Update From My Wife

From Karen Forman
Just wanted to give a quick update on what God has been doing at the ROCK. We have been so blessed watching these lives change and I do mean changed. We had some students that have become very special to our hearts (well they all are but these are bonding with us). They are students that we never thought we would see breakthroughs in. Two of the boys that seem to be there every time the doors are opened, we have started seeing huge changes in their lives. These two young men would never say please and thank you when they first came. We have spent months of working on this and now we are seeing the fruit of our labor. Not only are they saying please and thank you they are holding others accountable to do so also. One of the young men came in last Friday night and handed me $5.00. He said “Miss Karen, when you order pizza tonight can you order a whole one for me.” We order pizza on Friday and Saturday nights and sell them for $1.00 a slice, we get the pizzas for $5.00 a pie. This is one of our students they comes in free and does a chore to do so on Friday and Saturday nights, so of course I asked him where he got the money…. He then told me that he had a teacher (which we verified ) that has started giving him 50 cents for every green mark he gets in all of his classes. He got paid last Friday and had $5.00. I ordered him a pizza and watched in amazement when the pizza came in and he gave every slice away to others who had no pizza. We give him a free slice for work he does around the ROCK and he gave all his pizza away and ate the free slice we give him. We have been trying to teach him and his brother the principle of giving a receiving. We wonder sometimes if it ever sinks in. It was so beautiful to see God at work in his little life!!! This was one of our hard core students he was constantly in trouble every where!

We were very blessed to have our son Joey and 3 guys who are in a class with him come down from Nashville Tennessee while Howard was recovering from surgery. They came down and taught on Thursday night and had games and things for the students. They then stayed on Friday and Saturday night and played games with the students and danced with the students and shared their lives with them. Joey taught on Thursday night about TRUTH and told them that everything in God’s Word is true. He challenged them that if they had any questions about the Bible to come back on Friday or Saturday night and ask him and he would show them the answer the Bible. Well don’t you know that on Friday night one of the students we have been pouring into (remember the boy who I shared at Christmas had nothing) came in and said to me “where is your son? I said he is here tonight and this young man said well I have a question for him – I want to know how you know you are really going to heaven). WOW!!!!!!! did that open a huge door! I took him to Joey and Joey was able to sit down with him and get in the Word with him and show him scriptures…. The boy told him – I know about Matthew in the Bible. Because the men working here gave me a Bible and I have been reading it when I get bored and i keep on reading Matthew. The men had given him one of the Bibles that had been purchased for the ROCK and they are simple new testaments with real life testimonies of folks in between each chapter. Matthew is the first chapter so I guess he has been reading it over and over. How neat to see that the Bibles we have given out are being used! Well Howard and I were at the ROCK on the next Sunday cleaning up after a party that had rented out the ROCK for the day. Don’t you know this boy came by knocking on the door. I opened the door and said you know the ROCK is closed today and we are just here cleaning. He said to me I know I want to help you clean – can I help you? We let him in and he helped take the trash out and clean up. I asked him did he get his answer to his question on Friday night and he said yes and started singing a little chorus – “Chad’s going to heaven, Chad’s going to heaven”. It was so beautiful to hear those words coming from his heart! Go God!!!

Our youngest son was having a birthday and through all of this he has sacrificed a lot for us to be able to spend the time we do at the ROCK. He has donated game systems, games and even let the ROCK use his drums. He was born on superbowl Sunday and had always been called a superbowl baby. We let him have a birthday/superbowl party there this past weekend. In planning for it he asked us if he could invite 4 of the young guys we have been working with. We said Jake this is your party and you don’t have to include the ROCK students. He said to us but I have grown to love them and they never get to come to a regular birthday party and I want them to come. Jake had his friends there and also his 4 new friends. They had so much fun. They didn’t just dig into the food, they asked us to fix their plates – it was so obvious this was not something they were use to. At the end of the night when everyone had left the boys were still there (of course – they needed a ride home). It was so God ordained. They asked Howard to help them with their myspace. They said there lives had changed and they didn’t want to show gang stuff on their myspace. They all had made their myspace look like they were in gangs. They had gang pictures showing them to be in the “Lacy Street” gang and symbols on there not to mention the ugly songs that were on there. Howard pulled out our camera took all new pictures of the boys and one by one helped them clean up their my space. PRAISE GOD!!! They no longer have the gang representation on there. Even during something that wasn’t suppose to be a ROCK sponsored function – God still got to work.

