After a long awaited delay, InterHigh Monthly XI is finally here!  We are proud to have Worldview Academy’s Bill Jack to be our speaker.  Come join us as we listen to Bill Jack speak on worldview topics over two sessions.

Bill Jack, faculty advisor for Worldview Academy, spent ten years as an educator in the public schools. We was a national representative for the Caleb Campaign, and a contributing editor for Issues & Answers. He has appeared on national radio and television programs. Students nationwide have learned from Bill at conference sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), and Answers in Genesis. He is the producer of several videos including “Simple Tools for Brain Surgery.” Bill and his wife, Tabby live in Colorado with their children.

Date: May 21, 2011 (Saturday)

Time: 5-9PM (Dinner is provided)

Location: 2000 North Loop Rd., Alameda, CA (Gracepoint Church)

Costs: Free!

Showing God’s Love on Valentines Day

By Tabby

I am really grateful I got to go to Crown Bay Convalescent Home. On Valentine’s Day when most people spend their money on chocolate and flowers, and their evenings eating a romantic dinner, we were going to give the elderly real love- God’s love. Before entering the convalescent home, P. Will reminded all of us of why we were there. He read out to us 1 John 4:10-12, which says that since God loved us we should love others, and that love is made complete through actions. So we were there to share God’s love with people who do not often experience much love. It was extremely apt that on Valentine’s Day we show a people who do not receive much love – what true love is.

The Grandmas at the Convalescent Home

We had prepared a complete program for the seniors at the convalescent home the day before, and so when we arrived, some people started setting up the sound equipment. The rest of us walked around the facility going into the rooms to try to invite the elderly to the program which would be happening in the main room. We got to talk to some of the elderly in their rooms, find out their names, and for those who were not able to attend, we tried talking with them a little longer. As we walked around the rooms we were able to see the condition of their health, and what kind of a place they were living in. Although I had been to several convalescent homes before, it hit me again how sad it is to be living in a place with a few personal possessions, and maybe a few visitors every once in a while. Each of the rooms were separated into 3 sections to accommodate 3 residents per room. It really looked like they didn’t have much belongings- a couple photos, a pot of flowers, and maybe a stuffed animal. There was one grandma I visited who was probably one of the most cheerful grandmas there, and she was very polite, kept smiling, and even though she was tired because she was recovering from hip surgery, she kept talking to me and some other girls, and didn’t ask us to leave. She mentioned she was going to go to sleep soon but didn’t nag at us to leave. I got the impression she enjoyed talking with us. Unfortunately, she couldn’t come to the main room and watch everything we were going to do because she had to rest from her surgery, but we promised to bring her back a gift later.

Showing God’s Love Unconditionally

After about fifteen minutes, we all trickled back into the main room. Some of the elderly were being wheeled in by the students who had visited their rooms. In the main room all the youth students and teachers spread out and talked with the elderly who were there for the program. Some of the elderly were very alert- they were able to hear and talk pretty well, and were very energetic and talkative. Most of them, however, could hear but their words were not coherent. A grandma with whom I stayed and talked with for most of the program was very friendly, and as I talked to her she would reply, but her words were more like mumbling, and I couldn’t make out her words. I was not even sure what her name was. Nonetheless, she would smile as I talked to her, asking her what her favorite color was, commenting on all her blue clothes, her bracelet, and asking if she lived in Alameda her whole life. Since she said her favorite color was pink, I made her a cross necklace out of pink beads.

And This is Love

We started by singing songs. Noah played the guitar and Anna, Kelly and Taehoon did motions in the front. We sang “Shake a Friend’s Hand” and “Jesus Loves Me”. As we sang “Shake a Friend’s Hand” and shook people’s hands, patted them on the back, and gave high-fives, I think the elderly really like it- they were smiling, and returning our hand-shakes, and some were laughing along even though they didn’t really know the song. The grandma sitting behind me was smiling the whole time, and as I shook her hand, patted her, and gave her a high five, she enthusiastically responded. “Jesus Loves Me” is an old hymn that most of them were probably familiar with, and as we sang it there was a grandma who knew all the verses by heart and sang out loud. After singing time, we did the cross-shaped void skit. Then Stephen gave a message based on 1 John 4:10 which says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Although most of the residents didn’t seem to respond, and some were talking during the message, I am glad that we at least had the opportunity to try to share this message with them, because you never know if for a brief moment they are able to understand and what is being said and done. After the message we sang “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” in acapella for the residents. At the end, T. Jacqui said that the grandma who could only speak mandarin, the one who had tried leaving the room, teared up.

