The theme for the Tri-State District 2010 Youth Retreat was “Uprising”, based on the inspiring call to action in the story of God’s bold servant, Nehemiah. He saw the walls of the city in disrepair, and God’s people scattered, so he decided to do something about it! With God’s help he secured materials, received the king’s blessing, and rallied the people to rebuild the walls.

July 30 & 31 we’ll be building up the walls and helping Kingdom Crusaders Apostolic Church in establishing the Name of Jesus throughout Asheville. We’ll meet on Friday night for vision, mission, and prayer with Pastor Allen McMillan, Rev. Nate Whitley, and District Youth President Wes Comer. On Saturday, we’ll hit the streets of Asheville for outreach, work with some of the organizations in the city that minister to the homeless and less fortunate population, and take care of repairs and improvements around the church.

When is it again & what’s the agenda?

Friday, July 30th @ 7:30 PM at Kingdom Crusaders Apostolic Church
Saturday, July 31st from 9 AM — 4 PM (approximately)

What ages are appropriate?

This is a district youth event, but it’s open to anyone in the Tri-State that wants to help and is able to be a part! Due to the nature of the areas we’ll be ministering in, and the types of activities we’ll be tackling, this activity isn’t appropriate for small children, however. As a general rule, ages 12+ (or your youth group’s starting age) is a great place to start.

Where can we stay on Friday night?

There are tons of great deals to be had in the Asheville area for lodging. We’re leaving overnight lodging decisions to individuals in order to allow everyone the flexibility to get the best (cheapest) deal possible. The less money we spend on lodging, the more we can focus on Asheville!

UPDATE: The best rate available is $59/nightly at the Rodeway Inn on Crowell Rd. approximately 11 minutes from the church

What do I need to bring? How can I help?

The most important thing you can bring is you! We need people that want to talk to and minister to other people in the areas surrounding the church and in neighborhoods that Pastor McMillan has identified. If you’re not really a people person, but still want to help, there are opportunities to work on the church grounds on various projects.

Like any missions project, the resource we’re most in need of besides people is cash! You can help by making a donation using the button below (safely, through PayPal), by purchasing an “WE LOVE ASHEVILLE” t-shirt for $20, or mailing in a donation to P.O. Box 1352, Clinton, TN 37717.

What exactly are we hoping to accomplish?

We’re providing Pastor McMillan with a work force to help spread the church’s name throughout neighborhoods that he has identified, providing the church with materials, and generally helping to accomplish things that a home missions church may need or want, but often finds itself without the resources to do.

We’re hoping to provide the following items to the church as part of our effort (items yet to be paid for have a dollar amount assigned to them):

• Church website (DONATED!)
• Marketing/outreach materials (5,000 print pieces for approximately $500 – PAID!)
• Multimedia computer repair (DONATED!)
• Multimedia presentation software ($400 – PAID!)
• General building maintenance projects ($1,000 – PAID!)

Special Note for Youth Pastors:

Please let us know how many you plan to bring by Thursday, July 29. Also, please have your youth praying for this event, and help us by identifying and preparing someone (or multiple someones) who is comfortable speaking, knows Truth, and isn’t afraid to lead a small group of youth into the fray!

What about the Sevierville project?

We’ll be going to Sevierville in 2011. Pastor Hale and the district are still at work on getting the church property squared away. Once we have the go ahead from Pastor Hale that he’s ready for us (we’re tentatively planning on Spring of 2011) we’ll do all of this great stuff in Sevierville, too!

Nehemiah had a vision to rebuild the walls surrounding the once great city of Jerusalem. He looked at the situation of his people, the Jews, who had all but turned away from God, and felt compelled to do something. The temple wasn’t being maintained, the sacrifices had ceased, and the Jews were beginning to adopt the religious habits and culture of the surrounding cities.

But Nehemiah had a vision – an uprising of men and women, dedicated to establishing Jerusalem as God’s holy city once again, and the Jews as His people.

So Nehemiah took his vision to the people, and the response is in the scripture above – they said “let us rise up and build” and they strengthened their hands.

We’re calling on the youth of the Tri-State District to come together during Youth Retreat 2010 to join THE UPRISING. An UPRISING of young men and women that want to see the name of Jesus Christ exalted in their lives, in their schools, in their families, in their churches, and around the world. Come and join us – be a part of THE UPRISING!

SPEAKER INFORMATION:

We’re excited to welcome Pastor Matthew Ball from Carmel, IN as our main speaker for Friday night, and Saturday morning’s services. Pastor Ball has been leading an uprising in his home city, as well as being a catalyst for revival in Cuba in what’s being referred to as the “Cuban Pentecost”. We’ll also hear from our District Youth President Wes Comer, as well as our Section Youth Presidents.

