FEBRUARY 15, 2023 VOL.4 NO.04
WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK
If you participated in any of this year’s GODencounters Conference, would love your reflections and input. Click the above icon or here to share your feedback. tiny.one/GE23feedback
WE ARE LOOKING FOR GREAT VOLUNTEERS!
Younger Generation Church thrives on the passion and service of volunteers of all ages. Our young adult ministry has all kinds of roles where you can play an important part whether you are 9 or 90! Click the above icon to complete our volunteer form and stop by the welcome booth this Sabbath to pick up your YG volunteer team shirt and SWAG bag. Join YG in Loving GOD and Loving People. tinyurl.com/YGvolunteer
BRIDGE WEEKEND WITH BURMAN UNIVERSITY
Delighted to have young adults from Burman University joining us for Bridge Weekend. Festivities launch with chapel services at Burton Adventist Academy Friday morning.
LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE // SAT FEB 18, 10:15AM CST // @YGCHURCH
A Thousand Hallelujahs, Reign Above It All, What A Beautiful Name, Give Me Jesus #WorshipSet #Feb18 10:15AM CST fb.com/ygchurch #YGonPurpose #ygchurch
If you start your flight just a couple of degrees off, you will not end up at your destination. Without purpose, a church will drift. Let’s start 2023 on mission.
At @ygchurch we aim to deepen our devotion to Jesus through [1] pursuing intimacy with GOD, [2] experiencing community with each other, and [3] inspiring those around us with the hope of grace. Our purpose is found in loving GOD and loving people. Join YG as we launch into 2023 on mission. ygchurch.com
YG SPEAKER: DENNALIA FRAY
Dennalia Fray is a 20-year-old, third year Burman University student, who is both an entrepreneur and a public speaker. Dennalia loves God, and loves cultivating healthy, positive connections with individuals all around the world. Her relationship with God has compelled her to enter into uncomfortable spaces that have produced fruits of joy, peace, and love.
foundation // sat 1pm lunch, 2pm discussion // revive community care center
foundation is a young adult Bible study. spending time together studying the Word of God on Sabbath afternoons.
This name was inspired by the concept of Christ being our One True Sure Foundation.
“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.” —Isaiah 28:16
”Personally, this concept stands out to me because there are so many things that society tells young people to rely on: appearances, wealth, education, social media, etc. Even within the church, our focus can be on other things, which are important as well, but I believe it’s time we go back to weightier matters. 2 Peter 1:3 says, ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.’ There are so many young adults trying to live a Godly life without the right tools! Many of us think we have to invent our own or use what the world tells us. He has given them all to us. One prominent way He does this is through the Word.” —Dani
Click the icon for their Instagram, and share with a friend who may be interested.
CHILI COOKOFF // SAT 6:30PM // FELLOWSHIP HALL
Chili CookOff is back! Come out this Saturday, February 18, 6:30pm and enjoy a night of chili, bonfires, games, and fun with family and friends! Our Wolves Pathfinder Club will be raising funds in preparation of upcoming events and gatherings, so bring extra cash to help support!
You have the opportunity to enter your chili in the contest to see if yours is the spiciest, the most original, the best overall… or maybe you just take home the prize for the best looking booth. Be sure to bring a full pot so that everyone has a chance to get a taste. CLICK HERE to sign up for the chili competition!
We look forward to seeing all y’all there!
WHERE // Fellowship Hall and The Common
WHEN // February 18, 6:30p-9p
FOR WHOM // All church family, friends, and community
CORN HOLE CONTEST AT CHILI COOKOFF // SAT 6:30PM // FELLOWSHIP HALL
Come out and try your skills at Corn Hole. Burman University will be awarding prizes and giving away SWAG. Who knows, this may be the point at which you discover you should be a corn hole pro. <G>
BOBA BUCK NIGHT // SAT 8PM // FAT STRAWS IN ARLINGTON
Students, young adults, young professionals, and parents are invited out for boba at Fat Straws in Arlington this Saturday night, 8:00PM. News Flash!! Your first boba drink is on Burman University! Come out and enjoy fellowship and novelty drinks with friends old and new.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
INSPIRE: ADVENTIST CREATIVES CONFERENCE // FEB 17-19 // PHOENIX, AZ
Whether you are an artist, film maker, graphic designer, musician, photographer, poet, songwriter, writer, or just enjoy the arts, we want you to know about an upcoming arts weekend to be held in Phoenix, Arizona in February 2023.
