WHY AXIS?
Axis exists to support you & your family in your
relationship with Jesus, walk alongside you as you grow deeper in faith, as
well as keep & affirm the baptismal promises.
WHAT DOES AXIS DO?
Axis is a time for families to question, learn about,
listen to, & watch for God’s action in life & in the world. We spend
our time exploring & practicing the basics of what it means to be people of
faith. A key component of this ministry is equipping families with ideas &
practices that can be used at home & on your own to connect faith to
everyday life.
Grow Deep: We look at the
stories of God’s relationship with people in the Bible, learn about their
context & apply what we can to our lives today. As we read, we seek to find
our place in the story & discover our identity in Christ as children of
God. We also explore our Lutheran traditions & seek to find out what being
“saved by grace through faith” means in our lives.
Reach Out: We put our
faith into action by serving throughout our communities & right here at
Prince of Peace.
When &
Where: We meet on Wednesday nights
from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. You live it
out every day at home & in daily life. Our gatherings involve large group
& small group settings, parent conversations, & seasonal one-to-one
mentoring*.
Connect & Communicate
Sunday worship: 9:30am, in
person & online (see website below).
Various events/opportunities
throughout the year plus camp opportunities in the summer.
Brent – brenth@princeofpeacechurch.org,
763-560-8958 (office), 763-744-7369 (mobile)
Website – www.princeofpeacechurch.org
– Useful for E-News, Podcast & Devos.
Popyfm.blogspot.com – Weekly
discussion & activity outlines & archive for shared resources
Facebook.com/PoPGrowReach
(all church), the Axis group page for parents is “Axis @ POP”
Instagram @PoPGrowReach, @POPyouthfamily
Why & How We Do What We Do
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our
God, the Lord is
one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them
on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along
the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8 Tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on
the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Proverbs 22:6 Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
Vibrant Faith Frame
Source: Vibrant Faith Ministries. www.Vibrantfaith.org
FIVE PRINCIPLES For Living And Passing On Faith
1.
Faith is formed by the power of the
Holy Spirit and nurtured through personal, trusted relationships - often in our
own homes.
2.
The church is a living partnership
between the ministry of the congregation and ministry of the home.
3.
Where Christ is present in faith, the
home is church too.
4.
Faith is caught more than it is taught.
5. If
we want faithful children and youth, we need faithful adults.
FOUR KEYS For Practicing Faith
1.
Caring Conversations
2.
Devotions
3.
Service
4. Rituals
and Traditions
THREE CHARACTERISTICS For Faithful Adults/Leaders
1.
Authentic
2.
Available
3. Affirming
Axis Expectations for Parents/Guardians
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get
up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your
foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your
gates. –Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Scripture, research, & experience tell us that the home is the key element in faith
formation. We believe that parents/guardians
& other caring adults are integral to young peoples’ faith lives. At Prince of Peace, we want to partner with
you in fulfilling this command & your baptismal promises. With this belief we ask for the following:
·
Live it. Research & experience
tell us that the best indicator of what a child’s faith life will be like when
they are grown, is the faith life of their parents/guardians. As parents &
caring adults, you will have a much greater influence on your child’s faith
life than our ministries here at Prince of Peace. That is why it is our goal,
in the 1 or 2 hours a week (think how little that is!) we
have you at church, to fuel the life of faith you live out every day at home
& in the world. The two biggest
things we can recommend are worshipping together & practicing the FAITH5 at
home, www.faith5.org
·
Worship With Us. One of the best things you
can do for your family is make worshiping together a top priority! Whether that’s
in person or online (yes you can even watch on your own time!). There is always
a fresh word for us and the experience of being together in community can’t
fully be put into words. If you need to be an active participant, just ask! There
are many ways to contribute to the worship experience/Sunday mornings here at
POP.
·
Serve. Individually & as
a Family. Church strives to be an equal playing field.
Together we all help build the strength of our ministries & congregational
life. Opportunities vary in time &
commitment levels, find the one that’s right for you! In addition, POP always has opportunities for
your family to spend time together reaching out in our community. Get to know
our outreach opportunies; see
www.princeofpeacechurch.org/reach-out/local
·
Utilize Our Resources. Each week you will receive information on
what we’ll be talking about in Axis along with conversation starters to use
with your kids. Make sure you also receive POP E-news emails (i.e. podcast
& devotions). Additional resources can be found at popyfm.blogspot.com. We
also encourage all members to look into joining a GroupLife small group. Finally,
if there’s something you would find helpful but don’t see, let us know!
