In Biology classes across America, the Bible is often mocked because it is seen as unscientific and ignorant. Genesis is explained as a fairy tale; evolution and the big bang are the theories put forward as the best explanation of our existence. Is this actually true, though? Do the Big Bang and Evolution explain our existence?

This past Wednesday night, Pastor Jason covered this question, explaining how the Big Bang points to a Creator and how evolution cannot be the way that life came about. Here is a quick summary of what he spoke on:

The Big Bang

The Big Bang is a theory that suggests that the Universe began at a certain point in time with a rapid expansion from a point of singularity. This theory is held in high esteem by the scientific community, but it does not give all of the answers. If there were no intelligent designer behind this cosmic expansion, it would have been impossible for it to produce all of the complexity that we see in the world. There are five things that cause us to believe that the big bang points to a creator, rather than suggesting that the Universe came about on its own. If we assume that there was no creator behind this incident, we must say these five things:

1. Nothing created something

Before the big bang occurred, nothing existed. We must ask, “who or what brought the something into existence?” It is inadequate to say that “nothing exploded and produced something.”

2. Death produced life

Death has never been observed to bring about life, but without God, that’s what we are forced to say about the beginning of the Universe.

3. Disorder produce order

The second law of thermodynamics states that things tend toward disorder, but proponents of an atheistic Big Bang must say that disorder produced order—chaos caused complexity.

4. Matter produced a mind

Random matter has never been observed to produce a mind, but that’s what we must assume without God.

5. Information without a mind

Whenever we see information, we know that there is a mind behind it. For example, if you see “Will You Marry Me?” written in the clouds, you know that it was written out by an airplane; it was not a random chance. Information is always communicated with a mind.

These five points show us that a Big Bang could not have happened without the intervention of an intelligent designer. To quote one of the physicist who came up with the theory of the big bang, Arno Penzias, “The best data we have concerning the Big Bang are exactly what I would have predicted had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Bible as a whole”

Naturalistic Evolution  

Most people today blindly accept the idea that all life-forms came about by random evolutionary mutation, but there are several reasons to doubt that this could cause our existence as we know it.

Listed below are some assumptions that are made concerning evolution. These are all a far leap to believe:

1. Non-living things gave rise to living material, i.e., spontaneous generation occurred.

2. Spontaneous generation occurred only once.

3. Viruses, bacteria, plants and animals are interrelated.

4. Protozoa gave rise to the Metazoa

5. Various invertebrate phyla are interrelated.

6. Invertebrates gave rise to vertebrates

7. Within the vertebrates the fish gave rise to the amphibia, the amphibia to the reptiles, and the reptiles to the birds and mammals.

Because of these great assumptions, it makes more sense to say that life was produced by an intelligent mind—by God.

Recommended Resources

Signature in the Cell by Stephen C. Meyer

Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer 

The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer by J.P. Moreland 

Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe 

Contend: Apologetics Series

God has blessed our Contend series as we’ve been answering some of the most difficult and controversial questions of our generation. To read a recap of the topics we have already covered, visit our website at www.activatehighschool.com. Don’t miss out on the rest of this series! We still have these topics to cover:

• May 22: Is homosexuality a sin?
• May 29: Why is there suffering?
• June 5: What about other religions? Drugs? Abortion?
• June 12: Is sex before marriage wrong?

Sky High – May 24

Join Activate for a fun evening at Sky High Trampoline Park in Ontario. Sky High has wall-to-wall trampolines, a foam pit, and trampoline dodge ball. This will be a great place to bring friends who have not been to Activate before! We will meet in the Loft at Harvest at 6:00PM, where we will have pizza for dinner. We will carpool to Sky High, and get back to Harvest at 9:00PM. Every person must have a signed Activate Release Form and a signed Sky High liability waiver.

O2 Experience with Levi Lusko – June 11

The O2 Experience is a fresh look at life, death, sex and romance.

Like our bodies need oxygen, our souls need God. In a world consumed by sexual smog the O2 Experience is a breath of fresh air. This is an opportunity for young people to hear the life-changing message of the gospel and understand God’s plan for their sex lives.

This is a hard hitting event that will include music from The Almost and a gospel presentation from Pastor Levi Lusko, who will bring a culturally relevant and clear message, providing an opportunity for people to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ.

The O2 Experience shows that God’s plan for our lives includes our sex-lives too. It exposes the polluted approach to dating and sex that dominates this world’s topics and sheds light on God’s call to live on a higher level. It covers real life questions like “Is it realistic to wait until you’re married to have sex?” or “How far is too far?” Or “Is there hope even if I’ve already messed up?” This is so much more than just a call to abstinence; it’s a call to life in Christ.

• When: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
• Where: Harvest Christian Fellowship in the Sanctuary
• Cost: Free

For more information, visit http://o2experience.com/events/riverside/.

Senior Night – June 19

In order to honor, celebrate, and pray over the graduating class of 2013, Activate is hosting a special service dedicated to high school seniors. The night will include an encouraging message, ice cream, and a graduation gift. The service is still open to all students, but it will be a specific time to address the senior class. Please support our seniors by coming to this event!

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

Christians base all of their beliefs on one book: the Bible. Secular culture mocks this reliance on Scripture, and many believe that the Bible is inaccurate and unreliable. How exactly can we know that the Bible is true? 

This past Wednesday night, Pastor Jason continued our series called “Contend” by giving several reasons why we can believe the Bible. There are two ways to verify the truth of a document: external evidence and internal evidence. The Bible’s internal and external evidence can be summarized in two acronyms, “SAT” and “RPM.”

External Evidence — SAT’s

S- Science 

Though the Bible is not a science book, it is completely accurate any time that it makes scientific observations. For example, thousands of years before mankind discovered that the earth was round, Isaiah wrote that, “The Lord sits on the circle of the earth” (40:22). Leviticus 17:11 says that “the life of the flesh is in the blood,” signifying that blood is extremely important to the life of human beings and animals. However, even in the 1700’s doctors still drained people’s blood in order to cure them of sickness. It was this procedure that took the life of our first President, George Washington.

Because the Bible has spoken more accurately about science, even when the people of its day would not have agreed, we must conclude that the Bible was written by someone who knows more about nature than the rest of mankind.

A- Archeology 

The Bible has continually proven to be a reliable guide to discovering the remains of ancient civilizations. Nelson Glueck, a renowned Jewish archaeologist, stated that “No archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.” For centuries, historians and archeologists doubted the existence of the Biblical Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, until they discovered a seat in a coliseum with his name engraved on it. This discovery validated the historical accuracy of the New Testament, and there are literally thousands of similar examples.

T- Testimony 

While some people may attempt to argue against any evidence for the bible, nobody can argue against its power to change lives. Millions of people have been positively changed by the message of the gospel contained in the pages of Scripture.

Internal Evidence — RPM’s

R- Resurrection

Discovering if Jesus really did rise again from the dead is of utmost importance to knowing whether or not to believe the Bible. The entire story of redemption is contingent on the resurrection occurring; if it did not, Christianity is meaningless.

We can, by historical means, see that the resurrection is something that actually happened. One simple reasons is because of the disciples faith. Every single one of the disciples was tortured, and all but John were killed, for the belief that Jesus rose again from the dead. There is no reason that these 12 men would go through so much suffering if it were not true.

For more arguments for the resurrection, you can read one of these articles:

http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/resurrection-evidence.htm

http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/a/7-Proofs-Of-The-Resurrection.htm 

P- Prophecy 

No other book has predicted the future as often and as accurately as the Bible. To give one example, Jesus claimed that the temple would be dismantle brick by brick, a prediction that many would have mocked at the time (Luke 21:5-7). Thirty years later, this very thing occurred when the Roman general Titus sieged Jerusalem and began to burn the temple. Once he saw that there was gold inside, he commanded his army to tear it down brick by brick, fulfilling exactly what Jesus said.

