Trying to keep several web pages up at a time is crazy! So we have decided to focus on updating just two. From now on please visit http://swisscovechristian.com/cove-students/ and http://www.facebook.com/CoveStudents for the most up to date information about Cove Student Ministry. Thanks

CIY Believe - A three day event just for Middle School students. Packed with high-energy worship, Biblical teaching & one-on-one interaction. We’ll leave The Cove at 3:15PM on Friday, March 12 for CIY in Kissimmee and will return on Sunday, March 14 at 8PM. Cost is $150 if registered by 2/19, $160 thereafter until our deadline of 3/3. Cost includes lodging, transportation, a t-shirt, and Sunday at Islands of Adventure.

- Download the event info page and medical release forms for Believe in the documents section on the right hand side of the page
- to register and pay online click the event registration button on the right hand side of the page
- Visit www.ciy.com/believe for more info about what Believe is

What ticks you off? Traffic? Long lines? People who don’t follow through on their promises? It’s amazing how we all can do an emotional 180 when life fails to meet our expectations. For the next three weeks, your student will be challenged to redirect their anger from the stuff that doesn’t really matter to the stuff that does. They will be exploring the things that make God angry, and they will be working on ways to move outside themselves and begin doing something about bigger problems in the world.

Week One
Students will be challenged to look at their lives and think about the things that make them angry. They will talk about times that they have responded in anger, and begin to wrestle with the question: Why did a good God give us the ability to get angry? Is it because there is something good that comes from our anger? This week you may want to ask your student about their pet peeves or the things that make them most angry. Try to strike up a conversation about why those things really get to them.

Week Two
Students will be challenged to figure out what makes God angry. They will be looking for things in the world and in your community that just don’t seem right compared to God’s standard. Ask them about the things they find most troubling from God’s perspective. They will also be working on creating a plan to do something about one specific thing that makes God angry. Ask them about their group’s plan. See if you can help make their project a success!

Week Three
This week, students will be challenged to come together as the people of God to do something BIG. Instead of meeting in small groups, students will respond to the session by participating in a group-wide experience, called The XP, as well as an activity with their small group. Ask them about their experiences. Encourage them to continue looking for ways to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

NEW FRIEND REQUEST:
Series Overview
We all want friends—even if we don’t want to admit it. We all want someone to hang out with, someone to talk to, someone who knows us. But friendship requires something from us. It’s not just what we get or what makes us feel comfortable or happy. There’s a smart way to do friendship, a way with intention, a way that will draw us closer to God’s heart—if we surround ourselves with the right people. That doesn’t mean our friends have to be clones of us—but it does mean that they at least help us move in the right direction.

Session One: Accept?
Having friends is great. Whether you want one, or you already have one, there’s just something about having other people in your life who you can count on. For many, friendships just happen. A new friend is in the right place at the right time. And while friendships may start out randomly, there is an intentionality about who we allow close to us—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because the people who are closest to you have influence on your life. They help shape who you are. So who are the friends closest to you . . . and how are they influencing you?

Session Two: Respond?
Someone to listen to my problems. Someone to do stuff with. Someone to talk to constantly. Someone to hang out with. When you make a list of what qualities you want in a friend, how many of the things on your list involve what that person can do for you? Most of us would have to admit that it’s a lot. But the best friendships are ones that are not just about what the other person can do for you—the best friendships also involve how you can be there for someone else. How you can listen, instead of always talking. How you can give someone space when he or she needs it, or just hang out when your friend needs that too. In other words, the best friendships are not centered solely on you—and that’s a good thing.

Session Three: Ignore?
Relationships=conflict. It’s natural. It’s part of two people relating to one another because at some point, you’re not going to agree. One person will do something the other person doesn’t like. One person will let the other person down. One person will say or do something stupid. It happens. And at some point, it happens to us—either we’re the person making the mess, or the one who is feeling the effects of the mess. So how do you navigate your way through the drama? Do you just ignore it and hope it goes away? Do you just drop that friend? Or do you find a way to work it out? The choice is yours.

The NeverEnding Story
A manger. A baby. Shepherds. Stars. The Christmas story is one we look at with great reverence. The peaceful scene is recreated and plastered on everything from phone backgrounds to lawn decorations. But the Christmas story is more than a just a story we look back on and remember. It’s ongoing. It’s active. It’s a story that required a response over 2,000 years ago, and one that requires a response today. It’s a story that invites us to participate in it even today-because the Christmas story is the neverending story.

Session One: invited to
Bottom Line: The Christmas story requires a response from us.

Session Two: participate in
Bottom Line: The Christmas story is one that we participate in.