Office: (631) 589-3202 - Fax: (631) 589-1419 - E-Mail: stjohns11782@aol.com
Rev. Brian Noack, Pastor
| Youth Group |
| Youth Group is open to all junior and senior high school students. They meet on announced evenings for fellowship and special events. They also enjoy such special events as rafting trips and caring for the shut-ins. |
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Upcoming Events Dear Friends and Family,
My youth group is attending the
2013 National LCMS Youth Gathering in
Attached is the 2013 NYG
Pamphlet.
Thanks you so
much for your support, I was teaching Sunday School about doubting Thomas and how he needed to see Christ for himself to believe that Christ did indeed rise from the dead. This doubt Thomas had was nothing new to people, but he still let it affect his belief. Over the years of seeing different people and reading articles or research about psychology, I find it fascinating how people convince themselves of things. One article that sticks out in my mind was a woman who convinced herself she was pregnant. Her feet swelled, hormones spiked and she began to develop a small but noticeable belly, but with one small problem...there was no baby. It was later found out that she did not have intercourse in two years. She convinced herself so much that she was pregnant and her body responded to it. Let's look at our lives and how many times we have convinced ourselves of things, maybe not as to the degree that this woman did, but close or even more. We have convinced ourselves at times that Christ is not important, Sunday School is not important, church is not a priority, or even change what we believe to make it fit into the world. Aren't we like Thomas, when we change our beliefs just because we could not get past our doubt, even in fear? In this world, we have so many different religions, churches, so it becomes a "choose your faith society" and believe certain things the Bible says and not take the rest because we may not like it. I will admit there are some things in scripture I do not like, but I believe them. So what worldly view are you letting affect your belief? Thomas let his world view of death get in the way of his belief in Christ being raised from the dead, until he saw Him for himself. Jesus said to Thomas "Have you believed because you have see me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:19. What good news to know we are blessed because we believe and have not seen. In our lives, we have to be steadfast, ready and keep the faith. One of the best ways to do so is to know and remember the Apostles' Creed. A creed is defined as a statement of one's faith or belief, a confession of one's faith. I asked the youth group once that "if the bibles were all taken away and we had nothing to read about Christ, what would you do?" They learned that knowing the Creed helps because it grounds them and us in our faith in Christ and what God has done for us. Martin Luther said "the Creed teaches us to know Him fully". So brothers and sisters, know the Creed and teach it to your kids so that they will stay the course with you and be grounded in their faith in Christ Jesus. In Christ, Chris Abatelli, Director of Youth |
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