Last Thursday night my father taught at the ROCK. He has taught once before and the students love him. He hangs out with us on Thursday nights and ministers to the students. He taught on I AM – who God is. 10 students were saved that night and 6 made decisions to turn their lives around. When Pop teaches you can hear a pin drop – it is like there is a sense of respect there that is incredible.

Remember the 3 guitars I told you that were donated in December to the ROCK from Werner Brothers in Nashville for guitar lessons – well here’s an update on that – Howard went over to the Guitar Discount place around the corner from the ROCK to see if there was anyone who could teach guitar lessons. The man ended up telling Howard that for every trade in he gets that he wanted to donated the trade in to the ROCK – warning that it doesn’t happen often. Well we now have 5 acoustical guitars and 2 electric to learn on. The man walked the guitars over with Howard to the ROCK and said you know it is a funny thing – I very rarely have trade ins and this week I have had so many. They both laughed and said I guess God is at work! This nice Christian man from The Dwelling Place Church has also offered to re-string any guitars of students who have their own and want to take lessons. From what I understand on Tuesday afternoon this week there were 3 young students in his center getting their guitars re-strung getting ready for Thursday lessons. We have a nice man from Saint Anna’s Catholic church who has offered to teach lessons every Thursday afternoon before the ROCK opens. He has made up 12 packets with lessons in it and has got everything ready for the first class that begins today. This man is retired and has come and visited with us the past few Thursday nights and joined in with Praise and Worship. He loves to play worship songs on his guitar – How cool is God????

Our sound board was on its last leg and we needed a new one for us to be able to have any music at all at the ROCK. We have praise and worship on Thursday nights and the students dance to music on Friday and Saturday night. We needed a 24 channel board for everything to work ( I think I am saying that right). We had been praying for God to make a way for us to purchase one and Pastor Todd from First Baptist called and said they had a board that was put away and not being used – he wasn’t sure if we could use it or not. Well guess what – it was the exact 24 channel board that we needed! And praise God – again He met our needs.

I think He is showing us who is in control here. It is so much fun to see the principles that He teaches us in His Word come to life. The Faith thing is so hard sometimes and time and time again He shows us over and over that He has His hands all in this. I am so reminded of the scripture that is in the Bible that talks about how we should be like the birds and just not worry – He will provide…….. Don’t we serve such an awesome God. God has brought me to a place in my faith of finally getting it and understanding that God doesn’t want us to manipulate or try to make things work. He just wants our hearts and souls to be available so He can use us as vessels to get things done. This past year has been a year of trials and definately a year of tribulations! Howard and I went through one of the toughest things a parent can go through when we first started thinking of trying to follow God’s lead on opening a student center. Our oldest son was diagnosed with cancer and went through chemo and lots of other trials where he almost lost his life. We had no other choice but to trust God. At the time we could not understand why this was happening to us. Why, why, why we kept on asking. But through the trials we had to learn to trust God for EVERYTHING!!!! It was the hardest thing I have ever done. And now as a family we all look back and say through the things that happened look what He was preparing us for. We all know that He allowed us to go through what we went through so we could help others and have faith to know that He will provide for the things He wants us to do!

Please continue to pray for us as we try to lead and teach these students. What an honor it is that God allows me to be a part of this weekly to serve these students and watch lives be changed and see them give out love now, but most of all to know that souls are being saved and lives are being changed and when we all get to heaven – oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!