For a more thorough list of fulfilled Bible prophecies, you can read this article: http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible

M- Manuscripts

Even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago, we can still know we have the original words in our Bible today. The New Testament is better preserved and has more documentation than any other book of antiquity; there is no comparison. Trusted documents, such as Plato or Aristotle’s writings, have less than 50 manuscripts to support the accuracy of our copies. The New Testament has 5600 copies, which show us that the New Testament has not changed.

Even with these short examples of why we can trust the Bible, it becomes clear that this was not a book merely written by man, but it has been inspired by God.

Recommended Resources: 

Defending Inerrancy by Norman Geisler

Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible by Erwin Lutzer 

Inerrancy of the Gospels by Vern Poythress 

Understanding Scripture by Wayne Grudem 

World famous Atheist Richard Dawkins wrote that “Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of . . . the lack of evidence.”

This statement completely misses the point of what faith is. Faith is not belief instead of thinking; it is belief because of thinking. We have great reasons to believe that Christianity is true and that God exists, and it is our responsibility, as Christians, to know and be able to defend those reasons.

This past Wednesday night, Pastor Jason discussed the question, “Does God exist?” In our short time together, he gave three arguments for the existence of God: the Cosmological Argument, the Teleological Argument and the Biblical Argument. Here is quick, simplified summary of each:

1. The Cosmological Argument

This can be summarized in a three statement syllogism
1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause
2. The Universe began to exist
3. Therefore, the Universe has a cause

At one point in time, there was nothing. Nothing existed at all. Then, something came into existence. How did we get from Nothing to Something? This step would require a timeless, spaceless, immaterial mind to create something out of nothing and form the material Universe.

2. Teleological Argument

If you were walking on a beach and saw a watch in the sand, you would not imagine that it had formed over millions of years from sand particles. You would assume that someone designed and created it. It is the same thing with our Universe. The Universe displays a tremendous amount of complexity that can only be explained by the existence of a divine designer. Some examples of this can be found in what are called Anthropic Constants. These are fine details that are essential for life to exist on earth. If any of these 122 Anthropic Constants were changed at all, life could not exist.

Two examples:
1. The Oxygen levels on earth are at 21%, which is perfectly tuned for life to exist. If they were to be any lower, we would suffocate; if they were to be any higher, we would be highly combustable.

2. The gravitational force, or the law of universal gravitation, is finely tuned for the Universe to exist. Scientists have found that if it were altered by 0.0000000000000000000000001, the Universe could not survive.

There are a hundred more, and each of them demonstrates that this world was not a product of chance, but it was designed by God.

3. Biblical Argument

God has made himself known through Creation, Conscience and Christ. Creation reveals that there is a creator. Our conscience reveals that there is a moral law giver—a God who has written his law on our hearts. Christ reveals that God intervenes in our world and has shown his power by the resurrection. Our beliefs should be based on evidence, and a belief in God has a substantial amount of evidence. Christianity is not just wishful thinking or an ignorant “faith,” but it is based on clear evidence and a search for truth.

Recommended Resources:

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman Geisler
Article: Five Arguments for the Existence of God
Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science by Michael Licona and William A. Dembski

The truths of Christianity are attacked viciously in secular schools and mocked by many in our culture today. Universities teach that Jesus’ resurrection is a myth, that the world began without a Creator and that homosexuality is acceptable, and students often struggle to respond to these assertions. Instead of “being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks” (1 Peter 3:15), many Christians find themselves unable to withstand the constant objections to their faith.

At Activate, we are beginning a new series called “Contend,” which will aim to equip our students to stand up to those who oppose Christianity. Jude tells us “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and this series will help us to do that. Every night we will have a message on a specific topic followed by a Q&A portion, where anyone can ask about what was said.

Not only will this be great time of learning for Christians, but it is a great opportunity to bring out skeptical or non-believing friends to hear answers to some of the most controversial and difficult questions.

Listed below are the dates of each topic that will be covered:

• May 1: Does God Exist?
• May 8: How can we know the Bible is true?
• May 15: Does the Big Bang and evolution explain our existence?
• May 22: Is homosexuality a sin?
• May 29: Why is there suffering?
• June 5: What about other religions? Drugs? Abortion?
• June 12: Is sex before marriage wrong?

We need to have answers for those who ask. We need to defend the truth against the lies of this world. We need to contend. Join us every Wednesday at 7pm in the Loft at Harvest Riverside.

“He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

The Bread of Life – Jesus gives satisfaction

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

The Light of the World – Jesus gives illumination

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)

The Door – Jesus gives salvation 

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

The Good Shepherd – Jesus gives direction and protection

 ”I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).

The Resurrection and the Life – Jesus gives glorification

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

The Way, and the Truth, and the Life – Jesus gives reconciliation

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

The Vine – Jesus gives sanctification

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Jesus is greater than anyone or anything else. As the I AM, He claims superiority and supremacy over all things. Jesus gives us everything we need for this life and for eternal life. As Paul said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). When you trust and treasure Jesus with all of your life, watch and see how the I AM changes who you are!

*Click below to hear the messages or read the study guide to He is Greater: The Claims of Christ

• Greater sermons
• Greater study guide

In our study of He is Greater: The Claims of Christ, we’ve learned how Jesus is greater than anyone or anything else. We have seen how Jesus is the I AM, who alone provides satisfaction, salvation, and sanctification. The “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John show us who Jesus is and what He does for those who believe in Him, and in this Gospel is also the most famous verse in all of Scripture, John 3:16. Even though you probably have it memorized, try reading it in light of the theme “Greater.” You’ll see that…

“God” – The greatest Lover
“So loved” – The greatest degree
“The world” – The greatest number
“That He gave” – The greatest act
“His only Son” – The greatest gift
“That whoever” – The greatest invitation
“Believes” – The greatest simplicity
“In Him” – The greatest Person
“Should not perish” – The greatest deliverance
“But” – The greatest difference
“Have” – The greatest certainty
“Eternal life” – The greatest possession

We see the greatness of God in one of the greatest passages of the Bible. And our response should be like those of Scripture:

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3).

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! … For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33, 36).

Uprising is almost here! At our last Uprising, the Lord exceeded all of our expectations and brought 1000 Jr. High and High School students to hear the gospel. Out of those who came, we saw hundreds commit their lives to Jesus! Excitement and expectations are high, and we know that God is going to do another incredible work at this Uprising! But, we need to do our part. As this outreach opportunity draws closer, our job is to pray for, invite, and bring people.

Pray. God allows us to be a part of His work by praying in faith that He will do great things. Every aspect of the night needs to be saturated in our prayers.

• Pray that many would come to the event.
• Pray for the bands and for our worship to glorify God through their music
• Pray that all technical aspects (e.g. video, sound, lights, etc.) would function well.
• Pray for Pastor Jason Powell as he prepares his message for the night.
• Most importantly, pray that God would move among the hearts of those who come, and that they would come into a saving relationship with Him.

Invite. How will people hear about Uprising if you don’t tell them?

• Text and call your friends.
• Hand out flyers at school or drive to the mall and invite people there.
• Wear the Uprising shirts, post the stickers, and hang the posters.
• Use social media to get the word out through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Invite friends through our Facebook event page, and share our Uprising pictures!

We need to get the word out about this awesome event so that people can hear the life-changing message of the gospel!

Bring. Even better than merely inviting someone is physically bringing them to church for Uprising. Most of those who are saved at Harvest Crusades were brought by a friend, and we have that same opportunity for this event. People are much more likely to come if you provide a way for them to get there, and buying them food helps too. So, get your parents to load up the car and bring all of your friends!

If we do our part, this promises to be an incredible day that we will praise God for in the years to come. We pray that this event will be a major part of an Uprising among the young people in So. Cal. to turn to Jesus Christ and live their lives to reflect His glory in our city.

