» Impact and ReFuel Updates

Christmas in the Xchange

tallohood — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:06:46 +0000

This Wednesday our students gathered together in the Xchange for our annual Christmas celebration. It was a really fun night with both middle school and high school students. Fortunately, it was cold outside so our students were able to get in the Christmas mood with some hot chocolate, apple cider, and lots of Christmas snacks! One of the Christmas classics, Elf, was on the big screen while students decorated the tree and hung out in the Xchange.

Once everyone had a cup of cocoa, everyone participated in a Gingerbread House Decorating Contest. We had one house for every grade (6^th – 12th) and lots of candy and icing. We gave everyone 25 minutes and let them go to town decorating gingerbread houses that will be on display during Christmas at Tallowood in a few weeks.

Overall, each grade had some really creative houses, but the winning house was the seniors’ house (which had a little help from some battery operated lights – some cried cheating, but I say it is just the senior advantage!) It was really cool to see what they came up with.

After everyone got cleaned up, we met around the Christmas tree and sang Christmas carols and read scripture. We ended the night with a challenge from Rebecca to let our light shine to those around us, especially around the holidays.

It was a really fun night. Now if only I could have eaten one of those gingerbread houses…

-Micah

Impact and ReFuel – Africa Focus!

tallohood — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:25:02 +0000

This Wednesday night, all middle school and high school students will meet together for a combined Impact and ReFuel at 7:30 pm. Doug Taylor, a former student minister and a great friend of Micah and Laura Cating, will share about his call to serve as a missionary in Arua, Uganda. You won’t want to miss it! Check out more info on Facebook.

And as always, you can come to the Xchange at 7 pm to hang out before we meet.

The Taylor family.

Snowing at the Xchange

tallohood — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:41:46 +0000

As we exited Impact and Refuel last Wednesday, the doors to the Xchange opened to a blast of freezing cold air and SNOW! This is a rare sight for us Southerners, so immediately we all ran out to enjoy.

A couple of our high school guys show off their snowballs.

Some of our middle school girls threaten to attack Micah.

This week, Impact and Refuel will combine for the Student Ministry Christmas party, so make sure you’re there! Maybe we’ll have some more snow… but I wouldn’t hold my breath. See you Wednesday, no matter what the weather is like!

-Micah

A Busy Week!

tallohood — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:29:46 +0000

Christmas time is here and I could not be more excited! We started decorating this weekend, and so far so good. The tree is up, but it needs ornaments, and we are slowly adding Christmas cheer throughout the house! Besides Laura nearly burning down our house as we decorated, all is well. Let’s just say a candle and tissue paper did not get along.

Anyway, Christmas is always a busy time and this week at Tallowood has a lot of opportunities for you to be involved and minister to others. So check out what’s going on this week! -Micah

Wednesday:
- The usual activities… Impact and ReFuel in the Xchange at 7 pm.
Thursday:
- For Middle School…the last FreeSpace of the fall in the Xchange from 3:30 to 7 pm. Be ready for a Christmas theme!
- For High School… a Christmas Drive-In Movie Night in the back parking lot of the Xchange. It all starts at 6:30 pm. We’ll be showing White Christmas and eating lots of Christmas food. Dress warm!
Saturday:
- React Donation Delivery… meetin the Xchange parking lot at 11 am to go to east Houston and deliver the donations we have collected over the past few months. We will be celebratingwith the members of Iglesia Bautista de Fe y Pazas we continue to partner with this church. We will be back to the Xchange parking lot by 2 pm. Be sure to eat lunch before you come!
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Nights
- A Festival of Carols… Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday night at 7 pm. This is a wonderful musical celebration of Christmas for all ages. You don’t want to miss it!

Get ready for an “Indescribable” Night

tallohood — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:25:29 +0000

This Wednesday our high school students will take part of an “Indescribable” night of Impact at the Xchange. Invite your friends from school and come worship with us. We will have the usual hang out time PLUS some snacks and we will begin worship right at 7:30. We will worship together and then watch the Indescribable DVD of Louie Giglio’s message describing the greatness of God. We should be done right before 9 pm. So come be a part of this extended night of Imapct. It truly can be a life changing night for your friends and for you!

Check out some clips from the DVD below and we hope to see you there!

This Week!

tallohood — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:50:07 +0000

We had a great Sunday this week as we opened our new worship center. God has provided for us in so many ways and we are grateful to all the folks that have put so much time and energy into completing the buildings! This Sunday our students also promoted to their new classes and things went very well. Everyone seemed happy to meet their new leaders and to get into a new space. It was exciting!