God bless you –

Karen Forman

Latest Update

I am so happy to announce we have seen 8 more students at The ROCK accept Christ over the last two weeks, during our Thursday night lessons. Last Thursday we were blessed by Jacquie Tesh. Jacquie is a local school teacher and she taught an object lesson about “Why we were made and What’s our Purpose.” The students responded and had fun with the lesson. She is a really good teacher and can hold the students attention. After her lesson, 4 students gave their life to Christ.
We are working on a bundle package for students who accept Christ. The bundle will have an NIrV Bible, a what’s to do next guide for the new Christian and a small devotional. We are working on getting those resources and putting it together. We have been giving out a great Youth NT Bible called “My City, My God” from International Bible Society. It is a New Testament student Bible with testimonies from teenagers who have come to Christ and changed their lives. The students have taken 30 of them already and are carrying them around. If you feel led to order some for The ROCK or your youth group, the link is http://www.ibsdirect.com/p-642-nirv-my-city-my-god-new-testament.aspx they are only $1.59 each.
We are so blessed to see so many teenagers coming on Thursdays. A lot of new students are coming and we are learning that the majority of them are not attending a church or youth group. We have had 80-100 teenagers attending on Thursday nights. We have out grown the worship room and are looking for ways to get more chairs and fit more students in the Café just outside of the worship room. This is a great challenge, and I had no idea we would be trying to figure this out so soon. God is good and he is drawing students in to hear the gospel and He wants their lives to be changed. We are working on a way to telecast the message into the café via speakers, more chairs and possibly a large screen TV.
I want to thank First Baptist Church of Monroe for donating a sound board. Our sound board had been failing for the last few weeks and had finally died. FBC had one that was not being used and gave it to us. It works great and we are so thankful.
Local Youth Pastors and Senior Pastors, we are working on setting up a booth or info wall for students to get your Church and Youth Group information. We want to see these students join a local Church/Youth group. Please send us your contact info, email address, church phone, Youth Pastor’s name, etc. If you have a flyer or info pamphlet send it to us at 118 N Wayne Street, Monroe, Georgia 30655. Or email it to Paula@rocksc.org
We are still in need of a few guitar mentors. We need some help teaching them the cords and how to strum a guitar. That would be a good start for the students. We have 7 signed up as soon as we can find a mentor. We have 2 electric guitars, 2 acoustics and a direct box panel on the stage. We are open to whatever the guitar teacher’s time schedule is. Please pass our info to anyone who is interested in partnering with us.
Also we have just picked up a set of Drums from IHOP Church in Tifton, GA. They are ready for a drum teacher to mentor students in the art of playing the drums. We have 3 students who want to learn. If you know anyone who would like to mentor students while teaching them Drums or Guitar lessons, please let us know.
We have begun to rent out The ROCK for birthday parties, anniversaries, lock-ins and business parties. Please pass our information out to people looking for a fun place to have a party at. This helps offset the ministry costs.
We are always looking at different ways to raise money without causing a burden on the parents and teenagers who want to come on weekends. So we decided two things – 1. We will not raise the cost for entry on Fridays or Saturdays above $5.00 unless we have a special concert or event. 2. We can provide a great place for parties that can accommodate 150+ people all at one affordable price. Check out our website www.rockstudentcenter.com for more info about it.
SPECIAL CALENDAR NOTE!!
I am happy to announce on Thursday, February 12th at 4:30pm the Walton County Chamber of Commerce is conducting a ribbon cutting ceremony for THE ROCK. Come out and support us by attending the ceremony.
And last, we will be sending out flyers to youth groups, churches, business and schools in February. Help us get the word out about the ROCK. Youth Groups come have fun on Friday and Saturdays and support us while having fun with your group. No need for reservations, just come. We give discounts to Youth Groups.
Thanks and have a blessed week.
Howard Forman and The ROCK Staff

Letter to Ministers in the Walton County

Hi and thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time. My name is Howard Forman. I wanted to share with you about the ministry that we have started in Monroe, Georgia called “The Rock Student Center”. I was a Youth Pastor at a local church in Walton County. God has led me and some others to start this ministry. It is designed to give teenagers a safe place to have fun and for youth ministers/groups to partner with us and help grow disciples for Christ. If you are a Pastor or Youth Minister or Youth Mentor, we want to partner with you. We are set up for events, parties, lock-ins and other activities that students and adults like.