Activate Wednesday

We are continuing our series on Wednesday nights, He is Greater: The Claims of Christ. If you haven’t already, download our free digital study guide for your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or save it to your computer!

Click here to download!

So far, we’ve seen how Jesus is the Bread of Life, Light of the World, the Door, and the Resurrection and Life! As we look at the person and work of Jesus, it provides a perfect opportunity for you to bring your friends to church to hear the gospel. This series is leading up to an even bigger opportunity for evangelism…

UPRISING

In order to reach the youth of our city, the Activate High School Ministry is partnering with the Crux Jr. High Ministry to host an evangelistic outreach on April 24, called “Uprising.” Our first event was almost exactly a year ago, and our second was this past October; we are very excited for our third Uprising! We want the young people of our city to stop living for the things of this world and start living according to God’s Word. We want our youth to rise up and take ground for Christ and His Kingdom. We want students to make a difference in their homes, schools, churches, and communities. We want an uprising. We will have a concert with the bands Manafest and Worth Dying For, and an evangelistic message from Pastor Jason Powell.

• Students: grab some flyers and stickers and get the word out! Make it your goal to bring at least one friend to the event who doesn’t know Jesus or go to church.
• Parents: Challenge your children by being willing to bring all of their friends! Fill up the car and bring students to hear the gospel.

Here’s the info:

• When: Wednesday, April 24 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
• Where: The Court at Harvest Riverside
• Cost: Free

Harvest America Philadelphia Trip 

This year, Harvest America will be broadcast from Philadelphia, and we will be taking a trip there to help with the event! Our team will be spending the days preceding Harvest America inviting people to it and sharing the gospel in the city. We will be leaving September 25th and coming home on September 30th, and it will cost around $800. This is a great opportunity to be used by the Lord to point people to Jesus and to participate in one of the largest evangelistic events in American history!

Haiti Missions Trip 

Please be praying for our team that will be going to Haiti in August of this year to help rebuild churches and minister to orphans who have been affected by the Earthquake.

Apologetics Missions Trip to Dearborn, Michigan

We will be taking a group of High Schoolers to Dearborn, Michigan to learn how to reach Muslims with the gospel. This is an incredible opportunity to become more confident in defending the truth to people of other faiths. In addition to gaining hands-on experience speaking to Muslims about Jesus, there will be many seminars with knowledgable Christian apologists, who will further grow us in our ability to reach out to those of the Islamic faith. The trip is from June 11th through the 15th and will cost $1000; this price will cover airfare, lodging and food.

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

An excerpt from last night’s message by Pastor Jason Powell based on John 11:25-26.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17-18, ”And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Why does he say that? What significance does the resurrection of Jesus have?

What if Jesus never really came back from the dead? Would it matter?

20 Devastating Things That Would be a Result of Jesus not Resurrecting From the Grave

1. Jesus is not the Messiah promised in the Old Testament

2. Jesus is a liar and a lunatic

3. We should seriously question all of Jesus’ other teachings

4. The disciples of Jesus were deceived and are proven to be liars

5. Paul the Apostle never saw Jesus on the Road to Damascus and everything he wrote was wrong

6. Everything that the Church has taught for 2000 years has been a lie

7. The only truth that we have about God is found in the Old Testament

8. Gods faithfulness only extends to those under Abraham— Jews

9. The nations outside of Israel are in spiritual darkness without hope

10.You are a sinner with no sacrifice for your sins

11. You are a hopeless slave to the power of sin

12. All of the wrongs committed on the earth will never be set right

13. The result of sin/decay upon on the earth will never be reversed

14. The Holy Spirit would have never come

15. The church/family of God would have never existed

16. Every Christian in time past not only wasted their lives but died with a false hope

17. You will never see any of your loved ones ever again

18. This life will be the best you will ever experience

19. There is no meaning or purpose to your pain

20. Death is the end

What if Jesus really did rise from the dead? Would it matter?

10 Results of the Resurrection 

1. Jesus is the Messiah who the Old Testament spoke of

2. Jesus is God

3. Everything that Jesus taught is authenticated and verified

4. The eyewitnesses of Jesus are telling the truth and did not die in vain

5. Jesus was the sacrifice that God demanded for your sins

6. By believing in His sacrifice and resurrection you have freedom from the guilt, penalty, power and future presence of sin

7. By believing in His sacrifice and resurrection you can have the hope of life after death

8. Life is meaningful, even when it is painful, hard, depressing or troublesome

9. God is going to right every wrong

10. Death is not the end

Praise God that Jesus really was raised from the dead, and we can trust Him when He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Because of this, we must ask ourselves, just as Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” 

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). 

Everywhere you turn, there is a hand stretched out waiting to be held. Children naked waiting to be clothed. People starving and dehydrated. The number one thing kids ask for in Haiti is water, the second is for your attention. During my time in Haiti, I spent a lot of time at the orphanage.  The first day stepping into the orphanage every eye was on us, in less than 20 minutes every hand was on us. Even though the kids and I didn’t completely understand each other’s language, we understood we loved each other and knew how to show it. There are kids who will stick with you for a good while, then go onto another person, but there are those who really warm up to you and stay by your side until it’s time for you to leave.

For me, that was one of the hardest parts about leaving Haiti.  I didn’t want to be someone who just comes and goes and forgets about them. Someone who allows them to open up to me, grow a love for me, then I just leave and disappear from their lives. So when it was time to finally say goodbye it felt just like that—it was an emotional time for me and the kids. I remember crying with them but telling them this isn’t the end. Instead of me being mad about leaving them, I started thanking God for allowing them to be a part of my life, and putting a place for them in my heart. Saying that final goodbye took place on a Saturday, because we were supposed to be home Sunday morning. By God’s amazing grace, there was a snowstorm where we were planning to fly to and all flights got canceled. We were blessed with two more days in Haiti. Of course we spent the next day at the orphanage. The kids were shocked but so happy to see us again. I was nervous at first to go because saying goodbye the first time was already hard on all of us, I couldn’t imagine the second goodbye. But, God had a plan and worked it out by allowing that final goodbye to be much better than the first. Also I knew I had to go again, because being blessed one extra day is better than not seeing them again. During the time in Haiti God blessed me with such an amazing team, that I will always remember. Before leaving Haiti, I was sad, but as well I knew it was only the beginning. The beginning for my friendships with the people I met in Haiti, along with the team God placed me with. Even if I may never see them in this lifetime again, I know one day I will see them in Heaven and spend it with them for all eternity.

Since coming home from Haiti, God has been showing me that He has placed me where I am for a reason. Your mission is where you live—who you live with, and who you live around. For me it was easier to be in Haiti and joyfully volunteer to clean, do dishes, and be nice to everyone I saw and came in contact with, along with serving those in the same house as me, than to be that way at home. Some of us don’t realize that we are in the mission field already, and that is where God has placed us! The way we act when on a missions trip, that’s the way we need to be right here in our own home!

Thank you for taking your time to read about my first experience in Haiti. I hope this has ministered to you in whatever way God has intended. I also hope to someday read your blog on your first experience in the mission field!

God Bless,

Lacey Olson

March 8: Activate Movie Night

• 7pm in the Court

March 15: No SWAT due to Harvest’s ReEnvision

March 22-23: The Haven Girls Overnighter

• Friday, 10:00pm – Saturday, 8:00am in the Loft
• $5; must bring a signed release form.
• Click here to sign-up on our Facebook event!

March 29: Good Friday Service – 6pm | Apologetics Seminar – 7:30pm

• No SWAT
• Services will be held in the Sanctuary

March 31: Easter

• Don’t forget to come by our fundraising booths and buy some Krispy Kreme donuts!

