February and March 2024

Released Time

We are now in our last month of Released Time for this school year. Each of our schools have two more classes in April before we wrap up and turn our attention towards summer ministry.

In March, we had the privilege of sharing the Easter message with our students. We shared with them that although Jesus was betrayed by a friend, abandoned by the disciples, falsely accused by lying men, condemned by the religious leaders, and crucified by the Romans - none of it was outside the plan of God, and none of those people were directly the cause of his suffering and death. These events happened to put Jesus on the cross so that he might die as our substitute. Three days later, he conquered death itself, and then ascended back to heaven to prepare a place for those who trust in him. The Easter lesson is my favorite one of the year!

As we were discussing Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, I had asked one class what we have named the day that Jesus died on the cross. A student raised their hand and guessed “Black Friday?”. Although we might chuckle at that, it’s just one example of the lack of biblical knowledge that we see everyday, even among “churched” kids. We are so blessed to be able to bring biblical truth and understanding to these precious young lives, and to point them to Jesus!

We have two meetings in the next few weeks (one with a pastor, one with a school principal) to work towards establishing some classes in the Muskegon Heights area to our north. Please pray as we try to make in-roads to this very needy area.

Book Clubs

Our book clubs continue to grow! We have added 3 more students since our last newsletter, and have a few other families interested in possibly joining us in the fall.

The latest book we read, Song for a Whale, is about Iris, a deaf girl who learns about a whale who cannot communicate with the other whales around him because he is unable to “sing” at the same frequency that they do. He has been dubbed “the world’s loneliest whale” because he is rejected by any of the whale pods he tries to befriend. Iris sympathizes with him due to his inability to communicate - she thinks he is lonely and this is something she struggles with as well. As she tries to help him, she ultimately begins to understand her own needs. The book is based on a real whale that sings alone - look up the 52 hertz whale if you’re interested.

For our discussion time with this book, we invited some individuals to our meeting who have worked with the deaf community and understand their struggles with communication and loneliness. We used Iris’ situation to talk about how God has built within his creation a need for relationship with others, how we can show love and communicate with one another, and that God ultimately fulfills that need through Christ for eternity.

Summer Ministry

Summer is fast approaching! Our Day Camp this year is June 17-21, and our first overnight adventure camp is July 15-17. We have begun promoting and recruiting for them, but there is much yet to be done! We’d love for YOU to get involved! Here are some ways you can help:

Pray. Please pray for us as we recruit and plan. Pray for open hearts to the message of the gospel. Pray for good weather and safety during all our activities.
Volunteer. There are many opportunities to get involved. We need small group leaders and helpers, game helpers, photographers and elective leaders. Reach out if you’d like to learn more about how you can be involved.
Give. We need funding for our scholarships, so we can offer discounts for our 0wn camps as well as our partner camps in the area. Contact us for details.
Donate or Loan Items. Watch your email (the same one this newsletter link came from) for opportunities in the very near future

You can find out more (or register your campers) by visiting the links below:

DAY CAMP ADVENTURE CAMP

Event Calendar

As we transition to summer planning, please pray with us on these specific days that our ministry would be effective and that hearts would be open to the gospel. Some of these events are held by our partner churches in the area, and we are providing assistance.

April 8 - Edgewood Elementary Released Time Class

April 15 - Griffin Elementary Released Time Class

April 16 - Meeting with Principal in Muskegon Heights

April 17 - White Pines Intermediate Released Time Class

April 22 - Edgewood Elementary Released Time Class

April 24 - White Pines Intermediate Released Time Class

April 29 - Griffin Elementary Released Time Class

May 9th - Combined end-of-year Book Club meeting

June 17-21 Day Camp

July 15-17 Adventure Camp

July 22-26 VBS at Lakeshore Baptist Church

August 12-16 VBS at 2nd Reformed Church

August 24 - Grand Haven Community Baptist Family Day outreach event

Prayer Requests

Would you take a few minutes right now to celebrate and intercede for us?

Praises

Sign-ups are already coming in for camp.

Book Clubs are taking off. Pray for those who are contemplating involvement in the fall.

Our personal support level is almost at 100%!

Requests

Pray for opportunities to start Released Time classes in Muskegon Heights in the fall.
Pray for our summer camp planning and recruiting. Pray also that the gospel would be shared boldly and that campers would come to faith in Christ.
Pray for our summer schedule. We have two children getting married this summer, in addition to our two camp programs and 2 VBS programs that we are helping with.
Pray for more students to enroll in our Released Time Classes next fall.
Pray for funding, as we have a great need for regular monthly income for Lakeshore Student Ministries. Our personal funding is doing well but now the focus needs to be on the ministry expenses.

Closing Thoughts

The next months will bring a shift in focus from our Released Time classes and book clubs, to our summer camp offerings. This year will be a bit more challenging than others due to the two weddings we will celebrate this summer! Please pray for us, as we balance ministry and family time, and that God would be glorified in the two new marriages that will begin this year! Thank you for your support of our ministry!