Plant Fundraiser!

As part of our HistoryMaker Fundraising, Arise Youth is going to do a plant fundraiser!

The North Island, particularly Port Hardy, does not have many easily accessible options for quality plants, so we see this as a good opportunity to provide quality products to a wide market. We have selected DeVry Greenhouses Ltd. and are excited about their partnership with non-profit organizations in fundraising. They have made plant fundraising as easy and stress-free as they can and provide many resources for organizations to have as successful fundraiser as possible. They are providing six options for customers to order from: 12″ premium hanging basket; 12″ premium patio planter; 12″ decorative tomato plant with cage; 10-pack of 4.5″ zonal geraniums; 10-pack of herbs and strawberries; and 10-pack of 4.5″ marigold or petunias.

We are excited about this fundraiser as we have planned it to line up with Mother’s Day. These plants will be a fresh infusion into the North Island market and will provide customers with a wider base to choose from when selecting Mother’s Day gifts, among other relevant celebrations.

We are also excited about the value of each item we will be selling. As we are going with the suggested retail price, we will be offering the products to the customers at a competitive price. For example, one 10-pack of geraniums will be sold $30, which means that the customers are getting very good quality plants at $3.00 each. Or a 10-pack of petunias, sold at $25.00, means that customers get a petunia for $2.50 each. The premium hanging basket is being sold at $30.00 each, compared to hanging baskets sold in Port Hardy are usually at least $10 more.

Our profit will be between $5.35 and $8.40 on each item sold, and because DeVry offers free delivery with one cart of product (approximately 30 12″ products or 60 flat products, or a combination of both), we will be able to both offer good quality products to our customers and make a reasonable profit.

Our official Plant Fundraiser launch date is March 9. Order forms and money will be collected six weeks later, on April 20th. Delivery date of the plants is May 8 and pickup of plants is May 9.

We are thrilled to be taking up this fundraiser and hope that you partner with us!

 

Thank you,

 

Pastor Sharon

 

March Calendar of Events!

March 9:
Plant Fundraiser Launch

March 9-15 (possibly till the 18th): 
Sharon away for Discovery Days, Conference on the Ministry, and possibly ministering with Pastors George and Karen the weekend of 16th-18th

March 16:
St Pat’s Day Theme @ Youth! (Everything Green!)

March 17:
Put up posters and door hangers for upcoming bottle drive

March 24:
Bottle Drive!

March 25:
Sharon & Youth Volunteers running Sunday School

March 30:
1:30pm: Kitchen Prep Crew (“Peelin’ Posse”) to help Pastor George prep for Chamber Gala
5:45pm: Leave Providence Place (and beach area) for Youth Triport in Port McNeill

March 31:
Chamber Gala (youth fundraiser – youth are bussing!)

 

Whew… busy time! More to come on the individual events.

Unusual Favour

Last night at prayer, Pastor George was encouraging us to be praying for the River Church team at the upcoming Father’s Heart conference. Every time we walk by them, stop and pray for them. What’s more, give them prophetic words.

“As you’re walking by them, passing them in the hall, just say to them, ‘Hey, I’ve got a word for you.’ Even if you don’t have one when you say it, because God is going to give you one.” He was pointing to me and saying it to me, as an example.

So I cheekily said, “So? What’s the word? You said you had a word for me. What’s the word?”

God is so good. George gets a word for me, and he says, “Unusual favour. Favour from places you don’t even expect. We’re going to have to use most of the church on Friday nights because there’s going to be so many youth here.” He said a couple other things and they prayed over me, and then PG went on to prophesy over other people. (If you don’t come to prayer nights on Tuesdays, do, because they’re awesome!)

I want to share some other words that I have gotten over the youth ministry.

The first one I got before I moved up here. It’s about the church/people in general but also over the youth.

Joshua 1:6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.”

From the beginning, I’ve been mandated to lead the people to inherit the land. The land was promised to their forefathers; God has a covenant with them. My job is to equip them and lead them into their inheritance. I see that as reclamation of the town, Port Hardy, to see people saved, but for me to lead and equip people to see the town saved. I’m not the one saving the town; it is the people’s inheritance. I also see this as all the personal spiritual inheritance God has for them. What does God have for the youth? I merely plough the way for them to inherit what God has already said is theirs.

