask ourselves the question "What story is God writing for my life?" At the end of the weekend, each girl was asked to fill in the blank "_____ Ever After..." Whether God spoke Happiness, Peace, Strength or Confidence into their life this weekend we can all agree that, no matter what, we were each "Changed Ever After!"
As always, the weekend was also jam packed with break out workshops and a ton of fun! Late night included princess themed games, a late night movie, yummy snacks and, of course, the girls only groove! As you can see, Girls Retreat 2009 was not only fun but life changing and memorable!
Well...National Fine Arts 2008 has come to an end and as we all arrive home let's share a few more memories of our week together!!
OKC Lakeside AG . Human Video Group
Broken Bow AG . Wes Larson . Calen Cawley . Youth Pastor Mark Faulks .
Heather Nelson . Anna Lester . Kyle Nelson
Miami First AG . Large Vocal Ensemble
Calvary Temple Tulsa . Henry Carlson
Tahlequah First . Jake Vandiver
Capitol Hill AG . Micah Cain
Capitol Hill Youth Group . Youth Pastor Jerrod Murr
Congrats to all the National Fine Arts 2008 Award of Merit winners!! See you next year!!
National Fine Arts Festival Day #2 brought much fun!! Check it out!!
Stacie Price . Altus First AG
Jordan Longstreth . Lakeside AG Oklahoma City
Beth Weideman . Woodward First AG
Mark & Cheryl Cain . Oklahoma Fine Arts Directors
Human Video Group . Bethesda AG Oklahoma City
Human Video Group . Chickasha First AG
Ashley Rose & Family
Keep checking back to see your students progress and to look for yourself featured in our posts!! Good luck in second rounds!!
Youth Pastors Chad & Julie Allred, of First Assembly of God in Miami, OK, have had a great opportunity present itself in their community! A door has opened for them to work with their local school system and health department speaking to junior high and high school girls in their area about issues such as Self Esteem, Body Image, Abstinance and Friendship! Yesterday, for the second time in two months, they held an event called "A Promise to Keep" in their church where the local schools bus in about 150 girls to spend the entire day attending classes addressing teen issues. This community and church, though, take this day to a whole new level! They don't only speak to these girls, they truly take the opportunity to go above and beyond and make each girl feel special. The day begins with each girl attending four different classes. "Bling Bling Wait for the Ring" is a class about abstinance, "Through a Guys Eyes" is about what guys want and the difference between guys and girls, "Strut Your Stuff" is about self esteem and body image and "What are Friends For?" is about girl issues and building lasting friendships. After the workshop classes, the girls attend a beautiful lunch in the church's gym (where after it is done being decorated is so beautiful it no longer even resembles a gym) and after the lunch there are drawings to give away prizes donated by local businesses such as shopping mall gift cards, movie tickets, bath and body products, clothing and accessories, I-Pods and much much more! In early afternoon, there is a closing session, held in the church's sanctuary, where Chad Allred, the church youth pastor, spoke to the girls about "The Princess Within". He called a volunteer to the stage and placed on her four things every princess has. A necklace, a septor, a cape and a crown! Each item represents a different thing that we as women posses! For instance, the necklace represents privelage. Chad explained that the princess is the only woman in the kingdom with a necklace and so it is a privelage to wear one. This privelage gives the princess the right to take control of her life and "say no". If the necklace is removed however, then the princess's privelage is gone and she becomes like "every other girl" in the kingdom! Wow! To close, Chad had youth pastors, from across the state, stand at the front of the sanctuary and each and every girl attending the workshop came forward to receive her very own tiara! As the youth pastor placed the tiara on the girls head, he looked in her eyes and said "You ARE a Princess!" Some girls walked away in tears! God is so awesome! Who would have thought that at a public school event, in front of their classmates and peers, that high school girls would begin crying because someone had made them feel loved and special! First Assembly of God in Miami, OK already has another event like this scheduled for next month! God is really doing a great work in their church, in their schools and in their community! Although, during the workshop, you are not aloud to mention "God" or "church" we can pray that the girls will walk away knowing there is something more! Please pray for Miami, OK and Chad & Julie Allred whenever you get the chance and pray for more of these opportunities to present themselves across our state!