·
Communicate & Stay
Informed. We always extend grace &
we appreciate your grace in return whenever reality does not meet our
expectations or assumptions. You are
the expert on your family. If there is ever something going on you need to talk
about, or feel we should know, or would like prayer for, do not hesitate to
contact Brent or a staff member. We are your church & we’re here for you!
If your child will be absent for a Wednesday night or event, please notify your
child’s Guide or Brent a.s.a.p. Likewise, we commit to communicating with you.
All pertinent information is made available as needed & in numerous formats.
If you’re not seeing something you can always ask!
Axis
Expectations for Youth
·
Be Present. Participate fully in Wednesday evening
gatherings (large group, small group, at home activities). Come with an open
mind, open heart, & a good attitude!
In case of an
absence, please notify Brent or your Guide ASAP before Axis. Coming to special events is
encouraged but not required (but you’re going to want to!). *NO PHONES during Axis please.
**Cancellation
policy: In case of inclement weather, a
decision to cancel will be made by 4:00pm.
The announcement will be sent by
email & posted to our social media networks. Guides also have the option to
notify their small group members.
·
Worship With Us. As people of faith,
worship is our top priority. We encourage
you to worship together as often as you’re able. Whether that’s in person or
online (yes you can even watch on your own time!). There is always a fresh word
for us and the experience of being together in community can’t fully be put
into words. If you need to be an active participant, just ask! There are many
ways to contribute to the worship experience/Sunday mornings here at POP.
·
Acts of Service: Jesus calls us to love God & love others.
Acts of service may be done in the community&/or Prince of Peace. Acts of
service are things you do NOT get paid for & aren’t for your immediate family.
We provide many opportunities to serve.
·
Try a Camp: We ask for this because we know how much a
camp experience can impact & enrich your spiritual life! 1st & 2nd Years may
go to Wapo, while 3rd Years are encouraged to try Wilderness Canoe
Base. We usually attend camp at the end of July/beginning of August. Oh,
friends are always welcome to attend camp! Learn more about camp, www.campwapo.org. We recognize that camps
can cost a significant amount. We do our best to offer fundraising
opportunities and when needed can look into partial or full scholarship
options.
·
Tell your Faith Story. After your third & final year in Axis, we
ask you to share your faith journey & experiences so far in a written
account. Outlines & mentoring will
be provided.
·
Participate in the
Affirmation of Baptism Milestone: This will take place after your third year of Axis
on Baptism of Our Lord Sunday (typically early January). Youth intending to
affirm their baptisms are expected to have a faith talk with Brent or a pastor.
We also hold a celebration banquet leading up to the Affirmation of Baptism
ceremony. This is not a requirement
but a milestone for those that feel it is right for them.
*About
Mentoring:
Each year
during Lent (late winter/spring), our Axis kids partner up with a caring adult
for intentional 1-1 conversations on life and faith using a guide based on our
Lent theme. As we state at the beginning of Axis every year, we believe
that relationships are essential to our faith journey. Mentoring
is one of the ways through which we add to these relationships.
The goal
of mentoring is to give our young people just one more faith-centered adult in
their life with whom they can connect. To put it another way, we want to
empower and equip intentional, life-affirming, faith-nurturing relationships in
our young peoples’ lives. It is our intention that once kids get a mentor in
their first year of Axis, they will keep that mentor each year and hopefully
stay in touch well into the future!
Mentoring
sessions happen Wednesdays during Lent, 6:30-7:00. At 7:00 kids are required
to attend the Lent worship services with you and/or their mentors.
Services go until around 7:45, so
this is the same timeframe as our regular Axis nights.
Mentoring sessions begin on Ash Wednesday
and go through the week before Holy Week. See your Axis calendar for dates.
Eligible mentors would be:
Any trusted, caring adult or
congregation member that is NOT their parent, small group guide or staff
member*. It is our hope that kids keep the
same mentor throughout Axis.
Ideas for mentors:
Godparents
Extended family member
A small group member’s/friend’s
parent
Another caring adult you know from
church
Teacher/Coach
If your
son/daughter feels a special connection with a staff member or wants to ask a
high school’er to be their mentor, they must ask Brent first. We have
great staff and high school kids, but we just need to double check that this
would be a good fit.
Please notify the person your child picks
that all mentors must be approved of, background checked, and child-safety
trained. We will provide mentor training sessions.
If you have any questions, or
once your child has found/reconnected with a mentor, please contact Brent to
confirm.
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