We would love for you to partner with us by having your youth group here on Friday/Saturday nights. Come help us minister to the students in Walton County on Thursday nights where the students come for free. Our desire is for the Pastors and Youth Leaders of Walton County to come on different Thursday nights and share with the students so that a bridge can be built between these students and the different churches in the community. Once the students here different leaders in the community, it is the vision of the Rock Student Center, that the students will be able to find a home church.

Your youth group will benefit health wise and or physically by partnering with us. Your students can minister with you on a Thursday night and watch God change lives. You can draw students into your church through them and you speaking to the group. You can bring your students on a Friday or Saturday nights to bond as a group by playing games, and having fun. You can rent out the building for private parties and events. You can really have some fun with your group. We are close and affordable for all your students to come with you.

If you cannot bring them, please post our flyer and promote our student center. They will be in a safe place where they will be pointed toward Christ. This is a good alternative compared to most students hanging out and getting into trouble during the weekends or around ungodly influences.

Youth ministers, I want to partner with you and your church. There are many hurting teenagers in our community. I was a youth pastor at a local church we had about 75 students in our youth group. I know you have seen the problems that I have experienced with the students. Students everywhere deal with rejection, poor circumstances at home, parents who don’t care for their needs, etc. They deal with serious issues like having porn/lust, cutting (self- infliction), drugs, alcohol, peer-pressures, suicide, and many more.

The Answer is that we know Jesus died and gave us victory over all of the things that clutter our lives. The problem is, they don’t know the “Truth” and how to live in victory.

You and I have an opportunity to make an impact in this county, this state, this country and this world, one student at a time.

God has created The Rock from a dream and vision I had. It wasn’t just for me. It was for all of you who desire to take youth ministry in Walton County to a new level. From the start, God has been very clear that this movement of teens will take the entire Body of Christ. God has provided all the games, electronics, and everything that was needed for The Rock to operate and draw the students in. We can do large evangelistic meetings to bring the lost teenagers to Christ. We have the ability to bring 200-250 students and rally for Christ.

God gave us a bridge into the un-churched and a hurting teenage territory. We have games, café, pizza, concerts, and most importantly a “non tradition church location”. This is how we can really draw the un-churched in and share the gospel.

This is the vision that God has given us. A vision of all of us, as leaders, working together in our community. When the students come on a Thursday night or any of the other event night, their lives would be changed. Those teenagers would start attending local youth groups. They would become strong believers in Christ. The parents and loved ones would begin to desire the joy and \peace their children have. I can see families restored, whole families living for Christ. Gangs would loose influence and wither away. The community rise up as the whole church and suddenly we would see a revival that spreads to other cities

This is a dream, but it’s not just my dream, it is God’s desire for our community. He says it in His word, go and make disciples, share His love to the World. Together, let’s love on the rich, middle class, poor and underprivileged, let’s love on the hurting, rejected, and lost students. Let’s show the parents also who Jesus is in their lives. We have Him, they need Him, let’s share Christ together as leaders in this community.

The students of Walton County need to hear all of our voices as leaders. They need to hear you share on Thursday nights, they need to hear your hearts. Please come to The Rock Student Center so I can speak with you in person. They need to hear as many Leaders as possible and see your faces, so if they need someone they will remember that we all love them and care what happens to them. Together – WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Call me at 404-806-6924 to make an appointment. Visit our website www.rockstudentcenter.com
or my blog at www.howardforman.wordpress.com,
we are on myspace and Facebook,
http://myspace.com/rockstudentcenter

If it would be easier for you, I can come to your church or meet you for lunch. I would like to share at your Church or Youth Group. Let’s make a difference in our community together. God bless and have a great day, I hope to meet you soon.

