We recently sat down with Tyler (middle school), John M (high school) and Jeremy (college) and asked them four questions about their ministries and what the future looks like. Check out their responses below!

What is one thing happening in your ministry you're excited about right now?

Tyler: In The Middle right now, we are excited about the leaders, they are doing an amazing job. We are growing because of the leaders that are investing in our students. For example, one of our volunteers is a junior in high school who consistently comes to serve and goes a step further by intentionally supporting students. She goes to their games and invests in their lives.

John: In Catalyst Student Ministries, we are most excited about our student leadership team. They are mostly peer-led. The students take ownership of events and volunteering. This gives validity to student voices within the ministry. One student leader started out as a semi-regular attender. Once we gave her the opportunity to step up, she jumped in with both feet and has taken the team and is leading her peers. It is great to see students flourish!

Jeremy: We are excited about the CYa class at 11:00am on Sunday mornings in Room 222. We have started a 2-year cycle of curriculum to help college and young adult students better understand the Bible and how to read it.

What is one thing you wish the congregation knew more about when it comes to your ministry?

Jeremy:  We wish the congregation and church community knew that there are people at Sherwood Oaks investing in and mentoring college students and young professionals. Through the Life Coach network, we have seen strong mentoring relationships form.

John: We wish the congregation/general church knew that the high school students are not just the church of the future. They are much more. They are the kingdom workers of now and are serving in several areas around the church.

Tyler: I wish the congregation/general church knew how much the youth is being the church right now, not in the future. High school students are serving our jr. high students, which is making the jr. high students excited and want to serve in other areas.

What would Sherwood Oaks look like without your ministry?

John: Without Catalyst Student Ministries, the church would suffer from a lack of young, influential leaders.

Tyler: Without The Middle, the impact on 6-8^th grade students would be less.

Jeremy: Through the CYa ministry, college students and young adults have had the opportunity to volunteer, serve in the church, go on mission trips, get involved in small groups, and connect with families in the congregation through the Adopt-A-Student ministry. Without CYa, there would be less involvement from college students and young adults in the church.

How can people get more involved in student ministries?

Tyler: If someone is interested in helping with our ministry, they can contact Tyler Cadwell at . We are always looking for core group leaders and The Middle small group leaders for Sunday mornings.

John: If someone is interested in helping with our ministry, they can contact John Muffler ( ) or Sarah Bynum ( ). Either would love to get coffee and talk about volunteering!

Jeremy: If someone is interested in helping with our ministry, they can contact Jeremy Earle ( ). He would love to grab coffee and talk about their potential involvement!

Coming up in CYA Ministry at Sherwood Oaks

Below are two events coming up. We hope you can make it to one or both!

We hope you can join us for our 12 week study! From door #2 go up the stairs. Pass the restrooms and room 362 is the second door on the right.

We're having a cookout for undergrads interested in a Life Group! From East Rogers enter the church parking lot and turn right. Keep driving until you see the string lights!

byTavi Fashion Show

Tavi is a woman who lived in a culture where it was common practice to traffic children in order to make ends meet. Desperate to make sure this would never happen, she arrived at Center for Global Impact (CGI) after her husband passed away and she was left to care for her two children and a relative alone. She requested a sewing machine and seamstress training of the CGI. Three short years later, it went from her sewing pillowcases to thirty other women sewing a variety of many other products. They work with a designer and learned how to take a mere sketch and make it a reality.

The byTavi line consists of high-quality, unique, and boutique-style clothing and purses created by a team of seamstresses in Cambodia. In exchange, these women receive consistent employment and a wage by which they can live off in a poverty-stricken town. If this was not enough of a compelling reason to buy their products, each seamstress stiches their own name onto the product which gives the buyer a chance to pray for the woman and it also adds a special meaningfulness to each product.  

Through this inspiring company, we are so pleased to invite girls from junior high up to college and their mothers to a byTavi fashion show! Girls of these ages will model these one-of-a-kind products in a fun environment. This event will give you a great opportunity to support this wonderful company and purchase special gifts for yourself as well as others. The proceeds will go to these women to continue providing them a steady job and means to provide for their family. It will take place at the Pourhouse Café on December 9^th from 6-8 pm. We will serve lemonade and cookies to enjoy during the show. We feel so blessed to be able to be a part of such a wonderful company and are so excited to invite you. Even if you are unable to make the event, we ask you to pray for these women in Cambodia and learn more about byTavi at their website at http://bytavi.com/.

Now that we are a couple months into the first semester, you may be looking for a way to really connect with your roommate and to further your relationship with them and God. Here are five studies that we found that could change your relationship with both.

True faith produces fruit. A faith without action and without life change is ultimately a dead faith. The book of James speaks to the realities of a living faith in Jesus—the kind of roll-up-your-sleeves and get-your-hands-dirty discipleship that is borne out of an authentic relationship with the risen Lord. James writes to believers who know suffering, who've faced trials, and who ultimately desire a deep relationship with God.

Francis Chan unpacks the dense truth contained in the book of James in front of the iconic backdrop of San Francisco, the city where he lives and ministers. Through 12 sessions, Francis works through James verse-by-verse, challenging followers of Christ to move beyond a private, intellectual knowledge of God and His Word, to a vibrant faith that impacts every square inch of life.  

The Thinking Series is a 5-part resource that tackles the top five questions university students are asking today. This study can be used in various settings including small groups, churches, and coffee shops. Andy Steiger will help you understand how these five questions are interconnected, build on one another, and clearly explain the Gospel.

It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts—it's falling in love with God.

The Crazy Love Study Resource helps you and your small group to dive deeper into God's love. A companion to the best-selling Crazy Love book by Francis Chan, this 10-week study follows a day-in-the-life of Francis in the form of ten, 10-minute segments that correspond to each chapter of Crazy Love.  These thought-provoking teachings are designed spark discussion, interaction, and practical application of the Crazy Love message with small groups, churches, youth groups, and individuals.  

Chances are, we've all been there. Stuck in a job...day after day...asking "What is the purpose of my life? Is this all there is?"

In "Passion + Purpose," we discover that God has uniquely gifted us with a passion. Though each of our passions are different, each of them have been specifically fitted for us by God. Among us all are incredible business people, artists, athletes, scientists, moms, dads, chefs, accountants...the list is endless! There is something specific in each of us that makes us come alive. That's our passion. Then, accompanying every passion, there is a purpose. God's purpose is to make Jesus famous. So, whatever we do or wherever we go, we find that God is inviting us to leverage our passions for one greater purpose. It's then that our passion and our purpose collide in the beautiful story of God.

 Have you ever looked back over a situation or relationship in your life and wondered how it became so messy or difficult? In the series, Five Lies That Ruin Relationships, we'll define five of the most common lies that have the potential to ruin relationships with those we love. We'll also uncover the source of quarreling, how our works wound, and how not to make decisions. And together, we'll ask and answer the question: do wrong beliefs produce wrong behavior? We will discover that when we confront the lies we believe, there is power in knowing and applying God's truth to our relationships.

To access these studies plus hundreds more for free, click here. 

Mission trip opportunities
Every year we get to serve and learn alongside our amazing ministry partners around the world.  Consider joining one of these teams this school year:

Haitian Christian Outreach || Haiti                                                March 11-18; Cost: $2,000

Agua Viva Children’s Home  || Chimaltenango, Guatemala:         May 6-13;  Cost: $1,350

Receive updates about these two trips.