High School

   
Philosophy of Ministry
These are the best days of your life! Well they're supposed to be at least. High school teens have deep friendships, are enjoying new freedoms with growing up, and thinking about what their future holds. Unfortunately high school can also be a time of deep anxiety over self-esteem, preparation for college or other paths of growth and self discovery. 
 

 

 

Just for High School
Jeff Shankel   Message from Jeff.....

 

 January 23, 2021 

Have 1 Minute to Read? – Upcoming Details 

1.   High School 3n1 Valentine’s Party

    • Saturday, 2/13, 4:00pm – 6:00pm (weather permitting)

    • All are welcome.  Please RSVP and help us with our count.

    • WPC Parking Lot, 240 Tiburon Blvd

    • Bonfire, Movie, and Service

    • Details to come

2.   ****NEW DAY***Tuesday Bag Lunch

3.   Next Confirmation Class  Beginning- Sunday, January 24, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

4.    Find us online:

Enjoy the WPC Worship service as a family via Facebook or YouTube!

We're also  podcasting on all your favorite podcasting platforms:

  • a.   Find worship, Sunday school, and other specials at "WPC Tiburon"

  • b.   Get a very brief daily dose of prayer at "WPC Daily Dose"

Have 4 Minutes to Read? – EveryONE Belongs Initiative

We want to be sure your family knows that WPC cares about them and that you still feel like you belong.  We talk a lot with our youth group about being an inclusive youth group as opposed to one that is simply open or respectful.  We want people to feel included and feel like they belong.  As a church we are “the body of Jesus Christ.”  With Christ we know we are loved.  We know we belong.  With WPC we want to ensure the same things for one another.

Over the next few months either myself or one of our leaders will be giving you a phone call.  We want to chat!  Your home has become the de facto school for your kids.  You’ve also become the de facto pastors in your home leading your family on this murky spiritual journey.  We want to know how you’re family is doing, what’s working that can be shared with others, what roadblocks your facing, and how we can best rebuild this amazing youth group better when the time comes.

To say that our high school youth group has been deconstructed would be an understatement.  After 9 long months (with plenty to go) our youth are losing touch with each other.  Just this past week while meeting with a couple of our high schoolers for prayer we were each noticing how much they’ve changed since the last time we were all present with one another.  Nine months may not seem long to you and I but to a high schooler it’s forever!  What does our Holy Text say?  “A 1000 years is like a day to the Lord” so maybe the reverse is true.  A day is like a 1,000 years to a high schooler.

This is one way for us to rebuild these meaningful relationships.  I’m personally very much looking forward to connecting with each of you in the coming months!

Have 8 Minutes to Read?  -  Wednesday Bag Lunch is now TUESDAY Bag Lunch

We have made some changes to the bag lunch outreach that started back in April of 2020.  For many years WPC (along with other congregations) have provided nourishing meals and community for those suffering on the margins of society in Southern Marin.  That “Thursday Hot Lunch” program became the “Wednesday Bag Lunch” program after shelter-in-place orders took effect and our youth ministry and Friday Morning Men’s group jumped in to keep it going.  We committed then to providing 30 bag lunches to be distributed by our friends at Sausalito Presbyterian and we’re amazed by the response of our community.  We found purpose, routine, and community even for ourselves with the weekly ritual of stuff bags for those in needs.

We have now switched the day to Tuesday because the apparent needs of our area have shifted.  We are now collecting bag lunches for those in need specifically in Marin City.  It is becoming increasingly obvious to us that many of your kids’ classmates (or maybe yourselves) who have homes but are struggling to make ends meat are caught in a sort of gap of help.  Carole Gunn (WPC member) took all her passion, enthusiasm, and skill and is taking the baton so we can share this sort of love with our neighbors.  If you ever came to the Wednesday Bag Lunch drop off you probably saw Carole there.

We will continue to meet our commitments on Wednesday through our signupgenius link.  It is important that we do not bring more than the 30 lunches people have signed up for because we just don’t have anywhere to take the extra.  They will go to waste.  Please note, we have 10 slots to sign up for.  Each slot means you’re agreeing to make 3 lunches.  If you’d like to help us out on Wednesdays please do so through the link below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050944ada72ba0fa7-wednesday

 

Jeff Shankle
Westminster Presbyterian Church
240 Tiburon Blvd
Tiburon, CA  94920
office (415) 383-5272 x218

cell (415) 744-4683

www.WPCTiburon.org

 Opportunity to Serve Others Now (Tuesday Bag Lunch - details)

This is what we need:

  • 1.  Brown Bag Lunch (in your bag please include)
    • * Peanut Butter and Jelly

    • * Thinly sliced deli meats and cheese

    • * Bananas, Oranges, Cuties

    • * Yogurts

    • * Hummus, Guacamole, etc

    • *  Soft foods such as:

    • *  Juice or Water

    • * Chips/Crackers are okay and appreciated

    • * Soft Cookies or other soft treats

 

 

 

 

 

Parent's Corner - High School

 

 Have 7 Minutes to Read? – Teaching Grace in the Home

One of the central tenets of our faith that may differ from others is the idea that we don't really do anything to reach God. Rather, God comes to us. regardless of how "religious" we are or how much we know about the Bible. Despite the mess we make of our own lives and others, despite how often we disappoint ourselves or others, we are always loved. Through the Holy Spirit, God's presence is with us always. Even more, God wants to be there with us especially in the messiness.

We call this grace.

You and I might be able to appreciate the grace God gives us. That we are loved by something so holy regardless of what we do or don't do, but it may be hard to instill this sort of thing in the heart (not just the mind) of a young person. We all know that our faith can't solely be taught. It has to be experienced.

So how do we experience it in the home?

Just say, "I'm sorry" to your teenager more. That's a great starting place.
     "I'm sorry for the tone of voice I used when I asked you about your homework."
    "I'm sorry that I misunderstood the conflict you were having with your brother and jumped to an unfair conclusion."
    "I'm sorry that I wasn't sensitive enough to how tired you were from soccer."

In today's world our youth feel extraordinary pressures from all kinds of angles. We want them to know that their family is a safe place. And we hope that they are an example of grace to others.

If you want to make your home a hub of grace, try the following:

1. Keep your personal antennae up for times when your own fatigue causes you to speak unkindly to your kids.
2. When you feel like you've wronged your kids, tell them that you're sorry and ask for their forgiveness. Say, "Is that okay?" or "Does that make sense?"
3. Make sure you are quick to extend forgiveness to your kids when they need to do the same.