Slide Show

Recent Pictures since we opened

2008 Christmas Party at The Rock

Hi, I want to share how the Christmas party we had for the Walton County students in Monroe, Georgia.   95 students attended,  It was an awesome turn out, as we did not do any major advertising.  We had a special dinner planned for each of them, and a little something for them to take home.   We were able to sit these teenagers down and share the true meaning of Christmas with them.

I can tell you that we are learning every time we come out to the Student Center. We will need to figure out a better way to feed 100+ teens next time.  Regardless of it being hard work keeping things cool,  it was so much fun.. The smiles and happiness i saw in these kids made all of the volunteer’s day.   The gifts bags from The Praise Center’s small group was a hit, the kids loved the cookies, The gift bags from First Baptist Church in Monroe were really neat and had a tract from campus crusades with the plan of salvation in each of the bags.

The night began with games and fun,   then we opened the cafe door for all of them to get in line as our volunteers served,  BBQ meatballs,  Pigs n a blanket, pizza rolls, fruit, cheese cubes, cream puffs, fruit punch and many others edible things on the table.  We took so many pictures and got so many hugs,  I loved it!!!!

After we ate,  we talked to the teens about the true meaning of Christmas.  The students were so excited about getting out of school this week, that they could not keep attention to an improve skit we tried to do,  so we moved on to a video and lesson that I shared about who Christ is and why he came and how he has a plan for each of us.   After the lesson,  4 teenagers committed their lives to Jesus,  and I shared briefly how to get closer to God by seeking a relationship through reading the Bible, By talking to Him in prayer and believing what they learn in the Bible and by what other Christians teach them.

During the lesson God allowed me to have their attention so His word would get through to them.  This allowed those 4 to respond to the Holy Spirit calling them closer to God.   I know that the rest of the teenagers heard what God was speaking in their minds and they too will come to know God is real…  I pray that others come along and water the seeds planted in those kids, and I pray that God allows us to teach the new believers about His plan.   Pray that we can plug them into a youth group or if they are already plugged into a youth group,  they begin to catch fire for God’s word and plan for their lives.

Thank you for reading my blog about what God is doing through us at The Rock.  It is so cool to see people in the community come together to love on this generation and help us reach teenagers in need and who need Jesus.    Thank you Praise Center and First Baptist Church.  I also want to thank Cindy Little at FISH in Walton County for helping us purchase a convection oven to heat up the food we gave away.   Thank you to Darin and Paula Richards,  Jason and Arely Hood, Jeff Prine and his daughters, Jackie Barbour, Karen Cassidy and her brother Allen Cassidy, and Jonathan Martin.  Thank you Ms.Sapp and your friend you brought from First Christian Church in Monroe, you guys were a great for helping us serve these kids,  thank you to rest of our friends and family who helped.  4 more lives commited to Christ and on the way to a new life in Christ.  More seeds planted and teenagers experience true love from Christ, because of you guys.     thats 15 new teenagers who are now believers , all since we opened 9 weeks ago or so, and 25 or so rededicated to Christ.  Praise God!!! Thank you Lord for you guidance and Love. I Pray for them to grow… I pray for people to come along and mentor these kids and I pray for  all those who don’t know Christ in our community

Please leave comments or thoughts.   Or if you were at The Rock last night, please share  what God did from your perspective.

you can also visit us at www.rockstudentcenter.com  or check us out on Myspace or Facebook.   search by email  howard@rockstudentcenter.com

PS.  we are looking for Youth Ministers and Leaders to come along with us in this effort as ambassadors of Christ in our community.

