Four commandments Pastor Michael and the youth leaders give you

Students and parents:

One of the parts of my job that doesn't involve students in junior high and high school is leading chapel services for the Ashton Christian Preschool once a month. This Monday morning, about twenty brand new preschoolers walked up the stairs and into the sanctuary. Up the aisle they went, onto the platform, and sat down in front of the altar.

I pulled up a chair, introduced myself, and asked them if they'd like to learn a big word. "Kids, can you say SANCTUARY?" "SANDWAREE!?!"

"OK, how about two small words you already know? SAFE PLACE." That they could say. And I explained to them that the room we were in was a special, safe place for them to learn about God's love for them.

You students can (and do) gather in lots of places: school, practice fields, outside Cold Stone, the mall, each others' homes, the 7-11. And you gather for different reasons: learning or the avoidance of it, a game, shopping, just to be together.

And you gather here at Ashton, and I am so grateful to God that you do. And when we gather here at Ashton, we gather to connect with the God who made us, to learn together how to follow him in the way of Jesus.

Because Ashton is a different KIND of place than others where we gather, and because we gather here for a different PURPOSE, the other youth leaders and I will hold you to these standards, beginning with our meeting this Sunday night, September 30, at 6:30 PM.

- Respect each other by not punching, kicking, hitting, tackling, wrestling or otherwise manhandling one another.

Ashton is a safe place, and you're not safe if someone knocks you down or body checks you into a wall. Even if you do it at home, you don't do it here. Any behavior like that will result in a student sitting out the rest of the evening and Pastor Michael speaking to your parent.

- Do not bring cell phones, digital music players or other electronic devices to youth group.

Youth group meetings are designed to create space in your life for you to experience God. Space for him to speak to you and for you to listen and respond to him. Texting, phone calls, phone cameras, iPods and video games make that MUCH harder, if not impossible. It's hard to hear Jesus' voice with "Crank That" stuck in your head.

Your parent knows where you are, and you should make arrangements to get home before you come. If your parent needs to contact you in an emergency, they may call my cell phone, 225-955-1156. If you need to contact a parent, you may ask an adult leader to use their cell phone or the church phone. An adult leader will be at the church entrance to collect any electronic devices you fail to leave at home. They will be returned to you when youth group is over. If an electronic device appears during youth group, it will be collected by a leader and returned to you when youth group is over. If you bring a device and it has to be collected two weeks in a row, Pastor Michael will initiate a conversation with your parent. If your parent wishes you to bring your cell phone, they need to email or call me and tell me so. Any phone brought will be deposited with a youth leader when you arrive and returned when youth group is over.

- Give adult leaders the respect they deserve by listening when they speak and by doing what they tell you the first time.

At the discretion of the leader giving the direction, your first failure to listen to a leader or do what they tells you gets a verbal warning. Fail a second time and you’ll sit out the rest of the evening. Repeated failure to listen to or obey leaders or a pattern of disrespect will result in Pastor Michael initiating a conversation with your parent.

- Give one another the respect you each deserve by listening to one another with attention, respecting the comments and feelings of others and treating one another with kindness and love.

Your first failure to respect other students gets a verbal warning. Fail a second time and you’ll sit out the rest of the evening. Repeated or persistent disrespect or unkindness toward other students will result in Pastor Michael initiating a conversation with your parent.

If you or your parent has any questions about any of these standards, Pastor Michael is eager to speak with you. He can be contacted by email: bob AT ashtonchurch DOT org or by phone: 301-774-7100, extension 205 (office) or on his cell phone.