EPIC
March 29th, 2020
Hi all!
As we navigate through this COVID-19 journey, I want you to know just how hard all of our staff is working to make sure we are all staying connected. More importantly, we are doing all that we can to learn how to be the church digitally. This email contains all the information on how you can stay connected with EPIC and our church in the foreseeable future as a parent with a teenaged youth:
WORSHIP ONLINE Sunday, March 22nd, was our first livestream worship service. We held one worship service led by 6-8 people from the church. Your jammies can be left on, grab your coffee, and curl up on the couch and join us at 10am. Here is the link: NL Methodist Streaming
EPIC TEACHING TIME EPIC will continue to meet each week digitally! By Friday of every week, I will upload a video lesson to the EPIC facebook page, church website, and through email. There will be separate video lessons for junior high students and high school students. I ask that everyone watch the video before joining us in a google hangout each Sunday night for discussion and bible study around the topic in the video. This week’s topic: EASTER
Video Links Junior High: Undefeated- Easter Part 1 High School: Happy Easter Week 1
SMALL GROUP TIME – GOOGLE HANGOUTS Junior High Students will meet every Sunday night in a google hangout at 730pm.High School students will meet every Sunday night in a google hangout at 830pm. I ask that each student who wants to be part of the google hangouts be signed up for our texting service, as that is where I will send the hangout link. Link will be texted out 10 minutes before the hangout begins. DAILY DEVOTIONALS Log in to YouVersion Bible App to find daily student devotionals to go along with our weekly topic. To find devotionals for this week:1. In the Bible App, search “xp3 undefeated” (Junior High) or “Xp3 Happy Easter” (High School) 2. Both of these daily devotional plans are 5 days and geared directly towards our students and designed to align with the weekly lesson. This week, I would like to try something new- let’s all read the devotionals together! The Bible app offers this amazing feature, and I’d like to take advantage of it. To join the devotional group, click JUNIOR HIGH Undefeated Devotional or HIGH SCHOOL Easter Devotional
CONVERSATION STARTERS At the bottom of this email, I have attached two documents. Both are conversation starters for you as the parent to engage in conversation with your teen this week over the topic of Easter. One is geared toward middle school students, and the other is geared to high school.
Your spiritual journey means so much to us here at First UMC in North Liberty. We’d appreciate any feedback you’re willing to give us as we continue to navigate this path on putting our FAITH OVER FEAR.
As I stated at the beginning of this email, all of this information will also be available on the EPIC facebook page as well as the church website.
Holy Spirit, lead us together as we walk into this new path ahead for us. May we continue to grow in your grace, and come to know a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior through it all. Amen.
Devotional links: Middle School: https://bible.com/p/25287625/476451cc8e08e240ef15d807b743f196 High School: https://bible.com/p/25287862/84d319ae18c1e7c23913dc8978dba4cc
March 21st, 2020
To our EPIC Family,
As we enter into uncertain times, know that our connections with you remain to be foremost important to all of us. Our goal throughout this time is to continue to engaged with us and with each other while continuing to grow spiritually. To do this, we’ve set up a few digital options that we really hope you will take advantage of:
EPIC TEACHING TIME
EPIC will continue to meet each week digitally! By Friday of every week, we will upload a video lesson to the EPIC facebook page, church website, and through email. There will be separate video lessons for junior high students and high school students. We ask that everyone watch the video before joining us in a google hangout each Sunday night for discussion and bible study around the topic in the video.
This week’s topic 3/21-3/28: ANXIETY
Video Links
Junior High: Trending: Anxiety Video
High School: I Have Questions – Anxiety Video
SMALL GROUP TIME – GOOGLE HANGOUTS
Junior High Students will meet every Sunday night in a google hangout at 730pm.
High School students will meet every Sunday night in a google hangout at 830pm.
We ask that each student who wants to be part of the google hangouts be signed up for our texting service, as that is where we will send the hangout link. Link will be texted out 10 minutes before the hangout begins. If you would like to sign up for the texting service, please email nlmfamilies@gmail.com.
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Log in to the YouVersion Bible App to find daily student devotionals to go along with our weekly topic. Starting Monday, March 23, students can search the YouVersion Bible App for these topics to locate their specific devotionals:
1. In the YouVersion Bible App, search “xp3 trending: anxiety” (Junior High) or “Xp3 I have questions – Anxiety” (High School)
2. Both of these daily devotional plans are 5 days and geared directly towards our students and designed to align with the weekly lesson.
Holy Spirit, lead us together as we walk into this new path ahead for us. May we continue to grow in your grace, and come to know a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior through it all. Amen.
In Christ,
Rev. Beth Graham
EPIC Games, September 22nd,2019 
EPIC Games, September 22nd, 2019
Great night at EPIC tonight!
We played protect the president. It became a lifeline to save our friends from sharks, then had a great lesson and discussion on how Godly friendships let you be real. We looked at Jesus befriending the Samaritan woman, and how we can apply Jesus’ example to our own lives .
September marks the Kick Off of EPIC Youth. This group meets up and serves as a place for students in grades Seventh-Tweleth to come together and engage in conversations about God, learn about life, and to be a part of something bigger than themselves. EPIC meetings end in May but the team works through the summer as well volunteering their time and traveling for mission trips. EPIC Small Groups are held on Sunday nights at 6:30 -8:00 PM in the Youth Room at Church.
For any questions please contact Beth Botsford- Graham, our Associate Pastor and Director of Children and Youth Ministries at: nlmfamilies@gmail.com or call the church office at (319) 626-2762.