As we move into this new year, I want to remind you again of the Wednesday Night Bible Studies we have each week. Middle school and high school students meet at the Xchange at 7 pm to hang out and around 7:30 – 7:45 we divide up into middle school and high school groups. High school students stay and meet in the Xchange for worship and Bible study while middle school students meet in a connecting room for snacks, Dr. Pepper, games, and a Bible study. We have had some great gatherings so far this year and some good teaching too! Be sure and come out to the Xchange on Wednesdays for some good ole Bible Study and time with your friends. We’ll be looking for you!

The Fall Begins!

tallohood — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:32:53 +0000

I’ve always loved the fall. It begins to get cooler, football season starts, and of course school begins! Along with the beginning of school comes many opportunities to get plugged in at Tallowood. Here are a few important things to remember as the school year gets going!

Wednesday Night Bible Studies:

Impact for High School and ReFuel for Middle School – Wednesdays at the Xchange, 7:00 – 8:30 pm.

FreeSpace for Middle School Only - Thursdays at the Xchange, 3:30 – 7:00 pm

Come hang out in the Xchange with your friends from school. Play basketball, Wii, pool, or do your homework. Plus, get dinner for $5.

Middle School Retreat is coming!

September 19-20 at Carolina Creek Christian Camp.

Cost: $69

Signup Deadline: Sunday, September 14th

Contact the student ministry office to sign up: 713-468-8241 ext. 8165, or mcating@tallowood.org

Going to Church Could Get You Arrested

tallohood — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:02:32 +0000

Well, thankfully, that doesn’t happen here, but it does in other places in the world.

If you were at Impact/ReFuel last night you were a part of something really special. If you were not, I will give you a brief rundown of what happened. We had a missions theme night and were priviledged to have two men from what used to be Russia come and share about how God changed their lives and about what it is like to be a Christian in their country. Let me just say that it is a lot different. They shared that you cannot own a Bible, and if you are caught with one, you are fined a year’s worth of your salary. They also talked about how they cannot meet together as a whole church because it is illegal. So instead, they meet in small home groups of about 6 to 12 people. They have to meet secretly and they rarely meet in the same place twice. So, to let our students get a slight feel of what that might be like, we made our students, in groups of 12 or less, slowly move out of the Xchange and into a room lit only with candles. Then we had our guests stand and share about what their lives and Christianity are like in their country.

It was a powerful message and such an eye-opener to see how being a Christian in other areas of the world is a REAL sacrifice and challenge. In their country, it is not just normal for most people to say they are Christian or go to church. To be a believer in Christ requires sacrifice of freedoms and living in a constant knowledge that you could go to jail for confessing belief in Jesus. Wow! I really take for granted where I live and I have a twisted view of what sacrificing for Christ is. I think tithing is a sacrifice. I think giving my time to serve others is a sacrifice. I think not listening to certain music or not watching certain movies is hard. Man, living in America can really warp your thinking about what true sacrifice and submission to Christ is all about.

Well, here is a picture from last night. It’s not a great one because he didn’t really want his picture taken. So I was sneaky! Anway, I had to blur his face, because if his government finds out he is a Christian, he could be put in jail when he returns. Crazy!

-Micah

Welcome to Tallohood Today!

tallohood — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:21:27 +0000

Well, this is our first official post on our new Tallowood Student Ministry blog. This will be the place to go for pictures, funny stories, insight and last minute updates about all the things Tallowood… or should I say Tallohood? You will see posts from your Youth Staff, including Charis, Micah, Rebecca, and hey we may even get J-Rome to become a blogger. And we might even have special guest writers. Who knows! The opportunities are endless.

So to start things off right, here is an update. Tomorrow night we will be having a Missions Night in the Xchange. We will have our high school and junior high students meeting together for an awesome time together. And trust me, you don’t want to miss out on what Charis has planned. It is crazy! So, be at the Xchange around 7 pm.

One more thing. This Saturday is the first of what we are praying will become a monthly thing. It is called Sent Out. Basically we are going back to east Houston to work with Iglesia Bautista de Fe y Paz. We will be leading sports camps, painting a house, and doing some good ole prayer driving. So this Saturday, April 19th, come out and serve. We will meet at 11 am at the Tallowood Center, go grab some fast food lunch (so bring $$$), and head out to work. We will be back by 5:30. Here are some pics from the last time we went.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Just look at what our students were able to do for a family’s house by serving God over spring break. What a difference before and after! Now you have a chance to do this same type of thing this Saturday! If these pictures don’t make you wanna go or if you are still confused, call Charis (713-468-8241 ext.8185).

That’s all for now!

-Micah