Monday – Top of the Morning

I just dropped my son off at school and decided to have a Starbucks morning and get some work done.   I don’t get to the Monroe, Ga Starbucks much anymore as work and busy schedule has kept me on the run.  However it is so nice to relax in the atmosphereand friendly people.   Mocha Frappuccino with extra pumps are my favorite. 

I am so excited about this Thursday night ministry,  We hope to have alot of kids as we have a special Christmas party planned for them.  I know that most of these kids are not having much of a Christmas.    We found out that one teenager who lives in Monroe, Georgia did not get food from the empty stocking fund,  because he doesn’t get mail or have a phone,  and no one could walk to sign up for it, if they even knew.  So our staff is planning to give a special Christmas to him and his grandparents who watch him.  I am so excited to see his reaction and the smiles on his face.  We are going to bring food, clothing, toys, meal gift cards, and a few things for his guardians.  Pray for us as we do this act of love and hope it is received well.  

 

Got to get back to work,  Have a blessed day.  visit us at http://rockstundentcenter.com

Empty Stocking Fund Service

The yesterday was eventful at The Rock Student Center,  We started off with meeting some students at the Student Center at 7:30 am Saturday morning,   Our plan was to volunteer our time and service to The Empty Stocking Fund organization.  So Darin, Jason and I took our vehicles and 5 of the teenagers that come to the student center. we delivered 20 boxes of food for the organization in Monroe, Social Circle and Jersey.

What a blessing to serve these people who are in need.  It was evident we were bringing light to darkness.   Help to the poor.  It was clear that most of them were hurting inside, Our hearts have a huge burdened for them.  As we delivered food, we realized the family conditions were not good for allot of the families. One of the family we were not able to find, because the mother was arrested for outstanding warrants,  the 18 year old kid was taking care of  the 3 younger ones and was living somewhere unknown.

One family was so desperate, that a mother had left her 2 children ages 1 and 3 to her sister. She disappeared and abandoned these little kids just before Christmas.  They are so beautiful.  It broke my heart to see these kids with out their mother.   To make matters worse,  the sister was out of work.  She asked for help with work and finances to be able to provide some toys for Christmas.  My heart went out for her and I could hear her voice crack as she asked. I was able to explain to her about a non profit organization called F.I.S.H in Monroe who can assist them. The home they lived in was falling apart,  and while I was talking with the sister, I  almost fell through the floor of the house, It was old and rotting.

These are only the experienced I encountered from the families that were struggling and would share.  I am sure there are plenty more I was not able to hear about.   I hope to share this with many people in our community in hopes that they will help people in need like this.  I plan on bringing some clothes and small toys that we have at home for the 1 and 3 year old,  I wish i could do more,   I pray that more can be done for these hurting people.  It was a compassionate experience for the 2 teenagers who live in Monroe.  They were able to see the need of  service as a Christian and as a neighbor.

Now at the same time,  Jason went out and delivered the boxes of food,  which by the way was an incredible amount of food to be donated and delivered to a home.  In the Box,  you had a Chicken Hen, a dozen eggs, a loaf of sliced bread,  bag of apples, bag of oranges, can goods, oatmeal, and more.  It weighed  about 40lbs, and it wasn’t easy to carry.   Jason and his wife Arely had began their route, when they arrived at two of our regular attending teenager’s home.  The two brothers were happy to see Jason and Arely. We have been allowing these kids come on Fridays and Saturdays regardless if they had money to pay or not.   If were open, they are there like clock work.  They immediately asked if they can come and help,  their step father was very happy to let them come and volunteer with us.  through out the morning  Jason and Arely were talking with the boys,  come to find out they shared that life has changed since we opened The Rock.  They were hanging out in the neighborhood getting into trouble all the time, and now they were happy to share how life was, because they feel better about not getting into trouble anymore.  These boys are only 12 and 13 and excited about doing right for a change. It was blessing to hear this testimony from them.

