There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon as we plan to open the new student center this August.  Our student ministry team is working hard to think and dream about the future of Jr. High and High School ministry at West Side and we need your help.  We want to make sure that our efforts go toward things that will best equip you and your family to thrive at West Side.

Parents, please take 10 minutes and complete this short Parent Survey. Your feedback will help us greatly as we move forward into the new year!

Students, we’ll be asking you to fill out a paper copy in the next week or two but if you miss it or would prefer to do it now, you can complete our online Student Survey  instead.

Thanks for helping us take West Side Student Ministries to the next level in 2012!

We’re proud to welcome the entire West Side Family Sunday, March 11^th at 6:00pm in Studio 1 for a national simulcast of the documentary, “Love Costs Everything”, featuring internationally acclaimed author, Francis Chan and real-life stories of the world-wide persecuted church. Due to intense subject matter, we suggest those attending to be Jr. High and older. To preview the trailer and register, visit wschurch.org/lovecostseverything

Contact Josh here for any questions you might have regarding this event.

On Sunday, March 25 from 4:00-5:30pm the entire West Side family is invited to a unique prayer & worship event to dedicate our new Student Center.  Come see a sneak peek of the building, worship with us and pray for the building, the students and the lives that will be changed in this amazing new ministry space!

If you missed it a few months back, you can find out more about what we’re planning for the Student Center and even see a live feed of construction progress online now.

That’s right, as we do every February, Fusion’s taking off the gloves and talking about what really goes into a relationship. Join us for the first three weeks in February as we dive into the kinds of relationships that the Bible is calling us to have. We’ll answer questions like:

- Why do girls walk around in packs? (They’re secretly wolves)

- Why do guys insist that Axe Body Spray smells good? (Insider secret: Guys can’t actually smell anything)

- And, just what kind of relationship is the Bible calling me to have?

We’ll have one week focusing on guys, another on girls, and another week with two very special guests… Everyone is invited to all three weeks, we’d love to see you there.

Just remember, if you need a really awkward first date, Fusion might be just the place for you.

There’s something new happening everyday during this phase of construction and we would love for you to join us in prayer for specific things that are happening. Find a worker and pray for them, pray for the ministry that will be done in this space, pray for the conversation that will happen as a result of this construction. Sure, it’s fun to watch progress, but we’d love it if you could join us in prayer for this space.

For your convenience, we’ve created an icon that will float on the left side of our site. Visit daily, spread the word, and continue to pray during this construction phase.

Mostly importantly, we’d be nowhere without our fantastic IT Team that made this technology possible. They tried to explain how it works, but it’s really complicated.

As promised, here are a few links to the reading plans I spoke about on Sunday. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or a beginner, read everything twice or haven’t picked up a Bible in awhile. These reading plans are for everybody. Find one that’s your speed and that interests you and get into the word.

Bible Reading Plans of all Kinds

Need to Carry your Reading Plan on your phone? Easy-Peasy

Click here to sign up for Fusion’s 411

Need to Email Josh? Here’s the place.

Sign-Ups for the Parent/Student Connection? (There’s a signup on the left)

Josh Ryder’s Facebook Profile and Twitter Page,let’s get social-media’ed!

Finally, want to be part of Fusion’s Text Updates? Here’s an easy place to sign up.

On Thursday, July 7 from 6:30-8:30PM the Fireside Café will be hosting a game night for families. Come out and bring your favorite game or come play one of the ones we’ll have out. Play as a family or come and challenge another family to a competition. While you’re there get some fun food and drinks. All paninis & drinks will be buy 2 get 1 free!

If one of our goals it to bridge students from student ministry into the church body as a whole, there must be a bridge. In order to address this growing trend and to more effectively develop spiritual champions who will love Christ and His Church for life, we’re making two significant changes to Sunday morning Fusion.

Sunday Serve

One Sunday a month we’ll be changing Fusion, our Sunday morning program, and venturing out into the church to serve in West Side.

We’ll be traveling in a few different directions to supply our students with the chance to serve where they are interested. Our service mornings will now contain more freedom, flexibility, and responsibility for students. We want to see our students serve in Family ministry, the Fireside Café, in Adult Worship; anywhere they feel passionate about serving. This provides students with an opportunity to develop a love for Christ and his larger church, to develop a passion to serve, and integrate into a church that doesn’t circulate around them. Maybe best of all, it allows them to serve with some amazing adults who can demonstrate what it looks like to love your church and serve in it.

Adult Worship Attendance

Secondly, we’ll plan to attend the 11:30 service together on a monthly basis. Hopefully, many of your students already attend adult worship but we’ve found that nearly half of kids don’t. This has the potential to be a great shift in focus for our students. Attending the fourth service allows students to see the larger church in action, to join in with the larger mission of the church. We want to teach students how to be part of a church, not just part of youth group.

Our target to roll this transition out is in September. We hope that you’ll partner with us as we move our High School program closer to creating students with a lifelong love for service and worship. If you have any questions, let me know and I’d be happy to connect with you.