Winter Camp was awesome! We heard lots of great messages, started new friendships, and strengthened our walks with the Lord. God changed many hearts and lives as we saw Jesus in all His greatness! To hear the sermons from camp, check out our Podcast, and to see pictures from camp, go to our Facebook page. We are already looking forward to Summer Camp!

Activate Wednesday

The Lord always does a great work up on the mountain at camp, and we want the fire to continue burning! We are taking the camp theme and starting a new sermon series and small group study called He is Greater: The Claims of Christ. It’s our desire for the young people of God to treasure and value Jesus above all things and to see Him as greater than anyone or anything else. For this purpose, we will go through the Gospel of John and study the “I AM” statements of Christ. Through this study, students will see how the “I AM” can change who they are!

This is a great opportunity to bring friends out to church so that they can hear the gospel!  Every Wednesday night, Pastor Jason will teach about the person and work of Jesus. He will explain who Jesus is and what He does for those who follow Him. By nature, this series will be very evangelistic, so start praying about who you can invite!

Community Groups

Not only are we going to preach on the topic, but we are also going to discuss it in our Community Groups. Every Wednesday before Bible study, students meet in Community Groups from 6:15P.M. to 6:45 P.M. for the purpose of discipleship, fellowship, and accountability. Each group is gender-specific and is led by a college-aged high school ministry counselor. These groups provide a great environment to develop and deepen godly friendships. We will be going through a brand new curriculum, which only costs $1, and you can download the digital copy for free by clicking here: He is Greater: The Claims of Christ. (To open on your iPhone or iPad, open the PDF in iBooks or Kindle). Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to grow in your faith, make new friends, and see Jesus do greater things in your life than ever before. Sign-up for a Community Group at Activate on Wednesday nights, or contact us at activatehighschool@harvest.org.

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

Young people desire community. They join sports teams, clubs, and social networking and form friendships based on common interests. At Activate: Harvest High School Ministry, we want students to be in community with one another based on the greatest of interests: knowing God and making Him known. Every Wednesday before Bible study, students meet in Community Groups from 6:15P.M. to 6:45 P.M. for the purpose of discipleship, fellowship, and accountability. Each group is gender-specific and is led by a college-aged high school ministry counselor. These groups provide a great environment to develop and deepen godly friendships.

Based on the recent High School Winter Camp, Activate Community Groups will be starting a new small group curriculum called, He is Greater: The Claims of Christ. It’s our desire for the young people of God to treasure and value Jesus above all things and to see Him as greater than anyone or anything else. For this purpose, groups will go through the Gospel of John and study the “I AM” statements of Christ. Through this study, students will see how the “I AM” can change who they are. Additionally, Pastor Jason Powell and the Activate staff will teach a sermon series that corresponds with the Community Group’s topic each week.

To download the digital copy of the curriculum, click the link below!

He is Greater: The Claims of Christ

To open on your iPhone or iPad, open the PDF in iBooks or Kindle.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to grow in your faith, make new friends, and see Jesus do greater things in your life than ever before.  Sign-up for a Community Group at Activate on Wednesday nights, or contact us at activatehighschool@harvest.org.

“He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30, NIV).

ATTENTION: It’s time to get up and pack up because Activate Winter Camp is here!

You are reading this letter because you decided to make a spiritual investment in your life by going to Activate High School Winter Camp! The theme for this camp is GREATER, based on John 3:30, “He must become greater; I must become less” (NIV).

It’s our desire for the young people of God to treasure and value Jesus above all things and to see Him as Greater than everything else. As we have a great time on the mountain this weekend, we pray that this begins to occur in the lives of everyone at camp!

We have an awesome weekend lined up, with special guest artists Aaron Gillespie and Manafest, along with worship from the Activate Worship Band. Get ready to hear the Word, because we will hear life-changing messages from Pastors Levi Lusko, Casey Kendall, and Jason Powell. We hope you are ready for an incredible weekend with Jesus! Here are some logistics that you need to know:

• Balances are due on Wednesday, February 13. If you haven’t turned them in, please do so A.S.A.P. and also turn in your signed release form because you can’t go to camp without it. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE RELEASE FORM

• You must provide your own transportation to and from camp! (CLICK HERE FOR THE CAMP MAP). Depending on the weather, please keep in mind that snow chains may be required.

• Check-in: Friday, February 15 from 4pm – 5:30pm. Dinner will start at 6:00pm (you may check in later if necessary).

• Check-out: Sunday, February 17 from 12pm – 1pm.

• A few things you will need for the weekend: a Bible, sleeping bag or bedding, towels for bathing, toiletries, heavy jacket, shoes, flashlight, and cash for the snack bar.

• When choosing your clothes, keep in mind the dress code, and dress modestly.

• Please try to leave all your electronic attachments at home; God doesn’t want any competition for your attention.

• Contact phone number FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY: 951.205.8100

Our prayer and desire is to serve you at this camp, and we promise that you are going to have a blast! You are going to meet new people, build stronger friendships, and make lasting memories. But most importantly, you are going to grow in your relationship with the Lord and come to see that He is greater than all things! Get ready for GREATER at Activate High School Winter Camp 2013!

God bless you,

Pastor Jason Powell and the High School Staff

February 2 – The Haven Valentine’s Day Party

• High school girls: Come for a time of worship, devotion, crafts, and snacks! Please bring a clean jar (with the labels removed) for a fun Valentine’s craft!
• Join the event on Facebook. Click here!

February 9 – Car wash and Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

• Help send a high school student to camp! Cash wash ($5), breakfast ($4), or both for $7! The car wash is from 8:30am – 12:00pm and the breakfast is from 8:30am – 11:30am.
• If you have sold tickets, it is mandatory for you to come and help at the car wash and breakfast. Please show up at 8:00am in the back parking lot!

February 15-17 – High School Winter Camp

Winter Camp is here! The key word for this camp is Greater. We want to have a greater love, a greater passion and see our Savior as greater than ever before. We recognize that “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30, NIV), and it is our desire that this would happen as we get away to spend time with the Lord at winter camp this year. There will be encouraging and challenging teaching from Levi Lusko, Casey Kendall, and Jason Powell. Ministering to us through music will be our Activate Worship Band and special guest artists Aaron Gillespie and Manafest. Sign-ups are very limited this year, so sign up now to guarantee a spot! You can sign up online here, on the patio Sunday morning, or at any of our Activate services. You don’t want to miss out!

Here are all the details:

• When: February 15-17, 2013
• Where: Calvary Chapel Christian Camp (32355 Green Valley Lake Rd. Green Valley Lake, CA 92341)
  • You must provide your own transportation to and from camp. Depending on the weather, snow chains may be required.
• Cost: $140 ($25 deposit required to register; full payment for online registration)
• Registration: You can register at any of our services, on the Patio on Sunday mornings and nights, or online by CLICKING HERE
• Fundraising Opportunities: We have several ways that you can raise money for camp. You can do drink sales on Sunday morning and sell car wash tickets. Please see us at the info booth after one of our services.

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

Winter Camp is here! The key word for this camp is Greater. We want to have a greater love, a greater passion and see our Savior as greater than ever before. We recognize that “He must become greater; I must become less,” and it is our desire that this would happen as we get away to spend time with the Lord at winter camp this year. There will be encouraging and challenging teaching from Levi Lusko, Casey Kendall, and Jason Powell. Ministering to us through music will be our Activate Worship Band and a special guest artists Aaron Gillespie and Manafest. Sign ups are very limited this year, so sign up now to guarantee a spot! You can sign up online here, on the patio Sunday morning, or at any of our Activate services. You don’t want to miss out!

Here are all the details:

When: February 15-17, 2013

Where: Calvary Chapel Christian Camp (32355 Green Valley Lake Rd. Green Valley Lake, CA 92341)

Cost: $140 ($25 deposit required to register; full payment for online registration)

Registration: You can register at any of our services, on the Patio on Sunday mornings and nights, or online by CLICKING HERE

Fundraising Opportunities: We have several ways that you can raise money for camp. You can do drink sales on Sunday morning and sell car wash tickets. Please see us at the info booth after one of our services.

