One thing that I love about this church is the emphasis on missions. Every year, we send out missionaries to spread the love of Christ and advance the Kingdom of God. Young and old alike take part every year to obey the commission given my Jesus in Matthew 28.

This year, we are focusing our missionary efforts with the Navajo Nation and VBS. We have been going out to Leupp and Flagstaff, Arizona for over a decade building relationships and solidifying kingdom work there. Navajo missions is a 2-week affair with a 1-week option for those that need to come back early. Programs are held for the children and youth in both the reservation in Leupp and in the border city of Flagstaff. Special evening sessions are also held for youth and adults as well.

And in Chatsworth, in our own community, we are setting sail on a high seas adventure with this year’s them for VBS. Young children come out for a week long program learning about God and the Bible in an engaging and fun experience.

Both opportunities are available to you for this summer’s mission. Pray about serving in one of these opportunities and fill out the application below!

Navajo Missions
1-Week: 7/10 – 7/18
2-Week: 7/10 – 7/23

Navajo Missions Info Handout
Navajo Missions Application (Due 5/2)

VBS
7/26 – 7/30

VBS Application (Due June 13th)

Alright folks, here it is.

As you all know, this Friday (4/9) is our first ever Nerf Capture-the-Flag event. Be sure to bring out your friends! And your Nerf gun!

Below are the rules written out by our very own Nerf nerd, Joe. Read them carefully!

NERF CAPTURE THE FLAG:

The setup:
2 teams based at opposite ends of the church, each with a flag at their base. Teams may place their flag anywhere within their base, but it must be visible from any entrance to the area and must be safely and easily accessible. Next to each base is a designated prison area, where eliminated players of the opposite team are held until they are either freed or the round ends. There will be designated areas of the church for game play. All other areas of the church are “out of bounds.”

The objective:
To capture the other team’s flag from their base and bring it back to your team’s base OR eliminate all players of the opposing team. [Tip: try using teamwork and strategy.]

If neither team retrieves the other team’s flag within 30(?) minutes, the team holding the most prisoners wins the round.

The play:
Before the round begins, flags must be placed and all players must be in their base. At the signal or designated time, the round begins and players are allowed to advance. [Suggestion: some should stay behind to guard the flag and prisoners, if any.] Teams are not allowed to touch their own flag once the round begins.

When a player is shot, he/she must walk his/herself to the enemy’s base and wait in the prison area. A live player can free a fellow teammate from the enemy’s prison by tagging them. The prisoner must have at least one foot in the prison area to be tagged. A live player can only free one prisoner at a time. Both players must go back to their home base before they can rejoin the game. They must hold their guns above their heads until they return to their base to let players know they have free passage. A player cannot free a prisoner and grab the flag; they must choose one or the other.

Once a player picks up a flag, he/she must be the one to take it all the way back to their own base. They cannot hand it off. If a player holding the flag is shot, he/she must return the flag to the place where he/she was shot before going to prison. After 30 seconds, the flag can then be picked up by the opposing team.

Defenders of the flag must stay 15 ft. away from the flag unless he/she is pursuing an enemy within the 15 ft. radius.

(Optional rule: If there are a lot of kids in jail and nothing happens in the game for awhile, a leader can yell “Jailbreak”, at which point all prisoners are freed–and must return to their home base before they can join the game–BUT they are immediately vulnerable to getting shot and returning to prison.)

Other rules:
1. If you get shot, you must walk yourself to the enemy’s prison. Honor system: if you know you got shot, even if no one else saw, take yourself to prison. If someone else says you got shot whether or not you agree, you must take their word for it and take yourself to prison.
2. Any player who goes out of bounds will be sent to prison. Players who go out of bounds or leaves the game for emergencies or other legitimate reasons (medical reasons, gun jamming or breaking, phone call, bathroom) can rejoin the game but must start from their base.
3. You can be shot anywhere, even in your own base. There are no safe zones.
4. If your gun jams or breaks, go out of bounds to fix it. (Remember you must restart at your base.) If you stay in bounds and are shot, you must go to prison. You can leave prison to fix your gun, but you must return to prison to join back in the game.
5. Your gun, your clothes, and anything on you–all count as “you”. If any of those are shot, you must go to prison.
6. You can bring other nerf-type weapons, such as swords. But they cannot block darts. See rule 5.
7. You can use stationary objects like tables and chairs to take cover. You cannot pick up objects to protect you as you move.
8. You CAN be shot by your own teammate. FF is on. Be careful where you shoot.
9. You cannot throw darts. (You can if you want to, but it won’t eliminate anyone.)