This goes hand-in-hand with the picture or vision that God gave me shortly after I came here. I was praying for the youth, and I saw the streets of Port Hardy flooded with the impact of the youth. Not flooded with youth, but with the impact of the youth. They are going to have an impact on this town, and not in any small way.

Another word I received was just before our conference room/sanctuary got all the work done on it or carpets laid and stuff. I was sitting at the piano, in the dark, feeling a little discouraged about things. Someone came in and was telling another person about the outpouring that had happened among the youth several years ago (they didn’t see me). In my heart I despaired, and asked God how I could ever attain what had happened then. And God spoke to me, and said, “What’s coming is greater than what happened.” Please don’t think this is me. I could be replaced by any Jane or John Doe and God would still do what God is going to do, because He’s God. The point is, God’s going to pour out on the youth in a huge way.

God gave another word to someone else. While we were praying over some youth, she had this picture of eggs in a basket. She turned to me with an amazed look and said that leaders such as this calibre are few and far between, usually scattered all over the world. But God has gathered phenomenal leaders together in these youth. These youth are phenomenal leaders, and they’re all together in this place!

I know that this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as words over the youth go. But I just wanted to share some that God has given since I’ve been here. Just be prepared for (and be praying into) the incredible things that God is going to do in and through the youth!

 

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon

 

Letter to Parents #2 – HM12 Fundraising

Sent out on Friday, February 3, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians!

As you may know, HistoryMaker 2012 is coming up! It is happening May 18-21. This is a wonderful event where teens from all over BC and the Yukon come together for a weekend of excitement, inspiration, and growth. Many lives, including my own, have been changed over the years at previous HM weekends. I am excited to present the opportunity again for Arise Youth (Port Hardy Christian Fellowship) to experience what’s sure to be a life-changing event.

Because the event is located in Abbotsford and spans the four-day weekend, the overall costs (including travel, food, etc) is high! But because we want as many youth to be included on this trip, we are again embarking on a journey of fundraising between now and May, in order that your costs as parents/guardians are as low as possible.

I am pleased to inform you that we will be partnering with Bethel Church in Mission City, who has opened their church to our group for the weekend, allowing us to “camp” in their facilities at no charge, and has also allowed us to use their kitchen for food preparation. We will be making our breakfast there, as well as being able to put together bag lunches for the group. This will save us costs of accommodations and will hopefully be able to cut down on food costs for the weekend. The only downside are no on-site showers, but there is a recreational centre located a block and a half away, including a swimming pool. For a minimal fee, this will not only be a shower facility but also an opportunity for our group to go swimming!

 At current estimates, not including registration, the cost for each student is at least $255 (ferry, gas, food, leader costs). As more students sign up making the numbers more solid, we will be sending out an updated cost.

This year, we are not including registration fees in our fundraising efforts. Each student is responsible for coming up with their registration fee. Registration tickets will only be bought when the money is handed in. Thankfully, the HM registration costs were lowered this year: Early Bird registration, which lasts until March 31, is only $88.12, and after that, the regular registration fee kicks in at $110. Tickets bought at the door will be $135.

I invite you as parents and guardians of your student to get involved in the fundraising process (we are more than happy to have all the help we can get in lowering costs!), and ask for your partnership in encouraging the students to actively participate in the fundraising events!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at Port Hardy Christian Fellowship (250-949-6466) or on my cell phone (250 230 2972).

 

I am looking forward to the journey ahead!

Thank you,

 

Sharon Lee
Youth Pastor
Port Hardy Christian Fellowship

 

 

 

Letter to Parents – HM12

Dear Parent/Guardian:

HistoryMaker 2012 is on its way! Last year we had an incredible, life changing experience at HM11. It was a time of bonding, excitement, humour, and adventure as we gathered with students not only from the North Island but also from across the BC/Yukon district.

HistoryMaker is an annual non-denominational youth conference hosted by Next Generation Ministries of the BC/Yukon Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Drawing thousands of students from across the district, is a time for students to experience Jesus in a youth-focussed atmosphere. There are morning and evening General Sessions with live bands and guest speakers; concerts on Friday evening and throughout Saturday afternoon, as well as workshops that the students can attend that are directed toward addressing topics relevant to youth. This year boasts an exciting array of guest speakers and bands, including returning Leeland, as well as Jake Hamilton from Redding, California, and guest speaker Sonya Balmores from the movie Soul Surfer.