The first ministry I served in when I became a Christian at twenty years old was the High School ministry. I was asked to become a leader at a time when I didn’t think that God could (or even wanted to) use a broken person like me; but he did. I took the opportunity with reverence and excitement. I loved meeting new students and being a part of SWAT ministry on Friday nights, where I shared my faith with total strangers. I know that the teenage years are pivotal in a person’s development where life altering decisions are being made for either good or bad. I was glad to be a part of that influence in a teenager’s life.

A year later I was hired on as an intern and so blessed to be a part of the staff at Harvest. Through SWAT ministry I was able to travel all over with the Harvest Crusades, sharing the gospel and teaching other youth ministries to do the same. I couldn’t believe the opportunities I had working at Harvest. Despite all the cool stuff that came with doing ministry, in the early years of working on staff things were actually very difficult for me. I struggled with wondering what God’s will was for my life and yet tried to stay focused on the ministry tasks at hand. But with time and a lot of redirecting, God showed me that he was calling me to be a pastor at Harvest.

In the over 7 years that I have been serving, and 6 years that I have been working in Activate, I have seen a lot of students and leaders come and go. But I can say with full confidence and thanks to God that I have never seen the High School ministry in a better spot than it is right now. The Leadership is incredible; we have so many focused, unified, gifted, diversified, loving, compassionate and mature people I can’t help but praise God for that. I also have never seen so many of the students involved in the events in the ministry. With SWAT having record numbers as well as our camps, SWAT trips, holiday events and service projects, the Activate Ministry is a blessing to serve in.

But as the new pastor on staff at Harvest, there are new roles for me to fill. Which means (as most of you already know) that I am no longer going to be serving at Activate (insert here: weeping and gnashing of teeth). I have been asked to take over the Connect: Small Groups ministry of Harvest as well as some other Helps Ministries. I am very excited about this new chapter in my life and ministry. But that excitement is only possible because I know that everyone still plugging away in Activate is fully able and equipped to continue the work needed in the lives of the students. Of course you can imagine there is a great deal of sadness as my wife Michelle and I leave Activate knowing we won’t see all of you as often. But I know that the relationships we’ve made will continue on as we all grow in the Lord in our individual seasons of life. Feel free to always contact me if you ever need anything; my wife and I are always here for all of you.

Let this verse challenge and uplift you as you continue in the Activate Ministry.  1 Peter 3 says, “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, BUT SANCTIFY CHRIST AS LORD IN YOUR HEARTS…”

Pastor Aaron Adame

Ericka and I have mixed emotions about this. A big part of us is bummed. We’ve loved every minute of our time in the High School Ministry. We love the staff, we love the leaders, and we love the students. 2012 was an exciting year, and 2013 holds a ton of promise. I’m encouraged that the ministry will be left in good hands. Pastor Jason Powell and his wife Mary will be taking over. They are super gifted and godly and they have huge hearts for teenagers. So that helps, but we’re still sad to go.

The other part of us is full of enthusiasm. I believe God is sovereign. When changes come into my life, they come because He says so. Knowing then that God is calling us to the Well, I’m excited to be there. And it doesn’t hurt that the Well is an awesome ministry. Hundreds of local college students are being strengthened in their faith every week there. We are thrilled to come along side the incredible leadership team at the Well and by God’s grace continue the great work He’s been doing in that ministry.

As we leave Activate, our hope for the ministry and every person who is a part of it is found in 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” I’ll be preaching my final message this Wednesday from that text. I’ll have much more to say about it then, but for now it’s enough for me to summarize my hopes for the ministry in one word: Growth. Twelve months from now I hope to see deeper faith, broader reach, and greater impact at Activate than we see today. And by God’s grace that can happen.

I’m blown away looking back on all that God has done at Activate during my time there and I’m eager to see what wonderful things He has in store for the next chapter in this ministry.

In Christ,

Pastor Daniel

December 19: Christmas Concert with Phil Wickham

• 7pm in the Main Sanctuary

December 21: Activate Christmas Dinner: An Ugly Sweater Event

• 7pm in the Loft
• $10 (buy tickets at Activate)
• Ugly Sweater Contest
• Activities

*There will be no services on December 26 and 28.

Operation Christmas Child

Activate participated in a six-week giving campaign for Operation Christmas Child. By giving their time, energy, resources, and money, the students and leaders of Activate packaged 207 shoe boxes and collected $850! Thank you for your participation and your willingness to bless children around the world in the name of Jesus! To see pictures from our packaging party, go to our Facebook.

During this Christmas season, may you remember why Christ came. As He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). May God bless you this Christmas!

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

Pastor Daniel

Check out all of the pictures from the night on our Facebook page!

First of all, we learned that God is a relational being—he exists in an eternal relationship within the Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because we were made in God’s image, we are meant to exist in relationships too.

A companion is someone who we can share life with and who will be there for us. When we first hear the word “companion,” we often think of a husband or a wife, but companions come more often in the form of friends—the people we like to be around.

Ecclesiastes 4 gives us several benefits to having companions. We see that a companion:

1. Gives you someone to share life with (vv. 7-8). Life is more enjoyable when you have someone there to share it with
2. Makes you more productive (v. 9). You are able to be exponentially more productive with someone there to help you
3. Uplifts you (v. 10)
. “Woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.” Whether this is physically or spiritually, companions can pull us out of the low places we fall into.
4. Sustains you (v. 11)
. A companion can help you get through the tough seasons of life (spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, etc.).
5. Protects you (v. 12). Friendship produces genuine care and concern, forming a strong bond that will help in time of need.

Maybe you realize that you don’t have any companions in your life, but you want to. The question is, are you actively, intentionally, purposefully seeking out companionship? How exactly do you do that? Here are few practical ways to help build friendships:

• Be friendly
• Be faithful
• Be social
• Be focused on others

If you do have companions in your life, it’s very easy to ruin friendships; just do the opposite of the above list. Doing any of these things is sure to drive your friends away and keep you from gaining any more:

• Be unfriendly
• Be unfaithful
• Be anti-social
• Be self-centered

Companions are important, but the most important companion you can have is the one whom the Bible says “sticks closer than a brother.” And that is Jesus. He will be with you in every situation, help you, uplift you when you fall, sustain you, and protect you better than any friend on earth could ever do. As he said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends,” and Jesus did just that for us.

Don’t forget that this week in Connect Groups we will be talking about the chapter on Friendship in our Unashamed Curriculum.

Activate Operation Christmas Child

In addition to our students reaching out with the gospel to meet the spiritual needs of students in our community, we are thankful for all of the items that have been donated to the Activate Operation Christmas Child giving campaign to help meet the physical needs of children around the world. So far, we have collected nearly…

• 400 toys
• 500 school supplies
• 300 hygiene items

But the giving hasn’t ended! You can still bring any of the above items, and participate in the weeks to come:

• Accessories – November 7: sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, purses, wallets, flashlights  (with extra batteries), gum and hard candy, etc.
• Clothes – November 14: T-shirts, socks, hats, beanies, gloves, etc.

And make sure you join us on Friday, November 16^th at 7pm in the Loft as we package all of these items into the shoe boxes. Since this night is the Friday before Thanksgiving, we will celebrate Thanksgiving together by having coffee and dessert, and we’ll show our thankfulness as we pack and pray for the shoe boxes! Please bring $7 to cover the costs of shipping and dessert and coffee.

Here are some important dates for November:

• November 16 – Activate Activity: Operation Christmas Child Packaging Party
• November 21 – Thanksgiving Service – 7pm in the Loft
• November 23 – No SWAT
• November 30 – No SWAT

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

This past Wednesday, the Activate high school and Crux junior high ministries at Harvest hosted their second Uprising, a youth outreach designed to impact the students of our city with the gospel.