And to help you get a little teaser of what’s to come…

Just a reminder that there’s no Ark meeting this week due to the retreat going on all weekend long. See you all next week!

So in the meantime, enjoy the pic above of Emo Bunny.

This is the year of living courageously! As our yearly theme this year, we’re really going to see “giants” in our lives come tumbling down. Fear will no longer have a hold on our lives!

The theme verse for this year is Joshua 1:9, but what’s often overlooked are the two verses preceding verse 9. Verses 7 and 8 read:

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Isn’t that awesome? In living courageously, we’ll be “prosperous” and “successful” when we dig into the Word of God. From there, there’s no reason to be terrified or discouraged, for God will be with us wherever we go (v.9)!

As a church, we want to take hold of this promise. And to help make sure we live this promise together, the entire church will be going through the same devotional together! Make sure you come out to Ark to find out more info about this!

2009 was truly a memorable year. There are so many events that helped shape this past year. The end of the year is always a good time to reflect back on all that was accomplished, to celebrate God’s work in and through our lives, and look forward to continual growth and encouragement.

Join us as we celebrate 2009 and ring in 2010 in style at this year’s New Year’s Eve service! There will be worship, praise, food, and games! And of course, lots of celebration!

This year, Ark is in charge of setting up a couple video game stations! Along with everything else planned for this night, it’s really going to be a jumping place…especially for you night owls!

So be sure to come out!

When: 12/31/09 @ 10:00PM – 1:00AM
Where: The Garden Christian Fellowship | 20745 Nordhoff St. Chatsworth, CA 91311

Did you know? Ark’s annual winter retreat will be joining up with The Garden’s annual conference? So be sure to register ASAP! The deadline to register is December 27 (two weeks from now!). You MUST register to attend this retreat.

The guest speaker will be Michael Card, renown artist and worshiper. You definitely don’t want to miss this weekend. The details are below!

January 29-31, 2010
“Joy in the Journey” with Michael Card
Fee (for ARK only): $30
Location: Ventura Marriott Hotel

Make sure you head to the registration table this Sunday!!

This Friday, we’re going to go hear the awesome testimony of Michael Franzese as he shares his life story. Franzese is a former mafia boss who had his life transformed by Jesus Christ.

Come out and hear about the redemptive power of our God this Friday, December 11. We will meet at church at 6pm and carpool together to the event. If you are interested in going to the event separately, you can meet us at:

World Jubilee Christian Fellowship
9659 Balboa Blvd.
Northridge, CA 91325

Check out his interview with Greg Laurie!

Yep, it’s that time again! Time for a site redesign! Hope you like the new look. We’ve gone away from the red them and are now in a dark blue! I think it looks sharp.

With this new design, I hope to spark some new changes as well…like how often I update. We definitely need to be updating more, that’s for sure. The goal of this site is to make sure everyone here gets all the information they need for Ark Youth. Whether it’s for event updates, or store purchases (through our affiliate links), this is the place to be. Period.

Looking forward to communicating to you all more often!

Join us as we head out to downtown LA on 10/10 to join thousands of other students at Fresh 2009! This event is a gathering of students all over the LA area to become empowered and challenged to make a difference in our own schools, churches, and communities. This year’s Fresh event will feature David Crowder Band and Francis Chan!

***Register through the form below by 10/5 to get the discounted price of $25 (includes the new David Crowder CD)! Registrations after 10/5 will have to pay $30. The sooner you register the better! To ensure adequate transportation for everyone, Ark’s registration for this event will close on 10/7. But you can still purchase tickets on your own after this date. We just ask that you secure your own ride. You don’t want to drive by yourself so register now!!

When: Oct 10 (Saturday), 6pm (doors open at 4pm). We will meet at church at 3pm to drive together!
Where: LA Sports Arena (3911 S. Figueroa St.)
Fee: $25 before 10/5, $30 after 10/5 (includes David Crowder Band’s newest CD “Church Music”)
Parents are welcome to join us!

For more information, please visit:
http://www.fresh2009.org/

That time of year is just about upon us!  Our annual tradition lives on!

The 2009 Lock-In is quickly approaching.  Be sure to register! This will help us plan for food and games! It is going to be GREAT!

Remember, the Lock-In is like a camping trip. But we’re not going anywhere. =) Instead we’ll LOCK ourselves inside the church and spend the entire weekend worshiping and fellowshipping together.

And importantly, there will be a baptism on Sunday, 8/30 so if you’ve been praying about getting baptized, please let us know ASAP!

Use the form below to submit your information.  Please fill out all the fields as best you can.  If you have any questions, feel free to call or email me!