HOTEL INFORMATION:

We’ve negotiated a FANTASTIC rate with the Glenstone Lodge, just a short walk from our convention space. The rate is $79/night. Make your reservations by calling (800) 362-9522. Make your reservations early! At these prices, rooms won’t last long!

REGISTRATION:

This year we’re asking each attendee to register in order to make accurate arrangements for seating in the auditorium, and in place of offerings each service. Registration is $6 per person before April 14, and $10 after that date at the door. Online registration is available and you can pay instantly with PayPal or by church check. See registration payment details for more information.

Play #1: Distract the other team.

In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus visits Martha?s house. While Martha was busy cooking the dinner, cleaning the house, and setting the table, her sister Mary sat at Jesus? feet to hear His words.

Martha was upset that Mary wasn?t helping, but Jesus told her that Mary was doing a good thing. See, Martha was so busy getting ready for Jesus that she missed out on the fact that Jesus was already in her house!
The enemy tries to distract us, even when we?re at church, so we?ll miss out on the fact that Jesus is there and wants us to get closer to Him!

Play #2: Divide and Conquer

In Matthew 12:25 Jesus tells us, ?Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.?

The devil spends a lot of time trying to get us mad at and fighting against each other instead of going after him! He wants to keep us from praying together and destroy our unity!

Remember the words of Ecclesiastes 4:12, ?…if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.?

If one person can prevail against the devil, you know he?s got to be afraid of being beat down when we?re all together in ?one mind and one accord?!

Play #3: Hit ?em hard and fast with a little guy

As a Vols fan I was pretty excited about the new season. That was until I watched our season opener out at Cal State.

There was a great running back on the other team, Jahvid Best, who has a long string of credits. He?s been All-American, ranked 18th best running back in the country, 11th best NFL prospect, rushed 3,300 yds. last season and found the end zone an astonishing 48 times. That was just in his senior year of high school. To beat that, he?s only 5? 11? and 185 lbs.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, ?Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines:?

It?s true. Many of us will never be tempted to rob a bank, shoot heroin, or pull a casino heist. We will be tempted to watch things we shouldn?t (Family Guy, anyone?), listen to music we know is bad for us, and go places we don?t belong. But these seemingly little things can cause us big problems.

Keep your eye not just on the big, intimidating things, but on the small things that push through the line before you even notice.

Play #4: Encourage pride, selfishness, and greed.

Proverbs 16:18 warns, ?Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.?

Pride isn?t always about what we think it is. Many times the enemy will try to puff up our pride when it comes to things like leading song service, singing solos, being used in the sign team, and other areas that put us in the spotlight.

We have to resist the urge to feel that our usefulness in the house of God comes from our own ability. God gives us talents to use for His glory ? not our own. Don?t fall into the trap of trying to prove how talented and awesome you are. Get up there and show ?em how awesome Jesus is and He?ll build you up.

Play #5: If all else fails, make them doubt.

Sometimes we begin to question our standards, our church policies, the way we conduct service, and even decisions that our youth pastor and pastor make. We watch TBN, and we see these colossal ?mega? churches springing up overnight and we say, ?If we would just change this, then we would grow,? or ?If we would just give this up, then maybe we could be like that church.?

The enemy tells us that our beliefs are outdated, out of touch, and no longer relevant to the world.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Isaiah 5:20 says, ?Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!?

I can?t tell you why there are churches that say it?s okay to indulge and not live right. All I can say is that we, as Apostolic young people, need to stand for truth even when others don?t! Don?t doubt your faith because someone else lacks conviction!

So what can we do about it? Are we beat before we ever get the kick-off?

No way are we defeated! Read the end of the book! We win! What?s important is that we learn from the enemy?s tricks so we?ll know how to defend ourselves.

But how can we really just kick the devil?s teeth in? We have to be the very best team we can be. We can?t be distracted, divided, attacked, prideful, or doubtful.

1 Corinthians 14:8 says, ?For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for battle??

Now isn?t the time to give up, back down, or let up! If we stop believing and give in to the attacks of the enemy now, we?ll never win.

Let?s see some ?D?

A young man in my youth group, Josh Newport, plays as a defensive linebacker for the Clinton Dragons. His job is simple ? smack down whoever has the ball.

How does he do it? He practices 3-4 hours every day for his position. When it?s hot? He practices. When it rains? He practices. When he?s tired? He practices.

How can we expect to win with anything less?! We?ve got to practice every day (pray it! Live it!), show up determined to win and keep our head in the game!

Remember, you?ve got to want it to win it, and we want it…well, you know the rest.