Excitement was high, expectations were great, and the Lord did more than we could ask or think. The Court was packed with 906 young people, many of which were brought by friends. The night included music from Leeland, who shared songs from their new album The Great Awakening, and how they desire to see revival among today’s youth. The high energy and loud music led to the greatest event of the night, the preaching of God’s Word. Pastor Jon Lee shared a message on how the youth can “rise from the dead” and find true life in Jesus—and 109 students responded by making commitments to follow Christ.

The problems and pressures that today’s youth are facing are unprecedented. Things that were virtually unheard of a generation ago—sexting, cyberbullying, guns in school, the open extolment of homosexuality, and a heightened antagonism towards Christianity, for example—have become commonplace among today’s youth culture. To live the life of a genuine Christ follower is almost revolutionary, hence the event’s strong title.

This generation needs to wake up and rise above societal standards and cultural norms. The verse Pastor Jon preached from is fitting, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14, ESV). He said, “The youth of this nation need Jesus. You do not need more motivational speaking or more programs. You don’t need to turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, porn, medication, or beauty to give you purpose. You need Jesus! Wake up and live for Jesus!” And by God’s grace, many students did just that.

Will you pray for an uprising among today’s youth? Pray that they would rise up and reach out with the gospel; that they would impact their friends, families, schools, homes, and communities with the love of Jesus. And specifically pray for those 109 individuals who made decisions for Christ, that they would remain close to Him through His Word, get connected to the youth ministries, and build strong Christian friendships. May the young people of God continue to rise up for the purposes of God!

To see the Uprising pictures, click here!

The Uprising is almost here! At our last Uprising, the Lord exceeded all of our expectations and brought about 800 Jr. High and High School students to hear the gospel. Out of those who came, we saw hundreds commit their lives to Jesus Christ! Excitement is high, expectations are great, and we know that God is going to do another incredible work this Wednesday! But, we need to do our part. As this outreach opportunity draws closer, our job is to pray for, invite, and bring people.

Pray. God allows us to be a part of His work by praying in faith that He will do great things. Every aspect of the night needs to be saturated in our prayers.

• Pray that many would come to the event.
• Pray for Leeland and our worship to glorify God through their music
• Pray that all technical aspects (e.g. video, sound, lights, etc.) would function well.
• Most importantly, pray that God would move among the hearts of those who come, and that they would come into a saving relationship with Him.

Invite. How will people hear about Uprising if you don’t tell them? Post the event on Facebook, tweet about it, send a text message as your reading this. Hand out flyers at school or drive to the mall and invite people there. We need to get the word out about this awesome event so that people can hear the life-changing message of the gospel!

Bring. Even better than merely inviting someone is physically bringing them to church for Uprising. Most of those who are saved at Harvest Crusades were brought by a friend, and we have that same opportunity for this event. People are much more likely to come if you provide a way for them to get there, and buying them food helps too.

If we do our part, this promises to be an incredible day that we will praise God for in the years to come. We pray that this event will be a major part of an Uprising among the young people in America to turn to Jesus Christ and live their lives to reflect His glory in our nation.

In order to reach the youth of our city, the Activate High School and Crux Jr. High ministries are hosting their second evangelistic outreach, “The Uprising.” At the last event, we saw nearly 800 young people in attendance with over 200 of them making commitments or recommitments to follow Christ. And we want more young people to rise up and live for a greater purpose: to know God and to make Him known!  We want the young people of our city to stop living for the things of this world and start living according to God’s Word. We want students to make a difference in their homes, schools, churches, and communities. We want an uprising. There will be a concert featuring the band Leeland and an evangelistic message from Pastor Jon Lee. This is a great opportunity to invite jr. high and high school students to hear the gospel!

Here is the info:

• When: Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm
• Where: The Court at Harvest
• Cost: Free
• Band: Leeland
• Speaker: Pastor Jon Lee

And make sure you “like” and “share” the Uprising Facebook page!

• October 3: Operation Christmas Child Project begins
• October 17: The Uprising — 7pm
• October 26: Activate Costume Party — 7pm

 Activate Operation Christmas Child

Help share the love of Jesus by blessing children around the world with Christmas shoe boxes! Through Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child distributes millions of Christmas gifts for children in need every year. And the Activate High School Ministry is going to participate in this great mission of sharing and showing the gospel by hosting a giving campaign. From October 3 – November 16, Activate is going to have an “item of the week” for everyone to bring to service. The gifts will be kept in large Christmas-wrapped boxes, and once all of the gifts are collected, we will have a giant packaging party on November 16 where we will organize and pack all of the items into the shoe boxes. Since this night is the Friday before Thanksgiving, we will celebrate Thanksgiving together by having coffee and dessert, and we’ll show our thankfulness as we pack and pray for the shoe boxes.

For a detailed list of what items to bring and when to bring them, click here.

The Uprising

In order to reach the youth of our city, the Activate High School Ministry is partnering with the Crux Jr. High Ministry to host an evangelistic outreach on Wednesday, October 17^th called “The Uprising.” We want the young people of our city to stop living for the things of this world and start living according to God’s Word. We want our youth to rise up and take ground for Christ and His Kingdom. We want students to make a difference in their homes, schools, churches, and communities. We want an uprising. We will have a concert with the band Leeland and an evangelistic message from Pastor Jon Lee. This is a great opportunity to bring a friend to hear the gospel! Invite your friends on Facebook!

   Here is the info:

   – When: Wednesday, October  17 at 7pm

   – Where: The Court at Harvest

   – Cost: Free

   – Band: Leeland

   – Speaker: Pastor Jon Lee

Please participate in these great opportunities to reach out to those in need—to help reach the physical needs of children around the world through Operation Christmas Child and the spiritual needs of the youth in our own community through The Uprising!

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

Help share the love of Jesus by blessing children around the world with Christmas shoe boxes! Through Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child distributes millions of Christmas gifts for children in need every year. And the Activate High School Ministry is going to participate in this great mission of sharing and showing the gospel by hosting a giving campaign. From October 3 – November 16, Activate is going to have an “item of the week” for everyone to bring to service. The gifts will be kept in large Christmas-wrapped boxes, and once all of the gifts are collected, we will have a giant packaging party on November 16 where we will organize and pack all of the items into the shoe boxes. Since this night is the Friday before Thanksgiving, we will celebrate Thanksgiving together by having coffee and dessert, and we’ll show our thankfulness as we pack and pray for the shoe boxes.

Please join us in this mission! Be creative and pull your resources together: ask friends and family to help donate; promote through social networking; have a yard sale and raise money; sacrifice something every week (like Starbucks or new clothes) and use that money for gifts; and of course, go to the store and buy the items! Bring gifts every week, and let’s bless children around the world in the name of Jesus!

Please shop for the following items for boys or girls, ages 10-14, and bring them to Activate on these nights:

• October 3 – Toys: Small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, stickers, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), slinky, etc.
• October 10 – School Supplies: Pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
• October 24 – Hygiene Items: Toothbrush, toothpaste, bar soap (in a plastic bag), brush, comb, washcloth, etc.
• November 7 – Accessories: Sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, purses, wallets, flashlights (with extra batteries), gum and hard candy (in a plastic bag), etc.
• November 14 – Clothes: T-shirts, socks, hats, beanies, gloves, etc.
• November 16 – Thanksgiving Packaging Party: Please bring $7 to cover the costs of shipping and dessert and coffee.

Click on the image below to print/save the flyer:

*DO NOT INCLUDE:

- used or damaged items

- aerosol cans

- chocolate or food

- out-of-date candy

- liquids or lotions

- medications or vitamins

- breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers

-war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures

To see how  Operation Christmas Child works, watch the video below!