Expressing Gratitude and Love

Then we gave flowers to the residents in the room, and we went around the facility again, giving flowers to those who were in their rooms. I went back to that grandma who was very cheerful and gave her the flower in the vase, and she was again, happy and expressed her gratitude upon receiving it. Some of the people we met had gone through so much: there was a World War II veteran, and he showed some of the guys the scars from his wounds. There was also a grandma who was paralyzed for about 40 years, and blind for about 30 years. Her paralysis is due to a car accident she was in during the 60’s. We spent about 10-30 minutes talking to the residents. One of the Chinese speaking grandmas wanted to be prayed for so as P.Will prayed for her, T.Jaqui translated so the grandma could understand what he was saying.

Still Precious & Extremely Loved by God

As we were leaving, I started getting sad because I wonder how much love they actually experience on a daily basis, how many of them are cared for by their relatives, or if their relatives visit them at all. These people who cannot do much are pushed away by society because they are not useful, require much care and attention, and from the world’s point of view, have no value because they are old and are past the age to “experience life”.

Most of the residents didn’t respond when they received the gifts, when we talked with them, and some of them even didn’t want us to come near them and shooed us away. Yet, even with these responses, it was definitely worth it to go to there in hope that God would open their hearts. I am grateful for the opportunity we had to be there with them because it may have sparked something in them, and God can use the short time we spent there and the love we gave them to bring them closer to Him. For it is so important the elderly know that despite their conditions and their age, they are still precious and extremely loved by God.

InterHigh Fellowship Church Rally!

Introducing InterHigh Church Rally!
For those of you who attend one of our InterHigh Churches, we will be having a monthly rally where we will come together for a good ol’ time of the four Fs – fun, fellowship, food, and fbible study. =)

That’s right. Come get to know one another and make new friends! It’ll be a good time, so be sure to let your InterHigh Teachers and Mentors know that you’d like to come! Here are some of the details:

Who: InterHigh Church Youths!
What: InterHigh Church Rally!
When: Feb 18th (FRIDAY) @ 6:30PM-9:30PM (includes dinner!)
Where: 2000 Northloop Rd. Alameda, CA
Why: So we can meet altogether for a good night of fellowship and bible study!

See you there!

Come join us for InterHigh Monthly X! We’ll be talking about the most controversial book of all time (and also the best-selling book of all time!), the Bible.

• Why should I trust the bible of all things?
• Where did it come from?
• How do I know its not just a bunch of fairy tales?
• Aren’t there a lot of contradictions in the Bible?
• Who wrote it, humans or God and if God wrote it, how did He do it?
• Does this ancient book have any relevance for me today?
• Can I really trust the Bible with my entire life?

I’m sure you’ve asked this questions before or maybe are experiencing them right now. We hope that at this InterHigh Monthly, we can address these questions and help you build greater confidence in this most amazing and life-changing Book! Or course, we’ll also have our normal wild and wacky games, rockin’ praise and awesome fellowship with other youth throughout the Bay Area.

Sign up below!

Date: October 23, 2010
Time: 5-9pm
Location: 2000 North Loop Rd., Alameda

Dinner is provided! See you all there!

So join us for the movie and for some lively discussion and prayer. Sign up below!

Date: September 18, 2010
Time: 5-9pm
Location: 2000 North Loop Rd., Alameda

Dinner is provided
Note: We will be watching a church appropriate version of the film.

Watch the Trailer Below.

Sign up here:

Topic: “Why should I follow Jesus…can’t I just believe in him?”

When: September 10, 2010
Time: 6:30pm – 10:30pm
Location: 2000 North Loop Rd., Alameda, CA 94502

When it comes to following Jesus, is there a difference between believing and doing? Come join us as we explore this question and think about what it means to be an authentic follower of Christ. We will listen, intercede, fellowship and engage each other through videos, hands-on activities, and small group discussions. And as always, we’ve planned a nice dinner and praise & worship to get us warmed up before the main program. Come join us!