Another day a parent came in to pick up his son at the end of night. He shared with me how proud he is of his son.  a few months ago his son was not doing well in school,  however now he is getting awesome grades.  He was struggling with 40% test grades and not completing his work, now he is getting 80% and doing all of his work.   He said it has allot to do with the Center.   He said we gave his child something to look forward to and encouraged him to do better in life.  Now his son finishes his homework to make sure he is allowed to come to the rock.  He too is only 13 years old.

There are many other stories previous to this week,  it is stories like these that are filling us with joy from the labor we put forth each week. We see Jesus changing lives because of the people that dedicate their time and resources at The Rock.

As we grow in our faith together in this walk of life,  we will see our community changed and generations to come with benefit from it.  God wants his people and is call us to action of  love and service.

Changing to the second part of the Saturday,  we had reserved the Center for the company I am employed at.  The Christmas party was from 2-4 that afternoon before we opened for the teenagers. It seemed like a cheaper than normal place to have our first annual party, compared to renting out another location somewhere in Atlanta.  It also allowed The Student Center receive some money to offset the cost of utilities and rent.

Several families came and had a great time.   I was astonished how much they loved the place.  I was asked how I got the vision and how I was able to do it.  I told them the only answer I ever tell someone, “It was God”. This led to a conversation about my personal testimony.  I explained God changed me from my old life and how I am a new creation in Christ because He lives in me and I in Him, my old life was gone as show in this Scripture: Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I was able to share the hope that Jesus gave me and how he changed my life.  It was really encouraging to hear people inspired about what God had done in my life.  My prayer is that God send someone or allows me the opportunity to water those seeds planted ( encourages them about God’s love for them so they accept Christ as their Savior) or better yet reap the harvest of leading them to Christ.

The bible talks about it in Matthew 9:35- 38 35 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Hello world!

Well hello world. I wanted to start my blog talking about last night. We the most kids we have ever had on a Thursday Ministry night. over 90 students attended. We had allot of fun. It was so awesome to share videos of the worldhelp.net -Children of the world choir last night. We were able to talk about the principles of giving and realize the blessing of being in this country and not in poverty stricken country with out food or family. We shared a few videos of the Kids choir that i witness at the a local church in Loganville called Oasis last Sunday. We decided to sponsor a child that is in need and we want to teach the students to appreciation where God has them. allot of kids that come to our group don’t have much, and we were able to show them someone in more need than their situation. So we took up an offering for the first time and received $37.00 for the sponsorship. We want to begin to teach them to give and be a blessing to others with what God has trusted them. I plan on sharing about the child and giving updates at The Rock. We will write letters and send pictures to our sponsor friend.

After showing the videos we had our worship team lead an awesome worship, sound equipment was having a little trouble, but they got the job done, it was really cool to see the first student Victoria sing. She is 13 and goes to Carver Middle School in Monroe, Georgia. She also sings at another local youth ministry. It was heavenly to hear and see her sharing her the godly gift with friends. We had 2 testimonies afterword, one of our staff interns Jonathan who is 19 shared in front of a crowd for the first time – how his life was changed when he went to a place called Narrogatefoundation.orgin Tennessee and found God. God got a hold of him and he is living for Jesus now. He shared his life experience as a teenager, The kids loved the testimony and it blessed him allot. Our second testimony shared was my son Jacob who is 17. He shared his life story how God changed his life and did not reject him. it was awesome and it hit right at home with allot of the teenagers that he goes to school with. visit us at http://rockstudentcenter.com if you are interested in more about us. I am so exited about what God is doing and i am happy be apart of this movement of the Spirit in our community. God is raising up people to change this generation. and last Ms.Betty was able to share a little about purpose of our life and how God sees us with the kids. it was a great word for the kids and she did an awesome job. The staff last night was awesome with some new volunteers and a youth group from Loganville joined us and blessed us with encouraging words and excitement. We blessed by Rev. Lynn and his group, we loved having them and hope they come back. God bless you guys and your the ministry.