It’s our desire for the young people of God to rise up and reach out with the gospel to a lost generation. And that’s exactly what happened at the Activate High School Summer Camp, “Unashamed,” where students were challenged and commissioned to show their faith and to share their faith with a dark and dying world. The camp theme was based on Romans 1:16, where Paul confidently states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16, ESV). Over 300 students spent their Labor Day weekend learning about the power of the gospel and what it means to be unashamed of it. It was a weekend full of faith, fun, and fellowship!

Camp is a great time for students to get away and to focus on their relationship with the Lord. With church services in the morning and evening, we were able to draw near to God through worship and Bible study. We were blessed to be led in worship by the Activate Worship Band, and by our guest artist, Phil Wickham. God did a great work in our hearts as the Word was taught by Pastors Steve Wilburn and Daniel Hooper. We were definitely able to see the work God did in the chapel as students yelled out, “One more song!” and shared about all they learned in their small groups.

With the new school year starting, we were able to have one last burst of fun for summer. And there isn’t a better place to have tons of fun than at camp. With students jumping on the blob, flying on the zip line, and screaming on the giant tree swing, memories were definitely made with the camp activities. And as always, there were plenty of laughs in Amateur Hour, our guys vs. girls talent contest, where the girls beat the guys again—this time with a cake in the face of our worship leader!

One of the best parts of camp is that we get to be in community together. We get to eat, play, worship, and be in small groups together. We were able to meet new people and strengthen our friendships, especially as we had great times of fellowship in our groups at night. Great ministry took place as we laughed, cried, ate junk food, and shared about what God is doing—and what we want Him to do—in our lives.

God did great things at camp and we want the fire to keep burning at Activate. We are already looking forward to winter camp, but there are great opportunities to grow right now. To continue the camp theme, we are launching small groups that will be going through Activate’s new curriculum, Unashamed: Sharing and Showing the Gospel, where we will learn how to share the gospel with our words and show the gospel with our works in all areas of life. And we will continue to grow in our faith through Bible study on Wednesday nights and share our faith through SWAT on Friday nights. Don’t miss out on all that God is doing. Let’s stand unashamed together for the gospel!

To see all of the camp pictures, check out our Facebook by clicking here.

Do you want to have the same encouragement and friendship that you had in your cabin group up at camp? Then join a Connect Small Group! For the fall season (September 26 – December 12), we will be going through a small group curriculum called, Unashamed: Sharing and Showing the Gospel, which will cost $5. In this small book, we will continue our theme from camp and be very specific on how we can be “unashamed” at home, school, work, church, with friends, social media, purity, community, and the world. Each group is gender specific where girls meet with girls and guys meet with guys; and you can request to be with a friend or leader. The groups meet every Wednesday before service from 6:15pm – 6:45pm. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for discipleship, friendship, and fellowship. You will grow in your faith, have encouragement and accountability in your faith, and be able to strengthen the faith of others. Let’s be unashamed together by being plugged in to a Connect Small Group! If you would like to be in a group, please contact us or sign-up at any of our services!

Click on the image below to print/save the small group schedule:

In addition to Activate Wednesday and Friday night SWAT, here are some important dates in September:

- September 7-9: LA SWAT Trip

- September 21: Apologetics Conference

- September 26: Connect Small Groups Begin

- September 28: Activate Activity

Haiti Missions Trip

The Lord blessed our mission trip to Haiti! He did a great work in the churches and communities, and He did a great work in us! Many lives were changed—especially ours! To see pictures from our trip, visit our Facebook page! Be on the lookout for future trips!

Harvest Crusades

We had a great time with the SWAT Team down in Anaheim as we invited people to the Harvest Crusade and shared the gospel out at Huntington Beach and the Irvine Spectrum. The Lord blessed Harvest America as millions of people were reached across the nation, including thousands who reached out to the Lord and called on Him for salvation. We are getting ready for another SWAT Trip for the Los Angeles Harvest Crusade! Please pray for the SWAT Team, for Pastor Greg, and the entire Harvest Crusade team as we prepare to share the Good News!

Connect Small Groups

Over the summer, the guys’ and girls’ small groups went through some great resources. The guys read Disciplines of a Godly Young Man and the girls read Lies Young Women Believe. These resources were used to help shape the lives of young men and women into mature believers, and we want to continue using great resources for our small groups. To continue the theme from Summer Camp, our Connect Small Groups will be going through Unashamed: Sharing and Showing the Gospel. This small book was developed by the Activate staff as a small group discussion guide. After camp, our small groups will run from September 26 – December 12, and will cover topics such as being “unashamed” at home, school, work, church, with friends, social media, purity, community, and the world. The cost for the book is $5. Make sure you sign up for a Connect Small Group!

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

ATTENTION: It’s time to get up and pack up because Activate Summer Camp is here!

You are reading this letter because you decided to make a spiritual investment in your life by going to Activate High School Summer Camp! The theme for this camp is UNASHAMED, based on Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

It’s our desire for the young people of God to rise up and reach out with the gospel. We want to challenge and commission students to live out their faith and share their faith with a dark and dying world. We want to be bold with the gospel and make a stand for Christ and His kingdom in every area of life. We want to be unashamed!

We have a great weekend lined up, with special guest artists Phil Wickham and Sunset Pilgrims, along with worship from the Activate Worship Band. Get ready to hear the Word, because we will hear life-changing messages from Pastors Steve Wilburn, Ronny Roa, and Daniel Hooper. We hope you are ready for an incredible weekend with Jesus! Here are some logistics that you need to know:

• Balances were due on Wednesday, August 22. If you haven’t turned them in, please do so A.S.A.P. and also turn in your release form because you can’t go to camp without it.
• You must provide your own transportation to and from camp! (See the map at the end of this post; please contact us if there is a problem: 951.687.6902 x297).
• Check-in: Friday, August 31 from 4:00 to 5:30 P.M. Dinner will start at 6:00 P.M. (You may check in later if necessary.)
• Check-out: Monday, September 3 from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M.
• A few things you will need for the weekend: Bible, sleeping bag or bedding, towels for bathing, swimming, and baptism, toiletries, jacket, flashlight, and cash for the snack bar.
• When choosing your clothes, keep in mind the dress code. Girls, no spaghetti strap shirts, short skirts, daisy dukes, or two-piece bathing suits without a shirt. Guys, no Speedos (for all our sakes)!
• Please try to leave all your electronic attachments at home; God doesn’t want any competition for your attention and there have been items lost in the past!
• Contact phone number for emergencies only: 951.205.8100

Our prayer and desire is to serve you at this camp and we promise that you are going to have a blast! You are going to meet new people, build stronger friendships, and make lasting memories. But most importantly, you are going to have your life impacted by the God who created you and loves you, and who showed His love for you by dying on the cross so you can have life in Him! Get ready for UNASHAMED at High School Summer Camp 2012!

Need directions to Camp? Click and print the picture below:

God bless you,

Pastor Daniel Hooper and the High School Staff

Since 1990, Harvest Crusades has put on large-scale evangelistic outreaches around the United States and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. More than 4,405,000 people have attended a Harvest Crusades event in person, and more than 370,900 people have registered decisions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Harvest Crusades events are designed to be opportunities for Christians to invite family members, coworkers, friends, and acquaintances to hear the life-changing message of the gospel in an environment that is entertaining, yet nonthreatening.

The cornerstone of each event is the presentation of the gospel by Pastor Greg Laurie. Biblically-sound and culturally relevant, Pastor Greg brings a clear gospel message, providing an opportunity for people to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

This year, Harvest is hosting two outreaches, taking place in Anaheim, CA  on August 25-26 and Los Angeles, CA on September 8-9. In addition to this, Harvest is reaching out like never before. On August 26, Harvest is launching a nation-wide outreach called Harvest America, where the gospel message will reach millions through our modern technology. What exactly is Harvest America? Here’s how it is going to work:

What if on One Day, churches from all over the nation brought in the Harvest Crusade and streamed it live right into their church? At last year’s Harvest, individuals watched the live stream broadcast from every state of the union and 32 countries around the world! Now, with HD-quality video available through Internet streaming and satellite, people could fill churches, theaters, coffee houses, and living rooms, linking together as One Church in thousands of locations.