These rallying times together built up our anticipation and excitement for our praise and worship time and for the messages. Pastor Will and James Kim gave a total of six messages: “Dare to be Different,” “Dare to be Disciplined,” “Dare to Discover,” “Dare to Disclose”, “Dare to be a Disciple,” and “Dare to be a Witness.” Through various object lessons with Play-Doh, soda cans, and paper cups and clips of real-life teen challenges, Pastor Will and James helped the students to identify different peer pressures to succumb to sin and challenged them to be on the “offense” in terms of battling these pressures through confession, spiritual disciplines, and rallying behind Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to compel us to be His witnesses. Following the messages, we had times of prayer and reflection, as well as times of sharing by small groups by the eleven bonfire pits around Sierra Lodge. These post-message sharing times and prayer led to the salvation of 7 students, including one student from our small church visits, as well as many more rededication from the students to commit their lives to following Jesus.

The retreat, overall, was a very blessed and memorable time, which all of the students and staff enjoyed very much. We really hope and pray our students can see the many loving hands that have went into their lives and the messages would have prepared them to “Dare to be a Disciple” for Christ before the upcoming school year.

What was the most memorable time for you at the summer retreat?

Come join us for our eighth installment of InterHigh Monthly! We’ll be tackling a very difficult but commonly asked question. If God is so loving, than why is there Hell? If you want to know, than be sure to mark your calendars and join us for another jam-packed evening with the 5 “F”s:  food, fellowship, fun, friends and a fascinating talk!

You don’t want to miss out!

Signup below if you can attend:
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How would you answer this question?

Come Join Us!

Games, Food and Praise

As soon as people started arriving, we got into groups by grade and readied ourselves for the challenges ahead. We were competing to see which team would do the best in a series of games ranging from human foosball to Team Simon Says. My group was the twelfth graders and our team name was the Beastly Butterfly Boys and Birls (Girls). After each team gave its team cheer, we all rushed off to play. My team joined three others at the four-way tug-o-war, but we were soundly (and embarrassingly) defeated by the sixth graders. Kids seem to be getting stronger these days; who knew? We played several more games, including handball, water balloon toss, and a relay-race (the sixth graders beat us again). All in all, we had a lot of fun, and we got to bond a lot through the games.

After finishing the games, we were ready for some good food. We had burgers and hotdogs with a crazy selection of condiments—even guacamole! During the dinner, the winners of the team competition were announced, along with a special award to the sixth graders for beating us twelth graders. Afterwards, we had an awesome time of praise, InterHigh style; people were jumping up and down, singing passionately, and, in short, doing all they could to praise God!

The Mentor Panels

The high school students and the junior high school students split off for mentor panels during our session time. I was with high school where Pastor Will started off by talking about the encounters the disciples had with the resurrected Jesus. One example was Peter, who denied Jesus three times, but was welcomed back and reinstated by Jesus. Then four of our very own mentors came up and talked about how they had had similar experiences with the resurrected Jesus. Mike, one of the mentors, recalled when he first became Christian and how, like Peter, he had made commitments to Jesus. However, he found himself failing again and again and feeling guiltier each time, wondering how God could ever forgive him. But as he read about Peter’s reinstatement in John, he had realized that God is always willing to forgive. He finished by saying, “I realized that God is willing to give not only second but even third, forth, or fifth chances.” It was encouraging to hear how after discovering the resurrected Jesus, each of the mentors was able to experience God in their lives. We finished with some good old small group time, making the message personal and taking time to pray for each other.

In the meantime, the junior-high schoolers were having their own session. They started off with three mentors sharing what they were like in middle school. Each mentor talked about all the silly things they had done to fit in, like trying to buy all the “in” clothes or getting good grades, but realizing that these things didn’t really work. One of the mentors, Elaine, challenged us to not live our lives stuck in front of a screen, because there’s so much more to experience! Then James (he usually leads praise) gave a short talk about BEAD. What’s that? Well, it’s an acronym to help us remember the evidence we have for the resurrection: the Burial of Jesus, the Empty tomb, Appearances of Jesus, and the Disciples’ belief. To help make the message more memorable, James did something crazy things, like tossing the handouts in the air instead of passing them out! The session was a lot of fun: we got to know three of the mentors really well and, also, how we can remember the defense for the resurrection.

Well, that was all for this InterHigh Monthly. But, in case you missed it, you can check out the mp3 of the High School panel!

DOWNLOAD HERE: High School Panel – How the Resurrection Impacts Me Today

• How has the resurrection changed your life today? Post your comments below!