This event, Here by Design, is a wonderful opportunity for Adventist creatives to collaborate and celebrate their God-given gifts with live presentations, music, and more!
inSpire 2023, February 17-19, 2023, Phoenix, Arizona is sponsored by the Arizona Conference and the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
AWAKEN YOUNG ADULT CONFERENCE // FEB 24-26 // NOCOCA PINES RANCH, NC
This year, the Awaken Young Adult Conference is in Liberty Hill, SC. The conference will be February 24-26 and will equip and empower young adult Christians to be active in their local church and change the momentum. If you are a young adult in the area (Or a long way away), we hope that you'll join us for this incredible event.
To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/awaken-young-adult-conference-tickets-493844641617
Tickets are all-inclusive and include admission, food , and lodging.
This year our theme will be "Becoming Unlocked." based off of the book Growing Young by the Fuller Institute. Which explores ways to empower and equip Young Adults to be actively involved in our local churches and ministries. We believe that young adults are the way the church moves forward so we want to see your potential unlocked.
For more info check out our website: www.awakennc.com
IF:LOCAL // WOMEN'S MINISTRY CONFERENCE
Ladies, come and join us for worship and fellowship as we host our second annual IF: Local Women's Ministry Conference on March 3 & 4 in the REVIVE Community Center! Tickets will include lunch, snacks, and access to speakers and breakout sessions. You won't want to miss it! Register today! You can sign up at https://watch.if2023.com/register/join-group?groupid=29767 . We want you to be there!"
If you would like to volunteer for this year’s conference, connect with Ashley Livingston.
LAUGH FOR A CAUSE!
The Burton Academy Class of 2023 is excited to present "As You Are," a romantic comedy written by Devin Anavitarte! This fundraising event will happen at 7 o'clock Saturday evening, March 4, at the Arlington Adventist Church! Tickets are $15 and available for purchase at the front office of the school. For more information, contact Raquel Lopez or Stephanie Wilczynski at Burton Academy! We look forward to seeing you there!
A NIGHT AT THE MEYERSON // MARCH 26TH
Join us on March 26th for an unforgettable evening promoting musical achievement and benefiting scholarships for young musicians.
YG HAS LIMITED DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO AYP CONVENTION!
We are excited to announce that the 2023 AYP Thrive Convention will be in Texas on July 28-30, 2023! Join us for this leadership convention focused on helping young professionals thrive toward the next level of their journey in Christ! YG has acquired tickets and is giving our YGers a great discount. CLICK THE ABOVE ICON to reserve your YG discounted registration. For general convention information, go to AYP.me/Convention for all the deets.
PURSUE GOD
ALL OF 2023 GODENCOUNTERS ON YGLIFE’S LINKTREE
If you enjoyed this year’s conference, find all the sessions, sermons, and additional spiritual resources on our linktree, linktr.ee/yglife
OH, JESUS [LIVE] // DBU CHAPEL WORSHIP
DBU Chapel Worship is a vibrant and diverse community of students from Dallas Baptist University that exists to glorify God through authentic worship, songwriting, musical training, and developing disciples of Jesus.
Members of Chapel Worship come together from various cultural and musical backgrounds to make known the Gospel both on campus and abroad.
Their latest album release, “Oh, Jesus [Live],” is available on Spotify and other music platforms.
CHRIST METHOD ALONE
how often do we try to preach to people before caring for their needs? On the other hand, how often do we provide service to those in need, but fail to share the Gospel with them?
Jesus' life on earth showcases a multitude of examples that reminds us that our mission is to be Christ's hands and feet through active evangelism and discipleship, but to adequately accomplish this mission - in order to have a receptive audience ready to learn about God - we must first meet the human needs of those we seek to share Christ with.
Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-36 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
These verses serve as a direct reminder of the importance of caring for the needs of those we encounter. These words and examples of Christ gives us practical ways to serve our community and world. While serving others is key, we must not forget the mission behind the method. We must not stop short of sharing Christ (evangelism) and helping those around us to nurture their relationship with Him (discipleship). Service, evangelism, and discipleship are all components of our responsibility as servants of God.
So this month, I encourage you to consider how you serve those around you, as well as how you share Jesus to the people you encounter. Do your efforts interlink, or is there a disconnect? If you enjoy service, do you just assume that evangelism and discipleship will be taken care of by someone else? If you enjoy evangelism or discipleship, do you assume that someone else will meet the human needs of those you seek to teach about Jesus?
Perhaps you are already doing all three - kudos to you! However, if you're like most of us, it takes us out of our comfort zone to meet both physical needs and to share the Gospel. So my appeal to you today is to spend a moment to personally reflect, to step out of your comfort zone, and to ask God to give you wisdom and courage to serve, teach, and love each and every person whom you encounter. Together - through the love and power of Jesus - we are preparing, planting, and cultivating seeds for the Kingdom! May our lives represent Christ's method alone! —Tim Kosaka
EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY
NEW AYP CHAPTERS IN TEXAS!
We’re excited to share that AYP now has chapters in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin - making Texas the first state with four AYP chapters and making a local AYP presence accessible to the majority of Texans!
I invite you to join the WhatsApp chat for the chapter nearest you and ask that you help us spread the word with your friends across Texas!
If you are interested in volunteering with one of these chapters by either planning events/gatherings, helping with communications, or supporting in another way, please email Mechee.Cherine@AYP.me or visit AYP.me/apply!
FIND YOUR PEOPLE: LAUNCH AN OPEN TABLE
The new year is a great time to share meals with new acquaintances, family, and friends. Put what you’ve learned from our “Growing Together” series into practice, by launching an “Open Table,” this new season. Click the above icon for a “how to host guide booklet.” Pray and plan, and begin this year meeting with old friends and making new ones.
AYP VIRTUAL PRAYER ROOM
Adventist Young Professionals recently launched a virtual group called Prayer Room to foster daily growth and restoration with God through Christ-centered friendships.
The Prayer Room group is led by Josue Hernandez, an aspiring architect, who looks forward to growing this space of growth for fellow Adventist professionals.
To join and stay up to date on the group's gatherings, visit AYP.me/groups
ATTENTION ALL COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
We’re looking to connect with all our college and university students! Click the above icon to submit your contact information so that we might include you in care package projects and other efforts to minister to you no matter where you are going to school. Go to tiny.one/YGstudent to submit your info.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!
No doubt work consumes a lot of your focus and energies. Our hope is you will find at @ygchurch meaningful relationships, inspiration, and refreshment for your spirit. Our desire is for you to experience a sense of belonging with us; That you will find your purpose affirmed here; That you will discover more fully your identity in Christ. We think of you as family and hope you will discover in us a place you can call home.
ARE YOU A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL? ARE YOU AN ADVENTIST?
If the answer is yes and yes, we would love for you to join Adventist Young Professionals! Membership is free.
RIGHTNOW MEDIA VIRTUAL LIBRARY
As a YGer you have access to RightNow Media—the world’s largest streaming library of video Bible study resources. This extensive library has more than 20,000 videos from leaders like Francis Chan, Jennie Allen, Matt Chandler, Dr. Tony Evans, and many more. These Bible study videos can be used as part of a group study or for personal devotions, and many series include free discussion guides and handouts.
RightNow Media has videos for everyone in your family on a variety of topics like marriage, parenting, personal finances, mental health, and more. There’s even a library just for kids with over 2,000 safe, entertaining videos. Click the above icon or click here to gain access to our digital library!
INSPIRE HOPE // SHARE GRACE
REVIVE COMMUNITY CARE: WE ARE HERE TO HELP EACH OTHER
Inspire those around you with the hope of grace by volunteering with Revive Community Care! Participate and refer those in need, revivecommunitycare.com
REGARDING COACH MURRAY
[a message from Alexandria Martin]
Coach Murray’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. We’re reaching out to his students and athletes to collect videos, reminiscing on the meaningful times and fun memories we’ve shared with Coach!