For what purpose? One Message! The only message that can save a soul—the simple proclamation of the gospel, which will be given from a gifted evangelist, Greg Laurie.

And if this is repeated over the next three years, we could conservatively see more than five million people in live-stream events and effectively see some 500,000 professions of faith! That’s more than we’ve seen in our 22-year history of Harvest Crusades!

Harvest America has the potential to be one of the largest evangelical outreaches in all of history! That’s truly remarkable! And here at Activate, we have the opportunity to be involved with it and support our Senior Pastor, Greg Laurie, as he preaches the gospel. For both Harvest Crusades, we are taking a team of 50 people down to Anaheim and LA to invite people at the beaches, malls, and city hot spots to the events, and attempt to move beyond an invitation to a conversation where we can share the gospel with them. Please pray for Pastor Greg, the Harvest Crusade team, the SWAT Team, and all of the people who will hear the gospel message!

The Activate High School ministry is linking shields with Harvest Relief Corps to minister to the people of Haiti on August 5-14. Sixteen students and leaders will be ministering and serving in Haiti as they seek to be a part of the work that God has been doing there since the devastating earthquake in 2010. It is going to be a blessed venture as the students give of their time, resources, and energy to embody the gospel of Christ to a nation in ruin. Please keep these students and leaders in prayer as they share the gospel with their words and show the gospel through their works!

To get a glimpse of what they will be doing, check out this recap video from a previous mission trip to Haiti.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)

Summer Camp

Summer Camp is here! This year’s camp theme is Unashamed, taken from Romans 1:16. It’s our desire for the young people of God to rise up and reach out with the gospel. We want to challenge and commission students to live out their faith and share their faith with a dark and dying world. So as we do every summer, we want to get away and spend time with the Lord at camp, where we will be encouraged to deepen our faith and equipped to defend our faith. There will be great teaching from Pastor Steve Wilburn, Pastor Ronny Roa, and our very own pastor, Daniel Hooper. We will also have special music from The Sunset Pilgrims and Phil Wickham. You don’t want to miss out on this retreat! This is an investment that you will not regret. Register online or at any of our services.  And to get a glimpse of what Summer Camp is like, check out the video below.

SWAT Trips and G3

With the two Harvest Crusades in Anaheim and Los Angeles this year, we will have lots of opportunities to go on the streets and invite people to the crusades and also train other youth groups in street evangelism. The Anaheim SWAT Trip is August 24-26 and the Los Angeles SWAT Trip is September 7-9. Also, we have several G3 trainings lined up in August. Please contact us if you would like to go on any of these trips.

Fundraising

If you didn’t notice, we have a pretty crazy three-week schedule with the Anaheim Crusade, Summer Camp, and the LA Crusade all back-to-back-to-back. We know, you’re thinking, Cha-ching! We want everyone to be involved in all that the Lord is doing, and we don’t want money keep you back. If you are interested in raising money for Camp, please contact us to get involved with the several fundraising opportunities that are available. If you would like to support and sponsor students for Camp, we are having a Car Wash and French Toast Breakfast Fundraiser on Saturday, August 18, from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. in the back parking lot of Harvest Riverside.

Haiti Mission Trip

Many students are making the most of their summer by going on an international missions trip to Haiti. 16 people from Activate will be in Haiti from August 5 – 14 with the Harvest Relief Corps Ministry, as they seek to help rebuild the cities and strengthen churches that were devastated by earthquakes in 2010. Please keep the team in prayer!

Here is a recap of the important dates that are quickly approaching. Please keep these events in prayer!

• August 5-14: Haiti Mission Trip
• August 18: Car Wash and French Toast Breakfast Fundraiser
• August 24-26: Anaheim SWAT Trip
• August 31 – September 3: Summer Camp
• September 7-9: LA SWAT Trip

As always, we want to serve you and make ourselves available to you. For current updates and announcements, “like” us on Facebook. If you have any questions or needs, we would love to talk or meet with you. Please contact us at 951.687.6902 or email us at activatehighschool@harvest.org

In Christ,

The Activate High School Ministry Staff

In chapters 6 -7 of Disciplines of a Godly Young Man, we learned about the discipline of the mind, both in what our minds are to refuse and receive. Just as certain foods are either good or bad for your body and enable you to be either in shape or out of shape, the content that we view and think about greatly impacts our spiritual health in the way that we think as Christians. Without question, we should abstain and reject certain content because it is harmful to our minds, and we should accept and receive certain content because it is helpful to our minds. So, what’s the test? How do we determine what we should think about? Of course, the answer is the Bible, because it reveals to us what is right and wrong and helpful or harmful.

The Apostle Paul gives us clear instruction on how to think and what we are to think about in Philippians 4:8, a verse worth memorizing:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

As Christians, we are to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and this is done as we “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). We must be intentional in what we look at and think about. And that’s why Philippians 4:8 is so helpful because it serves as a clear guide for us, that we are to “think about these things.” Whatever is: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. If we are to think about such things, then we must not think about what’s opposite of them—things that are false, dishonorable, wrong, impure, unloving, looked down on, improper, or unworthy of praise. In order to have a healthy Christian mind, we must receive and reject such things.

The authors write, “As we have shown, no one will get anywhere in anything without discipline. And more, no one can have a godly mind apart from discipline—which demands the discipline of refusal. This is a call to be a man, because it takes a real man to refuse the streaming input of godless culture and then endure the inevitable misunderstanding and anger of those who are surprised that you do not run with them” (p.63). Will you accept the hard work of filtering your thoughts and the content that makes you thing such things. This includes the things we watch on television, movies, the internet, phones, and the music we listen to. The things you take in affect what you give out. As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Analyze the content you look at and listen to, and receive it or reject it based on Philippians 4:8 and the counsel of God’s Word.

It’s been said, “Sow a thought and reap an act. Sow an act and reap a habit. Sow a habit and reap a character. Sow a character and reap a destiny.” Your thoughts determine your actions, and ultimately they form who you are. A.W. Tozer says, “What we think about when we are free to think about what we will—this is what we are or will soon become.” Your thoughts affect both this life and eternal life, so be sure to think biblically so that you may live biblically. May you love the Lord your God with all of your mind (Matt. 22:39) by thinking about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise—God’s Word!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Summer Camp is here! This year’s camp theme is Unashamed, taken from Romans 1:16. It’s our desire for the young people of God to rise up and reach out with the gospel. We want to challenge and commission students to live out their faith and share their faith with a dark and dying world. So as we do every summer, we want to get away and spend time with the Lord at camp, where we will be encouraged to deepen our faith and equipped to defend our faith. There will be great teaching from pastor Steve Wilburn, pastor Ronny Roa, and our very own pastor, Daniel Hooper. We will also have special music from The Sunset Pilgrims and Phil Wickham. You don’t want to miss out on this retreat! This is an investment that you will not regret. Register online or at any of our services!

Here are all the details:

When: August 31 – September 3, 2012

Where: Calvary Chapel Christian Camp (32355 Green Valley Lake Rd. Green Valley Lake, CA 92341)

Cost: $165 ($25 deposit required to register)

Registration: You can register at any of our services, on the Patio on Sunday mornings and nights, or online by CLICKING HERE.

Fundraising Opportunities: We have several ways that your student can raise money for camp. They can sign-up to sell candy, do drink sales on Sunday morning, and sell car wash tickets. Please see us at the info booth after one of our services, or click HERE for more information.

Want a glimpse of what Camp will be like? Check out our Summer Camp video!