March 11, 2010

Dear parent of a high school student,

In the Student Ministries Department at Pantano Christian Church there are seven Biblical principles that drive everything we do and describe a picture of who we want our students to become. Two of those principles are Moral Boundaries and Wise Choices.
There are many forces at work in our world today that pose a threat to our young people’s ability to establish moral boundaries and make wise choices. One of the largest forces, as you already know, is the area of sexual purity.  As youth leaders, we feel it’s vitally important for us to partner with you in speaking truth concerning this important subject, and as a result of that conviction we have made it a priority to cover a Sunday morning lesson series regarding God’s truth on sex twice a year.
Our next series is coming very soon. It will cover two weekends starting March 14^th. We have invited top-notch speakers to come in and speak to our teens both weekends. Anne Hedgcock and Colleen Laszakovits are active members at PCC and have been speaking to parents and teens for several years as part of an abstinence-based ministry called W.A.I.T. (Why Am I Tempted) Training. You can check out first-hand the heart of this ministry via their website – http://waittraining.org. They will be speaking specifically about God’s heart for personal purity, abstinence before marriage, and the influences that make it so hard for us to wait on God’s timing. They will also speak personally about how God is a God of second chances. Click Here for Anne and Colleen’s teaching notes for their upcoming Sunday messages. Follow-up discussions with our volunteer, adult leaders will be happening within our Wednesday night Encounter groups following each Sunday message.
We have also invited Anne and Colleen to speak at our April 21^st Parent 411 class titled Talking to Your Child/Student About Sex and Dating. The class will be held on campus in the Mod E building from 7-8:30pm. You would do well to make note of this incredible opportunity on your calendar. As always, this class is free for all to attend.

We believe these upcoming educational opportunities have the potential to be life changing for many of our students and parents. Please know that you as parents are welcome to sit in during one of these upcoming Sunday mornings in Epic; and we strongly encourage you to talk with your student after each message to discuss what they learned or to address any questions they may have.

In Christ,
Brian Goodall 

High School Pastor

Pantano Christian Church

520.298.5395 ext. 219

bgoodall@pantanochristian.org

Do you ever ask yourself, “Did my teenager come from a different planet?”.  So to help you better understand your student & the changes they are going through, I have put together a list of resources that may be helpful to you.  All of these should be available for purchase on Amazon.com unless otherwise noted.

For Students:

My Faith by Kurt Johnson and Mark Oestreicher (also available: My Family and My Friends)
Surviving Middle School 2.0 by Rick Bundschuh (includes a CD) - available only at interlinc-online.com - click on  “store”.

For Parents:

Boundaries with Teens by Dr. John Townsend
The Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch - a fascinating look at teenage brain development.
The Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Trip
Parenting Teens in a Confusing Culture by Mark Gregston
Teenage Guys by Steve Gerali
Teenage Girls by Ginny Olson
Hurt by Chap Clark - this is one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read and really opened my eyes as to what today’s teens are dealing with.

Happy reading!

- Mike