If you’re willing to contribute to this project, here is what you can do:
1. Submit a video with one word that describes Coach (we will use these snipets to create a montage)
2. Submit a video retelling a time/experience with Coach that you think will make him laugh and/or exemplify how he impacted your life (ie. Getting benched, practical jokes, bible class discussions, wisdom he shared with you, how you are better because of knowing him, a time he came through for you, etc.)
3. Forward this message to anyone who knows and loves Coach so they can contribute as well.
4.. Reach out if you are willing to help assemble the overall video. We could us the extra hands.
We want this video to make Coach Murray smile and also remind him of the incredible impact he has made on us all, so have fun with it! Our project is time sensitive, so please send all submission to the link below by the end of next week (February 17).
Click icon above for submission link: Coach Murray Project
*Please submit all videos in horizontal/landscape format for editing purposes.
Thanks for taking the time to show our Coach some extra love. He is one in a million and we know this will fill his heart, especially during this difficult time.
MAKE AN IMPACT ON WOMEN’S HEALTH
I am so excited and honored to share that I have been nominated to be a Woman of Impact for the American Heart Association of Tarrant County's Go Red for Women Campaign! Through this campaign my goal is to support and advocate for the mission of the AHA in building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
We all know someone who has been affected by heart disease. I was shocked to find that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States – or about 1 in every 3 female deaths. After learning that statistic, I was excited to find a way to positively impact women's health.
This is an excellent opportunity to make a difference and help raise awareness for women's health. My goal is to raise $50,000 between February 3rd and April 6th. As today is National Wear Red Day, I encourage you to feel inspired to raise awareness and support the fight against heart disease.
Please support me in my efforts to raise awareness and make an impact on women's health: http://www2.heart.org/goto/johnson_penny —Penny Johnson
GOT AN IDEA FOR SHARING JESUS AND HIS LOVE?
We are stoked for 2023 and all the creative ways you may have in mind for outreach, evangelism, and sharing GOD’s love. Click the above icon and submit your idea to YG Shark Tank.
TEXAS YOUNG ADULTS
Young Texas Adventists provides great ministry support to young adults including young professionals. Pastor Justin Yang is available to speak, train, and resource you and your peers. He also publishes a regular newsletter filled with coming events and relevant resources.
Click the above icon for the Texas Young Adult website. Click the below icon for the newsletter link.
YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES @YGCHURCH GROW, GLOW, & GO
We invite you to support @ygchurch financially. As you bless YG, our young adults overflow that blessing into our community and into the world. Your tax-deductible donation helps YG grow, glow, and go. Thank you. Click the above icon or here for ways to give.
How does your support overflow into the world? Click here for @ygchurch stories of overflow.
GRATITUDE
GODENCOUNTERS: METAMORPHOSIS
Thanks to everyone who joined us and all who participated in our GODencounters Conference this year! What a powerful time. If you have interest in sharing or revisiting the sessions and resources, click the icon above or go to YGLIFE’s linktree. https://linktr.ee/yglife
WELCOME YG WORSHIP DIRECTOR DANIEL HENRIQUEZ
We’re thrilled to have @hdaniel1196 join @ygchurch as Worship Director! Here’s a word from him:
“Hey everyone! My name is Daniel Henriquez. I’m currently in school studying to become a Physical Therapy Assistant, but in my free time I love to do music. I’m part of the band Contagious Faith and have played for / directed the music for various churches over the last few years. Honored to serve as YG’s worship director, and I’m excited to see what’s the Lord had in store for us in this new season.”
Be sure to congratulate Daniel in this new leadership role! #BeJesus #BeYG
YG MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS INTERN: DIEGO COELLO
We are delighted to have Diego Conello serving as @ygchurch media and communications intern. Here’s a word from him:
Hi there! My name is Diego, I go to Southwestern Adventist University and am studying Communications with a minor in Marketing. Some of you might know me since my step-dad, Pastor Josh Murillo, used to minister here. Some things I love are a good book or enjoying a good movie.
Younger Generation Church is the vibrant young adult ministry of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church. YG's mission is to deepen our devotion to Christ Jesus through:
• Pursuing INTIMACY with God
• Experiencing COMMUNITY with each other
• Inspiring those around us with the hope of GRACE