HM12 is happening on May 18-21 and is located again at the Abbotsford Entertainment Centre. We will be staying at Bethel Pentecostal Church in Mission, a ten minute drive from the venue site.

This year HM12 is offering an early bird registration fee of $88.12 that lasts until March 31^st. After that, regular registration is approximately $110, and at the door it is $135. Each student’s ticket won’t be bought until the fee is handed in, so get it in quick to get the most savings!

We will be doing fundraising for costs such as transportation, etc. We’ll be starting that shortly and we will be letting you know as soon as we can. If you would like to help in any of the fundraising initiatives, or if you have any questions, please feel free to call me at either of the below numbers.

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon Lee
Port Hardy Christian Fellowship
250 949 6466
250 230 2972

Our DNA

“John Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked! 

Dr. Ian Malcom: But, John. If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists. “

You have probably seen it: terrified scientists running for their lives as they scramble to get the experimental theme park operational again before they succumb to the appetites of the escaped genetically engineered dinosaurs. You know what I’m talking about. Jurassic Park, the 1993 blockbuster with the star cast and the state-of-the-art special effects. You remember: the ill-fated motorized car tour; the distant roars that heralded the several close encounters with the mighty T-Rex; the adrenaline-inducing escapes from the screeching, claw-tapping “clever girls”, the Velociraptors. Frightening small children and thrilling adults, this movie forever imprinted itself into the minds and imaginations of the Western world.

But Jurassic Park, at its heart, wasn’t about the man-eating dinosaurs. It was about the DNA. Without the DNA – the millennia-old blue-prints caught in the bowels of amber-trapped mosquitos –  there would have been nothing. No dinos, no car chases, no story.

You see, the DNA was the key to the entire endeavour because it held the template for what each creature would be. It determined the scope of what each creature was: the physical characteristics and attributes; the diet; the predispositions of temperament, activity, and interaction with other creatures. In short, the DNA expressed the purpose of each creature.

Each individual dinosaur had the ability to choose where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do, which other dinosaurs to associate with (and whether or not they wanted to eat them), but they always made choices true to what they were. A T-Rex would not have eaten vegetation alongside the Triceratops. And the Triceratops would not have hunted small children in stainless-steel kitchens along with the ‘Raptors. It wasn’t what they were.

This was consistent of each creature whatever their stage of development; whether egg, adolescent, or adult. At any stage, the dinosaurs could be broken down to the chemical level and the same DNA sequence would be there.

Arise Youth Ministry has a DNA. It has a purpose, a heartbeat, a scope of potential that, unleashed, will effect life-transforming change. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be discussing with the students what that DNA is and what each component means and how it affects them. I will be discussing with them how we can be purposeful as individuals and as a group to be consistent with and true to our DNA in every activity that we engage in.

So what’s our DNA? Here’s a short overview:

1. Meet with God.

This is our primary purpose. Everything flows from this because God is the one in whom is transformational love, joy, purpose, and life in all its abundant fullness. To meet with Jesus our Saviour, know the goodness of God our Father, and walk in the power and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We will seek to create and maintain an atmosphere where we can encounter God, and equip each student to create that atmosphere in their individual and daily lives.

2. Discover and develop who God has made you.

The Bible says that God has made each person unique and that He has a superb plan and purpose for each person’s life. We will seek to discover God’s promises for each student; discover and celebrate the uniqueness of each person in an atmosphere of honour and respect; we will seek to develop each person’s skills, abilities, gifts, and all facets of the amazing person God has created them to be; and we will seek to equip each student to walk in the freedom of God’s awesome purpose for them. We will also seek to live out the plan and calling that God has put on Arise Youth, as a specific group within the context of the North Island, as well as within the context of Port Hardy Christian Fellowship and the worldwide church as a whole.

3. Show God to others.

Every person in the world needs to know about God. Every individual needs the opportunity to discover and experience relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Every individual needs the opportunity to discover and develop the uniqueness of how God has made them. We will seek to show the characteristics and love of God to others through our lifestyle and attitude of love towards every person in our sphere of influence. Whether that is through acts of service such as park cleanups or community volunteering, outreach oriented activities, fundraising events, or hanging out, we will seek to display respect, honour, love, and other qualities that will express the heart of God and positively represent Him.

And of course, all of it will be done with FUN!!!!

So with everything that we do, we are going to ask three questions: Is this meeting one or more of our purposes? Are we having fun? And if the answer is no to either question, how can we change that?